U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to stay in Afghanistan until all U.S. citizens who want to leave have been evacuated, as he stands firmly by his decision to leave the country, despite the chaos that has ensued. “I don’t think it could’ve been handled in a way that there — we’re — going to go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” Biden said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. He dismissed questions about scenes of Afghans clinging to a U.S. aircraft as it took off as something that happened “days ago.” The president stressed that the U.S. military is now in control at the airport and evacuating thousands with the goal of getting everyone who needs to be evacuated out, both American and Afghan, by August 31. When pressed whether troops will stay if the U.S. doesn’t meet the August 31 deadline, Biden said, “If we don’t, we’ll determine who’s left … and if there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them out.” U.S. soldiers stand guard as Afghan people wait to board a U.S. military aircraft to leave Afghanistan, at the military airport in Kabul, August 19, 2021.The omission of at-risk Afghans and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants in his answer is likely to disturb the thousands yet to be evacuated and their American allies who are desperate to get them out. Pentagon officials said Thursday that to date, the U.S. military had evacuated 7,000 people in recent days, for a total of 12,000 evacuated since the end of July. Concern is growing with reports that Afghans and American citizens are having trouble getting to the airport due to Taliban checkpoints. The U.S. is continuing to communicate with local Taliban commanders on the ground to move people through the checkpoints. “It comes down a lot to the credentialing and making sure that they can prove — and we can prove — that these are appropriate people to move through. And we have indications this morning that that process is working,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters Thursday.The State Department echoed figures from the Pentagon, with spokesman Ned Price telling reporters Thursday that 6,000 people had been “fully processed” and would soon board planes out of Afghanistan.”Overnight, we significantly expanded how many American citizens, locally employed staff, SIV applicants and other vulnerable Afghans who are eligible for departure, and we offer them to consider transit to the airport,” he told reporters.In a statement Thursday, Price also noted that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about efforts to safely evacuate allied forces and their Afghan partners.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that U.S. troops would stay focused on protecting the airfield. Chaos and panic on Monday halted air traffic there for hours and led to multiple deaths.  “I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul,” Austin said.  Up to 15,000 Americans and tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took full control of the nation last weekend.  In the interview, which aired early Thursday, Biden said that even with the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, he still sees a greater threat from al-Qaida and its affiliated organizations elsewhere. “We should be focusing on where the threat is the greatest,” Biden said, referencing “looming problems, growing problems” in Africa and Syria. FILE – U.S. soldiers stand guard along the perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.He also defended his administration’s decisions based on the intelligence coming from Afghanistan, saying the intelligence he saw said a Taliban takeover was “more likely by the end of the year,” and that the government’s collapse in such a short time was not anticipated. His comments echoed those of General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told reporters Wednesday the time frame of a government collapse “was widely estimated and ranged from weeks to months and even years following our departure.”  “There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days,” he added. However, a senior U.S. intelligence official, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. community “consistently identified the risk of a rapid collapse of the Afghan government.”   “We also grew more pessimistic about the government’s survival as the fighting season progressed. … That said, the Afghan government unraveled even more quickly than we anticipated,” the official said. The White House said the president met with his national security team to discuss security, diplomatic and intelligence updates in Afghanistan early Thursday. The team discussed the status of operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport and efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens, embassy personnel, SIV applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans as quickly as possible. National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
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The United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, called Thursday for the protection and preservation of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage, warning that harming it could only have adverse consequences on lasting peace.   “Afghanistan is home to a wide range of rich and diverse heritage, which is an integral part of Afghan history and identity, as well as of importance for humanity as a whole, that must be safeguarded,” the agency said in a statement.   Experts are concerned about the National Museum in Kabul, as well as designated World Heritage sites, including the minaret and archaeological remains of Jam and the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley.   FILE – Two women walk past the cliffs that once held giant Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, June 17, 2009.Twenty years ago, the Taliban blew up the two Buddhas of Bamiyan, mammoth statutes which had stood in niches carved into the valley’s mountains for centuries.FILE – A 55-meter-high (180 feet) Buddha statue in Bamiyan town in central Afghanistan is shown on Dec. 22, 1997 before its destruction.UNESCO has said their deliberate destruction was intended to destroy culture, identity and history and showed how destroying heritage could be used as a weapon against local populations.   Images of Taliban fighters blowing up the statues was broadcast around the world, raising awareness of the importance of persevering cultural heritage. In 2012, the international community recognized the intentional destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime. On Tuesday, Karima Bennoune, the U.N. special rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, urged nations to act urgently to prevent “a massive human rights and cultural disaster” in Afghanistan. “Protecting Afghan lives and rights must be the top priority,” she said. “Efforts must also be made to ensure the safety of all forms of culture and cultural heritage which are essential for enjoyment of those rights, and to protect those who defend it on the frontlines.” The special rapporteur appealed to international cultural and educational institutions to invite Afghan artists, cultural workers and students, especially women and members of minority groups to their establishments to allow them to continue their work in safety.  
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Taliban fighters captured major areas in quick succession on their way to seizing Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, Sunday, 20 years after U.S.-led forces knocked the group from power. Here are some of its key leaders.Mawlawi Haibatullah AkhundzadaHe is the Taliban’s supreme leader, a position he took following the death of his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour, in a 2016 U.S. drone strike.  He previously served as a senior judge in the court system during the Taliban’s earlier rule of Afghanistan.  After the 2001 U.S. invasion, he fled across the border into Pakistan.  His public profile has been limited, mainly consisting of the release of messages during Islamic holidays.Mullah Abdul Ghani BaradarBaradar is the Taliban’s deputy chief for political affairs and one of the group’s co-founders. He also fled to Pakistan in 2001 and in 2010 he was arrested in the city of Karachi in a joint raid by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistani counterterrorism forces.FILE – Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban’s peace negotiation team, amid talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 21, 2020.As the administration of former U.S. president Donald Trump pursued peace talks with the Taliban in 2018, it persuaded Pakistan to release Baradar.  He went on to oversee the group’s negotiation team during talks in Doha, Qatar, and met with then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in September 2020.Baradar flew to the city of Kandahar on Tuesday, returning to Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years.Mullah Mohammad YaqoobThe son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, who died in 2013, he oversees the group’s military operations and serves as a deputy leader.  Akhundzada appointed him to the post in May 2020.  He previously served as the head of the Taliban’s military commission for about half of Afghanistan’s provinces. A United Nations report in June said Yaqoob and another top leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, “oppose peace talks and favor a military solution.”Sirajuddin HaqqaniHe leads the Haqqani network, a militant group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization in 2012 and one behind some of the deadliest attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces during the war.  Haqqani is the son of Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani and serves as a deputy leader of the Taliban.The U.S. Justice Department has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Haqqani’s capture.Mawlavi Abdul HakimHakim is a hardline cleric and close confidant of Akhundzada.  He led the Taliban’s negotiating team at the Doha peace talks and also headed the group’s own judicial system it enforced in areas it controlled in Afghanistan.(Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.)  
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Afghan students enrolled in Indian colleges and universities worry about the future that their country holds for them following the Taliban takeover there. India has a large Afghan student community, with most having come on scholarships offered by the Indian government as a goodwill gesture to promote education in the country. Anjana Pasricha spoke to a group of students enrolled in colleges in Chandigarh city in North India.Camera: Rakesh Kumar, Producer: Jon Spier 
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Undergraduate Afghan student Saeeda Dilyabi, in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, is deeply worried about the future that her country holds for her after the Taliban captured power.“Our lives will be in danger, our families’ life will be in danger, so I don’t think we can go back to Afghanistan,” Dilyabi said, sitting in a park scrolling her phone for the latest news on Afghanistan.She is among hundreds of Afghans studying in Indian colleges and universities on scholarships offered by the Indian government as a goodwill gesture to promote education in the country.Students like her epitomize the rights won by women in Afghanistan in the last 20 years – they live independently in Indian cities, are not covered with veils and are imbibing a modern education. They had hoped to go back and work in a country that was making progress.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
An Afghan national cries as she is interviewed by media members outside the Embassy of the United States of America in New Delhi, India, Aug. 19, 2021.Some, like 27-year-old Ali Nazar Nabizada, believe their future has been taken away. He recently completed his postgraduate degree in public administration and had wanted to join the government in Kabul. Now he said he wants to stay on in India and see how the situation unfolds in coming months.“I thought when I go back, I will be free like I am here, I will have a normal life,” Nabizada said.“Now I don’t want to return. The Taliban, they don’t see my knowledge, it is of no use to them,” he said.He called the situation in his country heartbreaking.“I have lost everything. I had a beautiful country and right now it is captured by a group of terrorists. I am broken right now, I am really broken,” he said, adding that he is unable to sleep at night.Azimi, who had made plans to move to Canada even before the Taliban takeover amid the political flux in Afghanistan, said she does not know whether she will ever visit her homeland again.“I will definitely want to see in what condition is my country, I would love to. But if after 20 years also, the government is still in the hands of Taliban, then I will not see Afghanistan,” she said.Most, however, may have no choice but to return. And although deeply skeptical, they desperately want the Taliban to deliver on its projection of a more moderate stance, and give space to a young, progressive generation.“We hope they have actually changed, their minds, their behavior against women, Dilyab said.Nabizada echoed her words.“We hope they don’t harm people and that they stand with their words now,” she said. 
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The Taliban swept through Afghanistan, taking most of its 34 Afghan provincial capitals in about nine days. The insurgent group reached Kabul early Sunday.          Here is the latest:        Aug. 18 — As of late Wednesday, the U.S. military had evacuated nearly 6,000 people from Afghanistan, according to a White House official. Aug. 18 — U.S. President Joe Biden says U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan until all Americans are evacuated, even if that means they are in the country beyond the August 31 deadline for withdrawing forces.  “If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay there until we get them all out,” Biden told ABC News. Aug. 18 — U.S. State Department says it expects Taliban to allow everyone who wishes to leave Afghanistan “to do so safely and without harassment.”   Aug. 18 — At least three people died in Jalalabad after what witnesses say was violence by Taliban militants against a group of people who tried to take down a Taliban flag and replace it with the national flag of Afghanistan. Aug. 18 — U.N. food agency director in Afghanistan warns of humanitarian crisis with 14 million people facing severe hunger. Aug. 18 — First Lufthansa flight in Germany’s effort to evacuate nationals, activists and Afghans who worked with foreign forces arrives in Frankfurt. Aug. 17 — Taliban co-founder and deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar returns to Afghanistan.   Aug. 17 — United States says it evacuated more than 3,200 people as of Tuesday evening with aims to increase to between 5,000 and 9,000 per day Wednesday. Aug. 17 — U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan says international community will be watching and “verifying” whether Taliban meets obligations to uphold human rights.    Aug. 17 — The Taliban vow to respect women’s rights “within Islamic law” and form an “inclusive Islamic” government.  They also announce general “amnesty” and urge people to return to work.     Aug. 17 — Flights resume Tuesday at Kabul’s international airport after crowds Monday forced pause in evacuations of diplomats and civilians.    Aug. 17 — India evacuates Kabul embassy, sending 140 personnel on flight home Tuesday.     Aug. 16 — In a nationally televised speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden says he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, adding that “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”        Aug. 16 — Thousands of civilians gather at Kabul’s international airport, where U.S. soldiers fired warning shots as people seeking to escape the Taliban run across the tarmac. Video from the airport shared on social media shows Afghans clinging to the sides of a U.S. military aircraft, while another video shows what appears to be a person falling from a U.S. military plane after takeoff.     