Afghanistan crisis live updates: Ghani vows to return, ensure 'justice' for Afghans in 1st address since fleeing

“The Indian government will bring its citizens back to their homes from Afghanistan, like we did in the Vande Bharat Mission, through Air India and the Indian Air Force (IAF) planes, whichever way is possible,” Scindia told reporters late Tuesday night in Madhya Pradesh's Shajapur, where he reached as part of his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

The Taliban's co-founder returned to Afghanistan Tuesday following the group's stunning takeover of the country, as a top spokesman insisted the insurgents will not seek "revenge" and declared a general amnesty. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar's arrival from Qatar -- where he has spent months leading talks with the United States and then Afghan peace negotiators -- crowns an astonishing comeback for the Taliban after being ousted 20 years ago.

Trump said he would have gotten Americans and equipment out of the country before military personnel and that he had an agreement with the Taliban he was willing to back up with force. “It’s a great thing that we’re getting out, but nobody has ever handled a withdrawal worse than Joe Biden,” Trump said in an televised interview with Fox News Host Sean Hannity on Tuesday. “This is the greatest embarrassment, I believe, in the history of our country.”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Estonia counterpart Eva Maria Liimets and exchanged views on the developments in Afghanistan. Jaishankar and Liimets also discussed working together on maritime and cybersecurity and other global issues. "Pleasure to meet FM @eliimets of Estonia. As UNSC members, discussed our working together on maritime and cyber security and other global issues. Exchanged views on the developments in Afghanistan. Look forward to her presence at the Council meeting tomorrow," Jaishankar tweeted. Jaishankar in New York to preside over two high-level meetings of the UNSC on UN peacekeeping and terrorism.

Over six days, the lives of Afghan researcher Mohammad Ehsan Saadat and his family turned upside down: enough time to fill out an asylum application and flee to Canada just before the Taliban walked into Kabul. Since then, he has often said to himself how "lucky" he is to have the opportunity to start anew in Canada, but "weeps" for those left behind. "From the beginning of July I was thinking that this country (Afghanistan) was going to fall," he told AFP days after arriving in Toronto with his family -- though, he added, he had not imagined that the Taliban would take Kabul as quickly as they did.

As many as 75 refugees from Pakisan belonging to the Sindhi community who had escaped from the neighbouring country due to "harassment" were granted Indian citizenship in Indore on Tuesday as part of the commemoration of 75 years of India's independence. The citizenship certificates were given in the presence of BJP Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani, former MLA Jitu Jirati and Collector Manish Singh. Murlilal Madhvani, who arrived in India three decades ago, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the citizenship.

Afghanistan faces a "cultural disaster", following the fall of Kabul to Taliban forces, a UN Special Rapporteur on Tuesday urged countries to provide urgent assistance to human rights defenders. "It is deplorable that the world has abandoned Afghanistan to a fundamentalist group like the Taliban whose catastrophic human rights record, including practice of gender apartheid, use of cruel punishments and systematic destruction of cultural heritage, when in power, is well documented," said Karima Bennoune, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights.

The Taliban have agreed to allow "safe passage" from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a US-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden's national security adviser said Tuesday, although a timetable for completing the evacuation of Americans, Afghan allies and others has yet to be worked out with the country's new rulers. Jake Sullivan acknowledged reports that some civilians were encountering resistance "being turned away or pushed back or even beaten" as they tried to reach the Kabul international airport. But he said "very large numbers" were reaching the airport and the problem of the others was being taken up with the Taliban, whose stunningly swift takeover of the country on Sunday plunged the US evacuation effort into chaos, confusion and violence.