The top UN human rights official said on Tuesday that there are credible reports of “summary executions” and serious violations by the Taliban, adding that the treatment of women would be “a fundamental red line”.
“There are grave fears for women, for journalists and for the new generation of civil society leaders who have emerged in the past years,” Michelle Bachelet told a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, about 16,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, according to the Pentagon, as US troops lead an increasingly desperate effort to airlift thousands more before the Taliban’s “red line” for Western forces to leave the country.
US President Joe Biden is under increasing pressure to extend an August 31 deadline to pull out American forces, with Britain expected to lobby for that at a virtual G7 summit on Tuesday.
Here are all the latest updates:
Anti-Taliban fighters dig in to defend Panjshir Valley
Atop a craggy mountain that has withstood foreign invaders for decades, anti-Taliban fighters fire a mounted heavy machine gun into a deep valley.
They are members of the National Resistance Front (NRF) – the most prominent Afghan opposition group to emerge since the Taliban captured Kabul nine days ago.
Afghan armed men supporting the Afghan security forces against the Taliban stand with their weapons and Humvee vehicles at Parakh area in Bazarak, Panjshir [Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP]
Investors’ dilemma: Abandon billions or work with Taliban?
As foreign governments, aid institutions and companies scramble to evacuate staff from Afghanistan, a crucial question is emerging: Should they engage with the ruling Taliban or abandon years of investment in the country and 38 million Afghans?
EU evacuated all staff apart from core airport team: Commission
The European Union has evacuated all its staff from Afghanistan, apart from some officials still working at Kabul airport, a spokesperson for the executive European Commission says.
“All the staff who needed to be evacuated have been evacuated,” he told journalists in Brussels. “We still have a core presence at the airport in order to manage what needs to be managed, but the staff of the EU delegation and their families have all been evacuated.”
UN agency calls for food aid for Afghanistan before winter
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has called for the international community to donate $200m in food aid for Afghanistan so essential supplies can be delivered to remote regions before winter.
“WFP is warning that a humanitarian catastrophe awaits the people of Afghanistan this winter unless the international community makes their lives a priority,” Anthea Webb, WFP deputy regional director for Asia and Pacific, told a UN briefing. “Once the snow sets in it is simply too late.”
Webb said the WFP needs to get supplies through mountain passages before they are blocked by snow. “Any further delay could be deadly,” she said.
Afghan nationals arrive in Pakistan through the border crossing point in Chaman [Stringer/AFP]
Russia’s Putin, India’s Modi discuss Afghanistan in a phone call
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation in Afghanistan in a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Kremlin.
The two leaders agreed to establish a permanent channel for bilateral consultations on Afghan developments, it said in a statement.
Pakistan-Afghanistan ODI series postponed until next year
A one-day series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, scheduled for next month in Sri Lanka, has been postponed until 2022 following the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan.
The two countries were due to play three ODI matches in early September in Sri Lanka, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said late on Monday that the Afghanistan Cricket Board had requested the series be postponed.
“PCB has accepted ACB’s request to postpone next month’s ODI series due to players’ mental health issues, disruption in flight operations in Kabul, lack of broadcast facilities and increased COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka,” the PCB tweeted.
“Both boards will try to reschedule the series in 2022.”
Afghanistan’s national cricket team players attend a training session at the Kabul International Cricket Ground in Kabul [Hoshang Hashimi/AFP]
CIA director met Taliban leader in Kabul: Washington Post
CIA Director William Burns met with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Women football players leave Afghanistan on evacuation flight
Players from Afghanistan women’s national football team leave the country among a group of more than 75 people evacuated on a flight from Kabul.
Global football players’ union FIFPRO thanked the Australian government for making the evacuation of players, team officials and family members possible, with work continuing to help more leave Afghanistan.
“These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world we thank the international community for coming to their aid,” the union said in a statement.
WHO only has supplies in Afghanistan for one week: Official
The World Health Organization (WHO) only has enough supplies in Afghanistan to last for one week, a senior regional official says.
The UN agency was also concerned that the current upheaval could lead to a spike in COVID-19 infections, Ahmed Al-Mandhari told a press briefing.
China says sanctions on Taliban not productive
China says the international community should support chances for positive developments in Afghanistan rather than impose sanctions on the Taliban.
“The international community should encourage and promote the development of the situation in Afghanistan in a positive direction, support peaceful reconstruction, improve the well-being of the people and enhance its capacity for independent development,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing.
“Imposing sanctions and pressure at every turn cannot solve the problem and will only be counterproductive,” Wang said.
