Live updates US negotiating with Taliban for safe passage but airport access is uncertain

The United States and other countries operated evacuation flights from Afghanistan into Wednesday, though not all those seeking to leave the country were able to reach Kabul’s international airport. The Taliban erected checkpoints throughout the capital and near the airport’s entrance, beating some Afghans who attempted to cross and intimidating others, according to reports and an eyewitness account.

Days after fleeing Afghanistan, former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani surfaced in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, the Persian Gulf nation’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. He denied accusations that he fled the country with huge sums of cash.

Here are some significant developments:

Thousands of U.S. troops have been flown into Kabul to protect evacuation efforts. Washington has moved some 5,000 people out so far, with an additional 2,000 Afghans relocated to the United States as special immigrants. About 11,000 people in Afghanistan have identified themselves as Americans, while more than 80,000 Afghans may need to be evacuated.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul released a statement warning that the U.S. government “cannot ensure safe passage” to the airport in Kabul. The United States is in talks with the Taliban about securing pathways to the airport, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said.

Several people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday when Taliban gunmen fired on protesters attempting to raise Afghanistan’s national flag.

Was it ‘worth it’? Nations that sent troops to Afghanistan grapple with Kabul’s fall.Link copied

LONDON â€" It was not the U.S. Congress that returned from its August holiday to gnash its teeth over intelligence failures and military collapse in Afghanistan. Instead, it was the British Parliament, which was recalled for a remarkable one-day session on Wednesday, to hear lawmakers give heartfelt speeches honoring fallen soldiers and engage in hours of finger-pointing over what went so wrong so quickly.

The British were not alone in their day of pointed, painful debate either, as other allies sounded off about stunning events in Kabul. In countries that sent troops to Afghanistan â€" from Europe, Canada and Australia â€" politicians and veterans of the war were trying to tally what was gained and what was lost.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised hard-won successes in Afghanistan over the past 20 years â€" specifically the 3.6 million girls now in school there, and the fragile democracy that saw women elected to political office.

But his own lawmakers warned that all gains of the past two decades might soon be lost.

The U.S. is in talks with the Taliban to secure safe passage to the Kabul airport, State Department saysLink copied

The United States is “in discussions” with the Taliban “trying to ensure not only safe passage for American citizens, but for everybody trying to get to the airport” to evacuate, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said.

“We have heard all the stories … about checkpoints, harassments, difficulties” by the Taliban â€" including reports of beatings by militants blocking access roads â€" and are “trying to work through those issues as best we can,” Sherman said at a State Department briefing.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul posted a security alert for Americans trying to get to the airport, instructing them to enter through the military gate controlled by U.S. forces. The warning added that “the United States government cannot ensure safe passage” to that point.

Sherman said the United States will have “nearly doubled” the number of consular officials at the airport by the end of this week. In addition to American citizens, she said they would try to evacuate “as many people who want to leave Afghanistan and are vulnerable,” including Afghans who assisted the U.S. effort there “or who are otherwise at risk because of who they are, what they do or what they believe.”

While she said the State Department has received no reports of American citizens being prevented by the Taliban from reaching the airport, there have been numerous reports of Afghans, with or without the proper documentation, being blocked from reaching the gate.

Asked whether the U.S. evacuation effort would stop Aug. 31, when President Biden has said all U.S. forces will be out of Afghanistan, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said: “We are going to do as much as we can as long as we can. If it’s two weeks, we will make the most of that window.”

If the period is “slightly longer,” Price said, “we will make the most of that.”

Key updateFormer Afghan president Ghani denies having fled with huge sums in cashLink copied

DUBAI â€" In a video streamed on his official Facebook page Wednesday night, former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani for the first time denied that he had carried huge sums of money with him as he left Kabul. He said he was forced by his security detail to leave in such a hurry that he left his prized books and some confidential documents. All he took, he said, was a waistcoat and a shalwar kameez, referring to a piece of traditional Afghan clothing.

Russian officials in Kabul have charged that Ghani fled with four cars and a helicopter filled with cash, the Russian news agency RIA reported Monday.

“These days, the political assassination, the character assassination, has been going on, saying that I have taken money with me,” Ghani said. “They’re completely baseless lies. And you can actually find out from the customs officials, from other authorities, that they were baseless.”

Ghani, who confirmed that he was in the United Arab Emirates, then went on to repeat some statements he made on his Facebook post Monday, reiterating that he had swiftly left the country “to avoid disorder and bloodshed” and that “it had to be done.”

He added that he didn’t want Kabul to be “turned into another Yemen or Syria” by those seeking power.

