Afghanistan Crisis LIVE updates: ISIS claims responsibility for Kabul rocket attack

The selection of the national anthem and flag is an important issue in future cricket matches, but the head of the cricket board, Azizullah Fazli, said Taliban leaders would make the decision regarding the same. However, some cricketers have already opposed the idea on social media, urging them not to change the national flag.

Afghan Hindus, Sikhs are allowed to travel to India if they have valid travel documents, Taliban spokesperson Zahebullah Mujahid said on Monday. Mujahid said the Taliban has received a request from the Indian World Forum, to facilitate the travel of Hindus and Sikhs to India. In an interview with a local news agency, the leader assured that Sikhs are a part of Afghanistan and that their rights will be protected.  He also assured cooperation with those willing to travel to India. 
 

The Taliban's caretaker higher education minister has said that Afghanistan's national curriculum will be purged of elements that conflict with Islam. Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Abdul Baqi Haqqani claimed the country's recent history had shown Afghans will accept nothing else but Islam.

"Afghans won't abandon Islam, Afghans won't accept slavery, they won't neglect their national values," Haqqani said.

When they were last in power in the 1990s, the Taliban oversaw an oppressive system that offered people limited educational opportunities and restricted women and girls to their homes. Now, the Taliban says they want good relations with the international community and have promised a more moderate form of Islamic rule than when they last governed the country, but many Afghanistan civilians remain deeply sceptical of the Taliban.

ISIS-Daesh has claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks that were carried out on Monday at the Hamid Karzai International Airport. This is the second attack carried out by ISIS after the suicide bombing in the previous week which led to severe casualties and fatalities including the American soldiers. The US had conducted a drone strike to neutralise the planners of the suicide bombing at Kabul Airport.

According to local Afghan media, the Northern Alliance has neutralised at least 100 Taliban terrorists in the Pul-e-Hesar district of Andrab and seized dozens of Taliban vehicles and tanks following fierce fighting, thus compelling the Taliban to retreat from many parts of the district.

As the last of the American troops are on their way out of Afghanistan, another video was accessed by Republic Media Network in which gun-wielding Taliban terrorists stood behind a news presenter. These pictures remain a stark contrast to the Taliban claims of being a changed entity.

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In the aftermath of the latest attack that rocked Kabul, the Republic Media Network has accessed exclusive visuals from the attack site in Afghanistan's capital. The rockets were targeted towards the Kabul International Airport as evacuation operations continue. However, the rockets were intercepted by the airport's missile defence systems, thereby leading to the missiles falling in different parts of Kabul. 

Meanwhile, visuals of missile with names of fallen US soldiers written emerged on Monday. Watch latest updates here:

In a shocking development, Amin-ul-Haq, a major al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan and Osama Bin Laden's close aide returned to Afghanistan amid the Taliban's presence. Visuals of his return surfaced on Monday afternoon. Watch the latest updates here: 

In a major development, shocking visuals of thick smoke emerged from Kabul airport on Monday afternoon. As details of the visuals are awaited, here are quick updates on the development. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey was ready for any kind of assistance and cooperation with Afghanistan but would maintain a 'cautious' approach in doing so. After his return from Montenegro on Sunday, Erdogan told the media that his country was ready to assist Afghanistan in the short term, but it was important for the Taliban to first display what kind of government they want to form, and what their attitude towards the 40 million population will be.

“As Turkey, our objective is that Afghanistan should quickly recover. The Afghan people can no longer bear such a burden. It has a population of around 40 million and is a huge country. We are ready to give all kinds of support for Afghanistan’s unity and solidarity. As long as we see that approach in this sense from Afghanistan." Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News quoted Erdogan 

“Look, around 200 people were killed unexpectedly. There are Taliban members among the death toll. The intelligence says DAESH-Khorasan is behind. We should therefore follow a cautious line," he added. 

The White House on Monday has confirmed the latest rocket attack in  Afghanistan's Kabul as evacuation operations continue before the August 31 deadline. Issuing a statement, the White House informed that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chief of Staff Ron Klain have briefed President Joe Biden about the rocket attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.  

The White House statement further read that President Joe Biden was informed about the ongoing evacuation operations which continue uninterrupted. In addition, it further stated that Biden has reconfirmed his order that commanders must step up their efforts to prioritise steps that will ensure the safety of American forces on the ground. 

