to safety outside of afghanistan. our troops are working to secure the airfield and ensure continued operation of both the civilian and military flights. we are taking over air traffic control. we have safely shut down our embassy and transferred our diplomats. our diplomatic presence is now consolidated at the airport as well. over the coming days, we intend to transport out thousands of american citizens who have been living and working in afghanistan. we will also continue to support the safe departure of civilian personnel, the civilian personnel of our allies who are still serving in afghanistan. operation allies refugee, which i announced back in july, has already moved 2000 afghans who are eligible for special immigration visas and their families to the united states. in the coming days, the u.s. military will provide assistance to move more siv eligible afghans and their families out of afghanistan. we are also expanding refugee access to cover other vulnerable afghans who worked for our embassy, u.s. nongover

it's a small border shared with afghanistan. - afghanistan. it's a small border shared with afghanistan. i - afghanistan. it's a small borderj shared with afghanistan. i think afghanistan. it's a small border l shared with afghanistan. i think if we come into this question with the mindset of a great power of competition. american �*s losses china's gain, then probably yes, but i'm afraid that duality is much more complex. it's very, very nervous about it. you know, china thinks afghanistan is a quagmire, and they look at history being afghanistan as neighbourfor a long time in the 19th century and early 20th century, it was britain, and then 20th century it was soviet union. now the zist century it was soviet union. now the 21st century is the united states. such chinese state media are calling afghanistan the graveyard of empires. so you can see how china actually thinks of this issue. it's not necessarily american glass and china's gain. not necessarily american glass and china's gain-— china's gain. that's interesting. has afghanistan

this decision about afghanistan is not just about afghanistan. it's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries. we saw a mission of counterterrorism in afghanistan. getting a terrorist and stopping attacks. it morphed into a counterinsurgency. nationbuilding. trying to create a democratic, cohesive, and united afghanistan. something that has never been done over many centuries of afghan's history. moving on from that mindset and those kind of large-scale troop deployments will make us stronger and more effective and safer at home. and for anyone who gets the wrong idea, let me say clearly, to those who wish america harm, to those who engage in terrorism against us or our allies, know this. the united states will never rest. we will not forgive, we will not forget. we will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and you will pay the ultimate price. let me be clear. we will continue to support the afghan people through diplomacy, international influence, and humanitarian aid. we will continue to push for regional enga

engagement in afghanistan. [video clip] >> military power alone will not bring peace to afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country, but strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace. america will work with the afghan government, as long as we see determination and progress. however, our commitment is not unlimited and our support is not a blank check. the government of afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political and economic burden. the american people expect to see real reforms, real progress and real results. our patience is not unlimited. we will keep our eyes wide open, and abiding by the oath i took on january 20, i will remain steadfast in protecting american lives and american interests. in this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. terrorists take heed. america will never let up, until you are dealt a lasting defeat. u

forces leave afghanistan, all u.s. forces leaving afghanistan may have 2021 was the deadline at the time. in return, the taliban agreed not to attack u.s. forces anymore, especially not shoot at u.s. forces as they were leaving afghanistan. that was the political cover. what trump had done was commitment to the taliban to allow u.s. forces to leave so they would not be under fire so you would not have a saigon-like situation so to speak. that did hold in the sense like after their agreement -- that agreement was signed between the taliban and trump administration, you did not have any u.s. combat deaths or military deaths in afghanistan until yesterday when of course isis, not the taliban, carried out these attacks that killed at least 13 u.s. servicemen. the agreement itself was controversial but did not hold the taliban to anything at all, other than to not you at u.s. forces. it was supposed to deny space to al qaeda, to prevent it from attacking the u.s.. it did not expect anything else from the taliban. it was als

with afghanistan has begun. it is one in which we will lead with diplomacy. the military mission is over. a new diplomatic mission has begun. here is the plan for the weeks ahead. first, we build a new team to help lead this mission. as of today, we have suspended our diplomatic presence in kabul and transferred our operations to qatar. which will soon be formally notified to congress. given the uncertain environment in afghanistan, it was the prudent step to take. let me take this opportunity to thank our outstanding ambassador in kabul who came out of retirement to lead the embassy and has done exceptional, courageous work during a highly challenging time. for the time being, we will use this post to manage diplomacy with afghanistan, including consular affairs, administering humanitarian assistance and working with allies and partners to coordinate messaging to the taliban. our team will be led by ian macarthur who served in afghanistan for the past year. no one is better prepared to do the job. secondly, we

