Rushed Evacuation in Kabul Highlights Disconnect in Washington
There was gunfire at the airport and a dire warning from the State Department to shelter in place as the United States began the frantic evacuations of Americans and Afghan allies from the Afghan capital, Kabul, after it fell to the Taliban in one harrowing weekend.
In the end, even the evacuation of what one Defense Department official estimated could be 20,000 Americans and an untold number of Afghans somehow managed to reflect the story of the entire 20-year war: a disconnect between American diplomats and the reality on the ground.
That disconnect has been clear as a series of administrations presented a succession of optimistic prognoses: The Taliban was in retreat, the Afghan military was on the brink of assuming control of the country, and the government in Kabul was one step away from being able to provide security across the land. In the last four months, as U.S. troops packed up and left the country under orders from President Joe Biden, administration officials said the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and State Department headquarters in Washington hung on to hope that their presence in the country could instill some backbone in the Afghan government.
Who are the Taliban and how will they govern Afghanistan this time?
Who are the Taliban?
The Taliban were born out of the mujahideen fighters who opposed the Russians during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which began in 1979. Founded by Mullah Mohammad Omar, a local imam in Kandahar, in 1994, they were initially formed of a small group of madrassa students who were angry at the depredations of the warlords in the civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. Their influence rapidly spread over the following two years.
What do they believe?
The Taliban are often portrayed as employing a narrow interpretation of Islamic sharia law inspired by the Deobandi fundamentalist school. However, by 1998 – during their first period in power, which ended with the US-led invasion following the 11 September 2001 attacks – the Taliban issued their own harsh and sometimes esoteric interpretation of Islamic life equally inspired by the Pashtun tribal code, the Pashtunwali.
Greece: Abandoned to the flames on Evia
After the devastating fires that have ravaged Greece's second-largest island, many of its residents are angry with their government. They believe the disaster could have been prevented.
The sun loungers have been abandoned in the seaside resort of Rovies. In parts of this village, the flames blazed their way right down to the beach. Just a few days ago, Evia's hills were covered in thousands of its characteristic pine trees. All that's left of them now are black stumps, split open by the heat, standing in a blanket of white ash.
The ground underfoot is still warm. Here and there, blackened holes are still smoking. Mid-August is the high season for holidaymakers in Greece — including here, on the country's second-largest island. But after the fires, the majority of paying guests have left.
Iran imposes new restrictions as Covid hits new records
Many Tehran shops closed their doors and the Iranian capital's notoriously heavy traffic eased on Monday as new measures came into force aimed at reining in record coronavirus deaths.
The health ministry announced the deaths of a record 655 coronavirus patients in the preceding 24 hours, with more than 41,000 new cases recorded.
In total the country of 83 million has seen upwards of 98,000 deaths from Covid-19, making it already the Middle East's deadliest outbreak.
With storm approaching Haiti, earthquake rescue efforts intensify
With a tropical depression barreling towards Haiti, doctors and aid workers are rushing to get flights or transport to reach areas devastated by a major earthquake.
Port-au-Prince airport on Monday was bustling with medics and aid workers, with domestic and private charter flights filled with humanitarian teams and supplies headed south.
Heavy rain continues in parts of Japan as mudslides kill 4, leave 5 missing
Heavy rain continued to pelt vast areas of Japan on Monday as mudslides had killed at least four people and left five others missing, with the country's weather agency urging the public to remain vigilant as the threat of more disasters remains.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said more heavy rain is forecast for wide areas from western Japan to the northeastern parts of the country in the coming days as a stationary front is expected to remain parked over the Japanese archipelago this week.
The agency said even a small amount of rain could trigger disasters as the land may have already been saturated with rain from the past few days, warning of flooding and mudslides.
No comments:
Post a Comment