Aug. 15 — More than 60 countries call for all parties in Afghanistan to allow any Afghans or foreign nationals to leave the country if they wish to do so.      Aug. 15 — Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a deputy chief and co-founder of the Taliban, says late Sunday, “I am here to announce that we are responsible for your lives and all that pertain to everyday living, and to convince you that we will provide everything to make your lives better.”        Aug. 15 — Top members of the Taliban military commission arrive at the presidential palace in Kabul as Taliban fighters position themselves at key posts in the city. A Taliban spokesman confirms that they have been directed to guard security posts and other installations in Kabul to “prevent chaos and looting after Afghan forces abandoned them.”      Aug. 15 — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issues a statement confirming that he, along with his vice president and other senior officials, has fled the country “to prevent bloodshed.”        Aug. 15 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating its remaining staff at its embassy in Kabul.      Aug. 15 — The Taliban reach Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, saying they are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power. Earlier, they took over Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province.          Aug. 15 — Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says fighters have taken control of Bagram Airfield and the Parwan prison there and freed its inmates. There were about 5,000 high-value Taliban prisoners at Bagram, which served as the main base for the U.S.-led foreign military mission in Afghanistan.          Aug. 14 — As Taliban insurgents draw closer to the Afghan capital, U.S. President Joe Biden authorizes another 1,000 troops — in addition to the 3,000 ordered earlier in the week — to assist in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and other allies from Kabul.     Aug. 14 — Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, falls to the Taliban after fierce fighting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announces in a formal statement that they have fully captured the country’s fourth-largest city, located on the border with Uzbekistan.          Aug. 14 — President Ashraf Ghani delivers a televised address, saying rapid consultations are under way to end the fighting, and calls for revitalization of armed forces.          Aug. 14 — The Taliban seize control of Asadabad, capital of eastern province of Kunar, Saturday afternoon. 
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In a move that local journalists and rights analysts believe could further curtail press freedom, Cambodia’s government has formed a new journalism ethics committee to monitor the media.Details of the 15-member Monitoring Committee for Journalism Ethics were announced in an Information Ministry directive this month.The body will be made up of 10 government officials, the president of a press union who is also a government official, and four media representatives.“The committee is tasked to monitor and evaluate ethical conduct among journalists and media outlets and to allow the ministry to appraise or punish the media outlets or reporters,” the directive says. “The committee will also examine all complaints by the public against journalists and media outlets.”The Information Ministry did not detail what punitive measures journalists could face, but Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith will ultimately decide what action should be taken, spokesperson Meas Sophorn told VOA Khmer.Reporters not ‘scared’ of being called outA few days before the committee details were announced, Kanharith spoke about his concerns for journalism during an online forum on the ethics of Facebook Live broadcasts, organized by the government-affiliated Club of Cambodian Journalists.The minister criticized journalists and news outlets for not following codes of ethics and said that the media rarely called out bad journalism, which meant reporters were not “scared” by unprofessional behavior.“We have more than 50 journalist NGOs and associations, but is there even one who dares to denounce journalists who write unprofessionally? There is no association who dares. This is the weakness,” Kanharith said at the forum.Media rights groups, however, say the wider problem for Cambodia’s press is a lack of space for independent reporting.The country ranks 144th out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ annual FILE – A woman buys the final issue of The Cambodia Daily newspaper at a store along a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sept. 4, 2017.In 2017, the government shut down The Cambodia Daily, an independent newspaper,  for alleged tax avoidance. Its crosstown rival, The Phnom Penh Post, was sold in 2018 to a Malaysian investor.Authorities have imprisoned journalists for alleged incitement or claimed that reporters were acting in an unethical or unprofessional manner. The independent Cambodian Journalists Alliance documented 35 cases of harassment affecting 72 journalists in 2020 and said that at least 10 reporters were convicted or are awaiting trial.Among those are Ros Sokhet of the  Cheat Khmer  newspaper, radio journalist Sok Oudom and online reporter Sovann Rithy, all of whom were arrested in 2020. Sokhet and Rithy were arrested after their critical reporting on the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Oudom had been covering a land dispute involving the military. Independent body?The composition of the ethics committee, which predominantly features government representatives, was flagged as a concern by local media bodies.Nop Vy, executive director of the Cambodian Journalists Alliance, which is on the ethics committee, applauded the move to have such a body but said the government should not have mechanisms to monitor the media.“If the Information Ministry has the intention to set up a committee to promote and praise journalists, we can move to another step to ensure transparency and equal members on the committee,” Vy told VOA. The committee should have equal voices from media associations and independent journalists, he added.Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, was also concerned about the committee having too many government representatives. He said the government tended to praise journalists close to the officials but called independent journalists the “opposition.”“Maybe it seems too early to evaluate this new [committee]. But in my observation, the ministry’s mechanism doesn’t fully support independent journalists,” Sothoeuth told VOA Khmer.More Than 70 Journalists Harassed in Cambodia in 2020 , Report FindsFear of physical violence and legal risk are daily part of job, according to Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association Local reporter Khut Sokun, who covers land disputes and social injustice for the news website and radio station Voice of Democracy, said he was concerned that the committee would not fairly evaluate coverage critical of government excesses.“If our articles are being evaluated, I am concerned, since there will be no independent journalists as members on the committee,” he said.While the Cambodian Journalists Alliance is considered independent, the committee’s decisions will be approved if more than half the body — which is predominantly made up of government officials — is in agreement.International media freedom groups raised questions about the independence of the ethics committee, which they said could become another way for authorities to curtail free speech.“It is perfectly healthy in a democracy for the media to be held accountable for the content they produce,” Daniel Bastard, head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk, said in a statement. “But let’s not be fooled. This ethics committee will act without any independence from the government, without any transparency as to the decisions it issues, and without any recourse for the journalists it sanctions.”The Belgium-based International Federation of Journalists also warned the committee could be used to stifle critical journalism and intimidate journalists. The federation added that it was an affront for the government to think it could be arbiters of journalistic ethics.Attempt at ‘sabotage’Ministry spokesperson Sophorn pushed back against the criticism, saying it was an attempt to “sabotage” the government’s efforts to support ethical journalism.“If they don’t work ethically, will we leave them like that?” he asked VOA Khmer. “We haven’t done any work, but there are baseless concerns on the work of the committee.”Government officials have previously asked the Information Ministry for advice on handling the media. In July, Kandal provincial Governor Kong Sophorn asked the ministry for guidance on what to do when journalists “violate authorities’ work” and act in an unethical or unprofessional manner, according to a ministry announcement seen by VOA.Officials and the police in the province have also prevented journalists from documenting forced evictions or land disputes.Last week in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, security forces harassed two journalists, including one who was on assignment for Voice of America, as they documented the eviction of residents at a large development project. The reporters were forced to delete their photos.This story originated in VOA’s Khmer Service.
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President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he is committed to keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means maintaining a military presence there beyond his August 31 deadline for withdrawal. He also pushed back against criticism that the U.S. should have done more to plan for the evacuation and withdrawal, which has been marked by scenes of violence and chaos as thousands attempted to flee while the Taliban advanced. In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Biden said the U.S. will do “everything in our power” to evacuate Americans and U.S. allies from Afghanistan before the deadline.Pressed repeatedly on how the administration would help Americans left in the nation after August 31, Biden said, “If there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay till we get them all out.”  FILE – Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit process Department of State personnel for evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2021.Up to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took full control of the nation last weekend. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. military does not have the forces and firepower in Afghanistan to expand its current mission from securing the Kabul airport to collecting Americans and at-risk Afghans elsewhere in the capital and escorting them for evacuation. The question of whether those seeking to leave the country before Biden’s deadline should be rescued and brought to the airport has arisen amid reports that Taliban checkpoints have stopped some designated evacuees. “I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul,” Austin said. “And where do you take that? How far do you extend into Kabul, and how long does it take to flow those forces in to be able to do that?” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pauses while speaking during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Aug. 18, 2021.Austin, a retired four-star Army general who commanded forces in Afghanistan, spoke at his first Pentagon news conference since the Taliban swept to power in Kabul on Sunday. He said the State Department was sending more consular affairs officers to speed up the processing of evacuees. “We’re not close to where we want to be” in terms of the pace of the airlift, Austin said. He said he was mainly focused on the airport, which faced “a number of threats” that must be monitored. “We cannot afford to either not defend that airfield or not have an airfield that’s secure, where we have hundreds or thousands of civilians that can access the airfield,” he said, adding that talks with the Taliban were continuing to ensure safe passage for those evacuating. Austin said there were about 4,500 U.S. troops at the airport, maintaining security to enable the State Department-run evacuation operation that has been marked by degrees of chaos and confusion.  Biden, however, told ABC that there wasn’t anything his administration could have done to avoid such chaos.  “The idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” he said. Senior U.S. military officers were talking to Taliban commanders in Kabul about checkpoints and curfews that have limited the number of Americans and Afghans able to enter the airport. FILE – U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, enters a plane evacuating people, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021.John Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said that over 24 hours about 2,000 people, including 325 American citizens, had left aboard 18 flights by U.S. Air Force C-17 transport planes. The number of departing Air Force flights was likely to be similar in the coming 24 hours, Kirby said, although he said he could not estimate how many people they would carry. He said the administration was considering its options for dealing with a separate but related problem — the abandonment by Afghan security forces of an array of military equipment, weapons and aircraft that have fallen into the hands of the Taliban or other militant groups. “We don’t, obviously, want to see our equipment in the hands of those who would act against our interests or the interests of the Afghan people and increase violence and insecurity inside Afghanistan,” Kirby said. “There are numerous policy choices that can be made, up to and including destruction.” He said those decisions had not yet been made. Kirby said several hundred more U.S. troops were expected to arrive at the airport by Thursday. An Air Force unit arrived overnight that specializes in rapidly setting up and maintaining airfield operations, Kirby said. And he said Marines trained in evacuation support have continued to arrive and will assist in getting civilians onto flights. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, on Tuesday acknowledged reports that some civilians were encountering resistance — “being turned away or pushed back or even beaten” — as they tried to reach the Kabul airport.  The State Department said it was sending John Bass, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, to manage the evacuation operation in Kabul. Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Donohue, a special operations officer and current commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, has arrived to take command of airport security operations. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command and overall commander of U.S. troops in Kabul, made an unannounced visit to the Afghan capital Tuesday. In a written statement, he said he found that military air traffic controllers and ground handlers were “rapidly scaling up” airlift operations. McKenzie on Sunday negotiated the safe passage agreement with Taliban leaders in talks held in Doha, Qatar. On Monday, the airlift was temporarily suspended when Afghans desperate to escape the country breeched security and rushed onto the tarmac. Seven people died in several incidents. The Air Force said Tuesday that its Office of Special Investigations was investigating an incident Monday in which a C-17 transport plane taking off was swarmed by desperate Afghan civilians, some of whom died. The Air Force said human remains were found in the plane’s wheel well when it landed in Qatar. 
 