The United States has the capacity to evacuate the approximately 300 U.S. citizens remaining in Afghanistan who want to leave before President Joe Biden's Tuesday deadline, senior Biden administration officials said, as another U.S. drone strike against suspected Islamic State militants underscored the grave threat in the war's final days.

"This is the most dangerous time in an already extraordinarily dangerous mission these last couple of days," America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said not long before confirmation of that airstrike in Kabul, the capital. 

The evacuation flow of Americans kept pace even as a new State Department security alert, issued hours before the military action, instructed people to leave the airport area immediately due to a specific, credible threat. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that:

"For those U.S. citizens seeking immediately to leave Afghanistan by the looming deadline, we have the capacity to have 300 Americans, which is roughly the number we think are remaining, come to the airport and get on planes in the time that is remaining. We moved out more than that number just yesterday. So from our point of view, there is an opportunity right now for American citizens to come, to be admitted to the airport and to be evacuated safely and effectively," 
 

A day after another explosion rocked Afghanistan's capital city on Sunday, several airstrikes were reported around the Kabul Airport. Reports initially stated that the targets remained unclear. However, local sources later reported that the rockets were fired from a vehicle at Aspha Square near the airport. The rocket attacks were repelled by Kabul International Airport's defense system. 

Afghan children have paid the heaviest price in recent weeks of increased conflict and insecurity, said a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) senior official, adding that the world "cannot abandon them now". George Laryea-Adjei, Regional Director for UNICEF South Asia, said: "Now, with a security crisis, skyrocketing food prices, a severe drought, the spread of COVID-19, and another harsh winter just around the corner, children are at greater risk than ever."

The children have been deprived of basic healthcare that can protect them against polio, tetanus, and other diseases. With the conflict in the country intensifying, many have been forced from their homes and cut off from their schools and friends, UN News reported. The UNICEF has predicted that if the current trend continues, one million under-fives in Afghanistan will face severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition.

Laryea-Adjei said more than four million children, including 2.2 million girls, are out of school.
Around 300,000 youngsters have been forced to flee their homes, some of whom were in bed sleeping, "and too many of them have witnessed scenes that no child should ever see", he said. "Children and adolescents are struggling with anxieties and fears, in desperate need of mental health support," he added.

With some humanitarian partners considering cutting aid to Afghanistan, Laryea-Adjei voiced concern over having enough resources to keep health centers up and running, schools open, and services available to treat severely malnourished children. The UNICEF, which has been in Afghanistan for more than six decades, continues to maintain a field presence across the country and is engaging with interlocutors to scale up the response.
The agency is currently supporting mobile health and nutrition teams at camps for displaced people, and setting up child-friendly spaces, nutrition hubs, and vaccination sites, while also prepositioning additional lifesaving supplies and supporting thousands of students in community-based education classes.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) is not engaged in any discussions regarding the possibility of sending a UN peacekeeping mission to Afghanistan following the Taliban's (terrorist organization, banned in Russia) takeover, a UNSC source told Sputnik.

"There are currently no discussions at the SC on sending a UN peacekeeping mission to Afghanistan and in particular to Kabul," the source said. 

Around 250 Americans are still trying to leave Afghanistan with just days left before a Tuesday deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from the nation, said US State Department on Sunday (local time). A department spokesperson said in a statement that some of those Americans may be travelling to Hamid Karzai International Airport or could already be there now, The Hill reported.

Since August 14, almost 5,550 Americans and possibly more have been safely evacuated out of Afghanistan, the spokesperson added, including around 50 within the last day. About 280 self-identifying Americans have been in contact with the State Department who have either decided against leaving the country or remain undecided, they noted, The Hill further reported.

An Afghan official says three children were killed in a drone strike that U.S. officials said struck a vehicle carrying Islamic State suicide bombers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns.

U.S. officials said the vehicle was carrying explosives and that the initial strike on Sunday set off secondary explosions. The American officials said the bombers planned to attack Kabul's international airport, where a massive airlift is still underway ahead of a Tuesday deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday attended the "dignified transfer" of the remains of 13 US troops, at the Dover Air Force Base, who were killed in the Kabul attack. Biden was joined by administration officials, including US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CNN reported. 

In the morning, the President and the First Lady on Sunday travelled to Dover, Delaware. Biden and the First Lady met with the families of fallen American service members who gave their lives to save Americans, their partners, and their Afghan allies in Kabul.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber and multiple ISIS-K gunmen killed 13 US service members and nearly 200 Afghan civilians in the attack at the Kabul airport. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province on Thursday claimed responsibility for the blast. US President on Thursday vowed to retaliate for a terrorists attack, saying, "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay". 