when were you in afghanistan? caller: this debacle we are watching unfold as a slap in the face for our goldstar families. i've lost brothers in combat in both iraq and afghanistan. i did three tours in afghanistan. their sacrifices are being trampled on right now. this is an insult to all of us who served in our families who sacrificed. i've been deployed five times myself and i was retired this year. joe biden and the democrats are cowards, and the generals and the pentagon that followed them. everybody knew this was going to happen. i called this in april. i have a friend in kabul. this debacle, everybody who has been on the ground knew this was going to happen. you have the generals and pentagon who are not on the ground and do not listen to their officers and senior enlisted on the ground. that is why this happened. this is on joe biden, aspen and millie. those cowards knew this was going to happen. you can't just walk out of afghanistan. the airport will be attacked, mark my words. host: you say you called t

information agency report on the years following the soviet invasion of afghanistan. >> afghanistan

they is concerned about that is what i'm seeing in afghanistan as well. �* ., , i'm seeing in afghanistan as well. �* . , . in other news, there's been a sharp rise in the death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit haiti on saturday. almost 1,300 people are now known to have died. many more are feared to be trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. the epicentre of the 7.2 magnitude quake was 150km south—west of the capital, port au prince. hospitals in the area are inundated and struggling to cope with the number of injured, which has almost doubled to around 6,000 people. medical teams are being despatched from cuba and ecuador amid concerns about the approach of a tropical storm. the last thing a country in political turmoil needed was this. friends and family searching the rubble for loved ones — looking, praying, for any signs of life. the morning earthquake brought buildings tumbling down — buildings made of heavy cinder blocks and cement. many people didn't have a chance. translation: the quake killed her. this death hurt us a lot because she is a street sel

in afghanistan. we never give up the hunt for osama bin laden and we got him. that was a decade ago. our mission in afghanistan was never supposed to be creating a unified democracy. we were only preventing a terrorist attack on american homeland. i have argued for many years that our mission should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism, not counterinsurgency or nationbuilding. that is why i opposed the surge, the one proposed in 2009 when i was vice president. i am adamant that we focus on the threats we face today in 2021, not yesterday's threats. today, the terrorist threat has metastasized well beyond afghanistan. somalia, the arabian peninsula, isis attempting to take root in syria and iraq. these threats warrant our attention and are -- our resources. we conduct counterterrorist missions in mobile countries were we don't have permanent military presence. if necessary, we will do the same in afghanistan. we have developed counterterrorism over the rise in capability that will allow us to keep

people of afghanistan. the taliban has taken a terrible toll. billions are displaced, facing hunger and starvation. covid-19 has also hit afghanistan hard. the u.s. will continue supporting aid to the afghans consistent with sanctions on taliban. that aid will flow through independent agencies, not the afghan government. we expect those efforts not to be impeded by anyone. we will continue the broad international diplomacy across all issues. we think we can accomplish far more and have more leverage when we coordinate with allies and partners. in the last two weeks we have had a series of intense diplomatic engagements to forge a way ahead in afghanistan. i met with foreign minister's and have spoken with counterparts. last week president biden met with the leaders of the g-7. going forward we will coordinate with countries around the world and with leading organizations and the private sector. allies and partners share our objectives and are committed to working with us. i will have more to say in the comi

. and present biden have backed nation in afghanistan-— in afghanistan. well, this is a classic american _ in afghanistan. well, this is a classic american mission - in afghanistan. well, this is a l classic american mission creep. in afghanistan. well, this is a - classic american mission creep. you -et classic american mission creep. you get into— classic american mission creep. you get into a _ classic american mission creep. you get into a country and you want to make _ get into a country and you want to make the — get into a country and you want to make the country look like america. it is make the country look like america. it is a _ make the country look like america. it is a fault — make the country look like america. it is a fault that we have been doing — it is a fault that we have been doing for— it is a fault that we have been doing for years and we have nobody to blame _ doing for years and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. in fairness to blame but ourselves. in fairness to president biden, he in fact has been _ to president bi

