Russian Presideny Vladimir Putin on Sunday rejected the idea of sending Afghan refugees and evacuees to central Asian nations. He indicated that such a move would be a threat to Moscow and he did not want "militants showing up here under cover of refugees",&nbsp; Russian news agencies reported.

Central Asian nations were formerly part of Soviet Russia and the area is still considered to be a Russian backyard.

Putin criticised the idea floated by some Western countries to relocate refugees from Afghanistan to neighbouring Central Asian countries while their visas to the United States and Europe are being processed.

"Does that mean that they can be sent without visas to those countries, to our neighbours, while they themselves (the West) don't want to take them without visas?" TASS news agency quoted Putin as telling leaders of the ruling United Russia party.&nbsp;"Why is there such a humiliating approach to solving the problem?"&nbsp;

The United States reportedly held secret talks with a number of countries in a desperate attempt to secure deals to temporarily house at-risk Afghans who worked for the US government, Reuters reported last week.

Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is due to discuss Afghanistan on Monday (August 23). CSTO is a military alliance of ex-Soviet republics led by Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian Presideny Vladimir Putin on Sunday rejected the idea of sending Afghan refugees and evacuees to central Asian nations. He indicated that such a move would be a threat to Moscow and he did not want "militants showing up here under cover of refugees", Russian news agencies reported.

Russian Presideny Vladimir Putin on Sunday rejected the idea of sending Afghan refugees and evacuees to central Asian nations. He indicated that such a move would be a threat to Moscow and he did not want "militants showing up here under cover of refugees", Russian news agencies reported. Central Asian nations were formerly part of Soviet Russia and the area is still considered to be a Russian backyard. Putin criticised the idea floated by some Western countries to relocate refugees from Afghanistan to neighbouring Central Asian countries while their visas to the United States and Europe are being processed. "Does that mean that they can be sent without visas to those countries, to our neighbours, while they themselves (the West) don't want to take them without visas?" TASS news agency quoted Putin as telling leaders of the ruling United Russia party. "Why is there such a humiliating approach to solving the problem?" The United States reportedly held secret talks with a number of countries in a desperate attempt to secure deals to temporarily house at-risk Afghans who worked for the US government, Reuters reported last week. Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is due to discuss Afghanistan on Monday (August 23). CSTO is a military alliance of ex-Soviet republics led by Russia. (With inputs from agencies)

Putin against sending Afghan refugees to central Asian countries

Austria's conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz opposes taking in any more people fleeing<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-of-afghans-still-wait-at-kabul-airport-us-allies-issue-advisory-407518"> Afghanistan</a> now that the Taliban have seized power, he said in remarks published on Sunday.

Austria took in more than one per cent of its population in asylum seekers during Europe's migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, and Kurz has built his career on taking a hard line on immigration, winning every parliamentary election since 2017.

While the European Union grapples with what to do with Afghans who assisted it over the past 20 years, Kurz said coming to Austria was not an option.

Watch:

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"I am clearly opposed to us now voluntarily taking in more people and that will not happen during my chancellorship," Kurz said in an interview with TV channel Puls 24. Excerpts of the interview were released before it was broadcast later on Sunday.

Austria has more than 40,000 Afghan refugees, the second-biggest number in Europe after Germany, which has 148,000, according to data from the UN&nbsp;refugee agency UNHCR for 2020.&nbsp;

The European Union has not recognised the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/not-one-mask-elon-musks-tweet-on-taliban-goes-viral-407571"> Taliban</a>, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, nor is it holding political talks with the militants, a week after they seized control of Afghanistan.

The Taliban completed a lightning takeover of Afghanistan on Sunday, walking into the capital Kabul without firing a shot.

The head of the EU executive spoke after visiting a reception centre in Madrid for Afghan employees of EU institutions evacuated from Kabul.

Von der Leyen said she would propose an increase of $67 million&nbsp;in humanitarian aid which the Commission had allocated this year for Afghanistan.

She said EU development aid is tied to respect of human rights, good treatment of minorities and respect for the rights of women and girls.

"We may well hear the Taliban's words but we will measure them above all by their deeds and actions," von der Leyen told a news conference.

She said the Commission was ready to provide funding to EU countries which help resettle refugees, and she planned to raise the resettlement issue at a G7 meeting next week.

After a peak in 2015 when more than one million migrants came to the EU, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, the EU has cut the number of arrivals thanks to a deal with Turkey which receives EU funds to host asylum seekers in its territory.

Austria's conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz opposes taking in any more people fleeing Afghanistan now that the Taliban have seized power, he said in remarks published on Sunday.

Austria's conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz opposes taking in any more people fleeing Afghanistan now that the Taliban have seized power, he said in remarks published on Sunday. Austria took in more than one per cent of its population in asylum seekers during Europe's migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, and Kurz has built his career on taking a hard line on immigration, winning every parliamentary election since 2017. While the European Union grapples with what to do with Afghans who assisted it over the past 20 years, Kurz said coming to Austria was not an option. Watch: "I am clearly opposed to us now voluntarily taking in more people and that will not happen during my chancellorship," Kurz said in an interview with TV channel Puls 24. Excerpts of the interview were released before it was broadcast later on Sunday. Austria has more than 40,000 Afghan refugees, the second-biggest number in Europe after Germany, which has 148,000, according to data from the UN refugee agency UNHCR for 2020. The European Union has not recognised the Taliban, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, nor is it holding political talks with the militants, a week after they seized control of Afghanistan. The Taliban completed a lightning takeover of Afghanistan on Sunday, walking into the capital Kabul without firing a shot. The head of the EU executive spoke after visiting a reception centre in Madrid for Afghan employees of EU institutions evacuated from Kabul. Von der Leyen said she would propose an increase of $67 million in humanitarian aid which the Commission had allocated this year for Afghanistan. She said EU development aid is tied to respect of human rights, good treatment of minorities and respect for the rights of women and girls. "We may well hear the Taliban's words but we will measure them above all by their deeds and actions," von der Leyen told a news conference. She said the Commission was ready to provide funding to EU countries which help resettle refugees, and she planned to raise the resettlement issue at a G7 meeting next week. After a peak in 2015 when more than one million migrants came to the EU, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, the EU has cut the number of arrivals thanks to a deal with Turkey which receives EU funds to host asylum seekers in its territory.

Austria opposes taking in more Afghans; EU says no recognition for Taliban

The American experiment on Afghanistan has come to an end. Washington has failed to control the Talibanmonster it created. On, Gravitas Plus Wion's Palki Sharma tells you why this failure should weigh heavily on American conscience.

Gravitas Plus: Who created the Taliban?

Through various destinations and flights, numerous Indians have returned to home country&nbsp;on Sunday morning after being evacuated from Afghanistan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Sunday, India evacuated around 168 people including 107 Indians from Kabul in a IAF aircraft.&nbsp;In a tweet earlier, Arindam Bagchi,&nbsp;spokesperson, India's Ministry of External Affairs, said,&nbsp;“Evacuation continues!&nbsp;IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul.”&nbsp;India also&nbsp;brought back an infant 'Baby Divi' in the flight from Kabul.

As per&nbsp;people familiar with the development,&nbsp;an Air India flight carrying 87 Indians&nbsp;arrived in New Delhi on Sunday morning. It had&nbsp;departed from Tajikistan.&nbsp;"Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan! AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated. Assisted and supported by our Embassy in Dushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow,"&nbsp;Bagchi had shared. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Meanwhile,&nbsp;the first batch of 135 Indians, who were evacuated from Kabul to Doha&nbsp;in last&nbsp;few days,&nbsp;have&nbsp;also returned to India.&nbsp;The Indian Embassy in Qatar&nbsp;on Sunday had&nbsp;tweeted,&nbsp;"1st batch of 135 Indians, who were evacuated from Kabul to Doha over past days, being repatriated tonight to India. Embassy officials provided consular and logistics assistance to ensure their safe return. We thank Qatar authorities and all concerned for making this possible."

Indians evacuated to Doha from Kabul seem to be employees of a number of foreign companies, who were operating in Afghanistan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Indian Air Force&nbsp;and Air India&nbsp;have&nbsp;been strenuously evacuating Indian nationals along with others from the war-ravaged&nbsp;Afghanistan since Taliban took over the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The regime change has forced several Afghans and nationals of other countries to flee the country, fearing Taliban’s oppressive rule. It has&nbsp;triggered a significant&nbsp;humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;

(With&nbsp;inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Through various destinations and flights, numerous Indians have returned to home country on Sunday morning after being evacuated from Afghanistan. On Sunday, India evacuated around 168 people including 107 Indians from Kabul in a IAF aircraft.

