Race to flee Taliban picks up pace
Over 80,000 people were evacuated since August 14, but huge crowds still remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee Taliban rule in Afghanistan
KABUL/WASHINGTON/BEIJING: Afghans on Wednesday faced an increasingly desperate race to escape life under the Taliban after US President Joe Biden confirmed that evacuations will end next week. Over 80,000 people have been evacuated since August 14, but huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of repression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Biden said on Tuesday the US would stick to his August 31 deadline to completely withdraw its troops despite warnings from European allies that not all vulnerable Afghans would be able to leave by then. His worry about staying beyond the deadline is the risk of a terror attack. “The longer we stay, starting with the acutely growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, which is an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan,” Biden said.
Afghans can leave after August 31, says Germany
The Taliban will continue to allow Afghans who have the right documents to leave Afghanistan after August 31, Germany’s ambassador to Afghanistan said. Markus Potzel tweeted he met with Taliban deputy chief negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who “assured that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on flights after August 31”.
The Afghan capital’s airport has been gripped by chaos as Us-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by Afghans.
The US said it will prioritise the removal of its troops on the last couple of days, the Pentagon said. There are about 5,400 troops at the airport, a number that Biden says will go down to zero by the end of the month.
Two US congressmen have revealed they violated official orders to travel to Kabul during the chaotic airlift. The revelation by Democratic congressman Seth Moulton and his Republican colleague Peter Meijer prompted criticism from the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday.
Xi and Putin unite in bid to handle aftermath
China and Russia on Wednesday projected a united front on the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan with the top leadership of the two countries pledging to enhance cooperation on handling the aftermath. In a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s position of non-interference and respecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
According to official media reports, Putin told Xi that he shares China’s positions and interests in Afghanistan and is willing to work together to “prevent foreign forces from interfering and destroying” Afghanistan.
China on Wednesday said it has an “effective” communication channel with the Taliban following a meeting between representatives of the group and the Chinese ambassador to Kabul on Tuesday.
Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, met Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in the Afghan capital on Tuesday.