and our troops have departed afghanistan. a new chapter of america's engagement with afghanistan has become. it's one in which we will lead with our diplomacy. with militant to enact the military mission is over a new diplomat mission has begun. so here is our plan for the days and weeks ahead. first, we built a new team to help lead this new mission. as of today we suspended our diplomatic presence in kabul and transferred our operations to do her colour which will soon be notified to congress was up given the uncertain security environment and political environment in afghanistan it was the prudent step to take. and let me take this opportunity to thank our outstanding affair and kabul who came out of retirement and junior 2020 to lead our embassy in afghanistan and has done exceptional, courageous work during a highly challenging time. but the time being, we will use this post in doha to manage the deployment of sssaaa including council affairs, and ministering humanitarian assistance and working with allies, partners and

in afghanistan. it was responsible at war from the cia standpoint. that could still cause confliction in that regard. they were still very important i do not once and anyway went to underestimate or under describe what the role was for the station. they played a huge important role. but they were not in charge any longer, so was. there was friction even before he got out to pakistan there'd been plenty of communications back and forth in the friction was evidence. that there is a a lot of friction different ideas how we should proceed in the war, that kind of thing. and so when i went out there along with a colleague of mine and arrived at their we are pretty much seen as almost the enemy by certain members of the station. >> central figure in afghanistan at the time, he turned into a bit of a controversial figure because his rise to power was seen as a huge win for the united states and everybody against the taliban. his actual reign in charge of afghanistan was seen as less successful. you know pre

mission in afghanistan. the efforts of the mission are now more important than ever as is the safety and security of their staff. thank you. president tirumurti: i thank the representative of estonia for his statement. i now give the floor to the representative of norway. you have the floor, please. mr. kvalheim: thank you, mr. president. and thank you for calling this emergency meeting on the situation in afghanistan. i also would like to thank the secretary-general for his participation and his briefing , as well as the ambassador and mr. isaczai for his remarks. the situation in afghanistan is extreme or serious. -- extremely serious. over the last few weeks, amidst an ongoing violent conflict, the national security and defense forces of the country collapsed almost in their entirety. over the last 24 to 48 hours, the leadership of the central government has disintegrated. the country and its population are now facing a multilayered crisis of very significant proportion. suffering and hardship because of

in afghanistan. this is about an hour and a half. >> it is mandatory for members present to wear masks at all times, including well speaking. >> thank you for your introductory remarks. now we move on. i would like to welcome all of you to this joint meeting on the situation in afghanistan. i would like to welcome the representatives. thank you for making your availability possible. this is a crucial juncture. the world is following this with a heavy heart. the taliban has taken over the entire country. in an unexpectedly rapid way. we have all seen the images from kabul and other afghan cities. the fall of afghanistan into the hands of the taliban poses an enormous challenge for the international community. we have many reasons to be very concerned about the humanitarian situation in the region. the violence has reached new heights. continued attacks on children, women, activists, journalists. at this critical and dramatic moment, humanitarian action should be our top priority. the safe and orderly

the land of afghanistan. i think what you're hearing from american military is a deep sense of regret. a deep sense this perhaps did not need to happen. that yes, the united states could choose to conduct its own foreign policy, maybe end this forever war. somehow relieve itself from afghanistan. but what was the facts on the ground is that a very small relatively small group of americans, 2500 were a relatively, according to a lot of military analysts and security analysts, inexpensive price to pay not for talking victory, but for this ongoing strategic stability. in other words, the fact that the united states was still there with air power, with its forces, with its military, prevented the taliban from doing what has now achieved. and i think what you're going to be hearing over the next several days, we're already hearing it with interviews and desperate comments from people in kabul and elsewhere, particularly women, particularly the young people who dreamed of a better future, a different future, that t

eastern on afghanistan. the president yesterday afternoon issued a statement saying that an additional 5000 troops, or a total of 5000, would be deployed to afghanistan to help with the removal of embassy staff and other personnel. he also wrote in this statement that over our country's 20 year war in afghanistan, america has sent its finest young men and women, invested, trained over 300,000 afghan soldiers and police, equipped them with state-of-the-art military equipment and the longest war in u.s. history. one more war or five more years of u.s. military presence would not have made a difference. pico endless american presence in -- an endless american presence in another country's civil conflict is not acceptable to me. let's go to john, massachusetts, independent. good morning to you, john. john, florence, massachusetts, independent, what do you say? is it a mistake to withdraw? caller: i don't think it is a mistake. it is a statement for the u.s. abroad. host: in what way? caller: attacks that could t