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Top leaders of Afghanistan’s Tajik community warn if the Taliban fail to deliver on their recent commitment to form an “inclusive” government in Kabul, they will not be able to maintain their hold on power.These former staunch Taliban foes, however, say they are willing to cooperate with all factions in the country to help bring much needed peace to Afghanistan.Former Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, who heads Afghanistan’s Jamiat-e-Islami party, and former diplomat Ahmad Wali Massoud, brother of slain commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who waged a strong insurgency against the Taliban’s rule in the 1990s, spoke to VOA reporter Ayaz Gul about peace prospects days after the Taliban took control of the country.  Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 10 MB480p | 15 MB540p | 17 MB720p | 31 MB1080p | 80 MBOriginal | 520 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThe transcript has been edited for clarity. VOA: What is your reaction to the Taliban regaining power and whether it can lead to peace in Afghanistan? Salahuddin Rabbani: The developments in the last few days were, as you said, very rapid and the situation is still very confusing and fluid. Will it result in peace? At the moment, of course, there’s one group that is now responsible. But, as we have said, Afghanistan is a country that cannot be controlled (by one group) or one group cannot bring peace and stability. It has to have an all-inclusive system that ensures social justice inclusivity and the rights of all citizens. If they (the Taliban) agree on establishment of such a system, then all Afghans (could) work (together) to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. VOA: What was your immediate response to President (Ashraf) Ghani’s departure from the country? Rabbani: Of course he did a big disservice to the people of Afghanistan. He betrayed his people, the very same people that he led for seven years. He left Afghanistan in disgrace and this will be part of his legacy for the rest of his life. VOA: Your brother, Ahmad Shah Massoud, waged a strong resistance to the Taliban’s rule in the 1990s and, in fact, successfully defended areas under his control. Will you and your community be willing to reconcile with the Taliban now that they have regained power in Kabul?Ahmad Wali Massoud: We should learn from the past. Now, this is the time, if there are challenges there is an opportunity as well to move forward because we should not be stuck in the past.  Therefore, if the Taliban have come to that realization that they have changed, then they have see it with open heart to come and start a dialogue with us to see what we can do for peace in Afghanistan. This is the time to do that. We cannot continue (fighting) for years and years to come because this is the 21st century and the whole world has changed, Afghanistan has to change as well because we have to really benefit  from today’s world and not to get stuck in the past. VOA: If you today were the leader Afghanistan, would you put Ghani on trial for his alleged misrule or offer pardon him? Massoud: He has to come (back to Afghanistan) one day to really answer to the people of Afghanistan on why he left the country, why he fled with the money, why there was so much corruption (under his rule), why his colleagues fled with him after doing so much corruption? They were corrupt as well; they are all responsible. So, to pardon him, it’s injustice to the people of Afghanistan. VOA: President (Joe) Biden says the U.S. gave ANDSF (Afghan security forces) money, equipment and training but could not have bought them the will to fight the Taliban? Massoud: Yes, of course, they gave the money, they give the equipment, but at the same time they gave us the leadership as well. That was a failed leadership. 
 
