US&nbsp;President Joe Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday on the situation in Afghanistan and they agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said. 
 
The two leaders "discussed the need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward, including ways the global community can provide further humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and other vulnerable Afghans," the White House said in a statement. 
 
The decision by US&nbsp;President Joe Biden, a Democrat, to stick to the troop withdrawal deal struck by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump has stirred widespread criticism at home and among US&nbsp;allies. 
 
The United States and Western allies resumed evacuating diplomats and civilians on Tuesday, the day after scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as Afghans thronged the runway. 
 
As they rush to evacuate, foreign powers are assessing how to respond to the transformed situation on the ground after Afghan forces melted away in just days, with what many had predicted as the likely fast unraveling of women's rights. 
 
A Downing Street spokesperson said Johnson in the call with Biden "stressed the importance of not losing the gains made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, of protecting ourselves against any emerging threat from terrorism and of continuing to support the people of Afghanistan," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

US President Joe Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday on the situation in Afghanistan and they agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said.

US President Joe Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday on the situation in Afghanistan and they agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said. The two leaders "discussed the need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan policy going forward, including ways the global community can provide further humanitarian assistance and support for refugees and other vulnerable Afghans," the White House said in a statement. The decision by US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, to stick to the troop withdrawal deal struck by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump has stirred widespread criticism at home and among US allies. The United States and Western allies resumed evacuating diplomats and civilians on Tuesday, the day after scenes of chaos at Kabul airport as Afghans thronged the runway. As they rush to evacuate, foreign powers are assessing how to respond to the transformed situation on the ground after Afghan forces melted away in just days, with what many had predicted as the likely fast unraveling of women's rights. A Downing Street spokesperson said Johnson in the call with Biden "stressed the importance of not losing the gains made in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, of protecting ourselves against any emerging threat from terrorism and of continuing to support the people of Afghanistan," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Biden, Johnson discuss Afghanistan on call, agree to hold G7 meeting

Members of the US&nbsp;Congress, including many of President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, said on Tuesday they were increasingly frustrated with events in Afghanistan, vowing to investigate what went wrong. 
 
"The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past 20 years," Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. 
 
"We are now witnessing the horrifying result of many years of policy and intelligence failures," Menendez said. 
 
Menendez said his committee would hold a hearing on US&nbsp;policy towards Afghanistan, including negotiations between former Republican President Donald Trump's administration and the Taliban and the Biden's administration's execution of the withdrawal. 
 
Committee Republicans said they wanted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify, "to understand why the State Department was so ill prepared for the contingencies unfolding before us," according to a letter sent to Menendez. 
 
"Updates from the State Department have been inconsistent, lacked important detail, and not be responsive to Members and the American people," the Republicans wrote. 
 
The date of the hearing was not immediately announced. 
 
Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic Intelligence Committee chairman, had said on Monday he intended to work with other committees "to ask tough but necessary questions" about why the United States was not better prepared for the collapse of the Afghan government. 
 
Republicans continued their harsh criticism of Biden's policies. 
 
"The security and humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Afghanistan could have been avoided if you had done any planning," Republicans on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee wrote in a letter to the White House on Tuesday.

Members of the US Congress, including many of President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, said on Tuesday they were increasingly frustrated with events in Afghanistan, vowing to investigate what went wrong.

Members of the US Congress, including many of President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats, said on Tuesday they were increasingly frustrated with events in Afghanistan, vowing to investigate what went wrong. "The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past 20 years," Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. "We are now witnessing the horrifying result of many years of policy and intelligence failures," Menendez said. Menendez said his committee would hold a hearing on US policy towards Afghanistan, including negotiations between former Republican President Donald Trump's administration and the Taliban and the Biden's administration's execution of the withdrawal. Committee Republicans said they wanted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify, "to understand why the State Department was so ill prepared for the contingencies unfolding before us," according to a letter sent to Menendez. "Updates from the State Department have been inconsistent, lacked important detail, and not be responsive to Members and the American people," the Republicans wrote. The date of the hearing was not immediately announced. Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic Intelligence Committee chairman, had said on Monday he intended to work with other committees "to ask tough but necessary questions" about why the United States was not better prepared for the collapse of the Afghan government. Republicans continued their harsh criticism of Biden's policies. "The security and humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Afghanistan could have been avoided if you had done any planning," Republicans on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee wrote in a letter to the White House on Tuesday.

US lawmakers to probe Biden administration over Afghanistan

Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted an increasingly grim picture of the prospect of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghan military, even as President Joe Biden and his advisers said publicly that was unlikely to happen as quickly, according to current and former U.S. government officials.

By July, many intelligence reports grew more pessimistic, questioning whether any Afghan security forces would muster serious resistance and whether the government could hold on in Kabul, the capital. Biden said on July 8 that the Afghan government was unlikely to fall and that there would be no chaotic evacuations of Americans similar to the end of the Vietnam War.

The drumbeat of warnings over the summer raise questions about why Biden administration officials, and military planners in Afghanistan, seemed ill-prepared to deal with the Taliban’s final push into Kabul, including a failure to ensure security at the main airport and rushing thousands more troops back to the country to protect the United States’ final exit.

One report in July — as dozens of Afghan districts were falling and Taliban fighters were laying siege to several major cities — laid out the growing risks to Kabul, noting that the Afghan government was unprepared for a Taliban assault, according to a person familiar with the intelligence.

Intelligence agencies predicted that should the Taliban seize cities, a cascading collapse could happen rapidly and the Afghan security forces were at high risk of falling apart. It is unclear whether other reports during this period presented a more optimistic picture about the ability of the Afghan military and the government in Kabul to withstand the Taliban.

A historical analysis provided to Congress concluded that the insurgents had learned lessons from their takeover of the country in the 1990s. This time, the report said, the Taliban would first secure border crossings, commandeer provincial capitals and seize swaths of the country’s north before moving in on Kabul, a prediction that proved accurate.

But key American decisions were made long before July, when the consensus among intelligence agencies was that the Afghan government could hang on for as long as two years, which would have left ample time for an orderly exit. On April 27, when the State Department ordered the departure of nonessential personnel from the embassy in Kabul, the overall intelligence assessment was still that a Taliban takeover was at least 18 months away, according to administration officials.

One senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified intelligence reports, said that even by July, as the situation grew more volatile, intelligence agencies never offered a clear prediction of an imminent Taliban takeover. The official said their assessments were also not given a “high confidence” judgment, the agencies’ highest level of certainty.

As late as a week before Kabul’s fall, the overall intelligence analysis was that a Taliban takeover was not yet inevitable, the official said.

Spokespeople for the CIA and the director of national intelligence declined to discuss the assessments given to the White House. But intelligence officials acknowledged that their agencies’ analysis had been sober and that the assessments had changed in recent weeks and months.

During his speech on Monday, Biden said that his administration “planned for every contingency” in Afghanistan but that the situation “did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”

Facing clear evidence of the collapse of Afghan forces, U.S. officials have begun to cast blame internally, including statements from the White House that have suggested an intelligence failure. Such finger-pointing often occurs after major national security breakdowns, but it will take weeks or months for a more complete picture to emerge of the decision-making in the Biden administration that led to the chaos in Kabul in recent days.

Intelligence agencies have long predicted an ultimate Taliban victory, even before President Donald Trump and Biden decided to withdraw forces. Those estimates provided a range of timelines. While they raised questions about the will of the Afghan security forces to fight without Americans by their side, they did not predict a collapse within weeks.

But in recent months, assessments became ever more pessimistic as the Taliban made larger gains, according to current and former officials. The reports this summer questioned in stark terms the will of Afghan security forces to fight and the ability of the Kabul government to hold power. With each report of mass desertions, a former official said, the Afghan government looked less stable.

Another CIA report in July noted that the security forces and central government had lost control of the roads leading into Kabul and assessed that the viability of the central government was in serious jeopardy. Other reports by the State Department’s intelligence and research division also noted the failure of Afghan forces to fight the Taliban and suggested the deteriorating security conditions could lead to the collapse of the government, according to government officials.

“The business of intelligence is not to say you know on Aug. 15 the Afghan government’s going to fall,” said Timothy S. Bergreen, a former staff director for the House Intelligence Committee. “But what everybody knew is that without the stiffening of the international forces and specifically our forces, the Afghans were incapable of defending or governing themselves.”

Afghanistan received little attention in the annual threat assessment released in April by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; but the brief discussion was dire, noting the Taliban was confident it could achieve a military victory.

“The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support,” the report said.

But current and former officials said that while it was true that the CIA predicted a collapse of the Afghan government, it was often hard to get agency analysts to clearly predict how quickly that would occur, especially as Trump and then Biden made decisions on how fast to draw down troops.

Two former senior Trump administration officials who reviewed some of the CIA’s assessments of Afghanistan said the intelligence agencies did deliver warnings about the strength of the Afghan government and security forces. But the agency resisted giving an exact time frame and the assessments could often be interpreted in a variety of ways, including concluding that Afghanistan could fall quickly or possibly over time.

Sharp disagreements have also persisted in the intelligence community. The CIA for years has been pessimistic about the training of the Afghan security forces. But the Defense Intelligence Agency and other intelligence shops within the Pentagon delivered more optimistic assessments about the Afghans’ preparedness, according to current and former officials.

Military and intelligence assessments predicting that the government in Kabul could hold on at least a year before a Taliban takeover were built on a premise that proved to be flawed: that the Afghan army would put up a fight.

“Most of the U.S. assessments inside and outside the U.S. government had focused on how well the Afghan security forces would fare in a fight with the Taliban. In reality, they never really fought” during the Taliban blitz across the country, said Seth G. Jones, an Afghanistan expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Two decades ago, this dynamic played out in reverse. When U.S.-backed Afghan militias began capturing territory from the Taliban in late 2001, Taliban fighters folded relatively quickly, and both Kabul and Kandahar fell before the end of that year.

Some Taliban surrendered, some switched sides, and far larger numbers simply melted into the population to begin planning what would become a 20-year insurgency.