on afghanistan... i will not answer on afghanistan. - go ahead. on afghanistan... i will not answer on afghanistan. that i go ahead. on afghanistan... i will. not answer on afghanistan. that was president biden, _ not answer on afghanistan. that was president biden, you _ not answer on afghanistan. that was president biden, you probably - not answer on afghanistan. that was | president biden, you probably caught that last quote on student —— that last question, he refused to answer on afghanistan. that is the federal emergency management agency where he was, talking about what is put in place in response to hurricane ida which has recently made landfall into the louisiana coast with around 150 mph winds. basically what has been confirmed by the director, then reiterated by president biden, was that they are expecting catastrophic impacts from hurricane ida. president biden saying that hurricane ida's devastation is likely to be immense beyond the coast, because a hurricane ida of course moving inland as it tracks across. president biden also confirming that the

an urban afghanistan that has grown since 2001. essentially half has been born since 2001. increasingly in the cities is largely a rural population. >> about a year or two ago we had a gentleman on their head and interpreter with him. trying to get the guy to come over here and could not get visas or nothing to get them out. and months ago they were looking to get visas to get these people out of there. their culture, we've tried to change their culture. their religion is like cavemen. women, whoever has got the biggest club gets the woman. what have you learned about the culture? >> i would not compare afghans to cavemen that's inc. offensive. afghanistan it would deeply change as a result whether it's five, ten, 20 years of american troops operating in the country, i would say in kabul and other cities there really is a very different culture. an evolution of afghanistan existing culture not a new culture that is come into existence in the past 20 years. i really fear for afghan friends who have grown up in the new urban afghanis

mission in afghanistan. pres. biden: i have argued many years that our mission should be narrowly focused on counterterrorism, not counterinsurgency or nationbuilding. that is why i opposed the search when it was proposed in 2009 when i was vice president. amy: matthew hoh? >> i think there so many things to unpack. getting back to the media, there is a narrative the u.s. did not try hard enough. so when barack obama comes into office in 2009, there are 30,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan, equivalent number of nato troops and contractors. within a year and a half, there are 100,000 american troops, 40,000 nato troops, over 100,000 contractors. the u.s. had a million men army in afghanistan. joe biden's opposition was to send 10,000 less trips. his opposition would have looked like 240 thousand troops and contractors in afghanistan as opposed to 250,000. the statement about not being a nationbuilding effort, i was on a it called the provincial reconstruction team. the lie saying to means of minute women who served in

terrorist forces in afghanistan. the hasty withdrawal is likely to have provided opportunities for various terrorist organizations to make a comeback. we hope the security of the airport can be guaranteed. the evacuation of relevant personnel can proceed smoothly and all parties concerned can strength and coordination to jointly prevent a new terrorist attack. afghanistan must never become the birthplace for terrorism or the distribution of the center of terrorism again. this is the bottom line that afghanistan must adhere to in any future political settlement. it is hoped the taliban will earnestly fulfill their commitments and completely cut ties with all terrorist organizations. in resolutely cracking down on international terrorist forces such as the islamic state, al qaeda, countries should follow international laws and security council resolutions so as to prevent terrorists from gathering in afghanistan. on the issue of counterterrorism, there must not be double standard or selective approach. mr. president. t

forces in afghanistan. overnight, we received a photo of taliban militants coming to the door of his home, literally hunting him down. he was able to escape, but he is obviously still in mortal danger. what would be your message to abdul, his wife, and his three young daughters? pres. biden: we want you to be able to get to the airport. contact us. we will see whatever we can do to get you there. we have got to get you out. we are committed to deal with you, your wife, and your child, to get all three of you out of afghanistan. that is the commitment. meredith lee of pbs newshour. >> you mentioned just now using every resource available for evacuations. why haven't you ordered the military to expand the security perimeter around the kabul airport? do you have any plans to do so given that will likely require more u.s. troops? and are you considering rescue operations to recover american and afghan allies stuck behind taliban checkpoints? pres. biden: the answer is yes to the last question, we are considerin

it's time to end the war in afghanistan. as we close 20 years of war and strife and pain and sacrifice, it's time to look to the future, not the past. to a future that's safer, to a future that's more secure, to a future that honors those who served and all those who gave what president lincoln called their last full measure of devotion. i give my word with all of my heart, i believe this is the right decision, the wise decision, and the best decision for america. thank you. thank you, and may god bless you all and may god protect our troops. >>> all right. there you have it. we've been listening to president biden give remarks from the white house on the end of the u.s. war in afghanistan, a 20-year war the president says is now behind us. i think these are by far the most comprehensive remarks we've heard from the president yet, defending his decision to end this war, defending how it was done, laying out in stark terms the cost of the war, everything from the $300 million per day spent by the united states to there at the

