Us completes withdrawal from Afghanistan
Cash in short supply at ATMs
The BBC’s Secunder Kermani in Kabul says Afghans – who have woken up with no international troop presence in their country for the first time in nearly 20 years – are anxious about the future.
“The Taliban have yet to announce a new government, have yet to announce a new system of government. My sources are telling me that it’s quite possible that they will announce the establishment of an Islamic Emirate like they had in the 1990s,” he told BBC World News.
Cash is also in short supply, with huge crowds gathering at ATMs. Withdrawals have been capped because of the rising demand. People are waiting for hours early in the morning to withdraw a small amount of their savings.
“People are really getting quite desperate. One man telling me he was worried about being able to put food on the table for his children. Another woman breaking down in tears. A substantial number of Afghans even though evacuation flights have ended, are still trying to leave the country. Many of the people who were leaving telling me that their primary reason to leave was actually the poor state of the economy,” he added.
“Many people telling me they think the Taliban has adopted a more conciliatory attitude in public than what they had anticipated, than what they had feared but they’re not sure how the Taliban will behave going forward, now that international troops are leaving, now that potentially some of the international focus on Afghanistan is going to shift”.
Hundreds of UK nationals still in Afghanistan – foreign secretary
The UK’s foreign secretary says there are still hundreds of UK nationals in Afghanistan – days after the country’s last evacuation flight left the capital Kabul.
Dominic Raab told BBC Breakfast those left behind – a figure in the “low hundreds” – were mainly the “more complex cases”, such as large family groups or those without documentation.
On top of this, there are still others hoping to come to the UK because of their work with the British government, or through the resettlement scheme.
Raab stressed that the government is still hoping to evacuate everyone who is eligible, and has been in contact with third countries that could serve as a route to the UK.
On top of this, he said the government was “going to hold the Taliban to their assurances” that people would be allowed safe passage.
Raab also defended the two decades spent in Afghanistan, pointing to successes in access to education, maternal mortality and the fact the country had not been used as a base for terrorists in years.
If you’re just joining us now…
Hello to our readers waking up in the UK and Europe. In Afghanistan, it is the first morning of a new era under Taliban control, following America’s departure.
Here’s what you need to know about the last few hours:
- The US flew out its last military plane just after midnight on Tuesday, bringing to a close its longest war ever.
- Shortly after their departure, Taliban fighters streamed into Kabul airport to claim the ground and the disabled military equipment left behind by the US. Others celebrated across the city, firing guns into the air.
- This morning, members of the Taliban leadership strode across the tarmac at Hamid Karzai airport to declare victory and congratulate their fighters
- Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the insurgents for “gaining independence” and said his government wished to have “good relations with the US and the world”.
- But with the Americans gone, this is now a worrying, uncertain period for women, children, and human rights activists under Taliban rule
- There is widespread anxiety about what the hardline Taliban government will look like, and how it will act within its Islamic law framework
- The US said it had evacuated about 123,000 civilians including 6,000 American citizens in what was its largest non-combatant evacuation in US army history
- But around 100 to 250 American citizens remain, said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who wasn’t able to confirm exact numbers.
- US President Joe Biden had promised to get every American out, so the early end to the evacuation has sparked widespread criticism
- Some Americans and Afghans who were approved to leave struggled to get to the airport because they were blocked by Taliban at checkpoints, according to some witness reports
- Mr Biden is due to give a public address on the end of the war today.
Expert: Younger generation of women stand to suffer from Taliban rule
The US says America has begun a new chapter of engagement with Afghanistan, which would be led by diplomacy.
Shortly after the last American flight left Kabul, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed that the Taliban would have to respect the rights of women.
But Lina AbiRafeh, a women’s rights expert who worked in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2006 says women are already living in fear.
“The fear is crippling, and the uncertainty is an inhibitor – people just do not want to be outside. At the same time, women who were active in the health sector have been asked to come out and start working and they are doing so but they remain apprehensive as well,” Ms AbiRafeh told BBC World’s Newsday programme.
She added that there was so much hope in the country before the takeover, but that the younger generation could really suffer.
“Afghan women have been out and working and really showcasing their talents, and gaining all these new freedoms. And all of that right now is in jeopardy with what’s happening in the country. So it’s extremely worrying for them, especially for a younger generation of women who did not experience the abuses or the restrictions of the Taliban,” she said.
‘Markets and eateries are open but the joy is gone’
Mazar-i-Sharif, often described as the cultural capital of Afghanistan, is witnessing considerable curbs in freedoms that people enjoyed before the Taliban’s takeover.
Mazar wears many hats – it is believed to be the birthplace of Islamic mystic poet Jalaluddin Rumi and it’s also a place which has traditionally been a hub of anti-Taliban resistance.
Hasan*, who has been telling the BBC about the experience of living under the Taliban rule, talks about how much things have changed in such a short time.