Ghani also appeared to suggest that he wanted to continue to play a role in Afghanistan’s transition. He said he supports efforts to negotiate a transitional government with the Taliban. He also acknowledges that his government as well as the Taliban were to blame for the breakdown of the peace process.

“When it comes to the political leadership of the Taliban, it was a failure on their part and a failure on our part that the negotiations did not lead to anything,” Ghani said. “The peace process should lead to the end of war.”

Ghani, toward the end of his address, also said that he planned to return to Afghanistan, though few Afghans expect him to do so in the near future given the Taliban’s consolidation of power across the nation.

“I am in consultation with others until I return so that I can continue my efforts for justice for the Afghans and to achieve the real Islamic and national goals of the people of Afghanistan so that we could fight for them together,” Ghani said.

European Union calls on member states to accept more Afghan refugeesLink copied

BRUSSELS â€" The European Union’s executive arm is calling on the bloc’s 27 member states to increase the number of refugees they are willing to accept to stave off a potential humanitarian crisis as thousands of Afghans look to flee Taliban rule.

“I have called on member states to step up their engagement on resettlement, to increase resettlement quotas to help those in need of international protection and to offer complementary legal pathways,” Ylva Johansson, the European commissioner for home affairs, said Wednesday.

The bloc’s entreaties are not binding; individual countries must set and enforce their own migration, asylum and resettlement laws. But Johansson’s appeal comes as some of the E.U.’s largest members have signaled that they are unwilling to lead on finding a solution to what could soon become the world’s newest refugee crisis.

Fearing a repeat of 2015, when the arrival of more than a million refugees and migrants sparked political upheaval in Europe, some European countries are pushing a hard-line border policy. Austria, for example, is still looking to deport Afghans whose asylum bids were denied.

But Johansson urged all E.U. countries to halt forced returns to Afghanistan.

“The situation in Afghanistan is clearly not safe, and it will not be safe for some time,” she said. “Therefore, we cannot force people to return to Afghanistan.”

The European Union will increase assistance to Afghanistan’s neighbors, which will see more displaced Afghans than anywhere else, Johansson said, including Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Turkey. Officials consider such aid key to preventing a 2015-like influx of people at the E.U. border.

Biden meets with national security advisers, speaks to Merkel about AfghanistanLink copied

President Biden and Vice President Harris met with national security advisers Wednesday morning about “efforts to accelerate” the evacuations of U.S. citizens and refugees from Afghanistan and to ensure their safe travel to the airport, according to a statement issued by the White House.

Biden also continued outreach to U.S. allies about the situation on the ground, taking part in a call later with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House said.

During the meeting with advisers, Biden and Harris also discussed a focus on “monitoring for any potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan,” including from the Islamic State in Khorasan province, which has been active there, according to the White House.

The meeting included Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, among others.

The White House said that during their call, Biden and Merkel “praised the ongoing efforts of their military and civilian personnel who are working closely together in Kabul on the evacuation of their citizens, vulnerable Afghans, and the courageous Afghan nationals who worked tirelessly over the last 20 years.”

“They also discussed the need for close coordination on the provision of humanitarian aid for vulnerable Afghans in country as well as support for neighboring states,” the White House said.

Withdrawal from Afghanistan forces allies and adversaries to reconsider America’s global role Link copied

President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan has triggered a globe-spanning rethink of America’s role in the world, as European allies discuss their need to play a bigger part in security matters and Russia and China consider how to promote their interests in a Taliban-led Afghanistan.

Biden’s defiant address to the nation on Monday, when he stood “squarely” behind his decision to pullout U.S. troops, also renewed one of the most hotly contested debates of the post-9/11 era: Would a withdrawal from Afghanistan convey weakness, provoke aggression and shatter America’s ability to lead on the international stage, or would it reflect a sound realignment of the national interest, put the country on better footing to deal with the new challenges of the 21st century, and clarify to allies and adversaries what the United States is and is not willing to expend resources on?

In the European Union, officials offered rare criticism of Washington for risking a flood of refugees to their borders and the return of a platform for terrorism in Central Asia.

U.S. evacuations from Kabul pick up pace â€" but still lag behind scheduleLink copied

About 2,000 people were evacuated from Afghanistan on 18 aircraft over the past day, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, adding that 325 of those rescued were U.S. citizens while the rest were a mix of Afghans and NATO personnel.

The estimate reflects evacuations tracked over a 24-hour period beginning at 3 a.m. Tuesday in Washington. It marked an improvement on recent days but still falls short of the 5,000 to 9,000 people the Biden administration had indicated it could airlift out of Kabul on a daily basis.

Kirby called the 5,000 to 9,000 figure a “capacity goal,” suggesting that the evacuation operation still has room to grow, with just 13 days left until the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal. He estimated that Thursday’s evacuation totals will roughly mirror Wednesday’s â€" at least in terms of the number of sorties.

