This Article is From Aug 20, 2021

Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis Highlights: Several Killed As Taliban Open Fire On Protesters

Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis Highlights: The Taliban have presented a moderate face to the world since they marched into Kabul on Sunday, saying they want peace, will not take revenge against old enemies and will respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.

Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis Highlights: Several Killed As Taliban Open Fire On Protesters

protests against the takeover spread to more cities on Thursday, including the capital Kabul.

Flag-waving protesters took to the streets of several Afghan cities today as popular opposition to the Taliban spread, and a witness said several people were killed when the terrorists fired on a crowd.

"Our flag, our identity," a crowd of men and some women waving black, red and green national flags shouted in the capital Kabul, a video clip posted on social media showed, on the day Afghanistan celebrates its 1919 independence from British control.

The Taliban have presented a moderate face to the world since they marched into Kabul on Sunday, saying they want peace, will not take revenge against old enemies and will respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.

In Asadabad, capital of the eastern province of Kunar, several people were killed during a rally but it was not clear if the casualties resulted from Taliban firing or from a stampede that it triggered, witness Mohammed Salim said.

Here are the Highlights on Afghanistan-Taliban crisis:

Aug 20, 2021 04:40 (IST)
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Secure Afghan Users' Accounts Amid Taliban Takeover
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn said this week they had moved to secure the accounts of Afghan citizens to protect them against being targeted amid the Taliban's swift takeover of the country.

Facebook has temporarily removed the ability for people to view or search the friends lists of accounts in Afghanistan, its security policy head Nathaniel Gleicher tweeted on Thursday.

Gleicher also said the company had launched a "one-click tool" for users in Afghanistan to lock down their accounts, so people who are not their Facebook friends would be unable to see their timeline posts or share their profile photos.

Human rights groups have voiced concerns that the Taliban could use online platforms to track Afghans' digital histories or social connections. Amnesty International said this week that thousands of Afghans, including academics, journalists and human rights defenders, were at serious risk of Taliban reprisals.
Aug 20, 2021 03:22 (IST)
Taliban Desire For Recognition Is Only Leverage Point, Says UN Chief
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday the Taliban's desire for international recognition is the Security Council's only leverage to press for inclusive government and respect for rights, particularly for women, in Afghanistan.

Guterres told reporters he discussed that leverage with the 15-member body during a closed-door meeting on Monday, urging them to remain united.

The Taliban seized power on Sunday, 20 years after they were ousted by a U.S.-led invasion for refusing to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Aug 19, 2021 23:41 (IST)
G7 Urges Taliban To Ensure Safe Passage Out Of Afghan Capital Kabul
Foreign ministers from the G7 countries on Thursday urged the Taliban to provide safe passage for those trying to flee Kabul, in the group's first formal statement on the crisis.

The ministers "called for the Taliban to guarantee safe passage to foreign nationals and Afghans wanting to leave", according to Britain's foreign office.

G7 countries are "continuing efforts to do everything possible to evacuate vulnerable persons from Kabul airport", they added.

Aug 19, 2021 22:49 (IST)
G7 Calls For International "Shared Mission" To Limit Afghanistan Crisis
G7 foreign ministers called on Thursday for the international community to unite in its response to the crisis in Afghanistan to prevent it from escalating further, a statement issued by British foreign minister Dominic Raab said.

"The G7 Ministers call on the international community to come together with a shared mission to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan escalating," said the statement, issued by Raab following a meeting of G7 foreign ministers.

Aug 19, 2021 22:03 (IST)
World Should Support Afghanistan, Not Pressure It: Chinese Minister Wang Yi
The world should guide and support Afghanistan as it transitions to a new government instead of putting more pressure on it, China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday in a call with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has retaken power 20 years after it was forced out by a US-led invasion, remains unstable and uncertain, Wang was quoted as saying by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Aug 19, 2021 21:38 (IST)
China Can Contribute To Afghanistan's Development, Says Taliban Spokesman: Report
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said on Thursday China could contribute to the development of Afghanistan in the future, Chinese state media reported.

Suhail Shaheen made the remark in an interview with China's state CGTN television, it said.

Aug 19, 2021 20:57 (IST)
Afghan Woman News Anchor Barred From Work After Taliban Takeover
An Afghan woman journalist has said she was barred from working at her TV station after the Taliban took control of the country, and pleaded for help in a video posted online.

