Globalsecurity.org

President Joe Biden today addressed the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and the actions U.S. troops are now taking to facilitate the departure of allies and Afghan partners. He spoke from the White House.

Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban, and U.S. troops now in the country are working to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport to enable the safe departure of U.S., allied and Afghan partners from the country.

Seven people have been reported killed as thousands of Afghans flooded the runways and terminals of the Kabul airport amid chaos, attempting to leave after Taliban militants seized control of the country ahead of the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces after a presence of nearly two decades.

The sudden seizure of Kabul by Taliban militants after they made rapid advances across the country has triggered sharp criticism of the U.S. policy in Afghanistan, with Washington being held responsible for ultimately failing to build a democratic government capable of withstanding the insurgents despite spending hundreds of billions of dollars and providing two decades of military support.

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan has led many to criticize U.S. President Joe Biden's administration for allowing the internationally backed government in Kabul to collapse.

Uzbekistan says its armed forces have shot down an Afghan military plane after the aircraft illegally entered the Central Asian nation's airspace.

The head of the United Nations has urged the body's Security Council to use "all tools" at its disposal to guarantee that human rights will be respected in Afghanistan after Taliban militants seized control of the country.

A senior Russian official says the country's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, will hold talks with Taliban representatives on August 17 to discuss the security of Russian citizens and embassy personnel.

Afghanistan's Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) has advised commercial air traffic to reroute and avoid transiting the country's airspace after the military was given sole access to departures and arrivals as countries scramble to evacuate their citizens from Kabul.

U.S. President Joe Biden has decried as "gut wrenching" the chaotic scenes under way in Afghanistan and the events around the Taliban's lightning-fast seizure of power in the war-torn country, but reiterated that he stands behind his decision to withdraw American troops as Washington had given the Afghan military "every chance" to succeed against the militants.

The Kabul airport reopened early on August 17 after flights were paused the day before due to a breakdown in security on the tarmac that interrupted evacuation operations, the Pentagon said.

Thousands of Taliban militants encircled Kabul as fear and panic swept through the capital, its residents bracing for a bloody takeover of the city and a return to an oppressive life under the militant Islamist group.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, known as Mullah Baradar, is a co-founder of the Taliban and senior leader of the militant Islamist group who is expected to hold a top role in governing Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of the country.

Uzbekistan said August 16 that it "forced" the landing of 46 Afghan aircraft carrying 585 troops that illegally crossed its border fleeing the Taliban blitz that saw Kabul fall to the militants on August 15.

As supporters of US military operations in Afghanistan scramble to board America's planes to leave Kabul as Afghan Taliban quickly took control of the capital, US troops opened fire to Afghan civilians to clear the runway for the taking off of its planes.

China hopes that the Taliban can implement its previous commitments and ensure a smooth transition of power in Afghanistan, said spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying at a Monday news conference.

China will respect the choice and will of the Afghan people, spokesperson Hua Chunying from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said Monday in a daily press conference in response to the situation in Afghanistan.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that Iran will help restore stability in Afghanistan and invites all groups to reach a national agreement as a neighboring and brotherly country.

China's special envoy for Afghanistan affairs meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran on Monday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a meeting with Chinese Special Envoy for Afghanistan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong in Tehran on Monday.