China: US army must be held accountable for Afghanistan actions
China’s envoy to the UN in Geneva has said that the US army and the militaries of other coalition partners should be held accountable for alleged rights violations they committed in Afghanistan.
“The US, UK, Australia and other countries must be held accountable for the violation of human rights committed by their military in Afghanistan and the evolution of this current session should cover this issue,” China’s ambassador Chen Xu told an emergency session of the Human Rights Council on Afghanistan.
“Under the banner of democracy and human rights the US and other countries carry out military interventions in other sovereign states and impose their own model on countries with vastly different history and culture,” he said, saying this brought “great suffering”.
Members of Joint Forces Headquarters get prepared to deploy to Afghanistan to assist in the drawdown from the area [Ben Shread/MoD/Crown Copyright via AP]
Afghans in Indonesia protest Taliban, demand resettlement
Hundreds of Afghan refugees living in Indonesia, mostly members of the Hazara ethnic minority, have held a rally, decrying the Taliban’s takeover of their country and calling for resettlement in third countries.
The protesters took to the streets outside the UN refugee agency’s office in the capital, Jakarta, with many saying they’re extremely worried about their families back home. Banners at Tuesday’s rally read “Afghanistan is not safe” and “Resettle Afghan refugees from Indonesia.”
The protesters dispersed after a few hours, as police threatened to arrest them for violating a health state of emergency in Jakarta, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus.
Afghan envoy tells UN millions to live in fear under Taliban
A senior Afghan diplomat from the deposed government has called for accountability for Taliban actions, describing an “uncertain and dire” situation where millions of people fear for their lives amid reports of door-to-door searches.
Addressing an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ambassador Nasir Ahmad Andisha also called for the creation of a broad-based government that includes all of the country’s ethnic groups and female representatives.
Afghanistan Ambassador Nasir Ahmad Andisha speaks during a special session of the Human Rights Council on the situation in Afghanistan [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]
Taliban appoints finance minister, intelligence chief: Pajhwok
The Taliban group has appointed a new finance minister, an intelligence chief, and an interior minister in Afghanistan, according to the Pajhwok news agency.
It said Gul Agha would be the finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim would be the interior minister. Najibullah would be intelligence chief, while Mullah Shirin would be Kabul governor and Hamdullah Nomani the mayor of the capital.
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Kabul, said: “These appointments are acting appointments. They are in no way reflecting – at this stage – any potential future government.”
Burqa-clad Afghan women shop at a market area in Kabul [Hoshang Hashimi/AFP]
One Afghan evacuated to France now in custody: Minister
Five Afghans who were evacuated from Kabul to France were placed under surveillance due to suspected links to the Taliban and one of them is in custody for failing to comply with a stay-at-home order, according to the French interior minister.
“More than a thousand Afghans, some hundred French nationals have been taken from Kabul to Abu Dhabi and from Abu Dhabi to Paris,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Franceinfo radio.
“Among those 1,000 Afghans, one was supposed – and I do say supposedly – linked with the Taliban. But he helped a lot, the French army, French citizens, journalists … We put him and his friends under surveillance on their arrival in France to clear up any doubt,” he said.
“One of those five persons left the place we asked them to stay in, he was taken into custody yesterday, which shows the security services are closely monitoring those individuals”, he added.
A military plane takes off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport [Stringer/EPA]
Spain warns will have to leave people behind in Afghanistan
Spain will not be able to rescue all Afghans who served Spanish missions in Afghanistan because of the “dramatic” situation on the ground, Defence Minister Margarita Robles says.
“We will evacuate as many people as possible but there are people who will stay behind for reasons that do not depend on us, but on the situation there,” she said during an interview with news radio Cadena Ser.
“It is a very frustrating situation for everyone, because even those who reach Kabul, access to the airport is very complicated,” she added.
“The Taliban are becoming more aggressive, there is gunfire, violence is more obvious,” she said. “The situation is frankly dramatic and besides with each passing day it is worse because people are conscious that time is running out.”
People attempt to get into the Hamid Karzai International Airport [Stringer/EPA]
Evacuations from Afghanistan in pictures
US troops are leading an increasingly desperate effort to airlift thousands of people out of Kabul after the Taliban warned they would allow foreign forces to carry out evacuations for just one more week.
EU to quadruple humanitarian aid for Afghans
The European Union will ramp up humanitarian support for Afghans in and around their country to more than 200 million euros ($234m) from over 50 million euros ($58m), the head of the EU’s executive Commission says.
“This humanitarian aid will come on top of member states’ contributions to help the people of Afghanistan,” Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding that she would announce the additional support at a G7 summit later in the day.
