[Epoch Times August 18, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian comprehensive report) The Afghan Taliban entered the capital Kabul at lightning speed. After regaining power, the world is facing a new geopolitical situation. The outside world is concerned about the movements of the new Taliban regime, the Afghan refugees flocking to various countries, whether terrorism is re-emerging, and the affected Sino-Russian relations, Taiwan Strait relations, and so on.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday in exile. The deposed Vice President Amrullah Saleh claimed to be the country’s new interim president on Tuesday (August 17).
In Kunar province in northeastern Afghanistan, where militants gather, and on the Internet, Islamic extremists are on the rise again, trying to make Afghanistan their hiding place again. On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Security Council to “do everything possible to stop the threat of global terrorism in Afghanistan.”
Below is a real-time update on the situation in Afghanistan
The British Prime Minister refuses to garrison or march into Afghanistan
At an emergency congressional meeting on the Afghanistan crisis on Wednesday, British Boris Johnson said when discussing the current crisis that Britain and its allies would no longer send troops to Afghanistan. That assumption was purely an “illusion.”
In the face of outside calls for Britain and the United States to take action against the Taliban, Johnson told members of Congress, “The idea that our allies will continue to station troops in Afghanistan or NATO will attack Afghanistan is an illusion.”
“I don’t believe… deploying tens of thousands of British troops to fight the Taliban is a (feasible) option,” he added.
The Pentagon: 4,500 US troops stationed at Kabul Airport
The Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that there are currently about 4,500 US troops at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
Kirby said that in the past 24 hours, 18 C-17 military aircraft and one C-130 military aircraft arrived, “adding about 700 soldiers and some equipment,” bringing the total number of US troops on the ground to about 4,500.
Kirby said that in the past 24 hours, 18 C-17 military aircraft had left Afghanistan with about 2,000 passengers, including 325 American citizens.
To avoid the immigration crisis, Turkey wants to follow Trump’s “wall building”
Turkish President Erdogan said that the country is strengthening measures to prevent the influx of refugees from Afghanistan and is cooperating with Pakistan to stabilize the region.
“Turkey is facing an increasing wave of Afghan migrants transiting through Iran,” President Erdogan said. “We will continue to work to restore stability in the region.” “For this, we must seek and strengthen cooperation with Pakistan. “
Erdogan said that Turkey is currently building a border wall on the Iranian border to block immigrants.
“With this wall, we will completely prevent (immigrants) from entering,” he said that the government has stepped up the construction of the wall because the opposition has called for stronger measures to prevent Afghan immigration.
How to judge the Taliban?Johnson: Listen to what he says but watch what he does
How to judge the new Taliban regime? Johnson said to judge by his actions, not his words.
He also said that the Taliban now allows foreigners to evacuate from Afghanistan. “The situation has stabilized since the weekend, but there are still uncertainties,” Johnson said.
The Afghan government collapsed “even faster than the Taliban predicted”, but Johnson denied that Britain was “unaware” and “unprepared” for militant groups to take over the country.
“The logistical operations for the evacuation of British nationals have been prepared for several months. I can tell the House of Representatives that we made the decision to open the airport emergency handling center two weeks ago.” Johnson said.
Former Afghan President Ghani is currently in the UAE
When the Taliban approached Kabul last Sunday, former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and is currently in the United Arab Emirates.
A statement sent to CNN by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE welcomes President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds.”
The United States, Britain, the European Union and other countries call for the protection of women and children in Afghanistan
The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and 18 other countries called on the Taliban authorities to provide protection for women and girls. There is growing concern that the Taliban will use the power they recently won to deprive countless civilians of their power.
The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, as well as Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, Honduras, Guatemala, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Senegal, and Switzerland in the joint statement Say:
“Afghan women and girls, like all Afghans, should live in a safe, secure and dignified environment. Any form of discrimination and abuse should be prevented. Our international community stands ready to provide them with humanitarian assistance and support to ensure You can hear their voices.”
The statement added: “We will pay close attention to how the future government will ensure (women’s) rights and freedoms, which have become an indispensable part of the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan in the past two decades.”
The UN Refugee Agency stated that the vast majority of people seeking to flee Afghanistan are women and children.
Canada: Does not recognize terrorist organizations as the legitimate government of Afghanistan
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau said on Tuesday (August 17) that the Canadian government “has no plan” to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party also issued the same statement.
According to a CTV report, Trudeau told reporters on the third day of the federal campaign on Tuesday that when the Taliban took over Afghanistan 20 years ago, Canada did not recognize the terrorist organization as a government.
“They took over Afghanistan by force and replaced the formally elected democratic government. According to Canadian law, they are a recognized terrorist organization. Our focus now is to get people out of Afghanistan. The Taliban need to ensure that people can enter the airport freely.” He said .