The 2,000 people who left Afghanistan on Tuesday were evacuated on 18 C-17 military transport planes. Kirby cautioned that he could not “guarantee the number of people will be the same,” as some of the aircraft now arriving and departing are also intended to carry equipment.

Kirby would not say whether the military planned to expand its security perimeter outside the Kabul airport to streamline arrivals, even as reports emerged Wednesday of Taliban fighters beating and harassing people seeking to enter the facility.

Both the Taliban and U.S. troops fired shots around the airport Wednesday to disperse crowds.

“I can’t account for every bullet, but at least some of these were fired by U.S. personnel on the airport side of the perimeter as crowd-control measures,” Kirby said.

He said he was “not aware” of any deal with the Taliban that would prevent U.S. troops from exiting the airport.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, is in touch with the person “designated by the Taliban as their appropriate commander for the airport,” Kirby said.

United States joins other nations in statement calling for protection of women and girls in AfghanistanLink copied

The United States joined 20 nations and the European Union in issuing a statement Wednesday calling for the protection of women and girls in Afghanistan with the return to power of the Taliban.

“We are deeply worried about Afghan women and girls, their rights to education, work and freedom of movement,” the joint statement said. “We call on those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection.”

During its previous rule, the Taliban barred women from working outside the home or being out without a male guardian and eliminated schooling for girls. At a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday, Taliban officials presented a different posture, saying women would be allowed to work and study and should participate in government.

“Afghan women and girls, as all Afghan people, deserve to live in safety, security and dignity,” the joint statement released Wednesday said. “Any form of discrimination and abuse should be prevented. We in the international community stand ready to assist them with humanitarian aid and support, to ensure that their voices can be heard.”

The nations that signed said they would “monitor closely how any future government ensures rights and freedoms that have become an integral part of the life of women and girls in Afghanistan during the last twenty years.”

The statement was signed by Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Senegal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union.

Key updateUAE says former Afghan president Ghani was welcomed into country ‘on humanitarian grounds’ after fleeing KabulLink copied

DUBAI â€" Days after fleeing Afghanistan, former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani surfaced in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, the Persian Gulf nation’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“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 statement released Wednesday evening said.

It remains unclear where the 72-year-old Ghani is in the UAE and whether he plans to remain in the country. Previous reports indicated that he had fled the Afghan capital, Kabul, just as the Taliban entered the city, heading with his family and senior officials to neighboring Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, and possibly then to Oman.

Inside Afghanistan, Ghani has been widely condemned by even his staunchest supporters for abandoning the country as the Taliban took control. In a Facebook post Monday, Ghani defended his actions, insisting that he left Afghanistan to prevent “bloodshed.” He described his departure as “a hard choice” and said the Taliban had “won with the judgment of their swords and guns.”

Russian officials in Kabul have charged that Ghani fled with four cars and a helicopter filled with cash, the Russian news agency RIA reported Monday. Ghani has not responded to the allegation.

“Four cars were packed with money, and they tried to cram another bag of cash into the helicopter. Not all the cash managed to squeeze in, and some of the money was left lying on the airfield,” the news agency quoted Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesperson for the Russian Embassy, as saying.

On Wednesday, the Afghan Embassy in Tajikistan urged Interpol to serve an arrest warrant for Ghani and two senior aides, Hamdallah Mohib and Fazal Mahmood Fazli, for allegedly stealing the country’s wealth, according to Afghanistan’s ToloNews network.

Scenes of ‘mayhem’ outside Kabul airport as Afghans try to reach evacuation flights, reports CNN correspondentLink copied

Taliban fighters were using guns, truncheons and makeshift whips to harass and control massive crowds that had gathered outside the Kabul airport in the hopes of fleeing Afghanistan, CNN’s chief international correspondent said in live reports from outside the facility on Wednesday.

Western governments, including the United States, were using the airport to evacuate allied and other vulnerable Afghans amid a collapse of the U.S.-backed government this week. But thousands of people seeking to escape have been thwarted by Taliban fighters patrolling the gates.

“We had Taliban fighters all around … There was a consistent stream of gunfire,” Clarissa Ward said on CNN’s “New Day.”

The gunmen even approached Ward and her team near the airport’s perimeter as they reported on the chaos, shouting at her “to cover her face” and nearly pistol-whipping CNN senior field producer Brent Swails as he filmed video on his iPhone, she said.

“I’ve covered all sorts of crazy situations. This was mayhem. This was nuts,” Ward said, describing one Taliban fighter who was hitting people with a whip fashioned out of a bicycle lock.