“Restaurants are open now, but you hardly see women in them, you miss the usual sight of youngsters, including girls, glued to their mobile phones watching films, playing video games, or making content for social media.”
It’s hard to believe the pace at which such freedoms have been upended. I visited Mazar-i-Sharif in 2014 and found it to be a vibrant city. Shops were selling modern clothing for both women and men. Electronic shops were full of modern gadgets,
And one could find all kinds of cuisines – Italian, Indian and German. It’s heartbreaking to hear people’s stories about fear – the fear of never being able to live the life they lived before the Taliban arrived.
*Name has been changed to protect identity
Taliban stopped some Americans from getting to airport – reports
As the last US plane left Afghanistan there were still American citizens and eligible Afghans trying to get into the airport, officials have said.
In a press conference earlier, General McKenzie, head of the US forces confirmed there were an estimated 100-250 Americans who either couldn’t get to the airport on time or couldn’t get onto a plane.
One US army veteran who says he’s been helping coordinate rescues from his Connecticut home said the Taliban refused to let many pass in the end. He had been in touch with many of them, he tweeted.
“The Taliban just became simply impossible to coordinate with towards the end. They refused to cooperate outside the gates,” he said.
The BBC has not independently verified his claims.
Alex Plitsas, the veteran, has also said he is still being contacted by Americans wishing to get out, but some had not registered with US authorities. “We can’t rescue people we don’t know are there,” he said.
Taliban leader congratulates fighters in airport address
Tariq Ghazniwal, who runs a Taliban propaganda website, has been posting clips of the militant group’s leaders at Kabul airport.In one of them, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid is seen addressing a group of fighters in full combat gear.
He is seen thanking them for their efforts and congratulating them for “gaining independence”.
“We are proud of your sacrifices. This is because of the hardships you and our leaders suffered. It is because of (our leaders’) honesty and patience that we are independent today,” he said.
“So I congratulate you and the Afghan nation. Our wish is that our country will never be invaded again. We want peace, prosperity and a true Islamic system.”
He also urged the Taliban fighters to “be gentle” with the Afghan people.
“I would also like to ask you to be careful in how you deal with your people. This nation has suffered a lot. The Afghan people deserve to be treated with love and sympathy. So, be gentle to them. We are their servants. We have not imposed ourselves on them.”
This translation was provided by our colleagues at BBC Pashto.
US forces disabled aircraft, armoury left behind at airport
The US army made sure to disable their aircraft and armed vehicles left behind at Kabul Airport before they flew out on Monday night, officials say.
Mission commander General Kenneth McKenzie said troops “demilitarized” 73 aircraft, 70 armoured tactical vehicles and 27 Humvees so they wouldn’t be used by the Taliban.
“Those aircraft will never fly again… They’ll never be able to be operated by anyone,” he said.
A video posted by a Los Angeles Times reporter showed the Taliban entering an airport hangar and inspecting US aircraft.
The US also disabled its high-tech rocket defence system – which it left behind at the airport too. The C-RAM system sprung into action on Monday to counter an Islamic State rocket attack on the airport.
As we reported earlier, Taliban fighters in the past weeks have been seen with a range of US-produced military weapons and vehicles. These had originally been provided to the Afghan national army, but when those forces quickly surrendered, they fell into the hands of the Taliban instead.Article share tools.
Taliban leaders reportedly on Kabul airport runway
Some members of the Taliban leadership have reportedly arrived at Kabul airport, and have been speaking to reporters on the runway.
AFP news agency quoted the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying: “Congratulations to Afghanistan… this victory belongs to us all.”
“We want to have good relations with the US and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all,” he added.
Watch again: The moment US announced end of its longest war
After nearly 20 years, US troops have left Afghanistan.
Take a look back at the announcement from Gen Kenneth F McKenzie, the head of US Central Command.
‘Living in a state of constant fear in Herat’
Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, was a bustling centre of economic activity until it fell to the Taliban.
Residents tell the BBC that the local economy has now slowed down and “people are living in a state of fear”.
Habeeb*, who worked in communications, says people are scared to even leave their houses.
“The Taliban are present everywhere. I am running out of my savings. I have no job and so many like me need desperate help.”
The Taliban are asking people to return to work but locals say that “the entire administrative system is destroyed”.
Habeeb says he has been hearing about the Taliban giving severe punishments to people even for petty crimes.
“The situation is much worse in smaller districts and villagers where there is no oversight from the media,” Habeeb addsa.
*Name has been changed to protect identity
‘Now they’ve taken over’
New footage has emerged of the Taliban entering Kabul airport, just after the last American plane left.
Nabih Bulos, a correspondent with the Los Angeles Times, followed a team of Taliban fighters as they explored a hangar with what appears to be aircraft left behind by retreating US forces.
“We’re here with the Taliban as they enter what was only minutes ago was an American-controlled portion of the military airport. Now they’ve taken over,” he says to the camera.