. - afghanistan. yes, and i think that is a very important point. i - afghanistan. yes, and i think that is a very important point. i think. is a very important point. i think most people would agree that it was right in 2001 for the american led operation which the british supported to get into afghanistan, to sweep out the taliban from that proportion of the country, that they controlled, but they also thereby hosted al-qaeda who have conducted the 9/11 attacks, so but what we have said to the —— what has been presented to the international treaty, rightly or wrongly of the last 15 years, it is to help the afghan government, the afghan people to create a more aggressive society, one in which the position of women is recognised, that girls are educated, but a lot of progress has been made in that regard. it has cost the uk billions of pounds sterling, it has tragically cost a47 of sterling, it has tragically cost 447 of our colleagues in the armed forces, their lives, but we did a lot of progress over at that time. but following on from presidentjoe biden�*s

it just needed to be afghanistan. probably still needed to be a violent place but compare what we're seeing today to the sustained commitment we had to the 2020 capitulation agreement with the taliban. and i think most people would choose prior to 2020 than the horrors we're witnessing today. >> general hr mcmaster, thank you for your service to our country and our asesment. >> thank you, a pleasure to be with you. >>> the day before thettack on the kabul airport, i spoke to david petraeus, already expressing concerns about the threat of isis-k and what american withdrawal would mean for security in the united states and around the world. general david petraeus, welcome back to "firing line" and thank you for your service. >> great to be with you again, margaret, thanks. >> you served as the commander in afghanistan from july 2010 to july 2011. during the united stes military surge and one of the deadliest periods in the afghanistan war, as a former cia director, also in authority on u.s. intelligence operations. ever

we are getting those re orts afghanistan. we are getting those reports that _ afghanistan. we are getting those reports that there _ afghanistan. we are getting those reports that there is _ afghanistan. we are getting those reports that there is not _ afghanistan. we are getting those reports that there is not the - afghanistan. we are getting those reports that there is not the level| reports that there is not the level of human rights violations that people expected, that there are incidents. we have spoken to people who said the taliban are going house to house and intimidating people and there have been revenge attacks in certain parts that we are trying to verify and i have been speaking regularly to the taliban who have said our policy is no revenge attacks. and serious analysts have come onto this programme and talked about the pakistani military�*s influence over the taliban and that is no longer an open secret. will you be talking to them all directly and putting pressure on them when need be? because in many ways the international community and leaders i have s

the war in afghanistan? >> i think a lot of bush people think they're opinions are still ought after. i am not among them. my day was spent covering this current administration and what's so interesting to me about this white house is they're unapologetically committed to the decision to leave and there will be some painful days for the world. mostly for the afghan people. women and children. people who were shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the american military for two decades. our thoughts and hearts should be on them. but this white house is unapologetic about ending this war, not spending more money and not fighting for a country that in their view, doesn't seem to be fighting for itself. >> politico has new reaction from republicans. writing quote, kevin mccarthy exploded in anger over president biden's u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan during a private briefing on sunday calling it end quote, embarrassment that will reverberate for decades. what line of attack do you expect from republican

an american soldier in afghanistan. also with us, kevin barron, the executive editor of defense one. we appreciate you being with us. we have lots and lots of good questions including some very good smart basic questions what is going on. let's begin with a question from hypo crazy 104 on twitter. they write simply, why did we go into afghanistan in the first place? kevin, could we start with you? just give us the quick 101. remind us how we got to this. >> that's a real eye opening first question. that's where our real starting point is with the american conversation. we got into afghanistan because that's where the terrorists of 9/11 trained and attacked us from. and the immediate response was sending u.s. special forces into afghanistan to basically link up with friendly forces there and go after the terrorists. specifically, al qaeda and osama bin laden who was believed to be hiding there. i'm guessing the cia has a much fuller answer than i do. >> i was going to come to you with the next part, how we are getting ou