Wearing a hijab and showing her office card, well-known news anchor Shabnam Dawran said "our lives are under threat" in the clip on social media.

Under the Taliban's regime from 1996 to 2001, women were excluded from public life, girls could not attend school, entertainment was banned and brutal punishments were imposed.

Aug 19, 2021 20:26 (IST)
Taliban A Threat To World: Maneka Gandhi
BJP MP Maneka Gandhi on Thursday said the Taliban is a threat to the world and doesn't respect women.

She said it is unfortunate that a country like Afghanistan, which has been self-sufficient for centuries, will have to fight again.

"The Taliban is a threat to the whole world. Earlier also they they could not give any good result by fighting. We don't think they will have improved. The Taliban is very dangerous," she said while talking to reporters on a three-day visit to her constituency.

Aug 19, 2021 19:52 (IST)
Canada Says Temporarily Closing Embassy In Kabul
Canada is temporarily closing its embassy in Kabul after evacuating staff ahead of Taliban fighters' arrival in the Afghan capital, the Foreign Ministry in Ottawa announced Sunday.

The ministry said in a statement that Canadian personnel were already on their way back to Canada.

"Canada firmly condemns the escalating violence, and we are heartbroken at the situation the Afghan people find themselves in today," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Aug 19, 2021 19:11 (IST)
Evacuees From Kabul Touch Down In UAE On Way To UK
Britain's operation to evacuate its nationals and protected individuals stepped up on Thursday, with planes landing in Dubai before passengers travel on to the UK, reported AFP.

At Dubai's Al-Maktoum airport, a Royal Air Force transport plane carrying evacuees from Afghanistan took off around 1040 GMT with another batch of UK-bound passengers due in from Kabul shortly afterwards, an AFP correspondent reported.

Dozens of people, many with large rucksacks, waited at one of the airport's departure gates ahead of boarding what they hoped will be a flight to safety.

Aug 19, 2021 18:36 (IST)
Several Killed As Taliban Open Fire On Protesters: 10 Facts
Flag-waving protesters took to the streets of several Afghan cities today as popular opposition to the Taliban spread, and a witness said several people were killed when the terrorists fired on a crowd.
Aug 19, 2021 17:31 (IST)
Men Who Fell From Plane "Lay Dead On Terrace, Wife Fainted": Afghan Man
Wali Salek was at home with his family in Kabul on Monday when they heard a loud sound from the roof.

"It was like a truck tyre exploding," said the 49-year-old security guard. He rushed three flights up to the terrace and found, to his horror, two bodies.

The skulls had cracked open and the stomach spilling out.

His wife fainted at the sight.

Aug 19, 2021 17:06 (IST)
Women Throw Babies Over Razor Wire At Kabul Airport To British Soldiers: Report
Kabul airport has become a picture of chaos and desperation after the fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban.

As per the reports of Sky News, in a heartbreaking incident, desperate Afghan women were seen throwing their babies over the razor wire of the Kabul airport compound.

A senior British officer told Stuart Ramsay from Sky News that they can hear the sound of shouting, the noise of desperation as thousands of people are flooding towards Kabul airport that will, for some, be the gateway to freedom - and for many others, the end of a dream of escaping the Taliban.

Aug 19, 2021 16:17 (IST)
Taliban Takeover Biggest Event Since Crimea: EU Foreign Policy Chief
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is the most important geopolitical event since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Thursday, reported AFP.

Josep Borrell told the European Parliament major worries included a possible surge in refugees and increasing complexity in Central Asia -- with Turkey, China and Russia all vying to increase their influence in the region.

Borrell reiterated that the EU was being forced to "establish channels of communication" with the Taliban to ensure the evacuation of its nationals and Afghan staff and their families.

Aug 19, 2021 15:48 (IST)
"In My Father's Footsteps": Assassinated Anti-Taliban Fighter's Son Asks US For Weapons
The son of Afghanistan's most famed anti-Taliban fighter says he has the forces to mount an effective resistance, but called on the United States to supply arms and ammunition to his militia.

In an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post, Ahmad Massoud said "America can still be a great arsenal of democracy" by supporting his fighters.

"I write from the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father's footsteps, with mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban," he said.

Aug 19, 2021 15:30 (IST)
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar Cuts Short Overseas Visit Amid Afghan Crisis: Report
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will return to India on Friday and not travel onwards to Mexico, Panama and Guyana in view of the developments in Afghanistan, sources said.

