Two explosions rocked Kabul airport Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring a dozen others after Western nations warned of an imminent terror threat and as thousands of people gathered hoping for a flight out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The blasts came as the August 31 deadline loomed for the United States to withdraw its troops, and for Western countries to end their massive airlifts. The “complex attack” near the airport caused a number of […]
Tag: Taliban
Russia to supply weapons to Afghanistan’s neighbours
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Thursday it has received new orders for arms and helicopters from Central Asian republics bordering Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The orders come as countries in the ex-Soviet region, where Moscow holds military bases, have raised concerns over the militant group sweeping to power. “We are already working on a number of orders from countries in the region for the supply of Russian helicopters, fire […]
Western nations warn of terror threat at Kabul airport
Western nations warned their citizens Thursday to immediately leave the surrounds of Kabul airport over a terrorist threat, as thousands of people try to reach a dwindling number of evacuation flights. Nearly 90,000 Afghans and foreigners have fled Afghanistan via the US-led airlift since the hardline Islamist Taliban movement took control of the country on August 15. Huge crowds are gathered in and around the airport, becoming increasingly desperate as some foreign nations cease flights […]
Taliban asks US to stop evacuating skilled Afghans
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to stop fleeing the country, and warned that it would not accept any extension of the August 31 deadline for evacuations. The hardline Islamist group said Americans were taking “Afghan experts” such as engineers and doctors out of Afghanistan. “We ask them to stop this process,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference in Kabul. “This country needs their expertise. They […]
G7 demands Taliban ‘guarantee’ safe passage from Kabul after Aug 31
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The Taliban must “guarantee” safe passage for those fleeing Afghanistan beyond the current August 31 evacuation deadline, the G7 agreed Tuesday, according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Johnson, who convened the emergency meeting, said that he and his colleagues had agreed “a roadmap for the way in which we’re going to engage with the Taliban” in the future. But he added that the “number one condition” was “to guarantee… […]
Afghanistan’s media enters the unknown under Taliban rule
by David Fox, with Qasim Nauman in Seoul Agence France Presse Scores of journalists are among the tens of thousands of people trying to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, fearful of violent reprisals from the militants. Despite their assurances, the Islamist group’s return to power is seen as a serious blow to Afghan media, which saw explosive growth after the first Taliban regime was toppled in 2001. – What was the Afghan media […]
Germany says US, allies can’t evacuate all Afghans who need protection by Aug 31
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Western allies will not be able to fly every Afghan who needs protection out of Kabul before the United States’ planned August 31 withdrawal deadline, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday. “Even if (the evacuation) goes on until August 31 or even a few days longer, it will not be enough to allow those who we, or the United States, want to fly out,” Maas told Bild TV. Allies […]
DFA: 27 Filipinos still in Afghanistan
Of 27, only 17 have requested repatriation (Eagle News) — Only 27 Filipinos remain in Afghanistan since the Department of Foreign Affairs began repatriation efforts amid the uncertain security situation following the Taliban’s takeover of the government there. According to the DFA, of the 27, 10 have expressed their intent to remain in Afghanistan. The rest have requested repatriation. Meanwhile, seven Filipinos so far left Kabul for Almaty–five left on Aug. 22, while the other […]
Kabul evacuation flight arrives in Belgium
MELSBROEK, Belgium (AFP) — A charter flight arrived at a Belgian air base outside Brussels on Monday carrying 193 people escaping the chaos in Kabul. The Air Belgium jet brought the escapees — including Belgians and Afghans who worked for international missions — from an Islamabad base acting as a staging post for Belgium’s military airlift from the Afghan capital. AFP and other media at the Belgian air base saw people disembarking from the plane […]
US orders American airlines to aid Afghan evacuation
The United States on Sunday enlisted several major airlines in its frantic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans and other foreigners from Kabul following its fall to Taliban extremists. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin activated the rarely-used Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to aid the onward movement of people arriving at US bases in the Middle East, the Pentagon said. “We’re going to try our very best to get everybody, every American […]
People dying in wait outside Kabul airport: report
The bodies of at least three people were seen in the sweltering crush outside Kabul airport, television news footage showed on Saturday, as thousands try desperately to flee Taliban rule in a chaotic evacuation. The footage from Britain’s Sky News showed soldiers covering three bodies in white tarpaulins. It was not clear how they died. Sky reporter Stuart Ramsay, who was at the airport, said that people at the front of the crowd were being “crushed” […]
Taliban inherit untapped $1 trillion trove of minerals
The Taliban now hold the keys to an untouched trillion-dollar trove of minerals including some that could power the world’s transition to renewable energies, but Afghanistan has long struggled to tap its vast deposits. The Taliban are already in a financial bind since they returned to power 20 years after their ouster, as major aid donors halted their support for Afghanistan. Endless wars and poor infrastructure have prevented the country from getting its hands on […]