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The United Nations relocated about 100 international staff from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan on Wednesday, as the international community waits to see if the situation will stabilize after the Taliban seized control on Sunday.  “This is a temporary measure intended to enable the U.N. to keep delivering assistance to the people of Afghanistan with the minimum of disruption, while at the same time, reducing risk to U.N. personnel,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The staff will be relocated to a temporary office in the Kazakh city of Almaty where they will work remotely. The organization had about 300 international staff on the ground in Afghanistan until now, and about 3,000 national staff. “It is a way of lightening the footprint, for obvious reasons,” Dujarric said, noting they would return when the U.N. feels “the situation allows it.” Taliban fighters patrol in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, Aug. 18, 2021.He added that the organization is working hard to protect Afghan staff members and their families. “We are continuing to explore every avenue possible to support national personnel,” Dujarric said. Caroline Van Buren, the U.N. Refugee Agency representative in Afghanistan, told reporters in a video briefing that some national staff want to stay, while others want to leave, particularly women. “Especially the women,” Van Buren said. “They are very concerned about whether they will be able to work. Male staff are concerned about their female children, whether they will be able to go to school. Today, I got reaction from some women who felt that the situation was getting back to normal, but the majority of the women, if they could leave, they would leave.”  The UNHCR has urged neighboring countries to keep their borders open and to not refuse Afghans seeking asylum. Van Buren noted that most Afghans do not have the travel documents or visas required to travel abroad, so many have left through irregular channels. She said some 20,000 to 30,000 people have been leaving weekly, mostly to Iran, and some to Pakistan. Human rights violations There have been reports of growing human rights abuses, particularly directed at the female population, which suffered severe repression under the Taliban in the 1990s. The UNHCR representative said her office had reports of women not being allowed to go to work in some areas or not being allowed to move without a close male relative. “Even though this is not reported in all areas, we are getting some of these reports, and this is, of course, of real concern,” she said. Afghan nationals react at a gathering to urge the international community to help Afghan refugees, in New Delhi, India, August 18, 2021.U.N. Women said Wednesday it is following developments with “grave concern.” “We call on Afghanistan to secure the fundamental human rights of all, including women and girls, and to meet their obligations to protect civilians and to provide humanitarians with unimpeded access to deliver timely and life-saving services and aid,” U.N. Women said in a statement. “Women’s and girls’ rights must be at the core of the global response to the current crisis.” Meanwhile, the U.N. Children’s Agency, UNICEF, said it has not had any indication that the Taliban will prevent girls from attending school. “This is a period of transition in Afghanistan. No one can predict what happens next,” UNICEF Afghanistan representative Herve Ludovic De Lys told reporters from Kabul. “But I can tell you that as recently as yesterday, primary and secondary schools were open in Herat in the west, and in Marouf, in the south of the country, 1,500 children were in school, including 500 girls.” He said it was also an encouraging sign that on Tuesday, Afghanistan’s health commission asked all doctors, nurses and health workers to return to work, including women. 
 