Joint Statement on Afghanistan Evacuation Travel Assurances: 

The text of the following statement was released initially by the Governments of the United States of America, Albania, Australia, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Canada, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea, Republic of Kosovo, Romania, Rwanda, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland ,  The Gambia, The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Union of the Comoros, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Yemen, and Zambia with regard to Afghanistan evacuation travel assurances.

We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan.  We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country.  We will continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans, and we have a clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries.  We note the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding.

 The United States is aware of reports of civilian casualties in Kabul following its drone strike on an explosive-laden vehicle headed towards the Hamid Karzai International Airport, the Pentagon said. We are aware of reports of civilian casualties following our strike on a vehicle in Kabul today, Capt Bill Urban, spokesman of the US Central Command, said.

The US State Department said that the US will convene a virtual discussion on Afghanistan on Monday (local time), and Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to make a public statement later that day.

"On Monday, August 30, 2021, the United States will host a virtual ministerial meeting with key partners on Afghanistan, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Qatar, the European Union, and NATO. The participants will discuss an aligned approach for the days and weeks ahead," the State Department statement read.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday (local time) stated that all foreign nationals and Afghan citizens with travel authorization from over 100 countries, including the United States, will be allowed to travel outside of Afghanistan.

The world "cannot abandon them now," a senior official with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) appealed on Sunday after ending a visit to the country.

According to George Laryea-Adjei, Regional Director for UNICEF South Asia, children have paid the highest price in recent weeks of rising conflict and instability.

Not only have some been made homeless and cut off from their schools and friends, but they have also been denied access to basic healthcare that may protect them from diseases like as polio, tetanus, and others.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Sunday that dialogue with the Taliban does not imply their recognition.

"This dialogue is needed for the evacuation," Macron said in an interview with the TF-1 television channel.

"The Taliban controls Kabul and the territory of Afghanistan, so we must maintain discussions. But it doesn't mean their recognition. We have set conditions to them." he added.

Nearly 250 Americans are still attempting to flee Afghanistan, with only days before a Tuesday deadline for the withdrawal of US forces from the country, according to the US State Department on Sunday (local time).

According to a department spokesperson, some of those Americans may be on their way to Hamid Karzai International Airport or are already there.

Since August 14, about 5,550 Americans, probably more, have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan, according to the spokesperson, including approximately 50 in the last day. According to the State Department, around 280 self-identifying Americans have contacted them and have either opted not to leave the country or are unsure.

The Taliban, who are ready to form a new administration in the war-torn country, have announced a ban on co-education after promising to protect women's rights.

This comes just a day after Afghanistan's acting minister of higher education, Shaikh Abdulbaqi Haqqani.

Taliban leaders in Afghanistan's western Herat region decided last week that girls at universities will no longer be allowed to sit in the same classes as boys. Co-education has no other purpose, according to Taliban authorities, and must be halted.

More than 90 countries, including the US and its European allies, issued a joint statement on Sunday, reaffirming their commitment to ensuring the safe travel of their citizens and at-risk Afghan nationals outside Afghanistan. In the joint statement, the countries informed that they have been assured by the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen will be allowed to safely move out of Afghanistan. 

"We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan," the statement said.

According to Russian media, at least six people lost their lives in the 'airstrike' in Kabul, allegedly carried out by the United States, that was aimed at suicide bombers. The US has also confirmed the attack, aimed at eliminating suspected ISIS-K terrorists in Kabul.

Afghanistan: The US carried out a military strike targetting suspected ISIS-K terrorists in Kabul, officials said on Sunday. US officials claim that the drone struck a vehicle with 'multiple suicide bombers' who were on their way to Kabul airport; threat believed eliminated.

Meanwhile, a rocket struck a neighborhood northwest of Kabul's international airport killing a child. Earlier on Friday,  the US military had conducted drone strikes on two high profile ISIS-K targets, in retaliation to the twin bombing at the Kabul airports, in which 13 American servicemen were killed. 

The Taliban said that a US airstrike targeted a suicide bomber in a vehicle Sunday who wanted to attack the Kabul international airport amid the American military's evacuation there. There were few initial details about the incident, as well as a rocket that struck a neighborhood just northwest of the airport, killing a child. The two strikes initially appeared to be separate incidents, though information on both remained scarce.

