Category: Middle East

Biden to Give Update on Afghanistan, Hurricane Henri on Sunday Afternoon

President Joe Biden will address the nation at 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday with updates on the evacuation from Afghanistan and the impact of Hurricane Henri. Biden received a briefing from his national security team on Saturday “to hear intelligence, security, and diplomatic updates on the evolving situation in Afghanistan,” the White House said in…


Anti-Taliban Forces Say They’ve Taken 3 Districts in Afghanistan’s North

Forces holding out against the Taliban in northern Afghanistan say they have taken three districts close to the Panjshir valley where remnants of government forces and other militia groups have gathered. Defense Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi, who has vowed to resist the Taliban, said in a Twitter post that the districts of Deh Saleh, Bano,…


7 Afghans Killed in Chaos at Kabul Airport: British Military

KABUL, Afghanistan—A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul’s international airport killed seven Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The deaths come as a new, perceived threat from the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan has…


UAE to Temporarily Host 5,000 Afghans at US Request

DUBAI—The United Arab Emirates has agreed to host 5,000 Afghan nationals to be evacuated from their country for 10 days on their way to a third country at the request of the United States, the Gulf Arab state’s foreign ministry said on Friday. “The evacuees will travel to the UAE from the Afghan capital of…


‘We Have Hours’: U.S. Army Captain Pushes for Rescue of Afghan Interpreter

Fearing there may only be hours to stave off a capture, a former U.S. army captain who served in the war in Afghanistan is lobbying for the rescue of his former interpreter. Scott Henkel served during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006 and 2007 as an army Alpha team leader. In an interview, Henkel said he…


‘We Have Hours’: US Army Captain Pushes for Rescue of Afghan Interpreter

Fearing there may only be hours to stave off a capture, a former U.S. army captain who served in the war in Afghanistan is lobbying for the rescue of his former interpreter. Scott Henkel served during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006 and 2007 as an army Alpha team leader. In an interview, Henkel said he…


Pentagon Confirms Americans Have Been Beaten in Afghanistan

Americans have been beaten in Afghanistan, a U.S. military official said Saturday. A day after he said the military was aware of reports that Americans were beaten by Taliban terrorists, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that “we know of a small number of cases where some Americans … have been harassed, and in some cases, beaten.”…


Official Taliban Websites Go Offline, Though Reasons Unknown

BOSTON—Taliban websites that delivered the extremist group’s official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages went offline abruptly Friday, indicating an effort to try to squelch them. It is not immediately clear, though, why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English, and Dari languages went offline Friday. They had been…


First Afghans Land in US as Massive Evacuation Effort Continues

Afghan evacuees landed in the United States for the first time since the Taliban took over their home country, U.S. officials said Saturday. Three flights touched down at Dulles International Airport in Washington, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor told reporters at the Pentagon. “There are now Afghans, in just one week after beginning this operation, that…


Germany: Helicopters to Join Kabul Airlifts, Nearly 2,000 People Evacuated

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced on Saturday that the nation’s military has evacuated about 2,000 people from the capital of Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover last week. “The situation is difficult, but with our capabilities and everything that comes up on the ground, we will keep on taking out as many as possible,” Kramp-Karrenbauer…