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is in the United Arab Emirates after fleeing Afghanistan earlier this week as the Taliban seized control, the UAE said Wednesday.
 
“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” the ministry said in a statement.
 
Ghani fled Afghanistan on Sunday before Taliban fighters arrived in Kabul without resistance. Ghani posted on Facebook that the “Taliban have won” and that he left Afghanistan to prevent a “flood of bloodshed.”
 
Until Wednesday, it was believed Ghani had fled to Oman, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan.
 
After ruling Afghanistan from 1996-2001, the Taliban were ousted by the U.S-led invasion that followed the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. They recaptured Afghanistan’s major cities in only 10 days this month with relatively little bloodshed after 20 years of war that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
 
U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this week admitted the Taliban’s seizure of the country was surprisingly fast but still defended the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
 
“Afghan political leaders gave up and fled. The Afghan military collapsed, without trying to fight … American troops cannot and should not be fighting and dying in war that Afghan forces aren’t willing to,” Biden said.
 Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. 
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The United States, the European Union and 19 other Western nations called on Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders Wednesday to guarantee the rights of women and girls, saying in a joint statement they are “deeply worried” about their rights to education, employment and “freedom of movement.”The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, center, speaks at his first news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021.Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters Tuesday the new Taliban government would be “positively different” from the one that governed 1996-2001, when girls were banned from school and women were prohibited from working in contact with men.Without specifics, Mujahid said Taliban leaders were “committed to letting women work in accordance with the principles of Islam.”After ruling the country for five years, the Taliban were ousted by the U.S-led invasion that followed the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.(Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.)  
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Britain and the United States say they will work with other nations to develop a coordinated strategy for Afghanistan, and that when it comes to the Taliban’s pledges for how it will operate, the group’s actions are ultimately what matter”We will judge this regime based on the choices it makes, and by its actions rather than by its words, on its attitude to terrorism, to crime and narcotics, as well as humanitarian access, and the rights of girls to receive an education,” Johnson told members of parliament Wednesday.FILE – Schoolgirls attend class in Herat on Aug. 17, 2021, following the Taliban stunning takeover of the country.Johnson spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday. A White House statement said the leaders “discussed the need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward, including ways the global community can provide further humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and other vulnerable Afghans.”  They agreed to hold a meeting of G-7 leaders next week to discuss the situation. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday that the international community expects the Taliban to “meet their obligations to the basic human rights and human dignity of people.”  He said the Biden administration would directly communicate to the Taliban “both what the costs and disincentives are for certain types of action and what our expectations are.” Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021.A White House official said as of Tuesday night, the U.S. had evacuated more than 3,200 people. Germany is conducting its own evacuation campaign, including its nationals, human rights activists and Afghans who worked with foreign forces.  The first of Germany’s flights landed early Wednesday in Frankfurt, airline Lufthansa said. Both Germany and the United States were sending more troops to the airport to help with the evacuation effort. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday a flight carrying 25 French nationals and 184 Afghans landed in Abu Dhabi. Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag tweeted that the first two flights carrying people back to her country had left Kabul, and that officials were working with allies to coordinate future evacuations. Ayesha Tanzeem contributed to this story from in Kabul.Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters, 
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The United States aims to increase its pace of evacuating people from the airport in Kabul on Wednesday, with officials saying the goal is to fly out between 5,000 and 9,000 people per day. As of Tuesday, the operation had evacuated more than 3,200 people. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a Taliban co-founder and deputy leader, returned to Afghanistan from Qatar where he led the militant group’s office in Doha. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the international community expects the Taliban to live up to human rights obligations. “Like I’ve said all along, this is not about trust; this is about verifying,” he said. A Lufthansa plane landed in Frankfurt early Wednesday, the first such flight in Germany’s effort to evacuate its nationals along with rights activists and people who worked with foreign forces during two decades of conflict. U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed in a phone call to hold a meeting of G-7 leaders next week to discuss Afghanistan strategy. 
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The Taliban swept through Afghanistan, taking most of its 34 Afghan provincial capitals in about nine days. The insurgent group reached Kabul early Sunday.        Here is the latest:       Aug. 18 — First Lufthansa flight in Germany’s effort to evacuate nationals, activists and Afghans who worked with foreign forces arrives in Frankfurt Aug. 17 — Taliban co-founder and deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar returns to Afghanistan.  Aug. 17 — United States says it evacuated more than 3,200 people as of Tuesday evening with aims to increase to between 5,000 and 9,000 per day Wednesday Aug. 17 — U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan says international community will be watching and “verifying” whether Taliban meets obligations to uphold human rights. Aug. 17 — The Taliban vow to respect women’s rights “within Islamic law” and form an “inclusive Islamic” government.  They also announce general “amnesty” and urge people to return to work.   Aug. 17 — Flights resume Tuesday at Kabul’s international airport after crowds Monday forced pause in evacuations of diplomats and civilians  Aug. 17 — India evacuates Kabul Embassy, sending 140 personnel on flight home Tuesday.   Aug. 16 — In a nationally televised speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden says he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, adding that “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”      Aug. 16 — Thousands of civilians gather at Kabul’s international airport, where U.S. soldiers fired warning shots as people seeking to escape the Taliban run across the tarmac. Video from the airport shared on social media show Afghans clinging to the sides of a U.S. military aircraft, while another video shows what appears to be a person falling from a U.S. military plane after takeoff.       Aug. 15 — More than 60 countries call for all parties in Afghanistan to allow any Afghans or foreign nationals to leave the country if they wish to do so.    Aug. 15 — Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a deputy chief and co-founder of the Taliban, says late Sunday, “I am here to announce that we are responsible for your lives and all that pertain to everyday living, and to convince you that we will provide everything to make your lives better.”      Aug. 15 — Top members of the Taliban military commission arrive at the presidential palace in Kabul as Taliban fighters position themselves at key posts in the city. A Taliban spokesman confirms that they have been directed to guard security posts and other installations in Kabul to “prevent chaos and looting after Afghan forces abandoned them.”  Aug. 15 — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issues a statement confirming that he, along with his vice president and other senior officials, has fled the country “to prevent bloodshed.”      Aug. 15 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating its remaining staff at its embassy in Kabul.        Aug. 15 — The Taliban reach Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, saying they are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power. Earlier, they took over Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province.    Aug. 15 — Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says fighters have taken control of Bagram Airfield and the Parwan prison there and freed its inmates. There were about 5,000 high-value Taliban prisoners at Bagram, which served as the main base for the U.S.-led foreign military mission in Afghanistan.   Aug. 14 — As Taliban insurgents draw closer to the Afghan capital, U.S. President Joe Biden authorizes another 1,000 troops — in addition to the 3,000 ordered earlier in the week — to assist in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and other allies from Kabul.    Aug. 14 — Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, falls to the Taliban after fierce fighting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announces in a formal statement that they have fully captured the country’s fourth-largest city, located on the border with Uzbekistan.    Aug. 14 — President Ashraf Ghani delivers a televised address, saying rapid consultations are under way to end the fighting, and calls for revitalization of armed forces.    Aug. 14 — The Taliban seize control of Asadabad, capital of eastern province of Kunar, Saturday afternoon. 
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Australia is sending troops and aircraft to Kabul on a rescue mission to evacuate its citizens and Afghans who worked alongside its military during the decades-long war.  About 600 people will be flown out of Kabul if Australia’s rescue mission goes as planned, including up to 400 local employees. Reports Wednesday have said that an Australian military transport aircraft has landed in the Afghanistan capital, Kabul, and then departed for a base in the Middle East. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has conceded that Canberra won’t be able to help all Afghans who worked with and supported Australian troops, in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power.  “I want you to know that we will continue to do everything we can for those who have stood with us, as we have to this day. But I want to talk openly to veterans that despite our best efforts, I know that support won’t reach all that it should. On the ground events have overtaken many efforts, we wish it were different,” Morrison said.French President Macron meets Australian PM Morrison in Paris, Aug. 9, 2021.Officials in Canberra have said that they were considering offering humanitarian visas to prominent women and Afghan public servants who feared for their safety and may look to Australia for a safe haven.    Speaking in the South Australian city of Adelaide, former Afghan interpreter Raz Mohammad, said urgent action was needed to help those trapped in Afghanistan.  “It is just a matter of the (sic) time that we will get the news that there will be mass murdering happening here. Australia needs to increase the numbers of their humanitarian visas as the United States, Canada and some of the other European countries have announced,” Mohammad said.Immigration officials in Canberra have also said that Afghan nationals in Australia would not be forced to return to Afghanistan when their temporary visas expire given the unstable situation in the country. Opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese says they should be allowed to stay in Australia permanently. “We need to give them the certainty of Australian citizenship on a permanent basis,” Albanese said. Australia has resettled more than 1,800 Afghan interpreters and other staff since 2013.   In November 2001, Australia joined the United States and its allies to remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan.    More than 26,000 Australian soldiers served during the long conflict, and 41 died.  It was Australia’s longest war.  
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Kabul residents say the security situation in the city is getting better, but they are concerned about political uncertainty after the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban entered Kabul. VOA’s Rahim Gul Sarwan and Ahmad Javid Arzomand share this report, narrated by Roshan Noorzai.  Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan and Ahmad Javid Arzomand 
 
