Less than six days before the American expiry of the definitive withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Joe Biden confirmed yesterday on the sidelines of the G7 that Washington is preparing to complete the evacuation by August 31st. “Every day more – he said – increases the risk for our armed forces”.
A deadline that leaves very few hours to save the Afghans who want to leave: the closure of operations for civilians must take place within 72 hours before departure, to then allow time to organize the military exit. Which means that those who are massed outside the Kabul airport – and there are thousands of people according to satellite photos released by Reuters – only have until tomorrow to enter. A confirmation in this sense also comes from London: the United Kingdom “will finish the evacuation operations within 24-46 hours”, they told the Guardian, sources from the Ministry of Defense after the G7.
Yesterday the Taliban confirmed the no to the extension of the deadline, urging Washington to stop taking away “the Afghan experts”, such as engineers and doctors.
Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman: “We ask the US to stop evacuating qualified Afghans”
“UN will stay in Afghanistan alongside the people”
The general secretary tweeted it, Antonio Guterres. “The United Nations has worked with and for the Afghan people for decades. We remain in that country and will continue to stay there and do all we can for the safety of our personnel and to serve the Afghan people who have suffered greatly.”
Guardian: “UK will complete operations in” 24-36 hours “
This was reported by sources from the British Ministry of Defense to the newspaper “The Guardian”, which come after yesterday at the G7 summit, chaired by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, rejected requests from the United Kingdom, France and Germany to continue the proceedings beyond August 31, the date on which the definite withdrawal of US troops is set. According to reports from the sources of the British newspaper, the US Armed Forces should still need two or three days to complete their operations at the Kabul airport.
Two surprise US deputies arrive in Kabul
They flew to Kabul without saying anything to anyone, to verify the situation on the ground, strongly irritating the US State Department and the military who are desperately trying to evacuate as many people as possible by the August 31st deadline. The Democrat Seth Moulton and the Republican Peter Meijer they arrived at the stopover in the Afghan capital on a charter flight and stayed there for a few hours before leaving. “As members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,” they said, responding to criticism.
Congress besieges Biden: “Withdrawal stains us with blood”
by our correspondent Federico Rampini
The drama of the airport from the satellite
Reuters satellite photos, taken on 23 August, show the crowd on the runway of the capital’s airport waiting to board, and the crowd outside the airport.
In Mexico the girls of the robotics team: in Australia the footballers
They arrived in Mexico after having managed to leave the country in recent days. Giving them the “warmest welcome” at Mexico City airport was the Undersecretary for Human Rights, Martha Delgado. Their arrival was made possible by “an extensive international effort and coordination of a group of volunteers” who helped the girls. Other members of the robotics team, an all-female team between the ages of 15 and 19 that became famous in 2017 after winning a special prize at an international robotics competition in the US, arrived in Qatar in recent days, while the team’s soccer players national team for which FIFA had appealed are in Australia.
The World Bank suspends aid to Kabul
Aid to Afghanistan suspended. The World Bank motivated the decision with a “deep concern” for the situation in the country. A few days ago, the International Monetary Fund also suspended aid. More than 20 development projects are underway by the Bank, which has already provided 5.3 billion dollars since 2002, mainly in grants.
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