India on Tuesday rushed back home its ambassador Rudrendra Tandon and staff from the embassy in Kabul in a military transport aircraft following escalating tension, fear and uncertainty gripping the Afghan capital after the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Sunday.

Aug 19, 2021 15:12 (IST)
Foreign Minister Asked If India Is In Touch With Taliban. His Reply

India is following the events in Afghanistan "very carefully" and the focus is on ensuring the security and safe return of Indian nationals who are still in the war-torn country, Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar told reporters in New York on Wednesday. Asked how India views and deals with the Taliban leadership, he said it is still "early days", not offering direct comment on whether or not India was in touch with the Taliban. Read Here
Aug 19, 2021 14:54 (IST)
Viral Video Of Young Girl At Kabul Airport Being Given To US, UK Soldiers

Britain is unable to evacuate unaccompanied children from Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday when asked about footage which showed a young child being handed over a wall to Western soldiers at Kabul airport. The footage, which Reuters was unable to immediately verify, showed a small girl being handed over a wall to British and U.S. soldiers at Kabul airport.
Aug 19, 2021 13:53 (IST)
'West's Resolve Perceived As Weak': UK Minister On Taliban Takeover

The fate of Afghanistan after a 20-year war led by the United States means that the West's resolve is now perceived as weak by major adversaries such as Russia, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday. The war in Afghanistan has cost several hundred thousand lives and trillions of dollars but the Taliban are now back in power, and the West's leading powers are scrambling to evacuate their diplomats and Afghan staff from Kabul airport.
Aug 19, 2021 12:59 (IST)
Nations must respect the rule of law, not violence. Afghanistan is too big for Pakistan to swallow and too big for Talibs to govern. Don't let your histories have a chapter on humiliation and bowing to terror groups: Amrullah Saleh, acting president of Afghanistan.
Aug 19, 2021 12:36 (IST)
"Taliban Came To Gurdwara, Assured Sikhs, Hindus Of Safety": Akali Leader

Sikhs and Hindus stranded in Afghanistan have been assured of their safety and "do not feel fear or anxiety", according to a video statement by the head of a Kabul gurudwara that was shared late Wednesday night by spokespersons of the Akali Dal and the Taliban. Read Here
Aug 19, 2021 11:43 (IST)
Images Of Women Vandalised As Kabul Faces Up To Taliban Rule

Images of women have been covered up or vandalised on storefronts around Kabul, a sign of the Afghan capital's rapidly changing face in the days since the Taliban took charge. The new regime's terrorists took control of the city on Sunday after a lightning offensive that saw the former government's provincial strongholds around the country topple like dominoes in a matter of days.
Aug 19, 2021 11:33 (IST)
We heard that Australian Embassy is giving 3000 visas to Afghan nationals. When we came here, they gave us a form, which says we have to first send an email to UNHCR which will refer us to the embassy for visas. But UNHCR office doesn't respond: An Afghan national in Delhi.

Aug 19, 2021 11:04 (IST)
On Tuesday, India evacuated the last of its staff from the embassy in Kabul including the ambassador and the Indo-Tibetan Border Policepersonnel who were in charge of security. The pullout took place amid curfew declared by Taliban, which made took over Kabul on Sunday.

Aug 19, 2021 10:42 (IST)
Afghan nationals gather outside Australian Embassy in New Delhi. "I heard that Australian Govt has announced to accept refugees and grant them immigration visas. But the embassy here is not giving us any clear answer. I don't know what to do," says Syed Abdullah, an Afghan national.

Aug 19, 2021 09:51 (IST)
India "Very Carefully" Following Developments In Afghanistan: S Jaishankar

With the Taliban now in control in Kabul, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said New Delhi is "very carefully" following the developments in Afghanistan and India's focus is on ensuring the security and safe return of Indian nationals still in the war-torn country. S Jaishankar, addressing reporters at the UN Security Council stakeout after chairing an open-debate on peacekeeping under India's current UNSC Presidency, said "that (situation in Afghanistan) is really what has been very much the focus of my own engagements here, talking to the UN Secretary General and other colleagues who are here as well as the US Secretary of State."
Aug 19, 2021 09:24 (IST)
Taliban's Arms Seizures Embarrass Washington