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In 2002, VOA’s Kane Farabaugh — then a reporter for the American military — interviewed numerous U.S. service members during a visit to Afghanistan in the early stages of what became a nearly 20-year presence in the country. Recently, as the country fell to the Taliban, Farabaugh followed up with some of the people he had met, now veterans of America’s longest war.Camera: Kane Farabaugh   Produced by: Kane Farabaugh 
 
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At a news conference in Kabul, a Taliban spokesman vowed to respect women’s rights “within Islamic law” and form an “inclusive Islamic” government. The Taliban announced Tuesday a “general amnesty” for all, including government officials, and urged them to return to work. The U.S. military is communicating with the Taliban while ramping up the air evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from the international airport in Kabul, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. Evacuation flights resumed Tuesday after a chaotic day in which thousands of people gathered there as diplomats and civilians tried to leave Afghanistan. The United Nations refugee agency has called for a prohibition on the forced return of Afghan nationals, as thousands scramble to flee the country following the Taliban’s takeover. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that Afghanistan’s leadership was responsible for the rapid collapse of the Afghan military but noted the alliance should learn lessons on how it conducts military training. 
 
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The Taliban swept through Afghanistan, taking most of its 34 Afghan provincial capitals in about nine days. The insurgent group reached Kabul early Sunday.   Here is the latest:     August 17 – The Taliban vow to respect women’s rights “within Islamic law” and form an “inclusive Islamic” government. They also announce general “amnesty” and urge people to return to work. August 17 — Flights resume Tuesday at Kabul’s international airport after crowds Monday forced pause in evacuations of diplomats and civilians. August 17 — India evacuates Kabul Embassy, sending 140 personnel on flight home Tuesday. August 16 — In a nationally televised speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden says he stands ”squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, adding that ”American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.” August 16 — Thousands of civilians gather at Kabul’s international airport, where U.S. soldiers fire warning shots as people seeking to escape the Taliban run across the tarmac. Video from the airport shared on social media show Afghans clinging to the sides of a U.S. military aircraft, while another video shows what appears to be a person falling from a U.S. military plane after takeoff.   August 15 — More than 60 countries call for all parties in Afghanistan to allow any Afghans or foreign nationals to leave the country if they wish to do so.   August 15 — Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a deputy chief and co-founder of the Taliban, says late Sunday, ”I am here to announce that we are responsible for your lives and all that pertain to everyday living, and to convince you that we will provide everything to make your lives better.” August 15 — Top members of the Taliban military commission arrive at the presidential palace in Kabul as Taliban fighters position themselves at key posts in the city. A Taliban spokesman confirms that they have been directed to guard security posts and other installations in Kabul to ”prevent chaos and looting after Afghan forces abandoned them.” August 15 — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issues a statement confirming that he, along with his vice president and other senior officials, has fled the country ”to prevent bloodshed.” August 15 — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is evacuating its remaining staff at its embassy in Kabul.   August 15 — The Taliban reach Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, saying they are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power. Earlier, they took over Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province.   August 15 — Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says fighters have taken control of Bagram Airfield and the Parwan prison there and freed its inmates. There were about 5,000 high-value Taliban prisoners at Bagram, which served as the main base for the U.S.-led foreign military mission in Afghanistan.   August 14 — As Taliban insurgents draw closer to the Afghan capital, U.S. President Joe Biden authorizes another 1,000 troops — in addition to the 3,000 ordered earlier in the week — to assist in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and other allies from Kabul.   August 14 — Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, falls to the Taliban after fierce fighting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announces in a formal statement that they have fully captured the country’s fourth-largest city, located on the border with Uzbekistan.   August 14 — President Ashraf Ghani delivers a televised address, saying rapid consultations are underway to end the fighting, and calls for revitalization of armed forces.   August 14 — The Taliban seize control of Asadabad, capital of eastern province of Kunar, Saturday afternoon.   
 