forces would be out of afghanistan by may 1, 2021. just a little over three months after i took office. u.s. forces had already drawn down during the trump administration from roughly 15,500 american forces to 2500 troops in the country. the taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001. the choice i had to make as were president was either to follow through on that agreement or he prepared to go back to fighting the taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. there would have been no cease-fire after may 1. there was no agreement protecting our forces after may 1. there was no status quo of stability without american casualties after may 1. there was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more american troops back into combat in afghanistan. lurching into the third decade of conflict. host: president biden on monday. we mentioned president donald trump was on sean hannity's show last night. he was asked about those comments t

about afghanistan? are we going to be able to coordinate to talk together about what we are going to do? what are we doing in that area? and have we done anything so far? >> thank you, natalie. dear colleagues, as i have been in that the high representative and vice president might leave shortly, i would suggest now to give him the floor, first, for the first intervention after what he has heard some of our members, for first reaction. and then, depending on how long josep pharrell can remain in this meeting, continue the eight with the coordinators and other members with the manager of the service who is acting as secretary general. he will answer questions at the end of the meeting. but first, let me go back to josep borrell. mr. borrell: thank you. with the news today that -- with the news today, my first irt is responsible for the service, to bring home 300-400 at been working with us, the european union, not with me and the action service, but with all services for the european union, institution.

afghanistan is not just about afghanistan, it's about ending _ just about afghanistan, it's about ending in — just about afghanistan, it's about ending in era of major military operations to remake other countries. we saw a nation of counterterrorism in afghanistan, getting _ counterterrorism in afghanistan, getting the terrorist and stopping attacks— getting the terrorist and stopping attacks morphed into a counter insurgency, nation—building, trying to create _ insurgency, nation—building, trying to create a — insurgency, nation—building, trying to create a democratic cohesive and united _ to create a democratic cohesive and united afghanistan, something that has never— united afghanistan, something that has never been done over many centuries — has never been done over many centuries of afghanistan's history. moving _ centuries of afghanistan's history. moving on — centuries of afghanistan's history. moving on from that mindset and those _ moving on from that mindset and those kinds of large—scale troop deployments will make us stronger and more _ deployments will

what do soviet soldiers here in afghanistan think? >> leach things differently. some thanks it is a senseless war others supported in reality is a senseless war. a soldier has become a barbarian here. some soldiers especially those rob homes, kill women, children and rape them. yes there was a case would soldiers which shoot in a house, killed the father an old man, killed the old mother and raped a 15-year-old girl and then killed her so she would not tell anyone. >> you are aware problem in kabul, therefore all of the actions performed within kabul or afghanistan, but whatever this is such as destroying, burning, killing looting on behalf of the villages on the countryside. can causal the f grant secret service bullets usually keep 15 or 20 afghans and human conditions and small rooms and tortured them by electric shock, beatings et cetera. it is difficult for me too describe all of what they do it would be harder to hear such actions of savagery for example i know a compatriot who worked very hard for some country. it is cut by the

i will not do it in afghanistan. i know my decision will be criticized, but i would rather take all of that criticism then pass this decision onto another president of the united states, a fifth one, because it is the right one, it is the right decision for our people. the right one for our brave servicemembers who risk their lives serving our nation. it is the right one for america. thank you, may god protect our troops, our diplomats,nd all brave americans serving in harm's way. [reporters clamoring] anchor: that is a joe biden, the u.s. president, addressing the united states of america live from the white house. there is absolutely mea culpa -- no mea culpa. he did make one concession, he seemed to suggest that he did not anticipate all of this unfolding quite as quickly as it did, but he clearly put all of the blame on this on the afghan leadership and the afghan military. essentially saying the united states has extended many resources to afghanistan, that what they could not give them was the will to fight for

