Tag Archives: Taliban

The BBC reports: The Taliban have started using Twitter’s paid-for verification feature, meaning some now have blue ticks on their accounts. Previously, the blue tick indicated “active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest” verified by Twitter, and could not be purchased. But now, users can buy them through the new Twitter Blue service. At least two Taliban officials and …

NPR reports: Pope Francis is encouraging countries to welcome Afghan refugees who are seeking a new life. During his appearance to the public in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Francis also prayed that displaced persons inside Afghanistan receive assistance and protection. “In these tumultuous moments, in which Afghans are seeking refuge, I pray for the most vulnerable among them, I …

The New York Times reports: President Biden on Tuesday hailed what he called the “extraordinary success” of the evacuation of Kabul as he vehemently defended his decision to end America’s war in Afghanistan, just one day after the end of a two-week rescue of 125,000 people from Kabul that saw the deaths of 13 service members. Speaking from the Cross …

CBS News reports: President Biden will address the American people Tuesday afternoon following the end of the nation’s two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, which came to a close Monday with the departure of the final U.S. military aircraft from the main airport in Kabul. In remarks from the White House, the president is poised to explain his decision not to extend …

From a statement just issued by the White House: I want to thank our commanders and the men and women serving under them for their execution of the dangerous retrograde from Afghanistan as scheduled – in the early morning hours of August 31, Kabul time – with no further loss of American lives. The past 17 days have seen our …

NBC News reports: The United States has finished its evacuation efforts from Kabul’s airport, the Pentagon said Monday, effectively ending America’s longest war. As of early Monday, Western forces evacuated 1,200 people out of the Afghan capital on 26 military cargo aircraft flights in a 24-hour period, according to the latest figures from the White House. Since the mass evacuations …

The New York Times reports: The United States carried out a military strike in Kabul against a “credible” threat, two U.S. officials said, hours after President Biden warned that the U.S. military’s retaliatory strike Friday against the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate would not be the last. A drone strike, in Nangarhar Province Friday near the Pakistan border, killed two members …

The New York Times reports: President Biden warned Saturday that another terrorist attack at the Kabul airport sometime in the coming days was “highly likely,” and he promised that the U.S. retaliatory strike for Thursday’s suicide attack would not be the last. The warning was yet another sign of the chaotic and dangerous situation as the U.S. tried to pull …

The New York Times reports: The U.S. military carried out a drone strike on an Islamic State target in Afghanistan on Friday, the first retaliatory action following an attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 American service members and at least 170 other people. The terrorist group, known as Islamic State-Khorasan or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the Thursday airport bombing, …

The Washington Post reports: Explosions outside the airport in Kabul Thursday killed 12 U.S. service members and dozens of civilians, said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement from the Pentagon. The attack that followed repeated threat warnings from the United States and its allies. “We can confirm that a number …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The U.S. ambassador in Kabul has told staff there that four U.S. Marines were killed in an explosion at the city’s airport and three wounded, a U.S. official with knowledge of the briefing said. Two explosions ripped through crowds of Afghans trying to enter the airport on Thursday. At least three U.S. troops were injured, …

The Associated Press reports: Russia’s Foreign Ministry says a second explosion has gone off outside Kabul airport. The twin suicide attacks killed at least 13 people and wounded another 15. U.S. officials said that American personnel were wounded in the blast, without elaborating. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The blasts happened outside the airport, where …

The Wall Street Journal reports: An explosion ripped through a crowd of Afghans trying to enter Kabul airport Thursday, just as America’s allies said they were halting evacuation flights from Afghanistan, leaving behind citizens and thousands of Afghans who had been cleared for entry. There were no immediate details on the extent of casualties, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said. …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden, who held a virtual meeting with G-7 leaders Tuesday morning, has faced pressure from allies to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid scenes of chaos around the Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans try to flee the country. But as evacuations of Americans and others ramp up, the president …

The Washington Post reports: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the activation of a program that will use 18 commercial airplanes to aid the U.S. military evacuation of American nationals and refugees in Afghanistan. The activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet will provide the Defense Department with “access to commercial air mobility resources” in the evacuation efforts, Pentagon press …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Biden administration is planning a dramatic ramp-up of its airlift from Kabul by making preparations to compel major U.S. airlines to help with the transportation of tens of thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan, while expanding the number of U.S. military bases that could house Afghans. The White House is expected to consider activating the …

The Verge reports: Facebook’s head of security policy said the company is putting into place security measures for users in Afghanistan, including hiding “friends” lists and adding a tool to quickly lock down accounts. Nathaniel Gleicher said in a thread on Twitter that Facebook made the changes based on feedback from activists, journalists, and civil society groups. As the Taliban …

CNN reports: President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on Friday about the ongoing US military evacuations of American citizens and vulnerable Afghans as chaos ensues at and around Kabul’s international airport. Prior to his remarks, the President and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with their national security team in the Situation Room to hear intelligence, security and diplomatic updates …

The Hill reports: “If there’s American citizens left, we’re going to stay until we get them all out,” Biden told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview. Biden’s commitment comes as government officials have estimated there are more than 10,000 Americans still in Afghanistan as the U.S. drawdown nears its completion. The president vowed that the government will do …

“I have previously said from this podium, and in sworn testimony before Congress, that the intelligence clearly indicated multiple scenarios were possible. One of those was an outright Taliban takeover following a rapid collapse of the Afghan Security Forces and the government. “Another was a civil war, and a third was a negotiated settlement. However, the time frame of a …