Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, His Family in UAE; Unrest in Jalalabad
Catch all the live updates of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan here.
Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the US embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
(Photo: PTI)
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and his family are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), its Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation said on Wednesday, 18 August.
"The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds," it said in a statement.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Sunday, as Ghani fled the country and conceded that the insurgents had won the 20-year war.
Earlier on Wednesday, Taliban commander and senior leader of the Haqqani Network terrorist group, Anas Haqqani met ex-President Hamid Karzai for talks, as the group tries to form a government in Afghanistan.
At least three people have died and a dozen others injured as a protest took place in support of the national flag in Jalalabad city on Wednesday, reports said
On Wednesday, photos circulating on social media showed the Taliban having purportedly blown up the statue of a Shiite militia leader
The Taliban on Tuesday said it does not have enmity towards anyone and based on their leader's orders, they have pardoned everyone, TOLONews reported
On Monday night, US President Joe Biden addressed the nation on the Afghanistan crisis, and said that he 'stands squarely by his decision' to pull US troops from the war-torn country
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Committed to Providing Women Their Rights Based on Islam: Taliban
Amid concerns about how life would be for women under Taliban rule, its spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday that they are committed to providing women their rights based on Islam, TOLONews reported.
Claiming that there will be no discrimination against women, he said women can work in the health sector and other sectors where they are needed.
The claim comes amid reports of women employees being forced to stay at home in the country.
Facebook Says Will Block WhatsApp Accounts Linked to Taliban
Facebook has said that it is blocking WhatsApp accounts linked to the Taliban after the Islamic group seized control of Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it govern, reports AFP.
US Military Evacuated Over 3,200 People From Afghanistan So Far: White House Official
The US military has evacuated more than 3,200 people from Afghanistan so far, including 1,100 on Tuesday alone, a White House official said on Wednesday, 18 August.
"Now that we have established the flow, we expect those numbers to escalate," the official added, according to AFP.
Afghanistan Women Come Out in Protest Against Taliban
Taliban Destroy Statue of Shiite Foe From 1990s Civil War
The Taliban have blown up the statue of a Shiite militia leader who had fought against them during Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1990s, reported AP, referring to photos circulating on social media.
The statue depicted Abdul Ali Mazari, a militia leader killed by the Taliban in 1996, when the Islamic militants seized power from rival warlords. Mazari was a champion of Afghanistan’s ethnic Hazara minority, Shiites who were persecuted under the Sunni Taliban’s earlier rule.
The statue stood in the central Bamyan province, where the Taliban infamously blew up two massive 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a mountain in 2001, shortly before the US-led invasion that drove them from power. The Taliban claimed the Buddhas violated Islam’s prohibition on idolatry.
This Taliban May be a Different Taliban: British Army Chief
The world should give the Taliban the space to form a new government in Afghanistan and may discover that the insurgents cast as terrorists by the West for decades have become more reasonable, the head of the British army said on Wednesday.
Nick Carter, Britain's chief of the defence staff, said, "We have to be patient, we have to hold our nerve and we have to give them the space to form a government and we have to give them the space to show their credentials,"
"It may be that this Taliban is a different Taliban to the one that people remember from the 1990s," Carter told the BBC.
Hamid Karzai Meets Taliban Faction Chief Anas Haqqani
A Taliban commander and senior leader of the Haqqani Network terrorist group, Anas Haqqani, has met former Afghan President Hamid Karzai for talks, a Taliban official said on Wednesday, amid efforts by the group to set up a government, according to Reuters.
Karzai was accompanied by the old government's main peace envoy, Abdullah Abdullah, in the meeting, said the Taliban official, who declined to be identified.
'Judge Taliban On Actions, Not Words': British PM Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that the Taliban should be judged on their actions, warning countries against "prematurely or bilaterally" recognising the Islamist hardliners.
"We will judge this regime based on the choices it makes and by its actions rather than by its words, on its attitudes to terrorism, to crime and narcotics, as well as humanitarian access and the rights of girls to receive an education," he told parliament, according to Reuters.
Taliban Opens Fire on Protesters in Jalalabad: Report
At least two people have died and a dozen others injured as a protest took place in Jalalabad city on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
The protest took place in support of the national flag, news agency Pajhwok Afghan News reported, with the Taliban later firing on protesters and also beating up journalists.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, His Family Accepted in UAE on 'Humanitarian Grounds'
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and his family are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), its Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation said on Wednesday.
"The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds," it said in a statement.
More than 200 from Bengal Stranded in Afghanistan, Coordinating With Centre for Their Return: CM Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that more than 200 people from the state are stranded in Afghanistan, and the chief secretary is writing a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs for arranging for their safe return.
Focus on Security and Safe Return of Indians in Afghanistan: EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that India is carefully following the developments in Afghanistan like everyone else, and its focus is on ensuring security and safe return of Indian nationals still living in the country, reported PTI.