After the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the Islamist Taliban took power in the country – and are redesigning it according to their ideas. The most important developments in the news blog.
According to the Pentagon, the last US soldiers have withdrawn from Afghanistan. “I am here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan,” said US General Kenneth McKenzie on a video link with journalists at the Pentagon.
This also ends the military mission to evacuate Americans, allies and Afghans seeking protection. The last C-17 military aircraft took off from Kabul airport one minute before midnight (local time). The US ambassador also left the country with this machine.
The US and its allies have removed more than 120,000 civilians from the country. The Bundeswehr had already completed its evacuation mission on Thursday. (08/30/2021)
UN Security Council adopts Afghanistan resolution
The UN Security Council is increasing pressure on the Taliban to allow Afghans to leave their homeland unhindered. A corresponding resolution was passed with 13 votes in favor, Russia and China abstained. In the resolution, the Security Council refers to the Taliban’s pledges on Friday that Afghans are free to leave the country at any time and by any means possible. The Security Council “expects the Taliban to honor these and all other commitments,” it said.
At the same time, the resolution demands that Afghanistan should not become a haven for terrorists and their attack plans. The need for unhindered humanitarian access and respect for human rights, in particular “the rights of women, children and minorities”, is also emphasized. A UN security zone in Kabul recently brought into play by French President Emmanuel Macron is not mentioned in the resolution.
As Western diplomats report, a rare unity emerged on this resolution. In most of the major crises in recent years, the permanent members – especially the USA, China and Russia – have often been at odds and blocked common solutions. (08/30/2021)
IS claims another rocket fire for itself
The branch of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS), which is active in Afghanistan, claimed the rocket attack at Kabul airport on Monday. The airport was attacked with six Katyusha missiles, said IS-Khorasan, as ISIS calls itself in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on Monday on the Naschir News platform. It was also confirmed that people were injured in the attack. At first there was no confirmation of possible victims or damage, regardless of the IS statement.
Previously, around five rockets had been fired at the last base of the US Army at Kabul airport. They were intercepted by the missile defense system early Monday morning, said a US government official who did not want to be named. It was initially unclear whether all missiles were hit. The evacuations at Kabul airport were not interrupted by the missile attack. US President Joe Biden had been informed of the details of the attack. The US military operation in Afghanistan ends on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the Americans said they had destroyed a car in a drone attack with which a suicide bomber wanted to attack the airport. The hours ahead until the last aircraft takes off are considered to be the most dangerous of the entire evacuation mission. The US expects that the Afghan branch of the extremist group Islamic State will attempt further attacks. (08/30/2021)
US military flies air strike against terrorists in Kabul
The US military reportedly carried out an air strike in the Afghan capital in order to avert an “imminent threat” to Kabul airport from terrorists. A drone had successfully fired on a car belonging to the local branch of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS), the US military said on Sunday. Because there were “significant secondary explosions” after the rocket impact, it can be assumed that there must have been a large amount of explosives in the vehicle, it said. It will be checked whether there were civilian victims in the attack. So far, however, there has been no such indication, it said.
The local television broadcaster ArianaNews reported, citing eyewitnesses, that six people, including four children, were killed when a mortar shell struck a private house in Kabul’s 15th police district. Two vehicles and parts of the house were destroyed. It was not immediately clear whether these victims could have been attributed to the US air strike rather than a mortar shell. The airport is also located in the 15th police district.
As recently as Thursday, dozens of civilians and at least 13 US soldiers were killed in an attack by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group at Kabul airport. (29/08/21)
US Embassy warns of “specific, credible danger”
The US has tightened its security warnings for Kabul. The US embassy in Afghanistan warns of “specific, credible danger in the vicinity of the airport” and advised to avoid the airport and all gates. Just over a thousand civilians are currently waiting at Kabul airport to be flown out, says a Western security officer. US President Joe Biden had previously warned of attacks. He also threatened the IS offshoot in Afghanistan with further retaliation. “The attack was not the last. We will continue to hunt down anyone involved in the heinous attack and hold them accountable,” says Biden.
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) has announced that border controls will be tightened in the event of large new refugee movements from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. “Not everyone who wants to come to our country is allowed to enter,” said Seehofer Picture on sunday. Watch the refugee movements from these countries very closely. The security authorities noticed seven Afghans during controls after the Bundeswehr’s evacuation flights from Kabul in Germany. Three had forged documents with them, and four others were criminals who had already been deported to Afghanistan. (29/08/21)
Drone attack on IS offshoot
According to the US military, two high-ranking representatives of the local IS offshoot were killed in a US air strike in Nangarhar province on Saturday. The air strike was in retaliation for the attack at Kabul airport that killed dozens of people on Thursday, including 13 US soldiers. “We will continue to hunt down, capture and pay for everyone who was involved in this vicious attack,” said the US President. Any attack on US interests or the military will be retaliated, he warned. “There will never be any doubt about that,” said Biden.
The US also considered another attack on the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul to be likely. The situation on site is still extremely dangerous. An attack in the next 24 to 36 hours is highly likely. (08/28/2021)
US Army begins withdrawal from Kabul Airport
The US military says it has started withdrawing its troops from Kabul Airport. That said the spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby. The US troops are supposed to leave Afghanistan by Tuesday at the will of US President Joe Biden. On Friday, more than 5,000 US soldiers were stationed at Kabul Airport. Kirby said the military will not release new troop numbers for the time being for security reasons. The US military will be able to fly out Western citizens and former Afghan employees until the end of the mission.
At the same time, Kirby stressed that all gates of the airport were still under the control of US troops. In doing so, the Pentagon spokesman contradicted the Taliban, who had claimed that the United States had handed over several entrances to the airport to Islamist forces on Saturday night. The Taliban have set up security checkpoints around the airport, Kirby said. “But they do not control gates, they are not at the airport and they have no role in security.” (08/28/2021)