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that Afghanistan’s leadership was responsible for the rapid collapse of the Afghan military but noted the alliance should learns lessons on how it conducts military training. “This failure of Afghan leadership led to the tragedy we are witnessing today,” Stoltenberg said after a NATO meeting to discuss the security effects of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.The speed with which Afghan troops weakened during the Taliban’s offensive  “was a surprise,” said Stoltenberg, who also admitted “there are lessons that need to be learned” at NATO.In its reaction to the Taliban’s victory, Russia, which declared the Taliban a terrorist group in 2003, said it would not immediately recognize the new government.Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was “in no rush to recognize” the Taliban government and called for an “inclusive national dialogue with the involvement of all political … forces in Afghanistan.”Taliban officials arrange a Taliban flag, before a press conference by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, at the Government Media Information Center, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021.For its part, Turkey is negotiating with the Taliban and all other parties in Afghanistan and has favorable views of Taliban messages that were conveyed since taking control, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.“We are keeping up dialogue with all sides, including the Taliban,” Cavusoglu said at a news conference in Jordan. “We view positively the messages that the Taliban has given so far, whether to foreigners, to diplomatic individuals or its own people. We hope to see these in action as well.”China encouraged the Taliban Tuesday to pursue “moderate and steady” religious policies and to establish an “open and inclusive” political structure involving all parties in the country.At a televised news conference, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, also criticized the U.S. for its role in the South Asian country. “In Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, we have seen that wherever the U.S. military went, turmoil, division, and destruction of homes and deaths have been left behind,” she said.At the White House on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said televised scenes of Afghan civilians trapped in the embattled country were “gut-wrenching” and acknowledged the Taliban had seized control of the country much more quickly than his administration had expected.Some information for this report came from Associated Press and Reuters.
 
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It has been nearly 20 years since the Taliban last enforced their brutal version of Islamic law within the borders of Afghanistan. But the horrifying images of desperate Afghans trying to climb aboard a U.S. military aircraft taking off from Kabul’s airport Monday to escape the country demonstrate just how vividly some recall what life was like under the group.During the relatively brief period during which the Taliban controlled most of Afghanistan, between 1996 and 2001, the group carried out multiple massacres of civilians, banned women from virtually all parts of public life, brutalized ethnic and religious minorities, and shattered what little remained of the economy in a country that had been at war for two decades.In reclaiming control of Afghanistan, Taliban leaders have attempted to polish their image with claims of improved administrative skills and greater tolerance for women’s human rights. Yet the return of the Taliban is leading to fears that tens of millions of Afghans will be subjected to a reprise of the group’s violently repressive rule.The Taliban’s originsThe Taliban emerged as the primary victor out of years of civil war in Afghanistan, a war which itself had followed a decade of insurgency against the occupying forces of the Soviet Union.The group was originally made up of ethnic Pashtuns, loyal to the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar, who founded the group in 1994 with significant assistance from the ISI, the intelligence arm of Pakistan’s military. The name “Taliban” derives from “talib,” or “student,” a name that was meant to evoke the group’s supposed adherence to Islamic law.FILE – Tanks manned by Taliban fighters and decorated with flowers are seen in front of the the damaged Presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 28, 1996.Early in its existence, the Taliban inspired a certain degree of loyalty from many Afghans, because in areas they controlled, they cracked down on corrupt local officials and criminals who had flourished during the disorder of the civil war.The group eventually took control of about three-quarters of the country, but were unable to subjugate parts of the Northeast, which remained under the control of the so-called Northern Alliance.Massacres and forced displacementThroughout their time in control of most of the country, the Taliban continued to battle the Northern Alliance, slowly winning control of more territory. During that years-long campaign, the United Nations documented at least 15 massacres of civilians and captured fighters that the international body compared to the Bosnian genocide of 1992-1995.The group also embarked on a series of massive forced relocations, emptying entire cities, razing buildings to the ground, and destroying agricultural infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and destitute.In addition, the Taliban actively blocked delivery of emergency food supplies from international non-governmental organizations, leaving tens of thousands of people to face potential starvation.Treatment of womenDuring their years in power, the Taliban were particularly known for their brutal treatment of women, applying an extremely harsh reading of Islamic moral codes. Women were banned from receiving an education, and were not allowed to hold jobs, except in very rare circumstances. Women were required to wear the burqa, a head-to-toe garment that completely covers the body, when appearing in public — something they were allowed to do only while in the company of a male relative.The rules were enforced by roving “morality police” who delivered on-the-spot beatings to women found in violation of Taliban rules. Other beatings, as well as executions, were conducted publicly.The fate of many women who were not members of the Pashtun ethic group could be even worse. There are documented reports of thousands being abducted and sold into sex slavery within Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan.Daily lifeThe Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law extended into the daily life of most Afghans. The group banned television, kite-flying, soccer and virtually all kinds of music. Art, including photography, that depicted people was banned.Cultural icons that the Taliban leadership deemed offensive to Islam were destroyed. The most widely known example of such “cultural genocide” was the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, two giant statues of Gautama Buddha carved around 570 AD, which the Taliban blew up in 2001.FILE – Two women walk past the cliffs that once held giant Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, June 17, 2009.Government dysfunctionThe Taliban, despite exercising military control over most of Afghanistan for five years, were never able to establish themselves as a competent government. Eventually, their inept administration of the country caused them to lose the support of many who had originally welcomed it.In a study of the group’s rule, Said Yaqub Ibrahimi, of Carleton University in Ottawa, found that it “entirely failed in producing regular governance and a state system. It fell short in all aspects of stateness.”The Taliban, he added, “lacked both internal and external legitimacy, had poor authority, and were incapable of producing basic services.”Poor enforcementIn an article published by the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy earlier this year, Thomas Ruttig, co-director and senior analyst of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, described the Taliban’s authority to enforce their diktats as limited.“When the author visited Afghanistan as a journalist in late 1999, kids flew kites and Kabulis and Kandaharis played soccer,” he wrote. “The author observed locals dodging the Taliban’s religious police when they closed tea houses and restaurants during prayer time and tried to herd them into mosques. There was criticism against the restrictive anti-girls education policy, even among Taliban officials. Some tolerated or even protected home and NGO-run schools, warning those running them when hardliners planned to raid them.”But poorly enacted repression is repression nonetheless, and no less real to those who are unable to escape it, as anyone at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul this week could plainly see. 
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Evacuation flights resumed Tuesday at Kabul’s international airport after a chaotic day in which thousands of people gathered there as diplomats and civilians tried to leave Afghanistan.Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO’s senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, posted a photo on Twitter showing several U.S. Air Force planes on the tarmac and said he saw planes “landing and taking off.”France’s Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said the first French military plane carrying its nationals out of Afghanistan landed overnight in the United Arab Emirates and that France was working to organize its next round of flights.India has evacuated its embassy in Kabul with about 140 Indians, including diplomats, staff and security personnel deployed in the country returning Tuesday on board a special military flight.The U.S. military has confirmed at least two deaths at the airport. Two gunmen fired into the crowds in two separate incidents Monday, and both were killed by U.S. forces acting on a “real and tangible threat,” said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.A U.S. official who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity also said reports of multiple civilian deaths during the takeoff of a U.S. military transport plane were “currently under investigation.”U.S. President Joe Biden said he stands “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan in his first public comments since the Taliban captured Kabul.“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,” he said in a nationally televised speech from the White House.Biden Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal Decision US was never in Afghanistan for nation-building, Biden says following the collapse of the Kabul government United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council, “The world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead.”In a statement agreed by all 15 members, the council called for the immediate cessation of all hostilities and “the establishment, through inclusive negotiations, of a new government that is united, inclusive and representative — including with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.”Former U.S. President George Bush, who sent U.S. forces to Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks by al-Qaida militants, said in a statement late Monday that he and his wife, Laura, feel “deep sadness” over the unfolding events. “Our hearts are heavy for both the Afghan people who have suffered so much and for the Americans and NATO allies who have sacrificed so much,” they said.
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The Taliban said Tuesday talks on the formation of an “inclusive Islamic” government in Afghanistan are near conclusion as the radical movement consolidates its hold over the war-torn country.
 