Through various destinations and flights, numerous Indians have returned to home country on Sunday morning after being evacuated from Afghanistan. On Sunday, India evacuated around 168 people including 107 Indians from Kabul in a IAF aircraft. In a tweet earlier, Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, India's Ministry of External Affairs, said, “Evacuation continues! IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul.” India also brought back an infant 'Baby Divi' in the flight from Kabul. As per people familiar with the development, an Air India flight carrying 87 Indians arrived in New Delhi on Sunday morning. It had departed from Tajikistan. "Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan! AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated. Assisted and supported by our Embassy in Dushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow," Bagchi had shared. Meanwhile, the first batch of 135 Indians, who were evacuated from Kabul to Doha in last few days, have also returned to India. The Indian Embassy in Qatar on Sunday had tweeted, "1st batch of 135 Indians, who were evacuated from Kabul to Doha over past days, being repatriated tonight to India. Embassy officials provided consular and logistics assistance to ensure their safe return. We thank Qatar authorities and all concerned for making this possible." Indians evacuated to Doha from Kabul seem to be employees of a number of foreign companies, who were operating in Afghanistan. Indian Air Force and Air India have been strenuously evacuating Indian nationals along with others from the war-ravaged Afghanistan since Taliban took over the country. The regime change has forced several Afghans and nationals of other countries to flee the country, fearing Taliban’s oppressive rule. It has triggered a significant humanitarian crisis. (With inputs from agencies)

Kabul evacuations: Several Indians return to home country from many destinations

As the Taliban swept into power across Afghanistan, Afghan women losing gains made in the last 20 years. Watch this report to know more.

Afghan women losing gains made in the last 20 years

In the two decades since the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan living conditions have improved markedly but after the Taliban swept into power across Afghanistan, country's economy stares at a bleak future.

Afghanistan: WION ground report from the streets of Kabul

On Saturday, an Afghan woman gave birth on board a U.S. evacuation plane moments after landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the U.S. Air Force said.

Afghan refugee gives birth on U.S. evacuation plane at Ramstein Air Base

After taking control of Kabul and several other cities of Afghanistan, the Taliban are now headed towards the Panjshir Valley, which is one of the few parts of the country that is still not under Taliban’s rule.<o:p></o:p>

The group claimed that hundreds of Taliban insurgents are making their way to the northeastern part of the country. Taliban claim they have had to gather their army and march towards the valley only because the state has refused to give up power peacefully.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-to-soon-form-new-government-in-afghanistan-407661" hreflang="en">Taliban to soon form new government in Afghanistan</a>

<o:p></o:p>

"Hundreds of Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are heading towards the state of Panjshir to control it, after local state officials refused to hand it over peacefully," the group wrote on its Arabic Twitter account.<o:p></o:p>

This news has come as it was revealed that hundreds of locals have been making their way to the Panjshir Valley to either save their lives or join the fight against the Taliban. "We are seeing Panjshir become a safe zone for all those groups who feel threatened in other provinces," said Ali Maisam Nazary, Head of Foreign Relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

<o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/taliban-us-failed-to-bring-order-to-the-airport-407642">WATCH |</a></o:p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/taliban-us-failed-to-bring-order-to-the-airport-407642/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Meanwhile, Ahmad Massoud, the son of legendary mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated by Al-Qaeda two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks, has started assembling and training a resistance of nearly 9,000 people. This force is being trained to counter the Taliban militants.<o:p></o:p>

"Government forces came to Panjshir from several Afghan provinces," Massoud told Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya broadcaster Sunday.&nbsp;"The Taliban will not last long if it continues on this path. We are ready to defend Afghanistan and we warn of a bloodshed."<o:p></o:p>

After taking control of Kabul and several other cities of Afghanistan, the Taliban are now headed towards the Panjshir Valley, which is one of the few parts of the country that is still not under Taliban’s rule.

After taking control of Kabul and several other cities of Afghanistan, the Taliban are now headed towards the Panjshir Valley, which is one of the few parts of the country that is still not under Taliban’s rule. The group claimed that hundreds of Taliban insurgents are making their way to the northeastern part of the country. Taliban claim they have had to gather their army and march towards the valley only because the state has refused to give up power peacefully. Also read | Taliban to soon form new government in Afghanistan "Hundreds of Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are heading towards the state of Panjshir to control it, after local state officials refused to hand it over peacefully," the group wrote on its Arabic Twitter account. This news has come as it was revealed that hundreds of locals have been making their way to the Panjshir Valley to either save their lives or join the fight against the Taliban. "We are seeing Panjshir become a safe zone for all those groups who feel threatened in other provinces," said Ali Maisam Nazary, Head of Foreign Relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. WATCH | Meanwhile, Ahmad Massoud, the son of legendary mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated by Al-Qaeda two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks, has started assembling and training a resistance of nearly 9,000 people. This force is being trained to counter the Taliban militants. "Government forces came to Panjshir from several Afghan provinces," Massoud told Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya broadcaster Sunday. "The Taliban will not last long if it continues on this path. We are ready to defend Afghanistan and we warn of a bloodshed."

'Hundreds' of Taliban fighters head towards Panjshir Valley

In a bid to bring hundreds of Indians trapped in Taliban-held Afghanistan back home, an evacuation flight from Kabul landed in Delhi this morning. It was the first passenger flight by Air India carrying over 85 Indians. The Air India flight had departed from Tajikistan, assisted and supported by the Indian embassy in Dushanbe. Other flights are also on their way to India bringing Indian nationals.

Kabul: India evacuates 20 Afghan Sikhs, 2 Sikh MPs

Spirit of sport: Afghanistan's cricket team attends training session in Kabul - see pics

The Taliban has blamed the US for the evacuation chaos unfolding in Kabul. Now Kabul airport has been witnessing a mad dash of thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals fleeing the country ever since the Taliban seized power a week ago, despite repeated assurances from the Taliban.

Taliban: US failed to bring order to the airport

In spite of sitting on mineral resources reportedly worth a trillion dollars, Afghanistan, which was tremendously dependent on foreign aid, will face financial challenges as prospects under Taliban rule look uncertain.

