Behesht Arghand of TOLO news interviews Abdul Haq Hammad, a close associate of Taliban media team on Tuesday/ Image vai TOLO news Twitter Handle
Afghan Updates: Taliban urges women to join government
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Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan resumed early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to flee after the Taliban seized the capital.
A day after chaotic scenes in which U.S. troops fired to disperse crowds and people clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it taxied for take-off, Reuters reported that the number of civilians at the airport had thinned out, quoting a Western security official.
U.S. forces on Sunday took charge of the airport, their only way to fly out of the country, as the militants were winding up a dramatic week of advances across the country with their takeover of the capital without a fight.
Flights were suspended for much of Monday, when at least five people were killed, witnesses said, although it was unclear whether they had been shot or crushed in a stampede.
Live Updates
18 Aug 2021 4:06 AM GMTHuman remains found in wheels of US military plane that took off from Kabul, probe on
Washington: The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday that it was investigating the circumstances surrounding human remains that were found in the wheel well of one of its C-17s that flew out of Kabul amid the chaos of the Taliban taking over the city.
In a statement, the Air Force said that the aircraft landed at Kabul's airport on Monday and was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians.
- 17 Aug 2021 11:03 AM GMT
UNICEF says some Taliban support girls’ education
Quoting the UN children’s agency (UNICEF), an Al Jazeera report said that Taliban representatives in some parts of Afghanistan have expressed support for educating girls after they seized control when U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
The report quoted Mustapha Ben Messaoud, UNICEF’s chief of field operations in Afghanistan, saying that some Taliban local representatives had said they were waiting for guidance on the issue from their leaders, while others have said they want schools to run for girls.
“We are cautiously optimistic on moving forward,” the report further quoted Messaoud saying during a UN briefing in Geneva
- 17 Aug 2021 10:15 AM GMT
TOLO News female television anchor interviews a Taliban official on camera
A female television anchor on the private broadcaster Tolo News in Afghanistan interviewed a Taliban official on camera on Tuesday in a studio, reports AP. In the program, Behesht Arghand, the host, spoke to Abdul Haq Hammad, a close associate of the Taliban media team, about reports of house raids in Kabul.
- 17 Aug 2021 10:02 AM GMT
Turkey says in talks with all Afghan parties
Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that it is in talks with all parties in Afghanistan including the Taliban and views the messages of the group since taking control of the country positively
- 17 Aug 2021 7:58 AM GMT
Global power gave Taliban platform, situation for women scary: Afghan Women Network
Kolkata: Afghan Women Network executive director Mary Akrami was quoted saying that the international community, particularly the US, has given the Taliban a platform and the recognition it needed to regain power in Afghanistan in a PTI report.
We are disappointed and despairing at the silence of the global community, Afghans are hopeful India will be a peacemaker and stand by them in the crisis, Akrami said to PTI's Sudipto Chowdhury in a phone interview from Kabul.
But first of all, India and Pakistan must solve their problems because Afghanistan has suffered a lot due to the issues between them," she told PTI as the Taliban consolidated its hold after a swift offensive through the war-ravaged country following the departure of American-led forces.
- 17 Aug 2021 7:52 AM GMT
IAF plane carrying 120 Indians from Afghanistan lands at Jamnagar airbase
Jamnagar (Guj): An Indian Air Force plane with 120 people onboard landed on Tuesday at Jamnagar in Gujarat from Kabul in Afghanistan, an official said.
Quoting an offcial PTI reported that The C-17 aircraft touched down at the IAF airbase at Jamnagar at 11.15 am.
The aircraft had taken off from Kabul carrying Indian personnel as part of the emergency evacuation because of the prevailing situation in the Afghan capital following its takeover by the Taliban.
Immediately after passengers on board the C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft deplaned, they were greeted by people present on the tarmac, the official said.
Those on board included officials and security personnel from the Indian embassy in Kabul. Some Indian nationals are also learnt to have returned home on board the aircraft.
- 17 Aug 2021 7:07 AM GMT
Taliban urges women to join its government
Kabul: A Taliban official has announced a general 'amnesty' for all in Afghanistan and urged women to join its government, reports Associated Press. The report quotes Enamullah Samangani's comment on Afghan state television which is now under its control. Samangani is the member of Islamic Emirate's cultural commissio.
The Islamic Emirate don't want women to be victims," he said, using the militants' term for Afghanistan.
The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join.
Read detailed story here
- 17 Aug 2021 6:54 AM GMT
India announces emergency e-visa for Afghans
New Delhi: India on Tuesday announced that it will issue an emergency e-visa to Afghan nationals who want to come to the country in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured power there.
All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the 'e-Emergency X-Misc Visa' online and the applications will be processed in New Delhi.
The announcement came two days after the Taliban captured power in Afghanistan.
Detail story can be read here
- 17 Aug 2021 6:42 AM GMT
Bush expresses ‘deep sadness’ over situation
In a statement, former US President George Bush said he and former First Lady Laura Bush feel “deep sadness” over the events unfolding in Afghanistan.
“Laura and I have been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness.
“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,” the former president said in a statement.
- 17 Aug 2021 6:32 AM GMT
Kabul airport situation stabilising, says Britain’s foreign minister
The position at Kabul airport is stabilising, Britain’s foreign minister said.
“The position at the airport is stabilising,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News. “The stability at the airport is absolutely key.”
