Afghanistan crisis | US considers having airlines help with refugees

U.S. President Joe Biden on August 22 will provide an update on the administration’s response to the Afghanistan crisis, the White House said on Saturday.

The Biden administration is considering calling on US commercial airlines to provide planes and crews to assist in transporting Afghan refugees once they are evacuated from their country by military aircraft.

India on Sunday evacuated 168 people including 107 Indians from Kabul in a military transport aircraft of the IAF amid the deteriorating security situation in the Afghan capital city following its takeover by the Taliban a week back.

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Here are the latest developments:

British military: 7 Afghans killed in chaos at Kabul airport

The British military says seven Afghan civilians have been killed in the crowds near Kabul’s international airport amid the chaos of those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on August 22 that "conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible.” -AP

IS threat forces US changes to evacuations at Kabul airport

Potential Islamic State threats against Americans in Afghanistan are forcing the U.S. military to develop new ways to get evacuees to the airport in Kabul, a senior U.S. official said on August 21, adding a new complication to the already chaotic efforts to get people out of the country after its swift fall to the Taliban.

The official said that small groups of Americans and possibly other civilians will be given specific instructions on what to do, including movement to transit points where they can be gathered up by the military. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.

The changes come as the U.S. Embassy issued a new security warning Saturday telling citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without individual instruction from a U.S. government representative. Officials declined to provide more specifics about the IS threat but described it as significant. They said there have been no confirmed attacks as yet. -AP

Trump assails Biden for Afghanistan ‘humiliation’

Former President Donald Trump launched on August 21 a sustained attack on President Joe Biden’s handling of the retreat of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, which he called "the greatest foreign policy humiliation" in U.S. history.

"Biden’s botched exit from Afghanistan is the most astonishing display of gross incompetence by a nation’s leader, perhaps at any time," Mr. Trump said at a boisterous rally packed with his supporters near Cullman, Alabama. -REUTERS

Australia evacuates more than 300 overnight from Afghanistan: PM

Australia ran four flights into Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday night, evacuating more than 300 people, including Australians, Afghan visa holders, New Zealanders, U.S. and British citizens, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on August 22.

"We will continue to run those flights, working together with our partners and our allies," Mr. Morrison told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) Insiders program on August 22. -PTI

U.S., Germany advise against travel to Kabul airport amid evacuation chaos

The United States and Germany on August 21 told their citizens in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to Kabul airport, citing security risks as thousands of desperate people gathered trying to flee almost a week after Taliban Islamists took control. -PTI

Russian envoy to Kabul: Taliban offering a deal

The Russian ambassador in Kabul says the Taliban have asked his embassy to convey their offer of a deal to a remaining pro-government holdout in northern Afghanistan.

Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov said on August 21 that a senior member of the Taliban’s political leadership has asked Russia to tell fighters in the Panjshir Valley that the Taliban hope to reach a political agreement to settle the situation there.

The diplomat says the Taliban claim they don’t want bloodshed in the region. -PTI

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