In spite of sitting on mineral resources reportedly worth a trillion dollars, Afghanistan, which was tremendously dependent on foreign aid, will face financial challenges as prospects under Taliban rule look uncertain. After Taliban's swift and shocking takeover of the Afghanistan government, how they are seen by the rest of the world will largely impact the country's future financial assistance receipts. Amid the political chaos, some major donors have already halted their support for the country. European Union said not a single euro from the allotted billion-euro development aid will go to a country that violates rights of women and girls. Canada has "no plans" to recognise the Taliban and Germany suspended its development aid. ALSO READ | Black Hawk choppers to armoured Humvees: Billions in US weaponry seized by Taliban However, some important countries like Russia, China and Turkey have welcomed the Taliban's public statements as the insurgents have promised to improve Afghanistan's economy. The conundrum leads to some unavoidable questions : What tools do they have and do they have the needed skill set to run a country? How will an insurgent group, with men wielding guns roaming the streets, promise a stable society? Will they be trusted by foreign investors? Here's an in-depth examination of what we know about the Afghan economy and future economic prospects, a country that has a population of just under 40 million and is categorised as one of the poorest nations in the world. ALSO READ | Armed, but holy! Afghanistan observes first Friday prayers under Taliban rule Afghanistan's GDP After Taliban were driven from power in 2001, Afghanistan's economy was gradually progressing. A Bloomberg report stated that country's gross domestic product, estimated at $22 billion, has grown nearly threefold since 2001. After Taliban's exit, the economy was managed by experts, technocrats, some of them Western-educated or trained. But the question is, will they stay on in the country now? And how will a skill-deprived Taliban rulers run the economy? In 2020, aid flows represented 42.9 per cent of Afghanistan's $19.8 billion GDP, according to World Bank data. Trillion-dollar worth of minerals A report published in 2010 revealed that Afghanistan is sitting on mineral deposits worth nearly $1 trillion. The data by US military officials and geologists determined that vast supplies of iron, copper, gold and rare earth minerals are scattered over the country. The value of the mineral deposits will be more now as compared to what it was estimated in 2010. The reports also stated that Afghanistan could be home to one of the world's biggest deposits of lithium. It is an essential but scarce component required in rechargeable batteries and other technologies vital to tackling the climate crisis, like solar panels and wind farms. Copper, which is needed to make power cables, became a hot commodity this year as prices soared to more than $10,000 per tonne. World demand for lithium is expected to grow by over 40 times by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency. In 2010, the US Geological Survey's Jack Medlin said during a Pentagon briefing that "It's not a quick win" , as converting the potential of mineral wealth into actual revenue take years and huge investments. In an attempt to extract the minerals, the Taliban will face security challenges and a lack of infrastructure but such valuable minerals might lure foreign players despite the chaos. Afghanistan's possible wealth has the potential to enable a better future but other countries might try to exploit it, even as internal corruption poses a bigger threat. Opium and taxes According to a May 2020 report from a UN Security Council sanctions committee, the Taliban gets much of its revenue from criminal activities such as the cultivation of poppies used to make heroin and opium, as well as from drug trafficking. Extortion of businesses, as well as ransom from kidnapping, also provide income, according to the report which estimated the group's revenues at $300 million to $1.5 billion a year. It is imperative to note that the international community spent billions of dollars over the years to help Afghanistan eradicate poppy cultivation, but the country still produces more than 80 per cent of the world's opium. The industry employs hundreds of thousands of people in a country with high unemployment after 40 years of conflict. However, the Taliban have promised that they will end the narcotics industry in Afghanistan. But is it really possible? Watch: Who created the Taliban? × International relations Since the Taliban took over the Afghanistan capital, it appears that they want to be recognised by the international community as being a legitimate government. In a recent interview with ABC News, US President Joe Biden said that the Taliban are going through sort of an "existential crisis". Despite their promises of running the country smoothly, the "positively different" insurgents-turned-rulers have received a mixed response. Some countries have reacted on the basis of how the Taliban's reputation precedes them but some foreign donors trust the group. As mentioned before, Russia, China and Turkey have all welcomed the insurgents' first public statements. However, United States is wary. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country has "no plans" to recognise the Taliban. Germany announced the suspension of its development aid as it was going to provide $503.1 million in aid this year, including $292.5 million for development. China, however, can play a massive role here as some of the political experts have indicated China's substantial interest in the Afgan economy at the moment. However, it is not clear if it will fill the void should relations with western nations remain cold, especially with the United States. According to the World Bank's most recent estimates from May, remittance flows to Afghanistan from overseas were estimated at $789 million in 2020. Cash on hand How much cash on hand does the country have? Amid uncertainties, international organisations are not willing to trust the Taliban as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced it would freeze aid to the country. Apart from IMF, The Biden administration has frozen the Afghan central bank’s assets and halted shipments of cash to the country. Central bank governor Ajmal Ahmady said on Twitter the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) had around $9 billion in reserves, but most of that is held overseas, out of reach of the Taliban. "As per international standards, most assets are held in safe, liquid assets such as treasuries and gold," said Ahmady. The US Federal Reserve holds $7 billion of the country's reserves, including $1.2 billion in gold, while the rest is held in foreign accounts including at the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements, Ahmady added. Also note that the Western Union also said that it was temporarily cutting off wire transfers to the country — another vital source of cash for the people. The World Bank has more than two dozen development projects ongoing in the country and has provided $5.3 billion since 2002, mostly in grants. The status of those programmes is unclear as the development lender works to pull staff out of the country. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic The Coronavirus has also impacted the reeling Afghan economy, and the Taliban has acknowledged that it cannot improve the situation without foreign help. (inputs and quotes from agencies)

Minerals worth trillion dollars: So really how big is Afghanistan's economy under Taliban control?

Amidst Afghanistan crisis, UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called an urgent meeting of the G7 representatives to discuss the threat that the Taliban takeover poses for Afghanistan and the rest of the world.<o:p></o:p>

"I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan," Johnson tweeted. "It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years."

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I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1429423519612481536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The UK currently chairs the G7 group which includes&nbsp;Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United State

His statement has come a little after the locals in the UK took to the streets to protest the Taliban’s establishment of new regime in Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Thousands gathered in London’s Hyde Park and marched down to Whitehall, past Downing Street around lunchtime.

<o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ground-report-afghanistans-day-6-under-taliban-407592">WATCH |</a></o:p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ground-report-afghanistans-day-6-under-taliban-407592/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

These demonstrators carried and placards and chanted slogans to express their anger towards the Taliban as many believe that "Talib has not changed".<o:p></o:p>

They demanded the Taliban to “stop killing Afghans" and "stop the oppression of Afghan women" as they waved the black, red and green national flag of Afghanistan.

<o:p>Johnson's statement has come a little after the&nbsp;UK's defence ministry said that at least seven people were killed in the chaos near Kabul airport.</o:p>

Amidst Afghanistan crisis, UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called an urgent meeting of the G7 representatives to discuss the threat that the Taliban takeover poses for Afghanistan and the rest of the world.

Amidst Afghanistan crisis, UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called an urgent meeting of the G7 representatives to discuss the threat that the Taliban takeover poses for Afghanistan and the rest of the world. "I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan," Johnson tweeted. "It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years." I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 22, 2021 × The UK currently chairs the G7 group which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United State His statement has come a little after the locals in the UK took to the streets to protest the Taliban’s establishment of new regime in Afghanistan. Thousands gathered in London’s Hyde Park and marched down to Whitehall, past Downing Street around lunchtime. WATCH | These demonstrators carried and placards and chanted slogans to express their anger towards the Taliban as many believe that "Talib has not changed". They demanded the Taliban to “stop killing Afghans" and "stop the oppression of Afghan women" as they waved the black, red and green national flag of Afghanistan. Johnson's statement has come a little after the UK's defence ministry said that at least seven people were killed in the chaos near Kabul airport.

UK PM Boris Johnson convenes G7 to discuss Afghanistan crisis

A senior Taliban representative on Sunday blamed the United States for the chaotic situation at Kabul airport even as thousands of foreigners and Afghan nationals continued to throng the area in the hope of getting on board the evacuation flights.

“America, with all its power and facilities... has failed to bring order to the airport. There is peace and calm all over the country, but there is chaos only at Kabul airport," AFP quoted Taliban leader Amir Khan Mutaqi as saying.

Muttaqi was a higher education minister when the Taliban&nbsp;last ruled the country. He has been in touch with the Kabul leadership and former president Hamid Karzai after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

For the past one week, Kabul airport has been witnessing desperate scenes with a large number of Afghan civilians and foreigners swamping the area in a desperate attempt to flee the country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taliban-takeover-of-afghanistan-a-us-backed-conspiracy-islamic-state-407284">Also read |&nbsp;Taliban takeover of Afghanistan a 'US-backed conspiracy': Islamic State</a>

While the US has been scrambling to expedite the evacuation process, the European Union admitted it was "impossible" to evacuate everyone at risk from the Taliban.

On Sunday, Britain's defence ministry said seven people had died in the crowds.

A journalist, who was among a group of fleeing media workers and academics fortunate enough to reach the airport, described desperate scenes of people surrounding their bus on the way in.

“They were showing us their passports and shouting ‘take us with you... please take us with you’,” AFP quoted the journalist as saying.

“The Taliban fighter in the truck ahead of us had to shoot in the air to make them go away,” the journalist said.

Britain’s Sky News on Saturday aired footage of at least three bodies covered in white tarpaulin outside the airport. It was not clear how they had died.

A senior Taliban representative on Sunday blamed the United States for the chaotic situation at Kabul airport even as thousands of foreigners and Afghan nationals continued to throng the area in the hope of getting on board the evacuation flights.

A senior Taliban representative on Sunday blamed the United States for the chaotic situation at Kabul airport even as thousands of foreigners and Afghan nationals continued to throng the area in the hope of getting on board the evacuation flights. “America, with all its power and facilities... has failed to bring order to the airport. There is peace and calm all over the country, but there is chaos only at Kabul airport," AFP quoted Taliban leader Amir Khan Mutaqi as saying. Muttaqi was a higher education minister when the Taliban last ruled the country. He has been in touch with the Kabul leadership and former president Hamid Karzai after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. For the past one week, Kabul airport has been witnessing desperate scenes with a large number of Afghan civilians and foreigners swamping the area in a desperate attempt to flee the country. Also read | Taliban takeover of Afghanistan a 'US-backed conspiracy': Islamic State While the US has been scrambling to expedite the evacuation process, the European Union admitted it was "impossible" to evacuate everyone at risk from the Taliban. On Sunday, Britain's defence ministry said seven people had died in the crowds. A journalist, who was among a group of fleeing media workers and academics fortunate enough to reach the airport, described desperate scenes of people surrounding their bus on the way in. “They were showing us their passports and shouting ‘take us with you... please take us with you’,” AFP quoted the journalist as saying. “The Taliban fighter in the truck ahead of us had to shoot in the air to make them go away,” the journalist said. Britain’s Sky News on Saturday aired footage of at least three bodies covered in white tarpaulin outside the airport. It was not clear how they had died.

