？

       Close

       Afghan leaders unable to fight for country's future, says Biden

       Joe Biden has faced criticism for blaming the Taliban’s takeover on Afghanistan officials and Donald Trump while standing firmly by his own decision to withdraw US troops.

       The US president insisted he had to decide between asking American forces to fight endlessly in what he called Afghanistan’s civil war or follow through on an agreement to withdraw negotiated by his predecessor.

       He faced a barrage of criticism, including from British MPs, who branded his speech “grotesque”, after going on to blame the Taliban’s takeover on Afghan political leaders who fled and its army’s unwillingness to fight.

       Former president George Bush broke his silence on Afghanistan on Tuesday, issuing a statement addressing serving troops, diplomats and US intelligence officials.

       Mr Bush and his wife Laura wrote: “Some of your brothers and sisters in arms made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror. Each day, we have been humbled by your commitment and your courage.”

       Recommended Biden points finger at Afghanistan officials and Trump as he stands behind decision to withdraw troops Who are the Taliban and how have they taken control of Afghanistan? Where does the Taliban get its money and weapons from? Flights resume as Kabul airport opens for evacuation amid reports Taliban holding talks on forming government

       Key Points Joe Biden blames Afghanistan officials and Trump for Taliban takeover President stands ‘squarely’ by decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan Biden refuses to take questions on Afghans clinging to planes after speech on crisis Bush breaks silence on Afghanistan withdrawal and insists ‘sacrifice’ wasn’t in vain

       Show latest update 1629208806 Why is Biden at Camp David?

       There was some confusion as to why Joe Biden came back to the White House from his scheduled time at Camp David, only to immediately return to the presidential retreat after delivering his address to the nation.

       One reason is for practical purposes — the White House is undergoing a series of renovation projects and it is easier for the president to carry on meetings and other business at Camp David, which is fully equipped for every eventuality.

       CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe explains.

       Oliver O'Connell 17 August 2021 15:00

       1629208097 White House: Hamid Karzai Airport is open with flights resuming

       Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul is open and flights are resuming, a White House official says.

       The US has moved out over 700 people (including 150 Americans) in the last 24 hrs.

       1,000 troops have come into the country, bringing the total US on the ground troops to 3,500. More are arriving today.

       The State Department has contacted some Americans in Afghanistan with instructions on how to “safely assemble at the airport for flights out,” Annie Linskey of The Washington Post reports.

       Oliver O'Connell 17 August 2021 14:48

       1629207608 Biden wouldn’t have gone to Camp David had they known

       From The Washington Post:

       One close Biden foreign policy ally, who is in regular contact with the White House and the State Department, said the president’s team would never have let him leave for Camp David had they known just how quickly Afghanistan would implode amid the president’s decision to withdraw all US troops by Sept. 11.

       Oliver O'Connell 17 August 2021 14:40

       1629206888 Pentagon urged State Department to act quicker, says report

       Reporting by CNN sheds light on the blame game occurring within the US government over the debacle in getting US citizens and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan.

       Department of Defense officials claim they urged the State Department to act faster, but their counterparts at State say they were operating based on intelligence that suggested they had more time.

       Intelligence officials insist that they had long predicted a rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban.

       Oliver O'Connell 17 August 2021 14:28

       1629206084 Taliban says US must stick to 9/11 exit date

       A spokesperson for the Taliban has said the US should “withdraw all their forces” from Afghanistan by 9/11, but that it was “committed not to attack them”, after the militant group retook Kabul.

       Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday, said the Taliban had already announced a “general amnesty” to people in Afghanistan, and that it would not attack remaining US forces in the country.

       Taliban says US must stick to 9/11 exit date but ‘will not attack’ A spokesperson for the Taliban has said the US should "withdraw all their forces" from Afghanistan by 9/11, but that it was "committed not to attack them", after the militant group retook Kabul.

       Oliver O'Connell 17 August 2021 14:14

       1629205171 White House announces $500m fund for Afghan refugees

       The Biden administration has announced a $500m fund to help Afghan refugees displaced by the Taliban offensive.

       In a memorandum released late on Monday, the president said he was making an amount “not to exceed $500m from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs of refugees, victims of conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan”.

       “Such assistance may be provided on a bilateral or multilateral basis as appropriate, including through contributions to international organizations and through funding to other nongovernmental organizations, governments, and United States departments and agencies,” Mr Biden said.

       Tom Batchelor 17 August 2021 13:59

       1629204121 British MPs attack Biden’s ‘grotesque’ Afghanistan speech as ‘devoid of empathy’

       Conservative MPs in the UK have reacted with anger to Joe Biden’s speech justifying his decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan while placing blame on the country’s political leaders, with one MP describing it as “grotesque”.

       The former Tory MP Rory Stewart also described the speech to The Independent as “hollowed, devoid of empathy, and naively pessimistic”.

       Here is the story:

       Conservatives attack Biden’s ‘grotesque’ Afghanistan speech as ‘devoid of empathy’ ‘Blame shifting in the fact of the predicted disaster that is Afghanistan today is extraordinary,’ says senior Tory MP

       Tom Batchelor 17 August 2021 13:42

       1629203157 Fox News anchor condemned for comments on Afghan refugees

       Tucker Carlson has claimed bringing Afghan refugees to the US would be an “invasion”, despite many being hunted down by the Taliban for working with American and Nato forces.

       The Fox News anchor told viewers: “If history is any guide, and it’s always a guide, we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country in coming months, probably in your neighbourhood.”

       My colleague Gino Spocchia has more on this:

       Tucker Carlson condemned for comments on Afghan refugees Fox News anchor condemned for saying ‘millions’ of asylum applicants will ‘invade’ American neighbourhoods after the country’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan

       Chiara Giordano 17 August 2021 13:25

       1629201928 US to evacuate as many US citizens and Afghan interpreters as possible in coming weeks, says Pentagon spokesman

       The United States will seek to evacuate as many US citizens and Afghan interpreters as possible in coming weeks, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has confirmed, adding that Americans could again make their way to Kabul’s airport.

       In a series of US television interviews, Mr Kirby said the US military, including thousands of incoming troops, were squarely focused on airport operations and security.

       "We remain committed to completing this drawdown in a safe and orderly way, and to doing what we can to getting as many of our American citizens out as well as many of those interpreters and translators" who assisted US forces, he told MSNBC.

       "We're going to work really hard in the coming weeks to get as many of them out of the country as we can."

       The spokesman told CNN between 5,000 and 10,000 US citizens were believed to remain in the Kabul area, and that the United States could move between 5,000 and 9,000 people out of Kabul per day.

       Three US military bases were prepared to accept up to 22,000 Afghan allies in the coming weeks, he added.

       More than 700 people, including more than 150 US citizens, have been evacuated in the past 24 hours, according to Mr Kirby.

       Chiara Giordano 17 August 2021 13:05

       1629200762 Bush breaks silence on Afghanistan withdrawal and insists ‘sacrifice’ wasn’t in vain

       Former president George Bush has broken his silence on Afghanistan, issuing a statement addressing serving troops, diplomats and US intelligence officials.

       In a joint statement, Mr Bush and his wife Laura wrote: “Some of your brothers and sisters in arms made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror. Each day, we have been humbled by your commitment and your courage.”

       My colleague Jade Bremner has more details:

       Bush breaks silence on Afghanistan withdrawal and insists ‘sacrifice’ wasn’t in vain ‘You kept America safe from further terror attacks, provided two decades of security,’ Bush said to troops

       Chiara Giordano 17 August 2021 12:46

       Newer 1 / 2 Older