An Afghan police chief said the rocket has struck a neighborhood northwest of Kabul's international airport amid the US evacuation there, killing a child. Rashid, the Kabul police chief said the rocket struck a residential house in the Gulai area of ​​Khajeh Baghra, in the 11th security district. 

No group immediately claimed the attack.

Days after twin suicide bombings rocked Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai International Airport killing hundreds of civilians and US military officials, another massive explosion was reported in Kabul on Sunday. According to local reports, a loud explosion was heard in the capital city, likely caused by a rocket attack

Witnesses told Aśvaka News Agency that the blast was caused by a rocket hitting a residential house in the Gulai area of ​​Khajeh Baghra, in the 11th security district. The bomber is said to have struck in front of Kabul International Airport. There are no reports of casualties in this incident yet.
 

Taliban militants have now captured a helicopter that was gifted by the US to the Afghanistan forces. In visuals accessed by Republic on Sunday, the militants were seen taking a joyride on the chopper. 

The Northern Alliance, which has been giving a tough fight to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, claimed on Sunday that the extremist group has cut off the internet in Panjshir province, where the resistance group is based.  According to the Northern Alliance, the  Afghan wireless, Roshan, and Etisalat networks are also down.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said that France and Britain will submit a proposal to an emergency United Nations meeting due Monday on Afghanistan, suggesting the creation of a safe zone in Kabul to protect people trying to leave the country.

Sources confirm that Mullah Hibatullah Akhund has been based in Kandahar province for the past four days and is in talks with Taliban leaders on the future of Afghanistan. This comes as a number of Taliban leaders have arrived in Afghanistan over the past week to discuss the formation of a future government with political leaders.

In a global embarrassment for Pakistan, the daughter of former Afghan President Mohammad Najibullah, Heela Najibullah revealed Pakistan's role in the Taliban crisis. In a statement released on Sunday, she called on the nations to 'end the epicentre of Jihad in seriously engaging with Pakistan.'

The Taliban hope an inclusive government in Afghanistan will be announced within a few days, as consultations on the issue continue. “First of all, entering Kabul all of a sudden and taking over like this was unanticipated. We desire to hold wide-ranging talks on the formation of a government,” said Zabihullah Mujahid.

Talks were underway on all aspects of a new administration, he said, hoping the Taliban make a formal announcement in this regard within a few days.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on August 29 hailed the armed forces of the country after Britain’s last evacuation flight from Afghanistan landed on Sunday morning at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The last remaining UK troops have now touched down in the home country after leaving the war-ravaged nation for the last time and ending Britain’s two-decade presence in Afghanistan. The British troops returned in the last flight after the departure of the last dedicated flight for the evacuation effort from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan before the August 31 deadline. 

A civilian was shot dead by Talibani militants in Kabul on Sunday morning. According to local journalists, the Talibans had asked the man to stop his car, but when he did listen, he was shot with a PK machine gun. The man died on the spot. 

Radio and television broadcasts of music and female voices have been banned in Kandahar, days after the Taliban takeover.

Former Afghanistan Governor Hamil Fidai accused the Taliban of engaging in political revenge and target killings in Afghanistan saying that he was threatened and searched 8 times after the takeover. Drawing a difference between the promises of the Taliban and what the military leadership did on the ground, Hamil Fidai told Republic World that the fundamentalist group had forcibly entered his home, threatened his wife and children, and had also seized his private vehicles. Fidai has served as a Governor in Afghanistan between 2007-2021 for 4 provinces - Wardak, Logar, Khost, and Paktia.

Head of the UK Armed Forces, General Sir Nicholas Carter, has said that the UK could look at working with the Taliban if the terror group managed to behave like a government in Afghanistan. In an interview with Sky News, General Carter stated that if the Taliban can demonstrate that it is willing to fight terror threats (like ISIS) on Afghan soil, then the UK may look at operating with them. However, Britain would wait and see the group's behavior first, he added. 

Afghanistan's 'caretaker' President Amrullah Saleh on Saturday has expressed confidence and claimed that the Taliban rule in the country 'won't last long'. Saleh, who is currently in Panjshir with the anti-Taliban resistance told Euronews that the Taliban's Islamic Emirate is unacceptable to the people of Afghanistan. In addition, he also remarked that the election of a leader by the terrorist group is unacceptable.  