Taliban blames US for ‘chaos’ at Kabul airport, says peace in rest of Afghanistan

If the reports are to be believed, the Afghan Taliban have extended amnesty to deposed Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani and vice president Amrullah Saleh, allowing them to return to country if they want. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Senior Taliban leader Khalil ur Rahman Haqqani, in an interview with Geo News, said, "There is no enmity" between the group and Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and former national security advisor, Hamdullah Mohib.” &nbsp;

Haqqani said, "We forgive Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and Hamdullah Mohib," adding that enmity between the Taliban and the three was only on the basis of religion. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The leader said, "We forgive everyone from our end; from the general (who fought in the war against us) to the common man." &nbsp;&nbsp;

He also urged people not to flee the country, adding that the "enemy" was spreading propaganda that the Taliban will exact revenge on them. &nbsp;&nbsp;

"Tajiks, Balochs, Hazaras and Pashtuns are all our brothers. All Afghans are our brothers and hence, they can return to the country. The sole reason for our enmity was driven by the ambition to change the system. And the system has now changed," he added. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Haqqani said the Taliban were not the ones, who went to war against the US.&nbsp;

If the reports are to be believed, the Afghan Taliban have extended amnesty to deposed Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani and vice president Amrullah Saleh, allowing them to return to country if they want.

If the reports are to be believed, the Afghan Taliban have extended amnesty to deposed Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani and vice president Amrullah Saleh, allowing them to return to country if they want. Senior Taliban leader Khalil ur Rahman Haqqani, in an interview with Geo News, said, "There is no enmity" between the group and Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and former national security advisor, Hamdullah Mohib.” Haqqani said, "We forgive Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and Hamdullah Mohib," adding that enmity between the Taliban and the three was only on the basis of religion. The leader said, "We forgive everyone from our end; from the general (who fought in the war against us) to the common man." He also urged people not to flee the country, adding that the "enemy" was spreading propaganda that the Taliban will exact revenge on them. "Tajiks, Balochs, Hazaras and Pashtuns are all our brothers. All Afghans are our brothers and hence, they can return to the country. The sole reason for our enmity was driven by the ambition to change the system. And the system has now changed," he added. Haqqani said the Taliban were not the ones, who went to war against the US.

Taliban leader: Amrullah Saleh, Ashraf Ghani can return to Afghanistan

Multiple protests being held across the world for the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. In Spain and England hundreds came out in solidarity with the Afghan people. Watch this report to know more.

England and Spain witness solidarity protests for people in Afghanistan

While nations across the world are rushing to bring back their citizens from Afghanistan, Australia has apparently rejected more than 100 visas.

As per several reports, more than 100 former Australian embassy employees have been rejected visas to Australia. This came as a shock for these former embassy employees who were hoping to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible and had pinned their hopes on Australia.

"Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs has considered your application. Unfortunately, you are not eligible for certification under this policy," the letter from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reads.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-seven-afghans-killed-in-chaos-near-kabul-airport-amid-evacuation-407591">At least seven Afghans killed in chaos near Kabul airport amid evacuation</a>

However,&nbsp;the country is offering 3,000 humanitarian visas for those stuck in the country, especially minorities, women, children and those who have links to Australia.

Authorities are urging visa applicants to carefully assess their situation and see if they can qualify under the humanitarian visas.

Several security guards and full-time maintenance staff of the Australian embassy in Kabul have claimed that they were told their services — many of whom have worked for more than a decade — were not enough to make them eligible for evacuation flights.

"Unfortunately the Australian government turned its back and left behind those 196 people with their families who have worked in different sections at the Australian embassy Kabul,&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;for the past two decades,"&nbsp;a guard told Guardian Australia on condition of anonymity.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/kabul-india-evacuates-20-afghan-sikhs-2-sikh-mps-407553">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/kabul-india-evacuates-20-afghan-sikhs-2-sikh-mps-407553/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"They worked up to the last moments that Australian embassy closed and evacuated its office. They [have] proven themselves with their services and we do not deserve this, to be left behind in [a] bad security situation which is going on everywhere nowadays in Afghanistan."

The Australian Embassy in Kabul was abruptly closed in May as the officials calculated that they could not guarantee the security of their employees at that time.

While the federal government of Australia claims that former employees can apply for a humanitarian visa but should meet the standard requirements regarding health, character and security, the security guard who applied for the visa disagrees with this claim. He argued that even though he had met the set criteria, his visa request was granted.

While nations across the world are rushing to bring back their citizens from Afghanistan, Australia has apparently rejected more than 100 visas. As per several reports, more than 100 former Australian embassy employees have been rejected visas to Australia.

While nations across the world are rushing to bring back their citizens from Afghanistan, Australia has apparently rejected more than 100 visas. As per several reports, more than 100 former Australian embassy employees have been rejected visas to Australia. This came as a shock for these former embassy employees who were hoping to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible and had pinned their hopes on Australia. "Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs has considered your application. Unfortunately, you are not eligible for certification under this policy," the letter from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reads. Also read | At least seven Afghans killed in chaos near Kabul airport amid evacuation However, the country is offering 3,000 humanitarian visas for those stuck in the country, especially minorities, women, children and those who have links to Australia. Authorities are urging visa applicants to carefully assess their situation and see if they can qualify under the humanitarian visas. Several security guards and full-time maintenance staff of the Australian embassy in Kabul have claimed that they were told their services — many of whom have worked for more than a decade — were not enough to make them eligible for evacuation flights. "Unfortunately the Australian government turned its back and left behind those 196 people with their families who have worked in different sections at the Australian embassy Kabul, Afghanistan for the past two decades," a guard told Guardian Australia on condition of anonymity. WATCH | "They worked up to the last moments that Australian embassy closed and evacuated its office. They [have] proven themselves with their services and we do not deserve this, to be left behind in [a] bad security situation which is going on everywhere nowadays in Afghanistan." The Australian Embassy in Kabul was abruptly closed in May as the officials calculated that they could not guarantee the security of their employees at that time. While the federal government of Australia claims that former employees can apply for a humanitarian visa but should meet the standard requirements regarding health, character and security, the security guard who applied for the visa disagrees with this claim. He argued that even though he had met the set criteria, his visa request was granted.

Australia rejects more than 100 visas of former embassy employees

A NATO official has said at least 20 people have lost their lives at Kabul airport during the evacuation process that began after the Taliban militants seized control of the capital city last week.

“The crisis outside the Kabul airport is unfortunate. Our focus is to evacuate all foreigners as soon as we can,” Reuters quoted the official, who didn’t wish to be named.

Large swathes of crowd have been gathering at the airport for the last one week in a last-ditched effort to fly out of the country amid fears of the return of stringent Sharia law the Taliban used to enforce when it was in power two decades ago.

Several western countries, including US, UK, had to suspend the evacuation process in the face of worsening security situation at the Taliban airport.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ashraf-ghanis-brother-pledges-allegiance-to-taliban-report-407612">Also read |&nbsp;Ashraf Ghani's brother pledges allegiance to Taliban: Report</a>

“Our forces are maintaining strict distance from outer areas of the Kabul airport to prevent any clashes with the Taliban,” the NATO official added.

On Saturday, the United States and Germany told their citizens in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to Kabul airport, citing security risks.

Army major general William Taylor told a Pentagon briefing on Saturday that 5,800 US troops remain at the airport and that the facility “remains secure”. Taylor said some gates into the airport were temporarily closed and reopened over the past day to facilitate a safe influx of evacuees.

Australia ran four flights into Kabul on Saturday night, evacuating more than 300 people, including Australians, Afghan visa holders, New Zealanders, US and British citizens, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

&nbsp;

A NATO official has said at least 20 people have lost their lives at Kabul airport during the evacuation process that began after the Taliban militants seized control of the capital city last week.

A NATO official has said at least 20 people have lost their lives at Kabul airport during the evacuation process that began after the Taliban militants seized control of the capital city last week. “The crisis outside the Kabul airport is unfortunate. Our focus is to evacuate all foreigners as soon as we can,” Reuters quoted the official, who didn’t wish to be named. Large swathes of crowd have been gathering at the airport for the last one week in a last-ditched effort to fly out of the country amid fears of the return of stringent Sharia law the Taliban used to enforce when it was in power two decades ago. Several western countries, including US, UK, had to suspend the evacuation process in the face of worsening security situation at the Taliban airport. Also read | Ashraf Ghani's brother pledges allegiance to Taliban: Report “Our forces are maintaining strict distance from outer areas of the Kabul airport to prevent any clashes with the Taliban,” the NATO official added. On Saturday, the United States and Germany told their citizens in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to Kabul airport, citing security risks. Army major general William Taylor told a Pentagon briefing on Saturday that 5,800 US troops remain at the airport and that the facility “remains secure”. Taylor said some gates into the airport were temporarily closed and reopened over the past day to facilitate a safe influx of evacuees. Australia ran four flights into Kabul on Saturday night, evacuating more than 300 people, including Australians, Afghan visa holders, New Zealanders, US and British citizens, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

At least 20 died in a week during evacuation at Kabul airport: NATO official

An Indian Air Force special repatriation flight from Kabul with 168 evacuees has landed at the Hindan airbase. The flight included 107 Indian nationals and over 20 Afghan Sikhs.