Intelligence officials have long observed that Afghans make cold calculations about who is likely to prevail in a conflict and back the winning side, a tactic that allows for battlefield gains to accumulate quickly until a tipping point turns the fight into a rout, according to current and former analysts.

At the core of the American loss in Afghanistan was the inability to build a security force that could stand on its own, but that error was compounded by Washington’s failure to listen to those raising questions about the Afghan military.

Part of the problem, according to former officials, is that the can-do attitude of the military frequently got in the way of candid, accurate assessments of how the Afghan security forces were doing. Though no one was blind to desertions or battlefield losses, American commanders given the task of training the Afghan military were reluctant to admit their efforts were failing.

Even those in the military skeptical of the skills of the Afghan security forces believed they would continue to fight for a time after the Americans left.

For months, intelligence officials have been making comparisons between the Afghan national security forces and the South Vietnamese army at the end of the Vietnam War. It took two years for South Vietnam’s military, known by the American acronym ARVN, to collapse after the United States withdrew troops and financial support. Optimists believed the Afghan military — with American funding — could last nearly as long. Pessimists thought it would be far shorter.

“For the last two or three years I have been ruefully remarking that ANSF is Afghan for ARVN,” said Bergreen, who worked on intelligence matters on Capitol Hill from 2003 to 2021. “There was an acknowledgment that the Afghan forces were not up to the long-term fight. But I don’t think anyone expected them to melt away quite that fast.”

Recent Taliban diplomatic maneuvers with other countries in the region, most notably China, lent an air of inevitability to a Taliban takeover that further demoralized Afghan government troops, Jones said.

In the end, analysts said, the Taliban won with the strategy that has so often proved successful during Afghanistan’s many decades of war — they outlasted their opponent.

“​​I am not that surprised it was as fast and sweeping as it was,” said Lisa Maddox, a former CIA analyst. “The Taliban certainly has shown their ability to persevere, hunker down and come back even after they have been beaten back. And you have a population that is so tired and weary of conflict that they are going to flip and support the winning side so they can survive.”

Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted an increasingly grim picture of the prospect of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghan military, even as President Joe Biden and his advisers said publicly that was unlikely to happen as quickly, according to current and former U.

Classified assessments by American spy agencies over the summer painted an increasingly grim picture of the prospect of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghan military, even as President Joe Biden and his advisers said publicly that was unlikely to happen as quickly, according to current and former U.S. government officials. By July, many intelligence reports grew more pessimistic, questioning whether any Afghan security forces would muster serious resistance and whether the government could hold on in Kabul, the capital. Biden said on July 8 that the Afghan government was unlikely to fall and that there would be no chaotic evacuations of Americans similar to the end of the Vietnam War. The drumbeat of warnings over the summer raise questions about why Biden administration officials, and military planners in Afghanistan, seemed ill-prepared to deal with the Taliban’s final push into Kabul, including a failure to ensure security at the main airport and rushing thousands more troops back to the country to protect the United States’ final exit. One report in July — as dozens of Afghan districts were falling and Taliban fighters were laying siege to several major cities — laid out the growing risks to Kabul, noting that the Afghan government was unprepared for a Taliban assault, according to a person familiar with the intelligence. Intelligence agencies predicted that should the Taliban seize cities, a cascading collapse could happen rapidly and the Afghan security forces were at high risk of falling apart. It is unclear whether other reports during this period presented a more optimistic picture about the ability of the Afghan military and the government in Kabul to withstand the Taliban. A historical analysis provided to Congress concluded that the insurgents had learned lessons from their takeover of the country in the 1990s. This time, the report said, the Taliban would first secure border crossings, commandeer provincial capitals and seize swaths of the country’s north before moving in on Kabul, a prediction that proved accurate. But key American decisions were made long before July, when the consensus among intelligence agencies was that the Afghan government could hang on for as long as two years, which would have left ample time for an orderly exit. On April 27, when the State Department ordered the departure of nonessential personnel from the embassy in Kabul, the overall intelligence assessment was still that a Taliban takeover was at least 18 months away, according to administration officials. One senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified intelligence reports, said that even by July, as the situation grew more volatile, intelligence agencies never offered a clear prediction of an imminent Taliban takeover. The official said their assessments were also not given a “high confidence” judgment, the agencies’ highest level of certainty. As late as a week before Kabul’s fall, the overall intelligence analysis was that a Taliban takeover was not yet inevitable, the official said. Spokespeople for the CIA and the director of national intelligence declined to discuss the assessments given to the White House. But intelligence officials acknowledged that their agencies’ analysis had been sober and that the assessments had changed in recent weeks and months. During his speech on Monday, Biden said that his administration “planned for every contingency” in Afghanistan but that the situation “did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.” Facing clear evidence of the collapse of Afghan forces, U.S. officials have begun to cast blame internally, including statements from the White House that have suggested an intelligence failure. Such finger-pointing often occurs after major national security breakdowns, but it will take weeks or months for a more complete picture to emerge of the decision-making in the Biden administration that led to the chaos in Kabul in recent days. Intelligence agencies have long predicted an ultimate Taliban victory, even before President Donald Trump and Biden decided to withdraw forces. Those estimates provided a range of timelines. While they raised questions about the will of the Afghan security forces to fight without Americans by their side, they did not predict a collapse within weeks. But in recent months, assessments became ever more pessimistic as the Taliban made larger gains, according to current and former officials. The reports this summer questioned in stark terms the will of Afghan security forces to fight and the ability of the Kabul government to hold power. With each report of mass desertions, a former official said, the Afghan government looked less stable. Another CIA report in July noted that the security forces and central government had lost control of the roads leading into Kabul and assessed that the viability of the central government was in serious jeopardy. Other reports by the State Department’s intelligence and research division also noted the failure of Afghan forces to fight the Taliban and suggested the deteriorating security conditions could lead to the collapse of the government, according to government officials. “The business of intelligence is not to say you know on Aug. 15 the Afghan government’s going to fall,” said Timothy S. Bergreen, a former staff director for the House Intelligence Committee. “But what everybody knew is that without the stiffening of the international forces and specifically our forces, the Afghans were incapable of defending or governing themselves.” Afghanistan received little attention in the annual threat assessment released in April by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; but the brief discussion was dire, noting the Taliban was confident it could achieve a military victory. “The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield, and the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support,” the report said. But current and former officials said that while it was true that the CIA predicted a collapse of the Afghan government, it was often hard to get agency analysts to clearly predict how quickly that would occur, especially as Trump and then Biden made decisions on how fast to draw down troops. Two former senior Trump administration officials who reviewed some of the CIA’s assessments of Afghanistan said the intelligence agencies did deliver warnings about the strength of the Afghan government and security forces. But the agency resisted giving an exact time frame and the assessments could often be interpreted in a variety of ways, including concluding that Afghanistan could fall quickly or possibly over time. Sharp disagreements have also persisted in the intelligence community. The CIA for years has been pessimistic about the training of the Afghan security forces. But the Defense Intelligence Agency and other intelligence shops within the Pentagon delivered more optimistic assessments about the Afghans’ preparedness, according to current and former officials. Military and intelligence assessments predicting that the government in Kabul could hold on at least a year before a Taliban takeover were built on a premise that proved to be flawed: that the Afghan army would put up a fight. “Most of the U.S. assessments inside and outside the U.S. government had focused on how well the Afghan security forces would fare in a fight with the Taliban. In reality, they never really fought” during the Taliban blitz across the country, said Seth G. Jones, an Afghanistan expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Two decades ago, this dynamic played out in reverse. When U.S.-backed Afghan militias began capturing territory from the Taliban in late 2001, Taliban fighters folded relatively quickly, and both Kabul and Kandahar fell before the end of that year. Some Taliban surrendered, some switched sides, and far larger numbers simply melted into the population to begin planning what would become a 20-year insurgency. Intelligence officials have long observed that Afghans make cold calculations about who is likely to prevail in a conflict and back the winning side, a tactic that allows for battlefield gains to accumulate quickly until a tipping point turns the fight into a rout, according to current and former analysts. At the core of the American loss in Afghanistan was the inability to build a security force that could stand on its own, but that error was compounded by Washington’s failure to listen to those raising questions about the Afghan military. Part of the problem, according to former officials, is that the can-do attitude of the military frequently got in the way of candid, accurate assessments of how the Afghan security forces were doing. Though no one was blind to desertions or battlefield losses, American commanders given the task of training the Afghan military were reluctant to admit their efforts were failing. Even those in the military skeptical of the skills of the Afghan security forces believed they would continue to fight for a time after the Americans left. For months, intelligence officials have been making comparisons between the Afghan national security forces and the South Vietnamese army at the end of the Vietnam War. It took two years for South Vietnam’s military, known by the American acronym ARVN, to collapse after the United States withdrew troops and financial support. Optimists believed the Afghan military — with American funding — could last nearly as long. Pessimists thought it would be far shorter. “For the last two or three years I have been ruefully remarking that ANSF is Afghan for ARVN,” said Bergreen, who worked on intelligence matters on Capitol Hill from 2003 to 2021. “There was an acknowledgment that the Afghan forces were not up to the long-term fight. But I don’t think anyone expected them to melt away quite that fast.” Recent Taliban diplomatic maneuvers with other countries in the region, most notably China, lent an air of inevitability to a Taliban takeover that further demoralized Afghan government troops, Jones said. In the end, analysts said, the Taliban won with the strategy that has so often proved successful during Afghanistan’s many decades of war — they outlasted their opponent. “I am not that surprised it was as fast and sweeping as it was,” said Lisa Maddox, a former CIA analyst. “The Taliban certainly has shown their ability to persevere, hunker down and come back even after they have been beaten back. And you have a population that is so tired and weary of conflict that they are going to flip and support the winning side so they can survive.”

