Daraa Reveals Rift Between Iran and Russia: Syrian Politicians

On Thursday, Syrian politicians said that the recent developments in the city of Daraa, south Syria, reveal political and military disputes between Iran and Russia which are settled by their proxies in the region.

Yesterday, cities, towns, and villages in Daraa witnessed a mass strike following a call by local activists to stand by the Daraa al-Balad and the Tariq al-Sad neighborhoods and the internally displaced people’s camps which have been besieged by the government forces and pro-Iranian militias for more than 47 days.

Pak worried as Taliban releases anti-Pak militants after taking over Afghanistan

New Delhi, Aug 16: While a section of Pakistani fundamentalists is cheering for the Taliban “victory”, Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Prime Minister Imran Khan and ISI chief, Faez Hamid are huddled in the National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Monday. They are apparently discussing ” whether Pakistan should recognise the Taliban as they have taken over Afghanistan” leading to the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government. Of course this is window dressing. Recognition of a Taliban government by Pakistan is a foregone conclusion.

Biden: Afghan chaos ‘gut-wrenching’ but stands by withdrawal

A defiant President Joe Biden rejected blame Monday for chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Taliban’s easy victory over an Afghan military that America and NATO allies had spent two decades trying to build.

At the White House, Biden called the anguish of trapped Afghan civilians “gut-wrenching” and conceded the Taliban had achieved a much faster takeover of the country than his administration had expected. The U.S. rushed in troops to protect its own evacuating diplomats and others at the Kabul airport.

Analysis: Defiant Biden is face of chaotic Afghan evacuation

Four presidents share responsibility for the missteps in Afghanistan that accumulated over two decades. But only President Joe Biden will be the face of the war’s chaotic, violent conclusion.

The president fought that reality Monday as he spread blame for the Taliban’s swift and complete recapture of Afghanistan. He pointed to a previous agreement brokered by then-President Donald Trump, expressed frustration with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and lamented the performance of Afghan national security forces. Republicans overwhelmingly criticized Biden and he found few vocal backers among fellow Democrats.

‘Game over’: Westerners rush to leave Kabul, rescue Afghans

The chop of U.S. military helicopters whisking American diplomats to Kabul’s airport punctuated a frantic rush by thousands of other foreigners and Afghans to flee to safety as well, as a stunningly swift Taliban takeover entered the heart of Afghanistan’s capital.

The U.S. was pouring thousands of fresh troops into the country temporarily to safeguard what was gearing up to be a large-scale airlift. It announced late Sunday it was taking charge of air-traffic control at the airport, even as it lowered the flag at the U.S. Embassy.

Kabul airport plunges into chaos as Taliban patrol capital

Thousands of Afghans rushed into Kabul’s main airport Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban that they held onto a military jet as it took off and plunged to their deaths. At least seven people died in the chaos, U.S. officials said, as America’s longest war ended with its enemy the victor.

Cine este liderul taliban Abdul Ghani Baradar, probabil viitorul președinte al Emiratului Islamic al Afganistanului

Abdul Ghani Baradar, liderul taliban eliberat dintr-o închisoare pakistaneză la cererea SUA în urmă cu mai puțin de trei ani, a apărut ca un învingător incontestabil al războiului de 20 de ani. În timp ce Haibatullah Akhundzada este liderul general al talibanilor, Baradar este șeful său politic și cel mai cunoscut lider al talibanilor, scrie The Guardian.

Cine sunt liderii talibanilor?

Abdul Ghani Baradar (centru)

Arcanele mişcării talibane, care s-a întors la putere în Afganistan după o ofensivă de doar zece zile asupra marilor oraşe ale ţării, sunt învăluite în mister, la fel ca în perioada de cinci ani, între 1996 şi 2001, când au condus pentru prima dată ţara.

Desperate Afghans Fall From Sky After Clinging to Plane Leaving Kabul

At least seven people die in the chaos, officials say, after Taliban takes over Afghanistan

Seven people died during the chaos at the Kabul airport, some of which were seen on a video shared on social media showing people falling from a departing U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane.

Another video shows civilians hanging on to the undercarriage as the plane takes off.
Chaos in Kabul

Many of them fear chaos and the return of the brutal rule the Taliban imposed when it was last in power, especially after the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners and the police simply melted away.

At least five people were killed at the airport earlier Monday, as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter planes.

U.S. troops, who are in charge of the airport, earlier fired in the air to scatter the crowd, a U.S. official said. Officials were not immediately available to comment on the deaths.

Clearing civilians from Kabul airport runway

Massouma Tajik, a 22-year-old data analyst, told AP that U.S. troops also sprayed gas to disperse the crowds after people swarmed onto the tarmac.

U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser said more forces are will be sent into Kabul Airport today and tomorrow.

The chaotic scenes come as the Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over, taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as the Islamist militants entered the capital virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, while hundreds of Afghans desperate to leave flooded Kabul airport.