Afghanistan Crisis: Afghan MPs evacuated on Indian flight

As the days pass, the situation in Kabul remains grim. On one hand, the Taliban is attempting a political game while on the other, thousands camp at the Kabul airport, hoping to leave their conflict-ridden homeland. Our correspondent Anas Mallick is in Kabul, bringing you the latest on the Afghan crisis.

Ground Report: Afghanistan's day 6 under Taliban

Across Afghanistan, the Taliban are carrying out door-to-door searches and hunting for those Afghans who worked with the US & its allies. Instead of protecting their employees, some missions of Western governments abandoned their local staff. Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: The Taliban is hunting for rivals in a door-to-door manhunt

Afghan women are on the frontlines, challenging the Taliban's repressive rule. From organising protests to arranging safe passage for their family, Afghan women have refused to relinquish their hard-earned rights. Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: Afghan women challenge Taliban's rule

An Afghan teenager who played for the national youth football team fell to his death after trying to cling to a US military plane. Palki Sharma tells you how some tried to profit from his misery.

Gravitas: 17-year-old Afghan youth footballer died in fall from US plane in Kabul

Thousands of Afghan refugees crowded outside the Kabul airport hoping for safe passage. American soldiers responded by firing tear gas at them. Palki Sharma tells you stories of desperation & hopelessness from Kabul.

Gravitas: Afghan parents pass children over airport wall

As he confronts a barrage of criticism for his management of the US departure, US President Biden spoke on Friday about the effort to evacuate American people and Afghan friends from Afghanistan in the face of the Taliban's takeover.&nbsp;

"This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history," Biden said in a televised address from the White House. "I cannot promise what the final outcome will be." 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/muscles-sliced-off-strangled-with-scarf-nine-men-of-the-hazara-minority-killed-by-taliban-407237">Also read | Muscles sliced off, strangled with scarf: Nine men of the Hazara minority killed by Taliban</a>

The president said US forces have airlifted 13,000 people out of Afghanistan since August 14, and 18,000 since July, with thousands more evacuated on private charter flights "facilitated by the US government." 
 
Here are the highlights of the speech of US President Joe Biden: 
&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>The Kabul evacuation was among 'largest and most difficult airlifts in history.</li>
	<li>US has airlifted 13,000 people out of Kabul since Aug 14.</li>
	<li>Biden says cannot guarantee 'final outcome' of risky Kabul evacuation.</li>
	<li>US allies do not raise the 'question of our credibility'.</li>
	<li>Cannot guarantee 'final outcome' of risky Kabul evacuation. 
	&nbsp;
	<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
	<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
	<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
	Happening Now: President Biden delivers remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, SIV applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans. <a href="https://t.co/1YZRbu3Znj">https://t.co/1YZRbu3Znj</a>
	— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1428775891803516935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
	<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
	<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

	&nbsp;
	</li>
</ul>

According to the Pentagon, 22,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) candidates would be transferred to the United States and accommodated at three military sites. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/watch-taliban-burn-down-amusement-park-in-afghanistan-406897">Watch: Taliban burn down amusement park in Afghanistan</a>

Officials have recognised, however, that this amount may climb, and relief organisations and some politicians have called for it to be significantly raised.&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

As he confronts a barrage of criticism for his management of the US departure, US President Biden spoke on Friday about the effort to evacuate American people and Afghan friends from Afghanistan in the face of the Taliban's takeover.

As he confronts a barrage of criticism for his management of the US departure, US President Biden spoke on Friday about the effort to evacuate American people and Afghan friends from Afghanistan in the face of the Taliban's takeover. "This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history," Biden said in a televised address from the White House. "I cannot promise what the final outcome will be." Also read | Muscles sliced off, strangled with scarf: Nine men of the Hazara minority killed by Taliban The president said US forces have airlifted 13,000 people out of Afghanistan since August 14, and 18,000 since July, with thousands more evacuated on private charter flights "facilitated by the US government." Here are the highlights of the speech of US President Joe Biden: The Kabul evacuation was among 'largest and most difficult airlifts in history. US has airlifted 13,000 people out of Kabul since Aug 14. Biden says cannot guarantee 'final outcome' of risky Kabul evacuation. US allies do not raise the 'question of our credibility'. Cannot guarantee 'final outcome' of risky Kabul evacuation. Happening Now: President Biden delivers remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, SIV applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans. https://t.co/1YZRbu3Znj — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 20, 2021 × According to the Pentagon, 22,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) candidates would be transferred to the United States and accommodated at three military sites. Watch: Taliban burn down amusement park in Afghanistan Officials have recognised, however, that this amount may climb, and relief organisations and some politicians have called for it to be significantly raised. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghanistan: Biden says cannot guarantee 'final outcome' of risky Kabul evacuation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday to maintain dialogue with the Taliban and to take a "gradual" approach to relations with Afghanistan's new rulers.

"We must keep the channels of open dialogue with the Taliban and pursue a gradual engagement instead of an approach based on hard conditions," Erdogan said in a phone call with Putin, according to a statement from his office.&nbsp;

The Turkish leader also welcomed talks between the Taliban and former senior Afghan officials as "promising".&nbsp;

"We welcome the Taliban's moderate messages as positive for the moment, but the process ahead will be shaped not by their words but by their deeds," Erdogan said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485">WATCH</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"The presidents agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on Afghanistan," the Kremlin said in a statement.&nbsp;

According to Moscow, the two leaders affirmed the need to ensure "stability and a peaceful society in the country" with an emphasis on "the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking".

Turkey, which has several hundred troops in Afghanistan, is involved in securing Kabul airport with the United States.&nbsp;

In July, Ankara offered Washington to take over the airport after the withdrawal of US troops.

That plan appeared to be in jeopardy with the return of the Taliban, who have publicly warned Turkey against keeping its troops there.&nbsp;

"We can continue to secure and manage Kabul airport if the right conditions emerge," the Turkish leader said on Saturday.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday to maintain dialogue with the Taliban and to take a "gradual" approach to relations with Afghanistan's new rulers.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday to maintain dialogue with the Taliban and to take a "gradual" approach to relations with Afghanistan's new rulers. "We must keep the channels of open dialogue with the Taliban and pursue a gradual engagement instead of an approach based on hard conditions," Erdogan said in a phone call with Putin, according to a statement from his office. The Turkish leader also welcomed talks between the Taliban and former senior Afghan officials as "promising". "We welcome the Taliban's moderate messages as positive for the moment, but the process ahead will be shaped not by their words but by their deeds," Erdogan said. WATCH "The presidents agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on Afghanistan," the Kremlin said in a statement. According to Moscow, the two leaders affirmed the need to ensure "stability and a peaceful society in the country" with an emphasis on "the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking". Turkey, which has several hundred troops in Afghanistan, is involved in securing Kabul airport with the United States. In July, Ankara offered Washington to take over the airport after the withdrawal of US troops. That plan appeared to be in jeopardy with the return of the Taliban, who have publicly warned Turkey against keeping its troops there. "We can continue to secure and manage Kabul airport if the right conditions emerge," the Turkish leader said on Saturday.

Turkey's Erdogan urges Putin to remain 'open' to Taliban

It was the end of a decadeslong American military engagement overseas, and thousands of U.S. allies were clamoring to board the last planes leaving for, they hoped, eventual resettlement in the United States. Their capital had fallen. Deadly reprisals for those who stayed behind were almost certain.

It was 1975, the tumultuous backdrop was Southeast Asia, and Washington largely opened America’s doors, letting in some 300,000 refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia over the next four years. Joe Biden, then a young U.S. senator from Delaware, co-sponsored landmark legislation that won unanimous passage in the Senate and was signed into law in 1980, divorcing refugee admissions from U.S. foreign policy and generally expanding the number allowed into the country each year.

Now, as similar scenes of chaos and desperation unfold in Kabul with the conclusion of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan, most analysts say there is little chance the country will repeat the extensive refugee-resettlement effort that accompanied the end of the war in Vietnam.

Decades of lukewarm public sentiment over refugees, a toxic political stalemate over immigration and contemporary concerns over terrorism and the coronavirus pandemic have all but eliminated the possibility of a similar mass mobilisation.