mission in afghanistan and investing everything we can to support the wider area around afghanistan and to do everything we can to overt humanitarian crisis. mr. speaker, it is almost 20 years since united states's -- united states suffered a catastrophic attack in which 67 british citizens also lost their lives at the hands of murderous terrorists groups incubated in afghanistan. in response, nato invoked article five of its treaty for the first and only time in its history. united kingdom, amongst others, joined america in going into afghanistan on a mission to -- al qaeda and to do whatever we could to stabilize afghanistan in spite of all the challenges we knew we were face that we would face. we succeeded in that court mission. i will give way to my honorable friend. >> would he agree we are actually ceding back the country to the very insurgency we went to the feet in the first place? the -- for the rest -- there are some new lessons to be learned and what happened in the last 20 years. would you now agree to an independent verbal inquiry into afghanistan? >> as i said in the hous

troops in afghanistan? >> the one thing i want to make very clear is we are committed to helping any american in afghanistan that wants to get out of the country to get out of the country. we believe we can do that by august 31st, and we are working in real-time to execute that mission. we have been in close and constant communication with american citizens in afghanistan from the beginning of this administration and frankly before, urging them to get out of the country. as the situation continued to deteriorate in recent weeks and months, we sent messages warning of that deterioration, including offering financial assistance for people who might need it to get commercial flights out of the country. we communicated again with american citizens today, offering to help facilitate their exit from afghanistan. we are committed to getting that done. >> a lot of them apparently can't get even to the embassy. so is there a date? is it going to be a few days into september or a few weeks, months? will it be forever

because china is about afghanistan... it shares a small border with afghanistan. i think if we come into this question with the mindset of a great power of competition. american�*s loss is china's gain, then probably yes, but i'm afraid that duality is much more complex. china's very, very nervous about it. you know, china thinks afghanistan is a quagmire, and they look at history being afghanistan's neighbour for a long time. in the 19th century and early 20th century, it was britain, and then 20th century it was soviet union. now the 21st century is the united states. chinese state media are calling afghanistan the graveyard of empires. so you can see how china actually thinks of this issue. it's not necessarily america's loss and china's gain. that's interesting. has afghanistan proved that the british empire and the concept was to no longer project power in a way that so comfortably and confidently for a couple of centuries or more. you can certainly say that about how humiliating it was, janet, for the soviet union after having to withdraw afghanistan. it d

troops in afghanistan. did the united states win or lose afghanistan? i mean, in a way, ech tven that loaded question. >> it is, it argues what was the goal to begin with. people have a hard time articulating that. it's hard to see what the wins were. the wins were in the long-term keeping at bay terrorism, trying to keep at bay threats to the u.s., but in terms of what the u.s. actually gained long-term, it's not clear what that is. i think we should know just in terms of the vacuum there, and i don't mean to keep going back to the former president, but some of what we have seen of the amassing in terror threats in the region has happened because of moves that the former president made because of troop withdrawals around the rengion. how much the general public that is so tired and beaten down by covid, by the resurgent pandemic, how much they're concerned about what happens overseas, i don't know we know that. >> you brought up the former president, who wanted to withdraw all u.s. troops from afghanistan and couldn't or didn't on his own. >> he chose

afghanistan. the us says it's planning to evacuate up to 9,000 passengers, per day. the pentagon said, the taliban has not interfered with the us evacuation efforts out of kabul. local reports today showed the streets of kabul quiet, on the second full day of taliban rule. militants are out in force, manning checkpoints across the city. the bbc�*ss chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, reports. the republic has fallen, its leaders fled. taliban rule is returning. day by day, its fighters more visible on the streets of kabul, patrolling with us military vehicles left behind or lost by government forces. taking on tasks to show they are in charge now, and showing the new face of afghanistan to the world. today the first press conference by a man who's long been a mystery, taliban spokesman zabiola mujahit, showing his face in public for the first time — making their message clear. translation: there is death in war, i we didn't kill for revenge, itjust. happened because it was a war th

soldier leaving afghanistan. also on that plane, the other man left as the last man beside him was ross wilson, the top u.s. diplomat in kabul. tonight secretary of state antony blinken gave extended remarks on the end of the military mission in afghanistan and the start of what he called the new diplomatic mission in that country, including efforts to continue to get more people out of that country, even without kabul airport as a bridgehead for doing so. one of the first concrete signs of the end of the mission today was an faa notice to airmen, which is a notice to pilots worldwide, and it was blunt as all get-out in case it was not clear before. quote, effective immediately hamid karzai international airport is uncontrolled. no air traffic control or airport services are available. aircraft operating into, out of or through kabul should use extreme caution. the taliban now controls the airport. over the past 17 days, the u.s. airlift brought more than 122,000 people out of afghanistan through that single runw