Intelligence warned of Afghan military collapse, despite Biden’s assurances

Acknowledging Afghan government collapsed more quickly than expected, US President Joe Biden suggested in a much-awaited televised address from the White House that they lacked will to stand up to the Taliban.&nbsp;

After several days of silence on the momentous developments, Biden said, "The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated."&nbsp;

Putting the blame squarely with Afghan military and civilian leadership, Biden said, "We gave them every tool they could need. We provided close air support. What we could not provide is the will to fight for their future."&nbsp;

Biden added, "So what’s happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight."&nbsp;

The US troops should not be fighting or dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves, said the president.&nbsp;

"We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong. Incredibly well equipped. A force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies," he emphasised. &nbsp;

"I am president of the United States of America and the buck stops with me," Biden said.&nbsp;

The president also passed scathing criticism on now-ousted Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who he said ignored his advice on greater unity among leaders and the pursuit of a diplomatic solution.&nbsp;

Commenting on the scenes of mayhem unfolding in Kabul, Biden said he was "deeply saddened" and promised to "speak out" on the rights of women under Taliban rule.&nbsp;

The US president is facing a torrent of criticism over the chaotic end to two decades of US-led military intervention.&nbsp;

Insisting he did not regret pulling out US troops, Biden said, "I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Acknowledging Afghan government collapsed more quickly than expected, US President Joe Biden suggested in a much-awaited televised address from the White House that they lacked will to stand up to the Taliban.

Acknowledging Afghan government collapsed more quickly than expected, US President Joe Biden suggested in a much-awaited televised address from the White House that they lacked will to stand up to the Taliban. After several days of silence on the momentous developments, Biden said, "The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated." Putting the blame squarely with Afghan military and civilian leadership, Biden said, "We gave them every tool they could need. We provided close air support. What we could not provide is the will to fight for their future." Biden added, "So what’s happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight." The US troops should not be fighting or dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves, said the president. "We spent over a trillion dollars. We trained and equipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong. Incredibly well equipped. A force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATO allies," he emphasised. "I am president of the United States of America and the buck stops with me," Biden said. The president also passed scathing criticism on now-ousted Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who he said ignored his advice on greater unity among leaders and the pursuit of a diplomatic solution. Commenting on the scenes of mayhem unfolding in Kabul, Biden said he was "deeply saddened" and promised to "speak out" on the rights of women under Taliban rule. The US president is facing a torrent of criticism over the chaotic end to two decades of US-led military intervention. Insisting he did not regret pulling out US troops, Biden said, "I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces." (With inputs from agencies)

US president Biden pins blame for Afghanistan debacle on Ghani govt 

Taliban stunned several global leaders as they easily took over the capital city of Kabul on Sunday after conquering Mazar-e-sharif and Jalalabad overnight on Saturday.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/war-is-over-in-afghanistan-says-taliban-as-us-is-stunned-by-ghani-govts-collapse-405864" hreflang="en">'War is over in Afghanistan', says Taliban as US is stunned by Ghani govt’s collapse</a>

After Taliban militants&nbsp;entered Kabul on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani left the country saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. It brought the group close to taking over the country two decades after they were overthrown by a US-led invasion. &nbsp;

Many countries have spoken against the Taliban's takeover and are now sending military flights to rescue nationals from Afghanistan.&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden released a statement before the Taliban entered the city of Kabul. It read: "One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country."

"And an endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict was not acceptable to me."

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Full statement from President Biden on Afghanistan: <a href="https://t.co/vkcW5UCE4h">pic.twitter.com/vkcW5UCE4h</a>
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) <a href="https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1426639588253126657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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After the Taliban entered the capital city, the Biden administration was&nbsp;stunned at&nbsp;the&nbsp;pace of the group's advance. While referring to the Afghan military, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated." &nbsp;

European Union Commission's Vice President Margaritis Schina expressed his concerns on Afghanistan, saying: "The clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe’s migration and asylum rules we need."

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If there is one thing that the situation in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus have shown, it is that the clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe’s migration and asylum rules we need. 
 
Τoday ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/LaStampa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaStampa</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/1U3WV9jD7i">https://t.co/1U3WV9jD7i</a>
— Margaritis Schinas (@MargSchinas) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargSchinas/status/1426830971656146945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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India has decided not to shut its&nbsp;embassy in Kabul and as per sources close to PTI, the government has kept a fleet of C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft on standby to undertake evacuation missions.&nbsp;

"The government is closely monitoring fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian Embassy in Kabul at any risk," said a source told PTI.

IN PICS|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/taliban-have-won-rise-and-fall-of-afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-405867" hreflang="en">'Taliban have won': Rise and fall of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani</a>

British PM Boris Johnson vowed to never turn his back on Afghanistan.

"What we must do now is not turn our backs on Afghanistan," he stressed, adding that Britain could be "extremely proud" of its role in the country, especially in advancing girls' education, gains that are now imperilled by the Taliban advance.

We must not&nbsp;abandon Afghanistan, he stressed, adding that Britain can take great pride in its role in the country, particularly in the advancement of girls' education, gains now threatened by the Taliban's advance.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres expressed his concern "about the future of women and girls, whose hard-won rights must be protected" in a statement. The UNSC is set to meet on Monday and will discuss the situation in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Taliban stunned several global leaders as they easily took over the capital city of Kabul on Sunday after conquering Mazar-e-sharif and Jalalabad overnight on Saturday.

Taliban stunned several global leaders as they easily took over the capital city of Kabul on Sunday after conquering Mazar-e-sharif and Jalalabad overnight on Saturday. ALSO READ: 'War is over in Afghanistan', says Taliban as US is stunned by Ghani govt’s collapse After Taliban militants entered Kabul on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani left the country saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. It brought the group close to taking over the country two decades after they were overthrown by a US-led invasion. Many countries have spoken against the Taliban's takeover and are now sending military flights to rescue nationals from Afghanistan. US President Joe Biden released a statement before the Taliban entered the city of Kabul. It read: "One more year, or five more years, of US military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country." "And an endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict was not acceptable to me." Full statement from President Biden on Afghanistan: pic.twitter.com/vkcW5UCE4h — Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) August 14, 2021 × After the Taliban entered the capital city, the Biden administration was stunned at the pace of the group's advance. While referring to the Afghan military, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country, and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated." European Union Commission's Vice President Margaritis Schina expressed his concerns on Afghanistan, saying: "The clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe’s migration and asylum rules we need." If there is one thing that the situation in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus have shown, it is that the clock has run out on how long we can wait to adopt the complete overhaul of Europe’s migration and asylum rules we need. Τoday ⁦@LaStampa⁩ https://t.co/1U3WV9jD7i — Margaritis Schinas (@MargSchinas) August 15, 2021 × India has decided not to shut its embassy in Kabul and as per sources close to PTI, the government has kept a fleet of C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft on standby to undertake evacuation missions. "The government is closely monitoring fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian Embassy in Kabul at any risk," said a source told PTI. IN PICS| 'Taliban have won': Rise and fall of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani British PM Boris Johnson vowed to never turn his back on Afghanistan. "What we must do now is not turn our backs on Afghanistan," he stressed, adding that Britain could be "extremely proud" of its role in the country, especially in advancing girls' education, gains that are now imperilled by the Taliban advance. We must not abandon Afghanistan, he stressed, adding that Britain can take great pride in its role in the country, particularly in the advancement of girls' education, gains now threatened by the Taliban's advance. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres expressed his concern "about the future of women and girls, whose hard-won rights must be protected" in a statement. The UNSC is set to meet on Monday and will discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

Shock and awe: World expresses concern as Taliban enter Kabul

In a letter to US President Joe Biden,&nbsp;Congressman Mike Waltz&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;urged&nbsp;the administration to take immediate steps to provide assistance to the&nbsp;Afghan people in fight against the Taliban. He said it is time to&nbsp;make significant changes to the regional strategy.&nbsp;

Waltz asked&nbsp;Biden to&nbsp;provide military resources to assist the Afghan National Security Forces,&nbsp;including air support to&nbsp;check&nbsp;the Taliban offensive. The&nbsp;congressman also asked to&nbsp;immediately cut off aid to Pakistan and consider sanctions, and ask for Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad’s resignation “due to his catastrophic diplomatic strategy.”&nbsp;

Waltz&nbsp;wrote,&nbsp;“The Afghan Government and its people desperately need our help and I urge you to reverse course and provide military resources to assist the Afghan National Security Forces.”&nbsp;

Meanwhile,&nbsp;an Afghan lawmaker says the Taliban have captured Logar province, just south of the capital, Kabul.&nbsp;Homa Ahmadi, a lawmaker form Logar, says that Taliban control the entire province, including its capital, and reached a district in the neighbouring Kabul province on Saturday.&nbsp;

That puts the insurgents less than 80 kilometers south of the nation's capital. The Taliban have also captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan.&nbsp;

The Taliban launched a multi-pronged assault early on Saturday on Mazar-e-Sharif, a major city in northern Afghanistan defended by powerful former warlords.&nbsp;

Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor in northern Balkh province, said the Taliban attacked the city from several directions setting off heavy fighting on its outskirts.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a letter to US President Joe Biden, Congressman Mike Waltz on Friday urged the administration to take immediate steps to provide assistance to the Afghan people in fight against the Taliban.

In a letter to US President Joe Biden, Congressman Mike Waltz on Friday urged the administration to take immediate steps to provide assistance to the Afghan people in fight against the Taliban. He said it is time to make significant changes to the regional strategy. Waltz asked Biden to provide military resources to assist the Afghan National Security Forces, including air support to check the Taliban offensive. The congressman also asked to immediately cut off aid to Pakistan and consider sanctions, and ask for Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad’s resignation “due to his catastrophic diplomatic strategy.” Waltz wrote, “The Afghan Government and its people desperately need our help and I urge you to reverse course and provide military resources to assist the Afghan National Security Forces.” Meanwhile, an Afghan lawmaker says the Taliban have captured Logar province, just south of the capital, Kabul. Homa Ahmadi, a lawmaker form Logar, says that Taliban control the entire province, including its capital, and reached a district in the neighbouring Kabul province on Saturday. That puts the insurgents less than 80 kilometers south of the nation's capital. The Taliban have also captured much of northern, western and southern Afghanistan. The Taliban launched a multi-pronged assault early on Saturday on Mazar-e-Sharif, a major city in northern Afghanistan defended by powerful former warlords. Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor in northern Balkh province, said the Taliban attacked the city from several directions setting off heavy fighting on its outskirts. (With inputs from agencies)

US lawmaker asks Biden to change course as Taliban reach near Kabul 

Former president Donald Trump blasted his successor Joe Biden on Thursday for putting no conditions on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and said that a violent Taliban surge in the war-torn country was "not acceptable."