Since the 1930s, polling by Gallup has shown time and again that Americans are ambivalent toward accepting refugees. As recently as 2018, amid a surge of Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans seeking safe haven, Americans said they would rather accept ordinary immigrants coming to look for better lives than refugees fleeing war and violence, according to the Pew Research Center — the opposite of respondents in 16 other Western countries.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485">WATCH</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The refugee law that Biden co-sponsored calls for the president to determine the number of refugee admissions for a given year based on humanitarian concerns or what is otherwise in the national interest, giving the White House wide latitude.

When the program began in 1980, the U.S. capped the number of refugees at 234,000. But that limit has trended generally downward since, hitting what many thought would be a low of 15,000 in the last year of the presidency of Donald Trump, whose hostility to all kinds of immigration was a cornerstone of his administration.

Biden ran on a pledge to adopt a more humane policy and rebuild the resettlement program, but the country is poised to admit the lowest number of refugees in the history of the program — there have been 6,246 through July 31 — partly because the pandemic closed consulates and delayed processing of applications.

The crisis conditions in Afghanistan have prompted urgent calls to resettle Afghans who are trying urgently to leave before a Taliban crackdown, starting with the translators and others who face retribution because of their work with the U.S. military.

“President Biden has said, ‘America is back’ — is the city on the hill. Now he has the chance to prove it,” said Ryan Crocker, whose long diplomatic career included stints as U.S. ambassador to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than a dozen governors from both parties have expressed a willingness to receive refugees, and faith-based groups across the country are volunteering to help sponsor Afghan families. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said the state had “a long history of welcoming refugees from around the world” and was “eager to continue that practice” with Afghan refugees.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/afghan-parliament-member-nabiullah-baz-speaks-with-wion-407506">WATCH</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/afghan-parliament-member-nabiullah-baz-speaks-with-wion-407506/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

But with large numbers of people fleeing violence and poverty in Central America and other countries pushing recently across the border with Mexico, some conservatives are calling for a hard line against large numbers of Afghan refugees.

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., said he was “deeply disturbed” that thousands of Afghans could be transported to Fort McCoy in his state without appropriate screening and called on the White House to abandon “this dangerous ready-fire-aim plan.”

And Fox News’ Tucker Carlson warned that admitting refugees now could eventually result in “millions” of Afghan immigrants. “So first we invade, and then we are invaded.”

What obligation, if any, does the United States have to accept people from other countries who are fleeing for their lives? None legally. There is no international law that requires the United States to take in refugees.

Yet, since the aftermath of World War II, it has played a leading role in welcoming refugees, especially from countries where it engaged militarily in the service of strategic and geopolitical considerations.

Between 1945 and 1950, the United States admitted about 350,000 Europeans, mainly Jews who survived the Holocaust.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower paroled some 40,000 Hungarians into the United States, and President John F. Kennedy went on to allow several hundred thousand Cubans opposed to the regime of Fidel Castro. Then came Vietnam and the exodus of hundreds of thousands of boat people after the fall of Saigon.

Also read :&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/switzerland-postpones-evacuation-plans-as-security-at-kabul-airport-worsens-407480">Switzerland postpones evacuation plans as security at Kabul airport worsens</a>

In all of those cases, refugees were casualties of America’s Cold War campaign against communism, and they enjoyed a certain amount of public support.

“During the ’80s, refugees are relatively popular because they are seen as a symbol of the superiority of our political and economic system,” said Serena Parekh, author of two books on refugees, including “No Refuge: Ethics and the Global Refugee Crisis,” published last year. “They are part of Cold War politics and play well into national interests.”

In the late 1980s, the United States received tens of thousands of Soviet Jews and other religious minorities for whom the American public had sympathy. In the 1990s, there was an influx from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.

But by the late 1990s, the Congressional Black Caucus was criticizing the program for not assisting enough Africans fleeing bloodshed in countries such as Somalia, forcing them to remain parked in teeming camps. Public attitudes toward refugees already were shifting, said Parekh, a professor at Northeastern University.

“Refugees start to look more foreign or dissimilar to people in the U.S.,” she said. “Instead of being seen as people courageously fleeing persecution, they are seen as people who will be an economic burden.”

Also read :&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/from-narco-terrorism-to-informal-economy-the-state-crime-nexus-of-afghanistans-opium-dilemma-407432" hreflang="en">From narco-terrorism to informal economy: The state-crime nexus of Afghanistan’s opium dilemma</a>

In response to 9/11, the United States invaded Afghanistan; two years later, it invaded Iraq.

Back home, public concern grew when immigrants — not refugees — were involved in a handful of other deadly terror attacks. The administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama added layers of security checks to the application process.

“The refugee program became so mired in red tape and extreme vetting that it looks like a program designed to keep people out of the United States rather than rescue them,” said Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS, a resettlement agency founded as Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and who has worked in the field for 32 years.

After terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, more than 20 governors announced that their states would not accept refugees from Syria, fearing terrorist infiltrators.

Not long after taking office, Trump slashed the refugee cap to 50,000 from the 110,000 set by Obama, and issued an executive order barring the entry of people from several predominantly Muslim countries. The next year, he set a ceiling of 45,000; fewer than half arrived amid tighter background checks and restrictions.

Biden quickly began to undo his predecessor’s immigration policies, but rising public concern over the rapid increase in unauthorized crossings on the southwestern border prompted him to defer a plan to increase the cap on refugees this year.

The delay forced 700 refugees, already screened and holding tickets, to be pulled off flights. There was swift rebuke from human rights activists and fellow Democrats, and within hours, the White House announced that the 2021 cap would be raised to 62,500. But it was not clear whether — given the pandemic, the program’s depletion by his predecessor and soaring numbers at the border — this number would be achieved.

As of March 31, the latest data available, 20,829 Afghans, plus 52,799 family members, had received special immigrant visas since 2014 under a separate program created by Congress for those who could face reprisals for their work with U.S. troops.

One of the Afghans who was evacuated and arrived in Houston this month, a 32-year-old interpreter who worked with a U.S. Marines platoon, said he managed to escape only days before his city, Gardez, south of Kabul, fell to the Taliban.

“I am just worried for so many people still there,” said the man, who wanted to be identified only by his English nickname, Harry, out of fear for the relatives he left behind. “They are hiding, or moving their families from place to place.”

Biden on Wednesday said the United States hoped to evacuate between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghan allies, including their families, and had approved an additional $500 million to help with “urgent refugee and migration needs.”

Many of them will be directed to other countries for processing. How many Afghans will eventually be welcomed into the United States remains an open question, one that Crocker, the former diplomat, said is key to everything the United States tried to achieve during the war.

“We owe it to Afghan females, the free media,” he said. “It’s for all those people we basically said to, ‘You go ahead and build a new, free open society and we will be here to see you get that done and that you get it done safely.’

“We have the moral obligation and the capacity to do it.”

It was the end of a decadeslong American military engagement overseas, and thousands of U.S. allies were clamoring to board the last planes leaving for, they hoped, eventual resettlement in the United States.

