As the Taliban consolidates its position after taking over in Afghanistan, a major effort continues at the Kabul airport to get thousands of evacuees to safety before an end of the month deadline.
On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden again defended his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Speaking at the White House, he said all efforts are being made to get Americans and their Afghan allies out safely. He described it as “one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history.”
To discuss:
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- Ahmad Shah Mohibi is the Founder and President of Rise to Peace.
- Omar Samad served as the Afghan Ambassador to France and Canada and is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Southeast Asia Center at the Atlantic Council.
- Ahmad Shah Mohibi is the Founder and President of Rise to Peace.
- Phyllis Bennis is a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies
For More:
China hopes that the Afghan Taliban will follow through its positive statements, unite with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and establish a broadly-based, inclusive political framework that fits the national conditions: China FM https://t.co/NsP6xPoyZN pic.twitter.com/UACHgjH3a7
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 19, 2021
As Kabul fell, hundreds of Russian armored vehicles were clearly visible at the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
The effort signaled it will now be Russia, not the U.S., that will protect Central Asia from potential violence next door. https://t.co/ZvYTMQXTgv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 19, 2021