Videos of Taliban fighters parading in US-made armored vehicles, wielding US-supplied firearms and climbing on American Black Hawk helicopters after the defeat of Afghan government forces have embarrassed the White House. 
Aug 19, 2021 08:50 (IST)
US Sees "Unanimity" With Russia, China On Afghanistan

The United States said Wednesday it shared the same goals on Afghanistan as frequent adversaries China and Russia, which have quickly moved to work with the triumphant Taliban. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman pointed to a statement issued Monday by the UN Security Council, where China and Russia wield veto power, that called for an inclusive new government.
Aug 19, 2021 08:39 (IST)
Biden Says US Troops Could Stay Longer In Kabul To Rescue "All Americans"

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that US troops won't leave any Americans behind in Afghanistan, even if it means staying in Taliban-controlled Kabul for longer than agreed. In his first interview since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital, sparking a panicked exodus by foreigners and Afghan allies, Biden told ABC News that "chaos" had been unavoidable.
Aug 19, 2021 08:29 (IST)
Nothing Indicated Afghan Collapse In 11 Days: Top US General

The Pentagon's top general defended on Wednesday the US military's response to the Taliban's breakneck seizure of power in Afghanistan, saying no one foresaw the collapse of US-trained Afghan forces that fast. "There was nothing that I, or anyone else, saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days," US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley said.
Aug 19, 2021 07:30 (IST)
No Way To Leave Afghanistan "Without Chaos", Says Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday it had been impossible to leave Afghanistan without chaos, as the United States pleaded with the victorious Taliban to allow safe passage for people to flee. Amid desperate scenes at the Kabul airport where US forces are racing against the clock to evacuate tens of thousands of people, Biden stood by his decision to end the 20-year US war in Afghanistan.
Aug 19, 2021 07:12 (IST)
Taliban Stop Exports, Imports With India, Says Top Exporters Body

The Taliban have stopped all imports and exports with India after entering Kabul and taking over the country on Sunday. Dr Ajay Sahai, Director General (DG) of Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), said that currently the Taliban has stopped the movement of cargo through the transit routes of Pakistan, thereby stopping imports from the country.
Aug 19, 2021 06:26 (IST)
Telangana man stranded in Kabul, family urges government to bring him home
Family of a 44-year-old man from Telangana's Mancherial district, who is stranded in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, has requested the Government of India to bring him home.

The man named Bommana Rajanna is awaiting a safe return to his homeland.

Rajanna, daughter of Bommana Rajanna, said his father went to Kabul on August 7 and was supposed to come back by August 18.

She, however, said that her father has informed the family that he is safe as of now.

"My father went there on August 7 and was suppose to come back by August 18. But as the flights got cancelled, my father got stuck there and is currently awaiting an evacuation plan from the Indian government. We request the Government of India to bring him back safely," she said.
Aug 19, 2021 06:00 (IST)
Biden Says US Troops Could Stay Longer In Kabul To Rescue "All Americans"
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that US troops won't leave any Americans behind in Afghanistan, even if it means staying in Taliban-controlled Kabul for longer than agreed.

In his first interview since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital, sparking a panicked exodus by foreigners and Afghan allies, Biden told ABC News that "chaos" had been unavoidable.

US leaders have said they are sticking to an August 31 deadline for removing the last troops and handing over the country to the victorious Taliban.

However, Biden said for the first time that US soldiers could stay longer if any Americans were still trying to flee. "If there are American citizens left, we're going to stay to get them all out," Biden said.
Aug 19, 2021 05:24 (IST)
US Sees "Unanimity" With Russia, China On Afghanistan
The United States said Wednesday it shared the same goals on Afghanistan as frequent adversaries China and Russia, which have quickly moved to work with the triumphant Taliban.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman pointed to a statement issued Monday by the UN Security Council, where China and Russia wield veto power, that called for an inclusive new government.

The statement "speaks to the fact that we are all in the same place, which is calling on the Taliban to ensure justice and equal rights and inclusion, for there to be no violence, for people to be able to leave when they can," Sherman told reporters.

"So I think right now there's very strong unanimity," said Sherman, who last month became the most high-ranking member of President Joe Biden's administration to travel to China.

Both Russia and China stepped up contacts with the Taliban after the United States decided to withdraw from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year military involvement and setting off the swift crumbling of the government in Kabul.
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