It was the end of a decadeslong American military engagement overseas, and thousands of U.S. allies were clamoring to board the last planes leaving for, they hoped, eventual resettlement in the United States. Their capital had fallen. Deadly reprisals for those who stayed behind were almost certain. It was 1975, the tumultuous backdrop was Southeast Asia, and Washington largely opened America’s doors, letting in some 300,000 refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia over the next four years. Joe Biden, then a young U.S. senator from Delaware, co-sponsored landmark legislation that won unanimous passage in the Senate and was signed into law in 1980, divorcing refugee admissions from U.S. foreign policy and generally expanding the number allowed into the country each year. Now, as similar scenes of chaos and desperation unfold in Kabul with the conclusion of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan, most analysts say there is little chance the country will repeat the extensive refugee-resettlement effort that accompanied the end of the war in Vietnam. Decades of lukewarm public sentiment over refugees, a toxic political stalemate over immigration and contemporary concerns over terrorism and the coronavirus pandemic have all but eliminated the possibility of a similar mass mobilisation. Since the 1930s, polling by Gallup has shown time and again that Americans are ambivalent toward accepting refugees. As recently as 2018, amid a surge of Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans seeking safe haven, Americans said they would rather accept ordinary immigrants coming to look for better lives than refugees fleeing war and violence, according to the Pew Research Center — the opposite of respondents in 16 other Western countries. WATCH The refugee law that Biden co-sponsored calls for the president to determine the number of refugee admissions for a given year based on humanitarian concerns or what is otherwise in the national interest, giving the White House wide latitude. When the program began in 1980, the U.S. capped the number of refugees at 234,000. But that limit has trended generally downward since, hitting what many thought would be a low of 15,000 in the last year of the presidency of Donald Trump, whose hostility to all kinds of immigration was a cornerstone of his administration. Biden ran on a pledge to adopt a more humane policy and rebuild the resettlement program, but the country is poised to admit the lowest number of refugees in the history of the program — there have been 6,246 through July 31 — partly because the pandemic closed consulates and delayed processing of applications. The crisis conditions in Afghanistan have prompted urgent calls to resettle Afghans who are trying urgently to leave before a Taliban crackdown, starting with the translators and others who face retribution because of their work with the U.S. military. “President Biden has said, ‘America is back’ — is the city on the hill. Now he has the chance to prove it,” said Ryan Crocker, whose long diplomatic career included stints as U.S. ambassador to both Iraq and Afghanistan. More than a dozen governors from both parties have expressed a willingness to receive refugees, and faith-based groups across the country are volunteering to help sponsor Afghan families. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said the state had “a long history of welcoming refugees from around the world” and was “eager to continue that practice” with Afghan refugees. WATCH But with large numbers of people fleeing violence and poverty in Central America and other countries pushing recently across the border with Mexico, some conservatives are calling for a hard line against large numbers of Afghan refugees. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., said he was “deeply disturbed” that thousands of Afghans could be transported to Fort McCoy in his state without appropriate screening and called on the White House to abandon “this dangerous ready-fire-aim plan.” And Fox News’ Tucker Carlson warned that admitting refugees now could eventually result in “millions” of Afghan immigrants. “So first we invade, and then we are invaded.” What obligation, if any, does the United States have to accept people from other countries who are fleeing for their lives? None legally. There is no international law that requires the United States to take in refugees. Yet, since the aftermath of World War II, it has played a leading role in welcoming refugees, especially from countries where it engaged militarily in the service of strategic and geopolitical considerations. Between 1945 and 1950, the United States admitted about 350,000 Europeans, mainly Jews who survived the Holocaust. President Dwight D. Eisenhower paroled some 40,000 Hungarians into the United States, and President John F. Kennedy went on to allow several hundred thousand Cubans opposed to the regime of Fidel Castro. Then came Vietnam and the exodus of hundreds of thousands of boat people after the fall of Saigon. Also read : Switzerland postpones evacuation plans as security at Kabul airport worsens In all of those cases, refugees were casualties of America’s Cold War campaign against communism, and they enjoyed a certain amount of public support. “During the ’80s, refugees are relatively popular because they are seen as a symbol of the superiority of our political and economic system,” said Serena Parekh, author of two books on refugees, including “No Refuge: Ethics and the Global Refugee Crisis,” published last year. “They are part of Cold War politics and play well into national interests.” In the late 1980s, the United States received tens of thousands of Soviet Jews and other religious minorities for whom the American public had sympathy. In the 1990s, there was an influx from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. But by the late 1990s, the Congressional Black Caucus was criticizing the program for not assisting enough Africans fleeing bloodshed in countries such as Somalia, forcing them to remain parked in teeming camps. Public attitudes toward refugees already were shifting, said Parekh, a professor at Northeastern University. “Refugees start to look more foreign or dissimilar to people in the U.S.,” she said. “Instead of being seen as people courageously fleeing persecution, they are seen as people who will be an economic burden.” Also read : From narco-terrorism to informal economy: The state-crime nexus of Afghanistan’s opium dilemma In response to 9/11, the United States invaded Afghanistan; two years later, it invaded Iraq. Back home, public concern grew when immigrants — not refugees — were involved in a handful of other deadly terror attacks. The administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama added layers of security checks to the application process. “The refugee program became so mired in red tape and extreme vetting that it looks like a program designed to keep people out of the United States rather than rescue them,” said Mark Hetfield, CEO of HIAS, a resettlement agency founded as Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and who has worked in the field for 32 years. After terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, more than 20 governors announced that their states would not accept refugees from Syria, fearing terrorist infiltrators. Not long after taking office, Trump slashed the refugee cap to 50,000 from the 110,000 set by Obama, and issued an executive order barring the entry of people from several predominantly Muslim countries. The next year, he set a ceiling of 45,000; fewer than half arrived amid tighter background checks and restrictions. Biden quickly began to undo his predecessor’s immigration policies, but rising public concern over the rapid increase in unauthorized crossings on the southwestern border prompted him to defer a plan to increase the cap on refugees this year. The delay forced 700 refugees, already screened and holding tickets, to be pulled off flights. There was swift rebuke from human rights activists and fellow Democrats, and within hours, the White House announced that the 2021 cap would be raised to 62,500. But it was not clear whether — given the pandemic, the program’s depletion by his predecessor and soaring numbers at the border — this number would be achieved. As of March 31, the latest data available, 20,829 Afghans, plus 52,799 family members, had received special immigrant visas since 2014 under a separate program created by Congress for those who could face reprisals for their work with U.S. troops. One of the Afghans who was evacuated and arrived in Houston this month, a 32-year-old interpreter who worked with a U.S. Marines platoon, said he managed to escape only days before his city, Gardez, south of Kabul, fell to the Taliban. “I am just worried for so many people still there,” said the man, who wanted to be identified only by his English nickname, Harry, out of fear for the relatives he left behind. “They are hiding, or moving their families from place to place.” Biden on Wednesday said the United States hoped to evacuate between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghan allies, including their families, and had approved an additional $500 million to help with “urgent refugee and migration needs.” Many of them will be directed to other countries for processing. How many Afghans will eventually be welcomed into the United States remains an open question, one that Crocker, the former diplomat, said is key to everything the United States tried to achieve during the war. “We owe it to Afghan females, the free media,” he said. “It’s for all those people we basically said to, ‘You go ahead and build a new, free open society and we will be here to see you get that done and that you get it done safely.’ “We have the moral obligation and the capacity to do it.”

50 years after Vietnam, thousands flee another lost American war

"It's mathematically impossible" for the US and its allies to evacuate tens of thousands of their Afghan personnel and families by August 31, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Saturday.

Borrell, speaking to AFP from Spain in a telephone interview, added that "we have complained" to the Americans that their security at Kabul airport was overly strict and hampering attempts by Afghans who worked for the Europeans to enter.

August 31 is the deadline the United States had announced for the complete pullout of its forces from Afghanistan, but President Joe Biden has flagged that might be extended if airlifts remain viable.

The US military is currently in control of Kabul's airport and running its air traffic control operations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485">WATCH</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"As far as I know, for the moment the Americans haven't said they will stay beyond August 31, but they might change their thinking," Borrell said.

"They want to evacuate 60,000 people between now and the end of this month. It's mathematically impossible," he said.

Borrell told AFP that, for Europe's evacuation efforts, "the problem is access to the airport -- the US checks and security measures are very strong" and were preventing the passage of Afghan staff.

He said Brussels had lodged a complaint with the US, asking for "more flexibility".

The EU's top foreign policy official had been in Madrid accompanying European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to a Spanish air base receiving incoming flights carrying European citizens and Afghan personnel -- and several American citizens.&nbsp;

He said just 150 of the 400 Afghans employed by the EU have been evacuated so far. "I'm very aware that this is very insufficient," he said.

"Planes are leaving while people are still on the tarmac," he said.

Despite his exasperation, Borrell denied there were tensions between the European Union and the United States over the ongoing evacuations.

But, he said, questions will have to be asked over "why things happened like this" and evoked a future EU summit being called to address the situation that Europe has found itself in, and what the next steps should be regarding Afghanistan.

Borrell, who this week told the European Parliament that the chaotic evacuation scenes were a "catastrophe" for the West, underlined that the European Union has been working on for some time on a strategy paper that will propose a 50,000-strong rapid reaction force to tackle future crises.

"It's mathematically impossible" for the US and its allies to evacuate tens of thousands of their Afghan personnel and families by August 31, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Saturday.

