US's Antony Blinken dials Canadian FM; discuss efforts to evacuate Americans & Canadians

As the Taliban takes total control of Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke to Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau on Tuesday about the situation in the Islamic country. Giving out further details of the conversation, the US State Department informed that efforts to bring American and Canadian citizens to safety and assist vulnerable Afghans were discussed.

Afghanistan Crisis: US State Dept & 18 other nations issue joint statement

On Wednesday, August 18 the US State Department released a joint statement signed by about two dozen nations, expressing concern for the rights of Afghan women and girls. While urging the Taliban to "guarantee their protection", the US State Department called on those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection. 

Sources in the US State Department have informed that this joint statement has been co-signed by Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, European Union, Honduras, Guatemala, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Senegal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. 

Remarking that Afghanistan women and girls deserve to live in safety, security and dignity, the statement said that any form of discrimination and abuse towards them should be prevented. Asserting that the US, along with other nations in the international community, stands ready to assist the Afghan women and girls with humanitarian aid and support. The statement asked the Taliban to ensure that voices of women and girls can be heard. 

The joint statement issued by the US State Department read, "We will monitor closely how any future government ensures rights and freedoms that have become an integral part of the life of women and girls in Afghanistan during the last twenty years."

Taliban take over Afghanistan

As US troops retreated after 20 years from war-ravaged Afghanistan, the Taliban launched an offensive taking over cities like Kandahar, Herat, and Lashkar Gah, gradually encircling the government in Kabul. Kandahar and Herat fell on Thursday, forcing government officials and their entourage to flee to the airport to escape the city by air, Mazar-e-Sharif fell on Friday, August 14 while Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah on Saturday, August 15, thereby strengthening the Taliban's stronghold.

The long-standing war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on Afghanistan's capital Kabul, entered the city and took over the presidential palace, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to join fellow citizens and foreigners to leave the country.

(Image: AP)