Trump said the US pullout, which Biden has set for August 31 and which is already all but complete, would have been "a much different and much more successful withdrawal" if he were still president.

It was under Trump that the US brokered a deal with the Taliban in Doha in 2020 that would have seen the US withdraw all its troops by May 2021 in exchange for various security guarantees from the militants.

When Biden took power earlier this year, he pushed back the deadline for the withdrawal and set no conditions for it.&nbsp;

"If I were now president, the world would find that our withdrawal from Afghanistan would be a conditions-based withdrawal," Trump claimed in a statement.

"I personally had discussions with top Taliban leaders whereby they understood what they are doing now would not have been acceptable," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/snubbed-khan-rues-pak-good-for-us-only-to-clean-up-afghan-mess-india-a-strategic-ally-404898">Also read |&nbsp;Snubbed Khan rues Pak good for US only to clean up Afghan mess, India a strategic ally</a>

"It would have been a much different and much more successful withdrawal, and the Taliban understood that better than anyone," he said.

Trump, who despite his election loss remains the biggest single force in the opposition Republican party, did not provide any details of what he would have done to halt the advances of the insurgents.

Authorities in Kabul have now effectively lost most of northern and western Afghanistan and are left holding a scattered archipelago of contested cities also dangerously at risk.

Some US officials fear the Taliban could take over Kabul within three months of the August 31 deadline.

The United States signed the agreement with the Taliban in Doha on February 29, 2020, committing to a pullout of US and NATO troops by May 1, 2021 in exchange for security guarantees.

They included a promise by the militants to hold peace talks with the government in Kabul, to not attack the US or its interests, and to not support groups like Al-Qaeda in attacking the United States.

In the wake of the agreement the Trump administration sharply cut the number of US forces inside Afghanistan and remained committed to the May 1 deadline, even as the Taliban accelerated its offensive against government security forces following the Doha deal.

Trump's troop reductions continued after he lost the November election to leave the number at 2,500, along with some 16,000 civilian contractors, still in Afghanistan when Biden took office on January 20.

Biden paused further withdrawal for a review of policy, and in April announced that the pullout would go ahead, pushing the deadline back initially to September 11, 2021, before moving it up again to August 31.&nbsp;

Former president Donald Trump blasted his successor Joe Biden on Thursday for putting no conditions on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and said that a violent Taliban surge in the war-torn country was "not acceptable.

Former president Donald Trump blasted his successor Joe Biden on Thursday for putting no conditions on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and said that a violent Taliban surge in the war-torn country was "not acceptable." Trump said the US pullout, which Biden has set for August 31 and which is already all but complete, would have been "a much different and much more successful withdrawal" if he were still president. It was under Trump that the US brokered a deal with the Taliban in Doha in 2020 that would have seen the US withdraw all its troops by May 2021 in exchange for various security guarantees from the militants. When Biden took power earlier this year, he pushed back the deadline for the withdrawal and set no conditions for it. "If I were now president, the world would find that our withdrawal from Afghanistan would be a conditions-based withdrawal," Trump claimed in a statement. "I personally had discussions with top Taliban leaders whereby they understood what they are doing now would not have been acceptable," he said. Also read | Snubbed Khan rues Pak good for US only to clean up Afghan mess, India a strategic ally "It would have been a much different and much more successful withdrawal, and the Taliban understood that better than anyone," he said. Trump, who despite his election loss remains the biggest single force in the opposition Republican party, did not provide any details of what he would have done to halt the advances of the insurgents. Authorities in Kabul have now effectively lost most of northern and western Afghanistan and are left holding a scattered archipelago of contested cities also dangerously at risk. Some US officials fear the Taliban could take over Kabul within three months of the August 31 deadline. The United States signed the agreement with the Taliban in Doha on February 29, 2020, committing to a pullout of US and NATO troops by May 1, 2021 in exchange for security guarantees. They included a promise by the militants to hold peace talks with the government in Kabul, to not attack the US or its interests, and to not support groups like Al-Qaeda in attacking the United States. In the wake of the agreement the Trump administration sharply cut the number of US forces inside Afghanistan and remained committed to the May 1 deadline, even as the Taliban accelerated its offensive against government security forces following the Doha deal. Trump's troop reductions continued after he lost the November election to leave the number at 2,500, along with some 16,000 civilian contractors, still in Afghanistan when Biden took office on January 20. Biden paused further withdrawal for a review of policy, and in April announced that the pullout would go ahead, pushing the deadline back initially to September 11, 2021, before moving it up again to August 31.

Trump blames Biden for 'unacceptable' Taliban surge in Afghanistan

The actions come on the one-year anniversary of Lukashenko's election to a sixth term in a vote that the U.S. and the European Union say was fraudulent.

Biden administration imposes another round of sanctions on Belarus

Pakistan has other options if US President Joe Biden continues to ignore the country's leadership, National Security Adviser (NAS) Moeed Yusuf has said in an interview to The Financial Times (FT). However, Pakistan NSA Yusuf did not elaborate on his options.

This comment comes amid Islamabad's growing frustration over Joe Biden's snub to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Biden hasn't called Khan since he assumed office in January this year.

"The president of the United States hasn't spoken to the prime minister of such an important country who the US itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan we struggle to understand the signal, right?" Yusuf said, as quoted by Dawn newspaper.

"We've been told every time that... [the phone call] will happen, it's technical reasons or whatever. But frankly, people don't believe it," he said. "If a phone call is a concession, if a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options," he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/exclusive-taliban-says-it-doesnt-have-ties-with-pak-based-terror-groups-like-let-jem-398814">Also read |&nbsp;Exclusive:&nbsp;Taliban says it doesn't have ties with Pak-based terror groups like&nbsp;LeT,&nbsp;JeM&nbsp;</a>

Despite efforts from Pakistan NSA, Islamabad's ties with the US remains in a critical state. Top Pak top officials have been holding a series of meetings with the top US administration officials but 'divergent' views on Afghanistan and China have proved to be a hurdle between both the countries, The Nation reported citing a diplomatic source.

"Divergent views on Afghanistan and China factor are the reason for tense ties between Islamabad and Washington, after the meeting, the US National Security Adviser's tweet was focused on Afghanistan while there was no mention of Afghanistan in Dr

Moeed Yousaf's tweet," the source informed.

The US has urged Islamabad to put pressure on the Taliban, however, the Pakistan side made it clear that they do not have any control over the Taliban.

In FT interview, Pak NSA complained about the US President's failure to contact Imran Khan as Washington sought help to stop the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, an official from the Biden administration told FT: "There are still a number of world leaders President Biden has not been able to speak with personally yet. He looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Khan when the time is right."

Pakistan has other options if US President Joe Biden continues to ignore the country's leadership, National Security Adviser (NAS) Moeed Yusuf has said in an interview to The Financial Times (FT).

Pakistan has other options if US President Joe Biden continues to ignore the country's leadership, National Security Adviser (NAS) Moeed Yusuf has said in an interview to The Financial Times (FT). However, Pakistan NSA Yusuf did not elaborate on his options. This comment comes amid Islamabad's growing frustration over Joe Biden's snub to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Biden hasn't called Khan since he assumed office in January this year. "The president of the United States hasn't spoken to the prime minister of such an important country who the US itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan we struggle to understand the signal, right?" Yusuf said, as quoted by Dawn newspaper. "We've been told every time that... [the phone call] will happen, it's technical reasons or whatever. But frankly, people don't believe it," he said. "If a phone call is a concession, if a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options," he added. Also read | Exclusive: Taliban says it doesn't have ties with Pak-based terror groups like LeT, JeM Despite efforts from Pakistan NSA, Islamabad's ties with the US remains in a critical state. Top Pak top officials have been holding a series of meetings with the top US administration officials but 'divergent' views on Afghanistan and China have proved to be a hurdle between both the countries, The Nation reported citing a diplomatic source. "Divergent views on Afghanistan and China factor are the reason for tense ties between Islamabad and Washington, after the meeting, the US National Security Adviser's tweet was focused on Afghanistan while there was no mention of Afghanistan in Dr Moeed Yousaf's tweet," the source informed. The US has urged Islamabad to put pressure on the Taliban, however, the Pakistan side made it clear that they do not have any control over the Taliban. In FT interview, Pak NSA complained about the US President's failure to contact Imran Khan as Washington sought help to stop the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan. Meanwhile, an official from the Biden administration told FT: "There are still a number of world leaders President Biden has not been able to speak with personally yet. He looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Khan when the time is right."

'Pakistan has other options': NSA Yusuf tells US over Biden snub

Hoping Pakistan will play a positive role in de-escalating Afghan violence, a US State Department official said, "It is not in Pakistan’s interest to see Afghanistan in a civil war".&nbsp;

US State Department spokesperson Zed Tarar made the statement while touching upon a range of issues being tackled by the US government during a media briefing.&nbsp;

Tarar said, “Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic is a major priority [for the Biden administration]. Our administration is working tirelessly to defeat Covid globally. The US sent three million doses of Moderna to Pakistan this week, which was the second shipment after 2.5 million vaccine doses were sent earlier.”&nbsp;

Pakistan has also been given $60 million in assistance to combat COVID-19, spokesperson said, while adding that “it’s a small part in the hope that we can work with our allies to overcome the pandemic”.&nbsp;

On being asked about the reason why US President Joe Biden has not called Prime Minister Imran Khan, Tarar said: “There is no such thing [snub or oversight]. I would not read such a message into it. If you see our overall relationship, we have several engagements and are constantly in communication. Senior Pakistani officials are talking to their US counterparts and we are announcing that in a transparent manner.&nbsp;

“If we start going down the road of ticking boxes of invites and phone calls, it would be silly especially without looking at the broader picture.”&nbsp;

When asked about the US role in Afghanistan, Tarar said, “We want the future of Afghanistan to be in the hands of the people of Afghanistan. We are not abandoning Afghanistan, we will work towards a better future but it is not a military solution. Our diplomatic assistance to Afghanistan will continue.”&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Hoping Pakistan will play a positive role in de-escalating Afghan violence, a US State Department official said, "It is not in Pakistan’s interest to see Afghanistan in a civil war".