The aid will be conditional on the respect of human and women’s rights, according to an EU official, who said this would determine how much money would flow into Afghanistan directly or into neighbouring regions.
UN rights chief says has credible reports of Taliban executions
The top UN human rights official Michelle Bachelet says that she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including summary executions of civilians and restrictions on women and on protests against their rule.
Bachelet urged the UN Human Rights Council, holding an emergency session at the request of Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to set up a mechanism to closely monitor Taliban actions.
“A fundamental red line will be the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls,” she told the Geneva forum.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks during a special session of the Human Rights Council on the situation in Afghanistan [Denis Balibouse/Reuters]
Airbnb houses 20,000 Afghan refugees for free
Airbnb has announced the company will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.
“To make this happen, we are working closely with Airbnb.org, NGOs, and partners orgs on the ground to support the most pressing needs,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s co-founder and CEO.
Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) August 24, 2021
Australia airlifts more than 1,600 people in 17 flights
Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said that Australia has helped evacuate more than 1,600 people from the Kabul airport in 17 flights since last Wednesday.
“We have achieved this by working very closely with the United States and the United Kingdom, among other nations,” Andrews told Parliament on Tuesday.
The evacuated people include Australian citizens, Afghan nationals who had worked for the Australian government during the 20-year conflict and other countries’ nationals. The Australian government has not said how many people it planned to evacuate from Afghanistan.
People flee their homes and travel on the Kandahar-Kabul highway [Akhter Gulfam/EPA]
Norway: The evacuation deadline should be extended
Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide says the evacuation deadline in Afghanistan should be extended beyond August 31.
“One of the main concerns is that the airport will be closed,” Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian broadcaster TV2. “The civilian part is closed now, so we are completely dependent on the US military operation being maintained in order to be able to evacuate.”
She spoke as a plane with 157 people who had been evacuated from Afghanistan landed in Oslo. So far Norway has evacuated 374 people from Afghanistan.
“There is no guarantee that we will be able to help all Norwegian citizens who want assistance this time around,” she told Norway’s other broadcaster NRK, adding Norway will continue the evacuation as long as the airport in Kabul is open.
Pakistan urges ‘inclusive’ deal with Taliban
Pakistan’s foreign minister says that an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. Pakistan fully supports efforts in that direction, he added.
According to a foreign ministry statement, Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the remarks in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, about the situation in Afghanistan.
The statement says Qureshi told Lavrov that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of critical importance for Pakistan and the region. It said Qureshi informed Lavrov about Pakistan’s outreach to regional countries for consultations on the challenges arising out of developments in Afghanistan.
British defense secretary: Kabul evacuation extension ‘unlikely’
British defense secretary Ben Wallace says it is “unlikely” the evacuation operation from Kabul airport will be extended past the August 31 deadline.
Wallace told broadcaster Sky News: “Not only because of what the Taliban has said but if you look at the public statements of President Biden I think it is unlikely. … It is definitely worth us all trying, and we will.”
Egypt evacuates more than 40 citizens from Kabul
Egypt has evacuated more than 40 of its citizens from Afghanistan, according to state-run media.
A report by the official MENA news agency said a military plane carrying Egyptian citizens from Kabul landed in Cairo late on Monday.
The flight brought home 43 evacuees, including Egyptian embassy staff and clerics from Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost religious institution. State TV showed footage of the returnees with Egyptian flags after they landed in Cairo.
The satellite image shows large crowds along the eastern edge of Kabul airport [File: Evelyn Hockstein/Maxar Technologies/AFP]
16,000 evacuated from Kabul airport in past 24 hours: Pentagon
About 16,000 people have been evacuated over 24 hours through Kabul airport, the Pentagon said on Monday, as the US works towards completing its airlift by an August 31 deadline.
General Hank Taylor told reporters that 61 military, commercial and charter flights involving a number of countries flew out of Hamid Karzai International in the 24 hours to 3 am Monday (07:00 GMT).
Of the total evacuated that day, 11,000 were via US military airlift operations, Taylor said.
US House intel panel chair: Evacuation not likely to be done by a deadline
US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says – after a briefing by intelligence officials – he thinks it is unlikely the evacuation will be completed by an August 31 deadline.
“I think it’s possible but I think it’s very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated,” Schiff said.
British gov’t to discuss criminalizing entering Afghanistan: The Telegraph
The British government will discuss proposals to blacklist Afghanistan, which would allow UK authorities to jail British citizens or residents for up to 10 years if they visit it, The Telegraph newspaper reports.
“We’re looking at every option available at this stage about how we proceed in the future,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying. The proposals will be discussed later this week.