“It’s very dicey, it’s very dangerous, and it’s completely unpredictable,” she said. “There’s no order, there’s no coherent system for processing people … it’s a miracle that more people haven’t been very, very seriously hurt.”

U.S. officials have said that evacuations are proceeding apace, with more than 3,200 people flown out on Tuesday.

But Ward said it seemed “impossible” for an ordinary civilian to navigate the turmoil outside the airport.

“This was impossible for an ordinary civilian, even if they have their paperwork. No way they’re running that gauntlet, no way they’re going to be able to navigate that,” she said.

Analysis: Why no American president followed through on promises to end the Afghanistan war â€" until nowLink copied

If leaving Afghanistan were easy, it would probably have been done a long time ago. Four presidents have presided over the 20-year war. Three have said they wanted to get out. None, until President Biden, were willing to pull the plug and face the consequences.

So America stayed in, spending a trillion dollars and losing thousands of lives for what we’re finding out was a failure in nation-building.

Why did America pursue a war it didn’t want to fight? The answer, according to experts, is that its leaders were caught between the politics of an unpopular conflict and the reality of an intractable conflict that could make America less safe if it ended.

Here’s a brief history of America’s longest war through the lens of the decisions and statements of the four presidents who presided over it.

Several people killed in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad as Taliban fighters fire on protestersLink copied

Several people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday when Taliban gunmen fired on protesters attempting to raise Afghanistan’s national flag.

At least three people died, Reuters reported, quoting witnesses and a former police official, although it was unclear whether they were killed by gunfire.

The demonstrators had marched through the city center Wednesday, flying the black, red and green flag of the Afghan Republic, according to local media reports and video footage posted online. They also tore down the Taliban’s signature white flag, after which the group’s fighters fired to disperse the crowd.

The Taliban, whose fighters swept to power in a stunning offensive this month, has sought to portray itself as a more moderate version of the movement that ruled the country with brutal force from 1996 to 2001.

But the demonstrations Wednesday were an early test for the Taliban and how its government will deal with dissent. Posting video footage of rapid gunfire as crowds fled on a busy street, Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency also reported that Taliban gunmen beat journalists who were covering the protests.

U.S. officials erase online content in bid to protect Afghans from Taliban retributionLink copied

Federal officials are deleting online content that can be used to identify Afghans who have worked with the U.S.-led coalition over the years, as fears of the Taliban enacting retributive violence grow days into the militant group’s return to national power.

The State Department has asked its staff to locate and remove online materials that may be used to pinpoint Afghan civilians, according to spokesman Ned Price, who said this is not standard procedure.

“The safety of our Afghan contacts is of utmost importance to us,” he said in a statement. “State Department policy is to only remove content in exceptional situations like this one. In doing so, Department personnel are following records retention requirements.”

The U.S. Agency for International Development began reviewing its public websites and social media last week to archive content that could pose safety risks to Afghans, the agency said. The Agriculture Department is taking similar precautions, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. officials fear that the Islamist group may use content posted on government websites or social media to target Afghan allies. The Taliban has promised a general “amnesty,” but the insurgents have a record of punishing those who cooperated with the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

Hundreds of abductions targeting people suspected of having links with the now-fallen government took place in 2016 alone, according to a December 2017 report by the European Asylum Support Office.

The website scrubbing is part of a broader U.S. policy to protect or evacuate Afghan allies who are threatened by the Taliban’s return to power. Price told reporters on Wednesday that U.S. officials are “doing as much as we can for as long as we can to relocate … vulnerable Afghans.”

The nature of the U.S. withdrawal, which led to Kabul falling much sooner than American officials had anticipated, has been heavily criticized by human rights groups, as well as international allies and Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

The Pentagon said this week that it intends to ramp up evacuation efforts to a level that will allow about 5,000 individuals to depart Afghanistan per day. More than 80,000 Afghans may need to be evacuated, The Washington Post has reported.

A once-vanquished insurgent returns as Afghanistan’s likely next leader Link copied

The man likely to be Afghanistan’s next leader entered Kandahar on Tuesday escorted by a fleet of white SUVs, showered by fireworks and greeted by thousands of Afghans, at least a few holding rocket-propelled grenades. For years, the Taliban’s political leaders were ghosts, the invisible strategists of a powerful insurgency, and now here was the convoy carrying Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Some people in the crowd cheered. Many others just stared ahead, transfixed.

Baradar had spent more than half of his adult life as an insurgent or a prisoner, once so certain of his defeat that he prepared a formal surrender after the U.S. intervention following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But he emerged from his convoy â€" in a flowing white robe, with wire-rimmed glasses and a long black beard â€" as the leader of a force that had vanquished the United States and its allies.

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