Afghanistan crisis live updates: Biden promises further strikes against ISIS-K

UK says its final military flight has left Kabul, reports Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron says Islamic State 'remains a threat' as he meets Middle Eastern leaders in Iraq (Reuters)

Biden promises further strikes against ISIS-K

US President Joe Biden on Saturday promised further strikes against the Islamic State in Afghanistan in retaliation for a deadly bombing outside Kabul airport and warned that the situation on the ground continued to be "extremely dangerous." "This strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay," Biden said in a statement. "Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours. I directed them to take every possible measure to prioritize force protection."

Many Afghans protest over closure of banks as mass evacuation continues

Despite warnings of more terrorist attacks, thousands of Afghan people gathered outside Kabul airport on Saturday waiting for their evacuation to be processed in the hope of fleeing the country ahead of the expiry of the August 31 deadline that the US had set with the Taliban. While stringent security measures have been in place since Thursday’s blasts and the Taliban are barring people without documents from going to the airport, many still managed to make their way.

Pakistan gave birth to Taliban to counter India, says former Afghan envoy

Pakistan had birthed Taliban in an attempt to counter India, a former Afghan envoy has said citing former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf. Mahmoud Saikal, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and Ambassador to the UN and Australia on Saturday tweeted, "According to @P_Musharraf, Pakistan gave birth to the Taliban to counter Indian action against it.

Jaishankar speaks to US secretary of State Antony Blinken

"Nearly 350 US citizens still in Afghanistan"

Nearly 350 US citizens are still in Afghanistan and seeking to leave the country, a media report said. Approximately 350 US individuals are currently still in Afghanistan and seeking to leave, CNN reported sourcing a State Department official. The US has communicated with nearly 280 additional individuals who identify themselves as Americans but they have not told the State Department of their plans to leave the country yet, reported CNN. The Biden administration has evacuated nearly 6800 people in the past 24 hours from Afghanistan bringing the total number of evacuees to 1,11,900 since August 14.

US says two 'high profile' IS targets dead in Afghanistan strike

A US air strike in Afghanistan in the wake of a deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed two high-profile Islamic State "planners and facilitators" and left another wounded, the Pentagon said Saturday. No civilians were hurt in the drone strike early Saturday, which followed Thursday's bombing that killed scores of people including 13 US troops, Major General Hank Taylor told a news conference.

Foreign members of ISIL-K, al-Qaida entered Afghanistan via Pakistan: UN report

Almost all foreign members of ISIL-K and al-Qaida have entered Afghanistan via Pakistan and the leaders of these outfits along with those of the Taliban have been living in Pakistan, according to a new United Nations report. The UN Monitoring report has also established symbiotic ties between ISIL-K, Taliban and al-Qaida.

German, British, Dutch leaders talk Afghanistan

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with both British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and the status of evacuation efforts from the country. Merkel's office said the three leaders "were in agreement'' on Saturday that evacuating citizens, local workers and those in need of protection ``will continue to be a top priority,'' as will humanitarian aid for refugees and the local population.

Haqqani-IS (K) alliance threatens regional security, fear observers

As India keeps a close eye on the formation of a new government in Afghanistan, there are fears that deep connivance between the Haqqani network and Islamic-State Khorasan (IS-K) may not only pose an immediate threat to Afghanistan but is also a potential risk to the region and the western world at large. The recent well planned and coordinated blasts at the Kabul Airport and a hotel were the handiwork of IS-K and it is learnt from Afghan sources and published media reports that Khalil Haqqani was in charge of the security of Kabul airport. He is part of the Haqqani network, the jihadi group based in Pakistan.

Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke today with Indian external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar. They discussed a broad range of shared priorities, including continued coordination on Afghanistan and in the United Nations.

Secretary Blinken and Minister Jaishankar agreed to remain closely coordinated on shared goals and priorities to deepen the US-India partnership.

US officials have said that as troops are flown out there is increasing concern about the threat posed to the airport by militants from the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) group, with a focus on rocket attacks and vehicle-borne explosives.

US military begins withdrawal from Kabul airport

US troops have begun their withdrawal from Kabul airport, the Pentagon said on Saturday, as the evacuation efforts from the Afghan capital entered their final stages. President Joe Biden sent thousands of troops to the airport as the Taliban swept through Afghanistan earlier this month to help evacuate American citizens, at-risk Afghans and other foreigners desperate to flee. At the peak of the deployment there were 5,800 US troops securing Hamid Karzai International Airport, where an unprecedented airlift operation is set to end by Tuesday. After a US official told Reuters there were fewer than 4,000 troops left at the airport, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby confirmed to reporters at a briefing that the withdrawal had begun. He declined to say how many service members remained.

Solutions are being worked out to currency depreciation, economic problems in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman to Reuters

Taliban condemns recent US airstrike in eastern Afghanistan-Taliban spokesman told Reuters

"It is difficult to anticipate whether women will be part of the cabinet in Afghanistan, final decision to be taken by top leaders on this issue" - Taliban spokesman told Reuters

If any Indian is in trouble anywhere, India will always stand up to help: PM Modi on Afghan crisis

Even though it is faced with numerous challenges, India is evacuating its people from the war-ravaged Afghanistan and will continue to do, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday while unveiling the renovated Jallianwala Bagh memorial through video conferencing. "Today, anywhere in the world, if any Indian is in trouble, then India stands up to help with all its might. Be it the challenges of the Corona period or the crisis of Afghanistan, the world has experienced it continuously. Hundreds of comrades from Afghanistan are being brought to India under Operation Devi Shakti. There are many challenges and the situation is difficult," PM Modi said.

Senior US military official says two high profile ISIS-K targets killed, one wounded in friday's drone strike in Afghanistan