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 its own statements, the US military reacted to the deadly terrorist attack in Kabul with a retaliatory attack and attacked a local branch of the IS terrorist militia. The US central command Centcom announced that the unmanned air strike in the Afghan province of Nangahar was aimed at “a planner” from Isis-K. “According to the first signs, we killed the target,” said spokesman Bill Urban. The Bloomberg news agency, citing a US representative, reported that the person allegedly had no direct connection to the terrorist attack at Kabul airport, but was suspected by the US of being involved in planning further attacks. According to the agency, the person was killed by a Reaper drone while traveling in a vehicle.
At the same time, the US feared another terrorist attack in Kabul. The US embassy again published a security warning that night and called on all compatriots to immediately leave the area around the entrance gates to the airport. Centcom spokesman Urban said with a view to the air strike: “We do not know of any civilian casualties.” The Central Command did not provide any further details.
US President Joe Biden swore revenge after the attack in Kabul. Dozens of people were killed in the terrorist attack at the airport on Thursday – including 13 US soldiers. “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and let you pay for it,” Biden said shortly after the attack. On Friday, his spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated the president’s determination: “He made it clear that he does not want them to still live on earth.” She responded to the question of whether Biden wanted to kill the perpetrators of the attack or bring them to justice. (08/28/2021)
USA wants to fly at least 500 more Americans from Afghanistan
The US is currently trying to fly around 500 Americans out of Afghanistan. These wanted to leave and you are in direct contact with them, said the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Ned Price. They are also in contact with several hundred citizens who have not yet decided whether they want to leave the country. The number of people who wanted to stay because they didn’t want to leave loved ones behind was “relatively small,” Price said.
The “overwhelming majority” of the local employees and their family members have also been flown out or are on the airport premises. Without these employees, embassies around the world couldn’t function, Price said. “” These people served the United States, they not only worked for us, they worked with us, they are our colleagues. “08/27/2021)
Comment: The Taliban cannot fill the power vacuum
Around 300 Germans and more than 10,000 Afghans on German exit lists
Even after the rescue operation has been completed, the federal government wants to help the Germans, Afghan local workers or people at risk who have remained in Afghanistan. The government spokesman Steffen Seibert announced in Berlin. The number of local workers still in the country and people identified to leave the country is changing steadily and is more than 10,000, said a spokesman for the Foreign Office.
It is currently not possible to say how many of the people may have already left in another way. The number of Germans in Afghanistan is estimated at around 300. The Interior Ministry assured that everyone on the list of the Foreign Office would get an entry permit to Germany.
According to the Federal Ministry of Defense, a total of 5,347 people were evacuated from Afghanistan via the airlift. They come from at least 45 countries, said a spokeswoman. Among them were around 500 Germans and 4,000 Afghans. An attempt is now being made to enable further departure either overland or the continued operation of the civil airport in Kabul, said a spokesman for the Foreign Office. To this end, the consulates in neighboring countries would also be reinforced.
He pointed out that in the months before the fall of Kabul, 1900 local workers had been flown out who were seen to be at risk. In the past few days there has been an increasing trend in Kabul that the Germans who remain there are being asked by unknown sources to come to certain places in Kabul. The Foreign Office warned of these cases of disinformation. (08/27/2021)
Number of attack victims increases again – Pentagon makes it clear: only one suicide bomber
The number of people killed in the attack at Kabul airport continues to rise. Afghan health authorities now speak of 79 locals killed, after the last mention of 72 deaths. Since 13 US soldiers also died, the total number of victims now rises to at least 92. At least 28 Taliban fighters are said to be among the dead.
Outside the Kabul airport, a suicide bomber blew himself up on Thursday. At times there was also talk of two detonations. However, the Pentagon has since corrected this. US Major General William Taylor said on Friday at the Pentagon that it was not certain how the false information about two suicide bombers could have come about the previous day. (08/27/2021)
USA: More than 100,000 people taken from Kabul with allies
According to the White House, the US Air Force and its allies have already flown more than 100,000 people out of Kabul. On Thursday alone, around 7500 people were brought out of the city from the morning until shortly before midnight (Kabul time), 5100 of them with aircraft of the US military, said a representative of the US government. This means that the number of Afghans and Western citizens who have flown out since mid-August has risen to 100 100. Most of them were flown out on US Air Force aircraft.
According to the US military, more than 5,000 people are still waiting to be evacuated at Kabul airport. The number has decreased somewhat, says Major General William Taylor. The US is able to fly people out until the last minute. (08/27/2021)
Kramp-Karrenbauer visits soldiers in Tashkent
The soldiers of the rescue operation from Afghanistan are on their way to Germany. The machines – two A400M and a A310 – started in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, wrote the Ministry of Defense on Twitter. They were now expected at Wunstorf Air Base in Lower Saxony at around 7.45 p.m., the Bundeswehr said.
In addition to the soldiers, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the Armed Forces Commissioner Eva Högl and the General Inspector of the Bundeswehr, General Eberhard Zorn, Germany’s highest-ranking soldier, were on board. The Bundeswehr had evacuated 5,347 people from at least 45 countries, including around 500 Germans and more than 4,000 Afghans. The departure in Uzbekistan had been delayed by several hours, according to reports because of anger with the Uzbek side.
The last German plane with refugees from Kabul landed in Frankfurt am Main on Friday night. 5,347 people from at least 45 countries were brought to safety, including around 500 Germans and more than 4,000 Afghans. Now all German soldiers, diplomats and police officers have left the country. They return from Uzbekistan A400M the Bundeswehr returned to Germany. (08/27/2021)
IS offshoot claims stop for itself
The branch of the terrorist militia Islamic State, which is active in Afghanistan, has claimed the attack at Kabul airport. This is announced by IS-Khorasan, as the IS is called in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a message from the IS spokesman Amak, which is distributed over the Internet. The IS had previously confessed to the attack on the Telegram messenger service.
ISIS appeared in Afghanistan in early 2015. He wants to establish a “province” called IS-Khorasan there and on Pakistani territory and has carried out attacks primarily on Shiite targets. The US and Afghan security forces have attacked the IS positions several times a week in recent years. Nevertheless, IS continued to carry out serious attacks, intensified recruitment and tried to gain a foothold in northern Afghanistan. Despite great ideological closeness, ISIS is hostile to the Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan just over a week ago. (08/26/2021)
Biden: “The IS terrorists will not win”
In an emotional speech in the White House, US President Biden affirmed that the US military would not allow itself to be deterred from the rescue flights from Kabul after the attack in Kabul. “We will continue the evacuations. The IS terrorists will not win. Our mission will continue,” said the president. Biden threatens those responsible for the attack with retaliation: “We will not forget. We will not forgive. We will hunt you down and bring you to account”.
The US President extends his condolences to the families of the soldiers killed in the attack and asks for a minute’s silence for the victims. “These American servicemen who gave their lives – it’s an overused word, but perfectly appropriate here – they were heroes,” says Biden. They are the “backbone of America” and “the best that the country has to offer”. (08/26/2021)