i. in afghanistan? yes, of course. i have to stay _ in afghanistan? yes, of course. i have to stay and _ in afghanistan? yes, of course. i have to stay and i _ in afghanistan? yes, of course. i have to stay and i will _ in afghanistan? yes, of course. i have to stay and i will stay - in afghanistan? yes, of course. i have to stay and i will stay here | have to stay and i will stay here until i see that i can do something, i can survive as a human here, not just as a woman from the point of view of the taliban that i have to be in my house and i have to lockdown myself and jailed myself and my house so i will be here. here is a good place for me, this is my country, i can't be more efficient and than in my country. i can work here. this country needs us and this is our country and we have to build that but i will be here until i make sure that i have my place in the society and the government and everything that can happen is an afghan, notjust as a woman but women and men can contribute to the community equally so i believe in this and this is the way i will survive.

i and unfolding in afghanistan. yes, i think a lot of _ and unfolding in afghanistan. yes, i think a lot of people _ and unfolding in afghanistan. yes, i think a lot of people have _ and unfolding in afghanistan. yes, i think a lot of people have been - think a lot of people have been taken by surprise. i think what has happened is appalling. you can listen to others who are working in afghanistan and it's a tragedy. this idea of a peaceful transition to the taliban, i think people are pretty naive when it comes to talybont. i think we will witness a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. —— the taliban. i crisis of epic proportions. -- the taliban. ~ . ~ crisis of epic proportions. -- the taliban. ~' ., ~ ., taliban. i think when we talk about negotiations _ taliban. i think when we talk about negotiations now, _ taliban. i think when we talk about negotiations now, its _ taliban. i think when we talk about negotiations now, its negotiationsl negotiations now, its negotiations with a gun to your head. i negotiations now, its negotiations with a gun to your head.

he told us that mullah baradar returning to afghanistan is a big change for afghanistan. he said he is an esteemed leader and co-founder of the taliban. his return to afghanistan, quote, probably means the end of any talks between the taliban and afghan politicians in kabul. in other words, the implications there are that this is somebody who is recognized by everybody involved as the new guy in charge. and so anybody left over from the previous government is now, you know, not just out of a job but no longer in a position to speak on behalf of any government because with mullah baradar returning to afghanistan, everybody knows that he's going to be running the new government. at least that's the implication, that's what it looks like for now. don't quote me when things ultimately take some radically different course we didn't anticipate. it's not like we've never been surprised in afghanistan before from this vantage point. i will say, though, an awkward detail, i think, for us and for us in understanding what's going on there now is the fact that as mullah baradar retur

i their approach when it comes to afghanistan?— afghanistan? i think not necessarily. _ afghanistan? i think not necessarily. i'm - afghanistan? i think not necessarily. i'm a - afghanistan? i think not necessarily. i'm a firm l afghanistan? i think not - necessarily. i'm a firm believer that the afghan security forces that are there and the government as a whole are capable of holding onto those bits of the country that really matter, and i think it's important they do that, because if they do, there's a chance the taliban are more likely to come to the table because they will recognise they have to find a political compromise. i always go back to the announcement from the joint religious council is about six weeks ago, where the war was declared illegal. ithink weeks ago, where the war was declared illegal. i think the moral high ground can be seized by the afghan government if they are able to hold onto those key bits of afghanistan at the moment. in to hold onto those key bits of afghanistan at the moment. in your view though. _ afghanistan

we believe that the al qaeda that is in afghanistan in the al qaeda that could resurge in grow in afghanistan would be a threat to the united states also. that is the logic in the rationale. i also believe, i would have liked to have heard from the president dealing with the emergency evacuation that's taken place, the horror show we are all watching. we're seen and very strong determined commitment from him that we will complete this evacuation. not just the thousands of americans and other foreign nationals who are there mostly our european allies in help tha evacuation, but we will complet the evacuation of the thousands of afghans whose lives are in jeopardy that are on a list tha the taliban has and are currently going door-to-door to try to find those people. those people, many of them are at the airport or train to get to that airport in we should absolutely, the military to finish that exercise, not just american civilians in other foreign nationals, but the afghan people whose lives are absolutely on the line. >> general, the collapse of the government surprised many. and i know we w