Other videos posted also showed the Taliban fighters shooting their machine guns into the sky in celebration, cheering and posing for pictures, and exploring the rest of the airport.
Afghans flee to Pakistan over land
With foreign evacuation flights now ended, Afghans still desperate to find a way out of the country may be heading to the nation’s borders.
Already over the past two weeks, thousands have fled to neighbouring Pakistan.
Our reporter Shumaila Jaffery has been at the Chaman border:
“From dawn till dusk they pour in – hundreds of men with luggage on their shoulders, burqa-clad women walking briskly behind their men, children clinging to their mothers, exhausted in the scorching heat, and even patients pushed on wheelbarrows.”
She spoke with many refugees, including one student who said:
“Everybody wants to live in their homes, but we were forced to leave Afghanistan. We are not feeling good about migrating to Pakistan or other countries, all people are worried, but they don’t have any hope”.
Taliban heralds “historic moment” of US exit
With the country now back in their hands, Taliban supporters celebrated across Kabul after the last US plane flew out.
Scenes from Kabul showed supporters firing guns into the air and cars honking into the early hours of Tuesday.
The last American troops left Kabul Airport at midnight.
At that point, Afghanistan gained “full independence,” one Taliban representative, Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Another senior Taliban official, Anas Haqqani, was quoted by AFP as saying he was “proud” to witness such “historic moments”.
American reactions as ‘longest war’ officially ends
The completion of the withdrawal from Afghanistan symbolising the end of a 20-year military operation by the US has sparked strong reaction across the political spectrum in the country.
President Biden has already been heavily criticised for the rushed, chaotic end to the mission – and Republicans on Monday night stepped up their attacks.
In particular, they’re criticising the fact that the US has only evacuated 6,000 citizens out of an estimated 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan – not all of whom want to leave.
Secretary of state Anthony Blinken said earlier that an estimated 100-200 Americans who do wish to leave are still in the country.
However, many Democrats reiterated commitments to persisting in getting the last Americans out, along with Afghans wishing to leave.
Many also paid tribute to the American service personnel who had served.
And some also welcomed the end of their nation’s longest war.
Who was evacuated from Afghanistan in the end?
Soon after the US announced the end of its Afghanistan mission, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters that 123,000 people were safely flown out since the Taliban took over on 14 August.
Out of them, 6,000 were American citizens. Secretary Blinken says between 100 and 200 American citizens who still want to leave remain in the country and that the US will hold the Taliban to their promise to let people freely depart the country.
It is unclear just how many of those evacuated are Afghans.
- Around 15,000 people were flown to Britain, according to the UK defence ministry
- Canada facilitated the evacuation of roughly 3,700 Canadian and Afghan citizens
- Germany flew around 5,300 people out, including more than 4,000 Afghan nationals
- Italy evacuated just over 5,000 people including 4,890 Afghans
- Nearly 3,000 people including more than 2,600 Afghans were taken to France
- Australia welcomed 4,100 people including more than 3,200 citizens and Afghans with visas to the country
- The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Australia and Sweden are among countries that evacuated more than 1,000 people each from Kabul airport.
Black Hawks and Humvees – US military kit now with the Taliban
The US spent $83bn over 20 years to train up and resource an Afghan national army.
But with the fall of Kabul on 15 August to the Taliban, those arms and weaponry have since been taken by the Taliban.
Its fighters have been pictured showing off a host of US-made weaponry and vehicles on social media – among them Black Hawk helicopters, Humvees and a variety of machine guns and rifles.
Some of them have also been seen in complete combat gear – making them indistinguishable from other special forces around the world, commentators have said.
A timeline of America’s longest war
With the last US flight leaving Afghanistan, America’s longest war has come to an end.
Here’s a timeline of some of the biggest developments during the 20-year conflict.
- 7 October 2001: A US-led coalition bombs Taliban and al-Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan. Targets include Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad. The Taliban, who took power after a decade-long Soviet occupation was followed by civil war, refuse to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden
- 13 November 2001: The Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban rebels backed by coalition forces, capture Kabul
- 7 February 2009: US President Barack Obama approves a major increase in the number of troops sent to Afghanistan. At their peak, they number about 140,000
- 28 December 2014: Nato ends its combat operations in Afghanistan. With the surge now over, the US withdraws thousands of troops. Most of those who remain focus on training and supporting the Afghan security forces
- 29 February 2020: The US and the Taliban sign an “agreement for bringing peace” to Afghanistan, in Doha, Qatar. The US and Nato allies agree to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal
- 13 April 2021: US president Joe Biden announces that all US troops will leave Afghanistan by 11 September that year
- 16 August 2021: In just over a month, the Taliban sweep across Afghanistan, taking control of towns and cities all over the country, including Kabul. Afghan security forces collapse in the face of the Taliban advance
- 31 August 2021: The US completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan
bbc.com | gulfmorningnews.com