On the evening of Monday (August 16), two planes full of Canadian diplomats, soldiers and Afghan refugees fleeing Afghanistan arrived in Toronto, Canada.
Taliban leader in exile returns home
Taliban co-founder Baradar (Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar) has returned to Afghanistan from Qatar, and he is regarded as the number two figure in the Taliban.
Baradar was once the deputy to Mohammed Omar, the founder and spiritual leader of the Taliban. He was listed on the sanctions list of the 1988 Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council. He is known for his military command ability and cunning political ability.
He was captured by the United States and Pakistan in 2010 and went to Qatar after being released in 2018. Baradal also led a delegation to visit Tianjin, China in July this year to meet with the Chinese Communist Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
As the head of the Afghan Taliban Political Committee, Baradal led negotiations on the withdrawal of US troops and the Afghan government.
At the same time, on Tuesday (August 17) the Taliban held their first press conference after seizing power in Kabul. Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the media that the organization is working to form a government and “will Announced after completion”.
Taiwan is another Afghanistan?Tsai Ing-wen: Defend yourself more firmly
After the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, the Chinese Communist Party media hyped up that Taiwan might also be abandoned by the United States. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen responded to the DPP’s regular meeting for the first time on the 18th, saying, “Taiwan’s only option is to make itself stronger, more united, and more determined to defend itself.”
“We must make our existence meaningful, that is to say, we are indispensable for the persistence of the values of democracy and freedom, and for the collective security and prosperity of the international community.” Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who is also chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party, pointed out Tsai Ing-wen responded for the first time at the DPP Central Standing Committee meeting on the 18th on the impact of recent changes in the situation in Afghanistan on Taiwan.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized on the 17th that the United States has shed blood and tears for Afghanistan for 20 years, but the situation in Afghanistan and Taiwan is different, and the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is as strong as ever.
In answering reporters’ questions at a regular press conference, Jake Sullivan said that the United States believes that its commitment to allies and partners is sacrosanct, and has always been so, “We also believe that our commitment to Taiwan and Israel remains the same. Solid”. He also emphasized that the situation in Afghanistan and Taiwan are different.
Facebook blocks Taliban WhatsApp account: use by terrorist organizations is forbidden
After the Islamic militant group Taliban took over Afghanistan, it sought to use the instant messaging service WhatsApp to assist in ruling the country. Facebook said it had blocked Taliban-related WhatsApp accounts.
A Facebook spokesperson told AFP: “According to U.S. law, the Taliban is a sanctioned terrorist organization. We have banned them from using services in accordance with our policy on dangerous organizations.”
Facebook said: “This includes banning official Taliban accounts that appear to represent them. In view of the changing situation in Afghanistan, we are seeking more information from relevant US authorities.”
“This means that we remove the accounts established by or on behalf of the Taliban, and prohibit praise, support and representation for them.”
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland: About 50 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan
“About 50 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan. They are now safe under the care of the Polish Consulate in Uzbekistan.” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz told the media, “A civilian plane is waiting for them and they will soon be transported. To Poland.”
Przydacz said that the evacuated included a Polish citizen, while the others were locals who had worked in Polish military and diplomatic missions. He said Lan is sending more planes to help evacuate people.
Reuters reported that there were about 100 people on Poland’s evacuation list.
Dutch Defense Minister: Successfully evacuated 35 Dutch citizens on Wednesday
Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld said that in the chaos outside Kabul Airport, the Netherlands successfully evacuated 35 citizens from Afghanistan on Wednesday.
After the Taliban rebels occupied Kabul, the Dutch goal was to evacuate 1,000 local embassy staff, translators and their families from Afghanistan.
But the establishment work failed on Tuesday night because the airport was very chaotic, and an empty military aircraft operated by the Netherlands and other countries returned to the Netherlands.
Bijleveld said that the 35 Dutch, along with 16 Belgians, two Germans and two British citizens, flew to Tbilisi, Georgia, on a Boeing C-17 aircraft jointly operated by NATO countries.
On Wednesday, a Western security official said that more than 2,200 diplomats and civilians had been evacuated from Afghanistan on military flights.
Violence broke out in Jalalabad, Taliban opened fire on protesters
Three witnesses told CNN that after the people of Jalalabad took off the Taliban flag from the main square and replaced it with the Afghan flag, the Taliban clashed with the protesters.
According to witnesses, the Taliban fired at the crowd and beat some protesters. Some media reported that at least 2 people were killed in the fire, and 8 people were slightly and seriously injured.
From the video posted on social media, it can be seen that the crowd climbed up the monument with the flag, and the protesters waved the Afghan flag on the streets of Jalalabad, and the Taliban shot as they tried to disperse the crowd.
“I want to support the Afghan flag and stop the Taliban from desecrating it,” a protester said. “Then they started shooting and the Taliban surrounded me, threatened and beat me.”
Editor in charge: Lin Yan#
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