"It's mathematically impossible" for the US and its allies to evacuate tens of thousands of their Afghan personnel and families by August 31, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Saturday. Borrell, speaking to AFP from Spain in a telephone interview, added that "we have complained" to the Americans that their security at Kabul airport was overly strict and hampering attempts by Afghans who worked for the Europeans to enter. August 31 is the deadline the United States had announced for the complete pullout of its forces from Afghanistan, but President Joe Biden has flagged that might be extended if airlifts remain viable. The US military is currently in control of Kabul's airport and running its air traffic control operations. WATCH "As far as I know, for the moment the Americans haven't said they will stay beyond August 31, but they might change their thinking," Borrell said. "They want to evacuate 60,000 people between now and the end of this month. It's mathematically impossible," he said. Borrell told AFP that, for Europe's evacuation efforts, "the problem is access to the airport -- the US checks and security measures are very strong" and were preventing the passage of Afghan staff. He said Brussels had lodged a complaint with the US, asking for "more flexibility". The EU's top foreign policy official had been in Madrid accompanying European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to a Spanish air base receiving incoming flights carrying European citizens and Afghan personnel -- and several American citizens. He said just 150 of the 400 Afghans employed by the EU have been evacuated so far. "I'm very aware that this is very insufficient," he said. "Planes are leaving while people are still on the tarmac," he said. Despite his exasperation, Borrell denied there were tensions between the European Union and the United States over the ongoing evacuations. But, he said, questions will have to be asked over "why things happened like this" and evoked a future EU summit being called to address the situation that Europe has found itself in, and what the next steps should be regarding Afghanistan. Borrell, who this week told the European Parliament that the chaotic evacuation scenes were a "catastrophe" for the West, underlined that the European Union has been working on for some time on a strategy paper that will propose a 50,000-strong rapid reaction force to tackle future crises.

'Impossible' to evacuate all allied Afghans by Aug 31: EU

Afghan Parliament Member Nabiullah Baz speaks with WION on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. Watch this report to know more.

Afghan Parliament Member Nabiullah Baz speaks with WION

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, thousands of locals and foreign nationals tried their best to flee the country. However, one UK citizen has decided to stay back till all of his employees and family members have safely left Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p>

A little before the Taliban announced complete takeover of Kabul, even the former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. However, a former British Royal Marine, Paul ‘Pen’ Farthing, has shown more courage.<o:p></o:p>

Farthing served in the UK's Royal Marine for 22 years and then set up the 'Nowzad' animal shelter in 2007, in remembrance of his first rescue dog.<o:p></o:p>

Since 2007, Farthing had managed to grow his foundation and employ a staff of 25 Afghan nationals, who had been religiously serving the animals at the shelter.

<o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485">WATCH</a></o:p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"I had an opportunity, the fact that I am a British citizen, I'm going to use that to full effect - so I've said I'm not going until my staff leave this country,"&nbsp;Farthing told news agency Reuters.<o:p></o:p>

His animal shelter has also given the country its first female veterinarians. This was a huge achievement for Farthing and his animal shelter as the Taliban had not allowed women to work under their previous regime and had strongly disapproved of keeping dogs as pets.<o:p></o:p>

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Farthing decided to stay in the country to ensure his employees and family members are evacuated first. "My staff don't deserve the fate that awaits them if they stay here in Afghanistan," he said.<o:p></o:p>

Farthing has also pointed out that although there is a sense of calmness in the community, contrary to the expectations, the areas near the Kabul International Airport are the ones which are highly chaotic and violent. <o:p></o:p>

“You've got the British and Americans inside and then outside you've got this throng of people; and then you have the Taliban checkpoints," Farthing said.<o:p></o:p>

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, thousands of locals and foreign nationals tried their best to flee the country. However, one UK citizen has decided to stay back till all of his employees and family members have safely left Afghanistan.

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, thousands of locals and foreign nationals tried their best to flee the country. However, one UK citizen has decided to stay back till all of his employees and family members have safely left Afghanistan. A little before the Taliban announced complete takeover of Kabul, even the former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. However, a former British Royal Marine, Paul ‘Pen’ Farthing, has shown more courage. Farthing served in the UK's Royal Marine for 22 years and then set up the 'Nowzad' animal shelter in 2007, in remembrance of his first rescue dog. Since 2007, Farthing had managed to grow his foundation and employ a staff of 25 Afghan nationals, who had been religiously serving the animals at the shelter. WATCH "I had an opportunity, the fact that I am a British citizen, I'm going to use that to full effect - so I've said I'm not going until my staff leave this country," Farthing told news agency Reuters. His animal shelter has also given the country its first female veterinarians. This was a huge achievement for Farthing and his animal shelter as the Taliban had not allowed women to work under their previous regime and had strongly disapproved of keeping dogs as pets. As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Farthing decided to stay in the country to ensure his employees and family members are evacuated first. "My staff don't deserve the fate that awaits them if they stay here in Afghanistan," he said. Farthing has also pointed out that although there is a sense of calmness in the community, contrary to the expectations, the areas near the Kabul International Airport are the ones which are highly chaotic and violent. “You've got the British and Americans inside and then outside you've got this throng of people; and then you have the Taliban checkpoints," Farthing said.

UK citizen who runs animal shelter refuses to leave Afghanistan without his staff

The United States on Saturday urged its citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to the Kabul airport for now, citing "potential security threats" near its gates.

The warning, posted on the website of the US Embassy in Afghanistan and tweeted by the State Department in Washington, provided no detail on the nature of the threat.

But conditions outside Hamid Karzai International Airport have been chaotic amid the crush of people hoping to flee the Taliban takeover of the country.

As thousands of Americans and Afghans wait in the airport for flights or gather outside its gates, there have been "sporadic" reports, confirmed by the Pentagon, of Taliban fighters beating and harassing people trying to flee.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485">WATCH</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-who-created-the-taliban-407485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so," the US embassy alert said.

17,000 evacuated

Underlining the threat that the White House sees in the unfolding chaos -- and likely also due to concern over a hurricane approaching the US northeast -- President Joe Biden canceled a planned trip home to Delaware Saturday.

Pentagon officials, speaking not long after the warning was issued, declined to offer details of the threat, merely saying they were continuing to process people reaching the airport gates.

"There has been no reported change to the current enemy situation in and around the airport at this time," Major General Hank Taylor said.

He said 17,000 people had been evacuated since the operation began on August 14, with many flown first to Qatar or Kuwait. The total included 2,500 Americans.

In the past 24 hours, Taylor said, six military C-17 planes and 32 charter flights had departed the Kabul airport, carrying 3,800 people.

Taylor said three flights had already reached Dulles International Airport outside Washington, adding that Afghan citizens were being sent on to the Fort Bliss army base in western Texas for processing.

The United States hopes to evacuate a total of 30,000 Americans and Afghan civilians.

On Friday, the US military sent helicopters to rescue over 150 Americans unable to reach the airport gates, an official said.

That was the first evidence that US forces were willing and able to go beyond the US-secured compound to help people seeking evacuation.

American officials earlier confirmed that evacuation operations from Afghanistan had stalled for about seven hours Friday, because a receiving base in Qatar was overflowing.

Biden has promised to help any American in Afghanistan seeking to evacuate, saying, "Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home."

But he has admitted that the presence of thousands of US soldiers at the airport does not guarantee safe passage to that vast compound.

The United States on Saturday urged its citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to the Kabul airport for now, citing "potential security threats" near its gates.

The United States on Saturday urged its citizens in Afghanistan to avoid traveling to the Kabul airport for now, citing "potential security threats" near its gates. The warning, posted on the website of the US Embassy in Afghanistan and tweeted by the State Department in Washington, provided no detail on the nature of the threat. But conditions outside Hamid Karzai International Airport have been chaotic amid the crush of people hoping to flee the Taliban takeover of the country. As thousands of Americans and Afghans wait in the airport for flights or gather outside its gates, there have been "sporadic" reports, confirmed by the Pentagon, of Taliban fighters beating and harassing people trying to flee. WATCH "Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so," the US embassy alert said. 17,000 evacuated Underlining the threat that the White House sees in the unfolding chaos -- and likely also due to concern over a hurricane approaching the US northeast -- President Joe Biden canceled a planned trip home to Delaware Saturday. Pentagon officials, speaking not long after the warning was issued, declined to offer details of the threat, merely saying they were continuing to process people reaching the airport gates. "There has been no reported change to the current enemy situation in and around the airport at this time," Major General Hank Taylor said. He said 17,000 people had been evacuated since the operation began on August 14, with many flown first to Qatar or Kuwait. The total included 2,500 Americans. In the past 24 hours, Taylor said, six military C-17 planes and 32 charter flights had departed the Kabul airport, carrying 3,800 people. Taylor said three flights had already reached Dulles International Airport outside Washington, adding that Afghan citizens were being sent on to the Fort Bliss army base in western Texas for processing. The United States hopes to evacuate a total of 30,000 Americans and Afghan civilians. On Friday, the US military sent helicopters to rescue over 150 Americans unable to reach the airport gates, an official said. That was the first evidence that US forces were willing and able to go beyond the US-secured compound to help people seeking evacuation. American officials earlier confirmed that evacuation operations from Afghanistan had stalled for about seven hours Friday, because a receiving base in Qatar was overflowing. Biden has promised to help any American in Afghanistan seeking to evacuate, saying, "Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home." But he has admitted that the presence of thousands of US soldiers at the airport does not guarantee safe passage to that vast compound.

US tells citizens to avoid Kabul airport due to 'security threats'

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