Hoping Pakistan will play a positive role in de-escalating Afghan violence, a US State Department official said, "It is not in Pakistan’s interest to see Afghanistan in a civil war". US State Department spokesperson Zed Tarar made the statement while touching upon a range of issues being tackled by the US government during a media briefing. Tarar said, “Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic is a major priority [for the Biden administration]. Our administration is working tirelessly to defeat Covid globally. The US sent three million doses of Moderna to Pakistan this week, which was the second shipment after 2.5 million vaccine doses were sent earlier.” Pakistan has also been given $60 million in assistance to combat COVID-19, spokesperson said, while adding that “it’s a small part in the hope that we can work with our allies to overcome the pandemic”. On being asked about the reason why US President Joe Biden has not called Prime Minister Imran Khan, Tarar said: “There is no such thing [snub or oversight]. I would not read such a message into it. If you see our overall relationship, we have several engagements and are constantly in communication. Senior Pakistani officials are talking to their US counterparts and we are announcing that in a transparent manner. “If we start going down the road of ticking boxes of invites and phone calls, it would be silly especially without looking at the broader picture.” When asked about the US role in Afghanistan, Tarar said, “We want the future of Afghanistan to be in the hands of the people of Afghanistan. We are not abandoning Afghanistan, we will work towards a better future but it is not a military solution. Our diplomatic assistance to Afghanistan will continue.” (With inputs from agencies)

Biden administration hopes Pakistan will help reduce Afghan violence: Official 

During a meeting with governors on Friday, US President Joe Biden unintentionally revealed a note from his staff informing him that he had something on his face after a yellow mark was noticed on his chin.

When the President received the message, he was in the middle of a meeting on the White House grounds on wildfire prevention.&nbsp;

A video showing Biden's staffer handing him the message as Vice President Kamala Harris was speaking to the governors was quickly published on Twitter by the Republican National Committee (RNC).&nbsp;

“After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, ‘there’s something on your chin,’ Biden wipes his chin,” tweeted the account, “[He] Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth?”&nbsp;

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After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, “there’s something on your chin,” Biden wipes his chin. 
 
Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth? <a href="https://t.co/VvN17i4IWY">pic.twitter.com/VvN17i4IWY</a>
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However, the president flipped the sheet of paper over, exposing the message to everybody.

He was also seen wiping his chin and then inspecting his hand to see whether he had properly wiped it off in the footage.&nbsp;

On Twitter, his opponents mocked him for the gaffe, referring to his age — a common taunt of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who was known for making blunders while in government.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

During a meeting with governors on Friday, US President Joe Biden unintentionally revealed a note from his staff informing him that he had something on his face after a yellow mark was noticed on his chin.

During a meeting with governors on Friday, US President Joe Biden unintentionally revealed a note from his staff informing him that he had something on his face after a yellow mark was noticed on his chin. When the President received the message, he was in the middle of a meeting on the White House grounds on wildfire prevention. A video showing Biden's staffer handing him the message as Vice President Kamala Harris was speaking to the governors was quickly published on Twitter by the Republican National Committee (RNC). “After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, ‘there’s something on your chin,’ Biden wipes his chin,” tweeted the account, “[He] Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth?” After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, “there’s something on your chin,” Biden wipes his chin. Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth? pic.twitter.com/VvN17i4IWY — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 30, 2021 × However, the president flipped the sheet of paper over, exposing the message to everybody. He was also seen wiping his chin and then inspecting his hand to see whether he had properly wiped it off in the footage. On Twitter, his opponents mocked him for the gaffe, referring to his age — a common taunt of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who was known for making blunders while in government. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: ‘Sir, there is something on your chin’ — Biden accidentally reveals staff note

US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Rashad Hussain as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, making him the first Muslim to be nominated for the role, the White House said.&nbsp;

It goes on to say that the news demonstrates Biden's determination to "create an Administration that...reflects people of all faiths."

Hussain has previously served in Barack Obama's administration.

In a statement on Friday, the White House said, “Today’s announcement underscores the President’s commitment to building an administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths. Hussain is the first Muslim to be nominated to serve as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom."

Rashad Hussain, 41, is the National Security Council's Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement.

He formerly worked for the Department of Justice's National Security Division as a Senior Counsel.&nbsp;

Rashad Hussain was the US Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), US Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, and Deputy Associate White House Counsel during the Obama administration.&nbsp;

Rashad Hussain has led efforts in Muslim-majority nations to combat anti-Semitism and safeguard religious minorities.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Rashad Hussain as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, making him the first Muslim to be nominated for the role, the White House said.

US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American Rashad Hussain as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, making him the first Muslim to be nominated for the role, the White House said. It goes on to say that the news demonstrates Biden's determination to "create an Administration that...reflects people of all faiths." Hussain has previously served in Barack Obama's administration. In a statement on Friday, the White House said, “Today’s announcement underscores the President’s commitment to building an administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths. Hussain is the first Muslim to be nominated to serve as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom." Rashad Hussain, 41, is the National Security Council's Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement. He formerly worked for the Department of Justice's National Security Division as a Senior Counsel. Rashad Hussain was the US Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), US Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, and Deputy Associate White House Counsel during the Obama administration. Rashad Hussain has led efforts in Muslim-majority nations to combat anti-Semitism and safeguard religious minorities. (With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden nominates first Muslim as his International Religious Freedom envoy

US President Joe Biden said on Friday "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Asked if Americans should expect new recommendations from health authorities or new restrictive measures, the president responded, "in all probability," before leaving the White House by helicopter for the weekend.

He did not specify what steps could be taken.&nbsp;

US federal authorities, local officials and businesses have boosted health protocols in recent days in the face of surging cases spurred by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.&nbsp;

Biden added, however, that the country had had "a good day" on Thursday in terms of vaccinations.&nbsp;

<a href="wionews.com/world/us-sanctions-top-cuban-police-for-suppressing-protests-401871">Also read |US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests</a>

"Almost a million people got vaccinated," he said, as his administration works to revive a sluggish inoculation campaign.&nbsp;

"I am hopeful people are beginning to realize how essential it is."

US health authorities this week recommended that even vaccinated Americans again wear masks indoors in areas with high infection rates.

The federal government has also tightened health regulations for its millions of employees, who must now either be vaccinated or wear masks and be tested regularly, even in areas with low case numbers.&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden said on Friday "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Asked if Americans should expect new recommendations from health authorities or new restrictive measures, the president responded, "in all probability," before leaving the White House by helicopter for the weekend. He did not specify what steps could be taken. US federal authorities, local officials and businesses have boosted health protocols in recent days in the face of surging cases spurred by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Biden added, however, that the country had had "a good day" on Thursday in terms of vaccinations. Also read |US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests "Almost a million people got vaccinated," he said, as his administration works to revive a sluggish inoculation campaign. "I am hopeful people are beginning to realize how essential it is." US health authorities this week recommended that even vaccinated Americans again wear masks indoors in areas with high infection rates. The federal government has also tightened health regulations for its millions of employees, who must now either be vaccinated or wear masks and be tested regularly, even in areas with low case numbers.

Biden says US to see new COVID-19 restrictions 'in all probability'

US President Joe Biden has chosen Pakistani-origin Khizr Khan as commissioner (head) of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said White House in a statement on Friday.&nbsp;

During the last year's US presidential elections, Khan had endorsed Biden.&nbsp;As per a CNN report, the White House recognises Khan as 'an advocate for religious freedom as a core element of human dignity’.&nbsp;

The White House also said, “Khizr Khan devotes a substantial amount of his time to providing legal services to veterans, men and women serving in uniform, and their families. Today's announcement underscores the president's commitment to build an administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths." &nbsp;

Recently, US President Joe Biden seems to be poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy as the country’s ambassador to Australia. It could be one of the highest-profile envoy selections by the White House. &nbsp;

In the Obama administration, the daughter of former President John F Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, had served as ambassador to Japan. &nbsp;

Kennedy is an ally, donor and longtime friend of Biden, who endorsed the President's candidacy early in the campaign. She also spoke last summer at the Democratic convention. &nbsp;

A spokesperson of White House declined to comment on the matter.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

US President Joe Biden has chosen Pakistani-origin Khizr Khan as commissioner (head) of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said White House in a statement on Friday.

US President Joe Biden has chosen Pakistani-origin Khizr Khan as commissioner (head) of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said White House in a statement on Friday. During the last year's US presidential elections, Khan had endorsed Biden. As per a CNN report, the White House recognises Khan as 'an advocate for religious freedom as a core element of human dignity’. The White House also said, “Khizr Khan devotes a substantial amount of his time to providing legal services to veterans, men and women serving in uniform, and their families. Today's announcement underscores the president's commitment to build an administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths." Recently, US President Joe Biden seems to be poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy as the country’s ambassador to Australia. It could be one of the highest-profile envoy selections by the White House. In the Obama administration, the daughter of former President John F Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, had served as ambassador to Japan. Kennedy is an ally, donor and longtime friend of Biden, who endorsed the President's candidacy early in the campaign. She also spoke last summer at the Democratic convention. A spokesperson of White House declined to comment on the matter. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden appoints Pak-origin Khizr Khan as chief of religious freedom commission 

US President Joe Biden has urged the states to offer $100 as a vaccine incentive to encourage Americans to get fully vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus. This comes amid a fresh surge in severe infections and deaths as cases surge in the US.