"The law of the Taliban is Islamic Emirate, unacceptable to the people of Afghanistan and the election of a leader by a group is unacceptable. It is impossible for Taliban rule to last long in Afghanistan." said Saleh 

The resistance leader has also predicted that the Taliban will face a 'deep military crisis' involving other areas apart from Panjshir, which is currently mounting resistance against them. In addition, Amrullah Saleh has also asserted that the European Union 'must assume its moral responsibility and support for the Afghan National Resistance, politically and morally,' Saleh added 

The Taliban on Saturday sealed off Kabul airport in order to prevent large crowds from leaving the war-torn country as final NATO evacuation flights left Afghanistan. New layers of checkpoints sprang up on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed Taliban fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces, reported Euronews.

The massive US-led airlift wound down ahead of an August 31 deadline of the Taliban. Britain too began bringing its troops home from Afghanistan, as a Royal Air Force plane carrying soldiers landed at the RAF Brize Norton airbase northwest of London. The troops are part of a contingent of 1,000 that has been based in Kabul to help run the airlift, reported Euronews.
 

The resistance forces in the Panjshir province on Saturday rejected the Taliban claims that their forces entered Panjshir province from various directions. Ahmad Massoud supporters rejected the claims of a Taliban advance toward Panjshir and say no one has entered the province, reported Tolo News.

"There is no fight in Panjshir and no one has entered the province," said Mohammad Almas Zahid, head of the Resistance Front delegation.

Earlier, the Taliban claimed that their forces entered Panjshir province. "No fighting occurred, but the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan advanced from various directions without facing any resistance. The Islamic Emirate forces have entered Panjshir from different directions," said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's Cultural Commission, reported Tolo News. 

Due to political uncertainty following the collapse of the former government to the Taliban, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday estimated that 500,000 Afghans will leave the country in the next four months. According to the UNHCR, until now there had not been mass migration, but the evolving situation will lead to a large number of people leaving the country, reported Tolo News.

"While we have not seen large outflows of Afghans at this point, the situation inside Afghanistan has evolved more rapidly than anyone expected," said Kelly T Clements, Deputy High Commissioner. The UNHCR asked neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to Afghan refugees.
 

President Joe Biden vowed to keep up airstrikes against the Islamic extremist group whose suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed scores of Afghans and 13 American service members. Another terror attack, he said, is highly likely this weekend as the US winds down its evacuation.

"Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours," Biden said, adding that he has instructed them to take all possible measures to protect their troops, who are securing the airport and helping bring onto the airfield Americans and others desperate to escape Taliban rule. 

French President Emmanuel Macron in an interview said that Paris and London will call on Monday for the creation of a "safe zone" in the Afghan capital of Kabul, which is expected to allow the continuation of humanitarian operations. According to Sputnik, Macron said that France and the UK are developing a "draft resolution" which "aims to define, under UN control, a 'safe zone' in Kabul to allow humanitarian operations to continue." The French president explained that such a "safe zone" would provide a framework for the United Nations to act in an emergency. Macron also said that France is counting on the help of Qatar in what concerns airlift operations. 
 

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that discussions were underway with the Taliban through Qatar to "protect and repatriate" Afghans at risk since this month's takeover by the group. Evacuations are planned jointly with Qatar and may involve "airlift operations", Macron said on Saturday (local time) after a summit in Baghdad, adding that France had evacuated 2,834 people from Afghanistan since August 17, Samaa TV reported citing an international news agency.

A suicide explosion at the Kabul airport killed dozens of Afghans and 13 American service members, and US President Joe Biden vowed to continue airstrikes against the Islamic terrorist group responsible for the attack. It is "very likely" that another terror incident will occur this weekend as the United States prepares to leave the country, he claimed.

“This strike was not the last,” Biden said in a statement. “We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay.”

Russia's Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, informed that the Taliban are holding serious internal discussions about the formation of a new administration.

"It is still too early to draw final conclusions, but there are encouraging signals, such as the process of forming an interim new leadership or at least announcing its composition. ... This suggests that the leadership of the Taliban movement is undergoing a serious thought process, they want to form a new leadership, which will include representatives of other ethnopolitical forces," Kabulov said.

A Taliban member has stated that the group has decided to build an "inclusive" caretaker administration in Afghanistan. 

In mid-August, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. According to a member of the Taliban shura (consultation committee), the caretaker government will be comprised of Taliban commanders and leaders from all Afghan ethnicities and tribal backgrounds. According to a Taliban member, a dozen names are currently being considered for appointment as new government officials.