The Taliban stunned the world over the weekend when they retook power in Kabul, the national capital, conquering almost all of the 34 Afghan provinces in just over a week’s time.  
 
Their lightening battlefield advances were primarily the outcome of the largely unexpected surrender or retreat by U.S.-trained Afghan security forces in the face of Taliban attacks.  
 
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Taliban leaders are engaged in “hectic” discussions with other rival groups and U.S. special peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, in Doha, Qatar, which houses the Taliban’s political office.  
 
“In a few days there will be, of course, a transfer of power,” Shaheen told VOA by phone from the Qatari capital. “The deliberations and talks are underway to form an Afghan inclusive Islamic government. It will be announced soon,” he added.
 
The United States and the global community in general have vowed not to recognize any government in Kabul imposed by force, fearing Taliban-led rule would prolong the Afghan civil war and threaten human rights in the country.  
Women’s rights are of particular concern, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday calling on the Taliban to protect “the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls.”Analysts say that international legitimacy for any future government is crucial for ensuring that the strife-torn country continues to receive much-need assistance for Afghan reconstruction.FILE – Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen speaks during a news conference following peave talks in Moscow, Russia, March 19, 2021.Shaheen said the Taliban are determined to arrange an inclusive governance system to address international concerns, reiterating his group does not believe in a monopoly of power.  
 
“We believe that monopoly of power has not worked in the past. So, that’s why we want to have some Afghan fighters, politicians in the future government in order to have a durable peace in the country and open a new chapter of peace, co-existence and tolerance and reconstruction of Afghanistan,” he said.
 
Shaheen declined to clearly state whether Afghan women will be part of the future government.
 
“About women, we have announced already that they can have access to work and education by observing hijab. Today, you may have seen on (Afghan) TV stations women wearing hijab and doing their job,” he said.
 
Female news anchors broadcast news on Afghan mainstream television stations without interruption but covering their heads with a cloth or hijab.
 
Shaheen said the Taliban announced Tuesday a “general amnesty” for all, including government officials, and urged them to return to work.Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the U.S. Embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021.Kabul streets
 
Residents in Kabul said life was returning to normal in the city of more than six million as they ventured out of their homes.
 
A female journalist for the private Tolo News channel could be seen on the streets reporting on the latest situation but acknowledging there were a very few women seen in the markets. She said women feared the unknown.  A woman anchor was seen interviewing a Taliban official.
 
However, there were reports of incidents elsewhere in Afghanistan where women complained of harassment by the Taliban. Shaheen dismissed those reports as baseless, saying they were the work of “spoilers” to defame the Taliban.  
 
In Kabul, a so-called Taliban complaint commission has been swiftly set up and officials there have been urging residents to reach out the commission with any complaints of harassment or violence so they can be addressed.  
 
Taliban officials have also been visiting government offices and hospitals to assure staff there, women, not to worry and continue performing their duties as usual.  #Taliban set up complaint commission to help #Kabul residents deter threat to their safety, visiting govt offices to assure staff of cooperation. “You’r like our sisters, mothers. Your services needed, state spent monty to educate you for this,” Taliban leader to female doctors👇 pic.twitter.com/epBqGV5QFp— Ayaz Gul (@AyazGul64) August 17, 2021Taliban ruleDuring their first stint in power – from 1996 until 2001 when they were ousted by the U.S.-led invasion in the wake of the September 11th attacks – the Taliban ruled Afghanistan with a strict interpretation of the Quran and Sharia law.  
 
A swift whipping across the back of the legs by cadres from the ‘Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice’ was common for those tardy at prayer times.
 
Public floggings, amputations of limbs for thieves and even executions were scheduled for Fridays – sometimes held at the national stadium. And women were mostly barred from working or studying and forced to wear an all-covering burqa in public.
 
Two days after taking over the capital, the Taliban are patrolling the city in small convoys. “They don’t harass people but of course the people are scared,” a shopkeeper told AFP on condition of anonymity.Meanwhile, evacuation flights resumed Tuesday at Kabul’s international airport after a chaotic day in which thousands of people gathered there as diplomats and civilians tried to leave Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.
In another development, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a top Taliban leader and member of the group’s Doha-based political office, arrived in the Afghan capital, where his delegation held meetings with former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council.
 
The discussions focused on security and governance-related issues; a Taliban official told VOA on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
 
“We are in contact with the leaders of the respected Islamic Taliban movement,” Karzai said in a post-meeting joint video statement with Abdullah posted on the official Facebook page of the former president.
 Some information for this report came from AFP.
 
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