US President Joe Biden has urged the states to offer $100 as a vaccine incentive to encourage Americans to get fully vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus. This comes amid a fresh surge in severe infections and deaths as cases surge in the US. As per the US health experts, the surge is linked to the delta variant. Biden has also issued a strict new vaccine requirement for US federal workers, which is the nation's largest workforce with around two million people. Also read | US recorded highest new COVID-19 cases worldwide in past week: WHO As per the orders, the employees are required to show proof of vaccination or be subjected to mandatory testing and masking. Speaking from the White House, Biden said that the new measures are a result of the highly contagious Delta variant's spread, made worse by a "pandemic of the unvaccinated". He further added that monetary incentives may seem unfair to already vaccinated Americans but "we all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated". Meanwhile, as the US reports fresh coronavirus cases, the World Health Organization in its latest report said that over the past week the highest numbers of new cases were reported in the US. The US accounted for 500,332 COVID-19 cases which was an increase of 131 per cent followed by Brazil with 324,334 new cases - up 13 per cent and Indonesia with 289,029 cases.

Biden tells states to offer $100 vaccine incentive as cases surge

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that nuclear talks with Iran "cannot go on indefinitely" but that Washington was "fully prepared" to continue negotiations.

"We're committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot go on indefinitely... we look to see what Iran is ready to do or not ready to do and remain fully prepared to return to Vienna to continue negotiations," Blinken said during a visit to Kuwait on Thursday.

"The ball remains in Iran's court."

It comes after&nbsp;Iran's supreme leader's&nbsp;declaration&nbsp;Tehran would not accept Washington's "stubborn" demands in talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal and said the United States had failed to guarantee that it would never abandon the pact again.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/irans-khamenei-blames-cowardly-united-states-for-pause-in-nuclear-talks-401331" hreflang="en">Iran's Khamenei blames 'cowardly' United States for pause in nuclear talks</a>

Since April 9, Tehran and six world powers have been in talks to revive the nuclear pact ditched three years ago by then U.S. President Donald Trump, who argued it favoured Iran.

The sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington adjourned on June 20, two days after hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi was elected president of the Islamic Republic. Parties involved in the negotiations have yet to announce when the next round of negotiations will resume.

Like&nbsp;Khamenei, Raisi has backed the revival of the nuclear pact but officials have said that his government might adopt "a hardline" approach.&nbsp;Khamenei, not the president, has the last say on Iran's state matters, including the nuclear policy.

Iranian and Western officials have said significant gaps remained to reinstate the deal, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program to make it harder to obtain fissile material for a weapon in return for relief from tough sanctions. Iran says it has never sought nuclear weapons and never would.

Harsh sanctions reimposed by Trump since 2018 have prompted Tehran to violate the deal's limits. However, Tehran says its nuclear steps are reversible if Washington lifts all sanctions.

Biden seeks to reinstate and eventually broaden the pact to put more limits on Iran’s nuclear work and its missile development and constrain its regional activities.

(With inputs from agencies)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that nuclear talks with Iran "cannot go on indefinitely" but that Washington was "fully prepared" to continue negotiations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that nuclear talks with Iran "cannot go on indefinitely" but that Washington was "fully prepared" to continue negotiations. "We're committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot go on indefinitely... we look to see what Iran is ready to do or not ready to do and remain fully prepared to return to Vienna to continue negotiations," Blinken said during a visit to Kuwait on Thursday. "The ball remains in Iran's court." It comes after Iran's supreme leader's declaration Tehran would not accept Washington's "stubborn" demands in talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal and said the United States had failed to guarantee that it would never abandon the pact again. Also read| Iran's Khamenei blames 'cowardly' United States for pause in nuclear talks Since April 9, Tehran and six world powers have been in talks to revive the nuclear pact ditched three years ago by then U.S. President Donald Trump, who argued it favoured Iran. The sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington adjourned on June 20, two days after hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi was elected president of the Islamic Republic. Parties involved in the negotiations have yet to announce when the next round of negotiations will resume. Like Khamenei, Raisi has backed the revival of the nuclear pact but officials have said that his government might adopt "a hardline" approach. Khamenei, not the president, has the last say on Iran's state matters, including the nuclear policy. Iranian and Western officials have said significant gaps remained to reinstate the deal, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program to make it harder to obtain fissile material for a weapon in return for relief from tough sanctions. Iran says it has never sought nuclear weapons and never would. Harsh sanctions reimposed by Trump since 2018 have prompted Tehran to violate the deal's limits. However, Tehran says its nuclear steps are reversible if Washington lifts all sanctions. Biden seeks to reinstate and eventually broaden the pact to put more limits on Iran’s nuclear work and its missile development and constrain its regional activities. (With inputs from agencies)

Blinken says nuclear talks with Iran 'cannot go on indefinitely'

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that if the United States ended up in a "real shooting war" with a "major power" it could be the result of a significant cyber attack on the country, highlighting what Washington sees as growing threats posed by Russia and China. 
 
Cybersecurity has risen to the top of the agenda for the Biden administration after a series of high-profile attacks on entities such as network management company SolarWinds, the Colonial Pipeline company, meat processing company JBS and software firm Kaseya hurt the US&nbsp;far beyond just the companies hacked. Some of the attacks affected fuel and food supplies in parts of the United States. 
 
"I think it's more than likely we're going to end up, if we end up in a war - a real shooting war with a major power - it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence and it's increasing exponentially, the capabilities," Biden said during a half-hour speech while visiting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). 
 
During a June 16 summit in Geneva between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden shared a list of critical infrastructure the US&nbsp;considers off-limits to nation-state actors. 
 
Since then, senior members of the Biden administration's national security team have been in constant contact with senior members of the Kremlin over cyber attacks on the United States, the White House has said. 
 
Biden also highlighted the threats posed by China, referring to President Xi Jinping as "deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the largest and most prominent economy in the world by the mid-40s, the 2040s."

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that if the United States ended up in a "real shooting war" with a "major power" it could be the result of a significant cyber attack on the country, highlighting what Washington sees as growing threats posed by Russia and China.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that if the United States ended up in a "real shooting war" with a "major power" it could be the result of a significant cyber attack on the country, highlighting what Washington sees as growing threats posed by Russia and China. Cybersecurity has risen to the top of the agenda for the Biden administration after a series of high-profile attacks on entities such as network management company SolarWinds, the Colonial Pipeline company, meat processing company JBS and software firm Kaseya hurt the US far beyond just the companies hacked. Some of the attacks affected fuel and food supplies in parts of the United States. "I think it's more than likely we're going to end up, if we end up in a war - a real shooting war with a major power - it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence and it's increasing exponentially, the capabilities," Biden said during a half-hour speech while visiting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). During a June 16 summit in Geneva between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden shared a list of critical infrastructure the US considers off-limits to nation-state actors. Since then, senior members of the Biden administration's national security team have been in constant contact with senior members of the Kremlin over cyber attacks on the United States, the White House has said. Biden also highlighted the threats posed by China, referring to President Xi Jinping as "deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the largest and most prominent economy in the world by the mid-40s, the 2040s."

Biden: If US has 'real shooting war' it could be result of cyber attacks

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Americans "still need to do better" on COVID-19 vaccinations, as US health authorities tightened mask guidelines for parts of the country where infections are surging once again.

In a statement following the move by the Centres for Disease Control to require the vaccinated to mask up indoors in high-risk areas, Biden said he would lay out new steps on Thursday to overcome a lag in vaccinations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/keepthemhome-trends-on-twitter-as-activists-urge-biden-to-let-prisoners-stay-at-home-400564">Also read |&nbsp;#KeepThemHome trends on Twitter as activists urge Biden to let prisoners stay at home</a>

In a separate address to the US intelligence community, when asked about a possible vaccine mandate for US federal workers, Biden replied: "That's under consideration right now."

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Americans "still need to do better" on COVID-19 vaccinations, as US health authorities tightened mask guidelines for parts of the country where infections are surging once again.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Americans "still need to do better" on COVID-19 vaccinations, as US health authorities tightened mask guidelines for parts of the country where infections are surging once again. In a statement following the move by the Centres for Disease Control to require the vaccinated to mask up indoors in high-risk areas, Biden said he would lay out new steps on Thursday to overcome a lag in vaccinations. Also read | #KeepThemHome trends on Twitter as activists urge Biden to let prisoners stay at home In a separate address to the US intelligence community, when asked about a possible vaccine mandate for US federal workers, Biden replied: "That's under consideration right now."

Biden says US must 'do better' on COVID-19 vaccinations

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Russia of seeking to disrupt 2022 elections by disseminating "misinformation". His statement came as he visited office of the director of national intelligence near Washington.

"Look at what Russia is doing already about the 2022 elections and misinformation," Biden said

"It's a pure violation of our sovereignty."

Biden also lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin has "a real problem, he is sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and nothing else," Biden said. "He knows he is in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous in my view."

Biden expressed concern about the recent increase in cyberattacks, particularly via ransomware. A ransomware involves a hacker encrypting victims' data and demanding money for restoring access.

"If we end up in a war, a real shooting war, with a major power, it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach," Biden said.

Midterm elections are due in the US in the fall of 2022. In these elections all seats of House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be on the ballot.

Washington recently accused Beijing of carrying out the massive hack in March of Microsoft Exchange, and the White House has also repeatedly called on Russia to take action against ransomware attacks originating from within the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Russia of seeking to disrupt 2022 elections by disseminating "misinformation". His statement came as he visited office of the director of national intelligence near Washington.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Russia of seeking to disrupt 2022 elections by disseminating "misinformation". His statement came as he visited office of the director of national intelligence near Washington. "Look at what Russia is doing already about the 2022 elections and misinformation," Biden said "It's a pure violation of our sovereignty." Biden also lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has "a real problem, he is sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and nothing else," Biden said. "He knows he is in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous in my view." Biden expressed concern about the recent increase in cyberattacks, particularly via ransomware. A ransomware involves a hacker encrypting victims' data and demanding money for restoring access. "If we end up in a war, a real shooting war, with a major power, it's going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach," Biden said. Midterm elections are due in the US in the fall of 2022. In these elections all seats of House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be on the ballot. Washington recently accused Beijing of carrying out the massive hack in March of Microsoft Exchange, and the White House has also repeatedly called on Russia to take action against ransomware attacks originating from within the country. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden alleges Russia trying to disrupt 2022 elections

President Joe Biden opened talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi on Monday saying relations were in a "new phase" that would include the end of US combat operations in the country.