On Saturday (local time), US  President Joe Biden warned that another terrorist attack at Kabul airport is "highly likely" in the next 24-36 hours.

"The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high. Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours," Biden said in a statement.

Former Afghan envoy said Pakistan created the Taliban in an attempt to oppose India, citing former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf.

On Saturday, Mahmoud Saikal, Afghanistan's former Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United Nations and Australia, tweeted, "According to @P_Musharraf, Pakistan gave birth to the Taliban to counter Indian action against it. @ImranKhanPTI believes the Taliban have broken the shackles of slavery. @SMQureshiPTI & @YusufMoeed are currently busy lobbying the world to engage with the Taliban."

The Pentagon said that the US military has "begun retrograding" from the Kabul airport and is "still in charge of the airport" and security.

US forces are "retrograding" from the Hamid Karzai International airport, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, who also stated that Washington is "still in charge of the airport" and security.

The Taliban claims that the US forces have evacuated three gates, among other parts of Kabul airport, and they have stationed their men there. 

Sources have informed Republic Media Network that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and other leaders are in Kandahar for discussion on the formation of government in Afghanistan. 

The Taliban released the former Governor, the police chief and the director of security of the Laghman province. The men were held by the Taliban for several weeks after the capture of Laghman.

As per reports, the US military destroyed 'Eagle Base'- the final CIA base in Kabul as it prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan.  Afghan counterterrorism forces and intelligence agencies were trained here.

Italy's final evacuation flight of refugees from Afghanistan landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. The Italian Air Force C-130J with 58 Afghan citizens aboard arrived on Saturday morning some 17 hours after it departed from the Kabul airport. Italy's consul and a NATO diplomat who had coordinated evacuations at the Kabul airport were also in this flight.

Speaking to the media, Australia's High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell expressed anguish at the situation in Afghanistan. Mentioning that his country has evacuated 4000 persons from the war-torn country, he revealed that it suspended its evacuation mission after the suicide bombing in Kabul. He added, "The world is working towards a solution regarding Afghanistan. India, happily, is chairing the United States Security Council, which gives countries like Australia great confidence that hopefully, a solution can be found".

In a fresh diktat, the Taliban ordered those in Kabul who have government property such as vehicles, weapons, ammunition and other items--to submit them within one week to the relevant departments. 

In retaliation to the deadly Kabul bombing that killed 169 Afghans and 13 American military personnel, the US conducted a drone strike against an ISIS-K terrorist in Nangahar. He is believed to be involved in planning attacks against the American troops in Kabul. 

Capt. Bill Urban, USN, U.S. Central Command Spokeman said in a statement, "US military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties."

After the Pentagon warned of further attacks in Kabul, the US Embassy in the war-torn country issued a fresh security alert. It asked the US citizens who are at the Abbey gate, East gate, North gate or the New Ministry of Interior gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport to leave immediately.

After the Taliban stormed into Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates. Since then, at least 20 persons have lost their lives in the chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport with thousands of people desperately trying to flee the country. The impasse over the formation of a government continues despite hectic parlays between the terror group and political leaders. The Taliban has refused to extend the August 31 for the US and NATO forces to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. 

As per reports, the Taliban is likely to constitute a 12-member council to run Afghanistan. It may comprise Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Mullah Omar's son Mullah Mohammad Yaqub, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, former president Hamid Karzai, ex-PM Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and High Council for National Reconciliation chairman Abdullah Abdullah among others. Moreover, speculation is rife that some of the Ministers in the erstwhile government might be accommodated in the new set-up. 

Calamity struck Kabul on August 26 as a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Abbey Gate, where many people had gathered to get inside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in a bid to flee Afghanistan. It led to the death of 169 Afghans, 11 US Marines, a US Navy sailor, and a US Army soldier besides leaving several others injured. While initial reports suggested that there was a second explosion near the Baron Hotel situated close to the airport, the Pentagon refuted this. As per Major General Hank Taylor, the deputy director for regional operations on the Pentagon's Joint Staff, the bombing was followed by gunfire from north of the gate.

Terrorist outfit ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack. In an address to the people, US President Joe Biden remarked, "To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm notice, we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command."

In the latest development, the Taliban has allowed female employees of the Ministry of Public Health to resume their jobs. This comes after the terrorist group repeatedly asserted that women will enjoy rights "within the limits of Islam".