With Kadhemi at his side in the White House, Biden said that the US is "committed to our security cooperation" and will "to continue to train, to assist, to help, to deal with ISIS as it arises."

"But we're not going to be, at the end of the year, in a combat mission," he said.

Biden also stressed US support for elections in October in Iraq, saying Washington is working closely with Baghdad, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations to ensure the elections are fair.

Kadhemi said the US and Iraq have a "strategic partnership."

"America, they help Iraq. Together we fight, fight and defeat ISIS," he said.

"Today, our relation is stronger than ever -- our partnership in the economy, the environment, health, education, culture and more."

Biden is currently also overseeing the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, with the Taliban on the offensive amid fears they could even topple the Kabul government.

Political support

Biden's comments confirmed his readinesses to further limit US involvement in Iraq, but without removing the remaining 2,500 troops in the country, 18 years after the United States invaded to remove strongman Saddam Hussein.

The move could lend political support to Kadhemi, in power for little over a year and under pressure from Iran-allied political factions to push US troops from his country.

The two leaders' meeting came after weeks of preparations which included discussions on support for fighting Covid-19, aiding the Iraqi private sector and cooperation on climate change.

Ahead of the meeting a senior US official who would not be identified praised Kadhemi for being pragmatic and "a problem solver rather than someone who tries to use problems for his own political interests."

The main concern from Washington is to lend enough support to Iraqi security forces to keep up the fight against the remnants of the ISIS group -- while also keeping a damper on Iran's influence in Iraq.

Since last year the principal role of the remaining US troops in Iraq has been to train, advise and support their Iraqi counterparts to battle ISIS.

But Biden's statement made clear that their involvement in actual fighting ISIS would end.

"Iraq has requested, and we very much agree, that they need continued training, support with logistics, intelligence, advisory capacity building -- all of which will continue," the US official said.

October elections

"We support strengthening Iraq's democracy and we're anxious to make sure the election goes forward in October," he said.

In the vote Kadhemi is hoping to regain ground with powerful pro-Iran political factions, which are overtly hostile to the US presence.

He was expected to persuade Washington to ease some sanctions relating to Iran, to help Iraq honor crucial transactions with its neighbor and tackle power shortages.

Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq specialist at the University of Chicago's Pearson Institute, said the meeting that it could be cosmetically "shaped" to help the Iraqi premier alleviate domestic pressures.

"But the reality on the ground will reflect the status quo and an enduring US presence." said Mardini.

Remaining, however, has its risks.

"If there is no significant announcement on the withdrawal of troops, I fear that the pro-Iran groups may... increase attacks on the US forces," Iraqi researcher Sajad Jiyad told AFP.

The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee, a group of militia factions, threatened to continue the attacks unless the United States withdraws all its forces and ends the "occupation."

President Joe Biden opened talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi on Monday saying relations were in a "new phase" that would include the end of US combat operations in the country.

President Joe Biden opened talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi on Monday saying relations were in a "new phase" that would include the end of US combat operations in the country. With Kadhemi at his side in the White House, Biden said that the US is "committed to our security cooperation" and will "to continue to train, to assist, to help, to deal with ISIS as it arises." "But we're not going to be, at the end of the year, in a combat mission," he said. Biden also stressed US support for elections in October in Iraq, saying Washington is working closely with Baghdad, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations to ensure the elections are fair. Kadhemi said the US and Iraq have a "strategic partnership." "America, they help Iraq. Together we fight, fight and defeat ISIS," he said. "Today, our relation is stronger than ever -- our partnership in the economy, the environment, health, education, culture and more." Biden is currently also overseeing the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, with the Taliban on the offensive amid fears they could even topple the Kabul government. Political support Biden's comments confirmed his readinesses to further limit US involvement in Iraq, but without removing the remaining 2,500 troops in the country, 18 years after the United States invaded to remove strongman Saddam Hussein. The move could lend political support to Kadhemi, in power for little over a year and under pressure from Iran-allied political factions to push US troops from his country. The two leaders' meeting came after weeks of preparations which included discussions on support for fighting Covid-19, aiding the Iraqi private sector and cooperation on climate change. Ahead of the meeting a senior US official who would not be identified praised Kadhemi for being pragmatic and "a problem solver rather than someone who tries to use problems for his own political interests." The main concern from Washington is to lend enough support to Iraqi security forces to keep up the fight against the remnants of the ISIS group -- while also keeping a damper on Iran's influence in Iraq. Since last year the principal role of the remaining US troops in Iraq has been to train, advise and support their Iraqi counterparts to battle ISIS. But Biden's statement made clear that their involvement in actual fighting ISIS would end. "Iraq has requested, and we very much agree, that they need continued training, support with logistics, intelligence, advisory capacity building -- all of which will continue," the US official said. October elections "We support strengthening Iraq's democracy and we're anxious to make sure the election goes forward in October," he said. In the vote Kadhemi is hoping to regain ground with powerful pro-Iran political factions, which are overtly hostile to the US presence. He was expected to persuade Washington to ease some sanctions relating to Iran, to help Iraq honor crucial transactions with its neighbor and tackle power shortages. Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq specialist at the University of Chicago's Pearson Institute, said the meeting that it could be cosmetically "shaped" to help the Iraqi premier alleviate domestic pressures. "But the reality on the ground will reflect the status quo and an enduring US presence." said Mardini. Remaining, however, has its risks. "If there is no significant announcement on the withdrawal of troops, I fear that the pro-Iran groups may... increase attacks on the US forces," Iraqi researcher Sajad Jiyad told AFP. The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee, a group of militia factions, threatened to continue the attacks unless the United States withdraws all its forces and ends the "occupation."

Biden announces ‘new phase’ in Iraq relations, end of ‘combat operations’

The United States imposed sanctions on Cuba's defence minister and a special forces unit for repressing peaceful protests as President Joe Biden warned that this is "just the beginning" of punitive measures against Havana.

The United States imposed sanctions on Cuba's defence minister and a special forces unit for repressing peaceful protests as President Joe Biden warned that this is "just the beginning" of punitive measures against Havana. The US Treasury Department said its Office of Foreign Assets Control froze the assets of minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and the Special National Brigade (SNB) concerning human rights abuses committed during a crackdown on protests on the island earlier in July. "This is just the beginning -- the United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people," Biden said in a statement. The sanctions were imposed under the Magnitsky act. This act allows a US president to take action against human rights abuses and corruption. Also read | Faced with rare protests, Cuba curbs social media access, watchdog says Biden said that his administration targeted Lopez Miera and the SNB because they were "driving the crackdown". "As we hold the Cuban regime accountable, our support for the Cuban people is unwavering," Biden said. The president also condemned what he termed as the "the mass detentions and sham trials" used to imprison and silence outspoken Cubans. Responding to this, Cuba called the sanctions "slanderous" and said that the US should focus more on repression and police brutality on its own soil. "I reject unfounded and slanderous sanctions by the US government" against the Cubans targeted, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter. "Treasury will continue to enforce its Cuba-related sanctions, including those imposed today, to support the people of Cuba in their quest for democracy and relief from the Cuban regime," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

US sanctions Cuba for repressing protests

Expressing optimism, US President Joe Biden said that young children would soon become eligible for COVID-19 inoculations.

Speaking at a televised town hall in Cincinnati, hosted by CNN, Biden said that children under 12, who are currently ineligible for the three coronavirus vaccines, could get shots by August or later in the fall.

At the town hall, Biden said, "They’re not promising me any specific date, but my expectation, talking to the scientists is that sometimes, maybe in the beginning of the school year, at the end of August, beginning of September, October, you’ll get a final approval” for vaccinating kids. But, he added, the ultimate decision lay with officials at the FDA and CDC. “I do not tell any scientists what they should do. I do not interfere".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-russia-protecting-maybe-even-accommodating-hackers-biden-399108">Also read |&nbsp;China, Russia protecting, maybe even accommodating hackers: Biden</a>

He further said that the CDC would probably recommend that “everyone under the age of 12 should probably be wearing masks in school”.

COVID-19 cases in the US have tripled in the past two weeks.&nbsp;

Also, as per the CDC, only 56.2 per cent of Americans have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.

Biden also expressed frustration that many Americans who were eligible for vaccines were not getting them. He said, "We have a pandemic for those who haven’t gotten the vaccination – it’s that basic, that simple,” Biden said. “If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalised, you’re not going to be in the IC unit, and you’re not going to die".

Expressing optimism, US President Joe Biden said that young children would soon become eligible for COVID-19 inoculations. Speaking at a televised town hall in Cincinnati, hosted by CNN, Biden said that children under 12, who are currently ineligible for the three coronavirus vaccines, could get shots by August or later in the fall.

Expressing optimism, US President Joe Biden said that young children would soon become eligible for COVID-19 inoculations. Speaking at a televised town hall in Cincinnati, hosted by CNN, Biden said that children under 12, who are currently ineligible for the three coronavirus vaccines, could get shots by August or later in the fall. At the town hall, Biden said, "They’re not promising me any specific date, but my expectation, talking to the scientists is that sometimes, maybe in the beginning of the school year, at the end of August, beginning of September, October, you’ll get a final approval” for vaccinating kids. But, he added, the ultimate decision lay with officials at the FDA and CDC. “I do not tell any scientists what they should do. I do not interfere". Also read | China, Russia protecting, maybe even accommodating hackers: Biden He further said that the CDC would probably recommend that “everyone under the age of 12 should probably be wearing masks in school”. COVID-19 cases in the US have tripled in the past two weeks. Also, as per the CDC, only 56.2 per cent of Americans have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. Biden also expressed frustration that many Americans who were eligible for vaccines were not getting them. He said, "We have a pandemic for those who haven’t gotten the vaccination – it’s that basic, that simple,” Biden said. “If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalised, you’re not going to be in the IC unit, and you’re not going to die".

Biden says children under 12 could be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines soon

In a speech earlier this month, US President Joe Biden slipped a phrase into a major address on infrastructure spending with a bit of a laugh, calling it a "boring speech" but "an important speech."

Boring but important sort of sums up the veteran Democrat's game plan, six months after moving into the White House: focus on substance, not style, to rebuild American prosperity and restore the country to a central role in global politics.

"Biden essentially is trying to get all the emotional energy out of our politics," Robert Rowland, a professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas, told AFP, contrasting Biden's style to the bombast of predecessor Donald Trump.

"The long-term effect is to say: 'Look, I may be boring but I am actually producing real results'."

On Tuesday, when the 78-year-old Biden brought his cabinet together to mark six months in office, he reiterated some of the key themes of his presidency, which he has been hammering home since January.

He said the United States was in a "defining competition" with countries such as China that "believe autocracy is the future."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/day-of-mourning-death-toll-from-flooding-in-western-europe-hits-200-399331">Also read |&nbsp;'Day of mourning': Death toll from flooding in western Europe hits 200</a>

"Democracy is more capable," Biden said -- in his view, capable of being innovative, of fighting climate change, of bringing prosperity to the most citizens possible.

The former US senator believes that the road to prosperity comes with spending -- big spending on "hard" infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and broadband internet, but also on health care, education and child care.

On the diplomatic front, being capable and innovative means reviving America's traditional alliances, which were stifled -- or simply ignored -- under Trump, who pushed a stark "America First" agenda.

Biden focuses on big ideas, and big issues -- but none of them are necessarily what voters are most excited about. Biden himself even admits it, as he did in that speech earlier this month.

"I know that's a boring speech, but it's an important speech," he said on July 7 in Crystal Lake, Illinois after telling the audiences about his spending plans, offering streams of numbers. The applause grew weaker and weaker as he went on.

"Anybody under the age of 13 -- this has got to be boring, boring, boring for you," he then said on July 15 in front of a room of parents and children as he detailed a tax credit measure for families.

The Anti-Trump

After a Trump presidency full of diatribes and vicious barbs, Biden and his team are instead maintaining an iron grip on their message -- and that message is straight-up dull, on purpose.

"Biden is making a virtue of something that has been a problem in his rhetoric for a long time -- he is wonky," explained Rowland.

Nearly every time he faces the press, Biden relies on the teleprompter and handwritten notes, and his speeches are typically not very long. His aides often rush reporters out of the room before they can ask him any off-the-cuff questions.

That is in stark contrast to Trump, who favored long, stream-of-consciousness speeches. The Republican former leader also loved using Twitter as his bully pulpit for shock statements, while Biden's social media presence is far more calculated.

Trump loved to shout. Biden sometimes whispers.

Lawrence Jacobs, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, says listening to a Biden speech can be "painful."&nbsp;

"He loses his place, or he misspeaks, or he goes off on a tangent," Jacobs told AFP, while acknowledging that the Democrat "is more confident with foreign policy or national security speeches" due to his deep international experience while in the Senate.

When he talked this month about the withdrawal of the last US soldiers from Afghanistan -- one of the biggest decision of his presidency to date -- he delivered his message without a hiccup.

"He shows you the rhetorical power of the presidency," Jacobs said. "It's a mistake to say that he lacks the ability to shape conversations."

Indeed, last Friday, before leaving the White House for the weekend, Biden launched a broadside on Facebook and other social media giants, accusing them of "killing people" by allowing misinformation about the coronavirus to spread.

Though he would later walk them back a bit, those comments made the rounds on US television networks all weekend.

Comforter-in-chief

Biden is spontaneous in one circumstance -- when he allows his empathy to shine through.

The Democratic president, whose life has been marked by family tragedy -- including the deaths of his first wife and daughter in a car accident, and his son Beau's fatal battle with cancer -- happily takes on the role of comforter-in-chief.

He recently spent long hours consoling the loved ones of those who died in the collapse of an apartment building in south Florida.

"He has a gift for giving solace to people, a real ability to create a sense of shared identity," Rowland said.

For now, Biden's popularity rating is firmly anchored above 50 percent -- a level Trump was never able to achieve.

In a speech earlier this month, US President Joe Biden slipped a phrase into a major address on infrastructure spending with a bit of a laugh, calling it a "boring speech" but "an important speech.

In a speech earlier this month, US President Joe Biden slipped a phrase into a major address on infrastructure spending with a bit of a laugh, calling it a "boring speech" but "an important speech." Boring but important sort of sums up the veteran Democrat's game plan, six months after moving into the White House: focus on substance, not style, to rebuild American prosperity and restore the country to a central role in global politics. "Biden essentially is trying to get all the emotional energy out of our politics," Robert Rowland, a professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas, told AFP, contrasting Biden's style to the bombast of predecessor Donald Trump. "The long-term effect is to say: 'Look, I may be boring but I am actually producing real results'." On Tuesday, when the 78-year-old Biden brought his cabinet together to mark six months in office, he reiterated some of the key themes of his presidency, which he has been hammering home since January. He said the United States was in a "defining competition" with countries such as China that "believe autocracy is the future." Also read | 'Day of mourning': Death toll from flooding in western Europe hits 200 "Democracy is more capable," Biden said -- in his view, capable of being innovative, of fighting climate change, of bringing prosperity to the most citizens possible. The former US senator believes that the road to prosperity comes with spending -- big spending on "hard" infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and broadband internet, but also on health care, education and child care. On the diplomatic front, being capable and innovative means reviving America's traditional alliances, which were stifled -- or simply ignored -- under Trump, who pushed a stark "America First" agenda. Biden focuses on big ideas, and big issues -- but none of them are necessarily what voters are most excited about. Biden himself even admits it, as he did in that speech earlier this month. "I know that's a boring speech, but it's an important speech," he said on July 7 in Crystal Lake, Illinois after telling the audiences about his spending plans, offering streams of numbers. The applause grew weaker and weaker as he went on. "Anybody under the age of 13 -- this has got to be boring, boring, boring for you," he then said on July 15 in front of a room of parents and children as he detailed a tax credit measure for families. The Anti-Trump After a Trump presidency full of diatribes and vicious barbs, Biden and his team are instead maintaining an iron grip on their message -- and that message is straight-up dull, on purpose. "Biden is making a virtue of something that has been a problem in his rhetoric for a long time -- he is wonky," explained Rowland. Nearly every time he faces the press, Biden relies on the teleprompter and handwritten notes, and his speeches are typically not very long. His aides often rush reporters out of the room before they can ask him any off-the-cuff questions. That is in stark contrast to Trump, who favored long, stream-of-consciousness speeches. The Republican former leader also loved using Twitter as his bully pulpit for shock statements, while Biden's social media presence is far more calculated. Trump loved to shout. Biden sometimes whispers. Lawrence Jacobs, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, says listening to a Biden speech can be "painful." "He loses his place, or he misspeaks, or he goes off on a tangent," Jacobs told AFP, while acknowledging that the Democrat "is more confident with foreign policy or national security speeches" due to his deep international experience while in the Senate. When he talked this month about the withdrawal of the last US soldiers from Afghanistan -- one of the biggest decision of his presidency to date -- he delivered his message without a hiccup. "He shows you the rhetorical power of the presidency," Jacobs said. "It's a mistake to say that he lacks the ability to shape conversations." Indeed, last Friday, before leaving the White House for the weekend, Biden launched a broadside on Facebook and other social media giants, accusing them of "killing people" by allowing misinformation about the coronavirus to spread. Though he would later walk them back a bit, those comments made the rounds on US television networks all weekend. Comforter-in-chief Biden is spontaneous in one circumstance -- when he allows his empathy to shine through. The Democratic president, whose life has been marked by family tragedy -- including the deaths of his first wife and daughter in a car accident, and his son Beau's fatal battle with cancer -- happily takes on the role of comforter-in-chief. He recently spent long hours consoling the loved ones of those who died in the collapse of an apartment building in south Florida. "He has a gift for giving solace to people, a real ability to create a sense of shared identity," Rowland said. For now, Biden's popularity rating is firmly anchored above 50 percent -- a level Trump was never able to achieve.

'Boring but important': Biden finishes six months at White House

US&nbsp;President Joe Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on July 26, the White House said on Friday. 
 
The visit will highlight the strategic partnership between the two countries and advance bilateral cooperation under a 2008 agreement that governed the withdrawal of US&nbsp;troops from Iraq, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. 
 
Psaki listed areas of shared interest, such as energy and health and said Biden looked forward to strengthening cooperation with Iraq on "security issues to include joint efforts to ensure the enduring defeat" of the Islamic State militant group. 
 
Psaki made no reference to Iran, which exercises influence in neighboring Iraq through its close relations with the Baghdad government and by backing Shi'ite militia forces that mount attacks on military facilities hosting US&nbsp;forces. 
 
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander urged Iraqi Shi'ite militias to step up attacks on US&nbsp;targets during a meeting in Baghdad last week, three militia sources and two Iraqi security sources familiar with the gathering said.

US President Joe Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on July 26, the White House said on Friday. The visit will highlight the strategic partnership between the two countries and advance bilateral cooperation under a 2008 agreement that governed the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

US President Joe Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on July 26, the White House said on Friday. The visit will highlight the strategic partnership between the two countries and advance bilateral cooperation under a 2008 agreement that governed the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. Psaki listed areas of shared interest, such as energy and health and said Biden looked forward to strengthening cooperation with Iraq on "security issues to include joint efforts to ensure the enduring defeat" of the Islamic State militant group. Psaki made no reference to Iran, which exercises influence in neighboring Iraq through its close relations with the Baghdad government and by backing Shi'ite militia forces that mount attacks on military facilities hosting US forces. A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander urged Iraqi Shi'ite militias to step up attacks on US targets during a meeting in Baghdad last week, three militia sources and two Iraqi security sources familiar with the gathering said.

Biden to host Iraq's prime minister at White House on July 26

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