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

The United States and allies are hurrying to evacuate as many people from Afghanistan as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline amid deteriorating security.The United States and partners have evacuated about 111,000 people since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban entered Kabul, the White House said on Friday.

As the U.S. rushes to evacuate Americans and allies from the chaos of Afghanistan, a growing number of Republicans are questioning why the U.S. should take in Afghan citizens who worked side by side with Americans, further exacerbating divides within the party heading into next year's midterm elections.Little more than a week ago, as the Taliban's stunning takeover of Afghanistan still was snapping into focus, former President Donald Trump issued a statement saying ``civilians and others who have been good to our Country ... should be allowed to seek refuge.'' But in more recent days, he has turned to warning of the alleged dangers posed by those desperately trying to flee their country before an end-of-month deadline.

The Taliban have said that there was "no proof" that slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Taliban, which provided safe harbour to Osama bin Laden for several years during its previous rule in Afghanistan, had refused to hand over the dreaded terrorist to the US following the 9/11 attacks.

In the days since taking power in Afghanistan, a wide range of Taliban figures have entered Kabul -- hardened commandos, armed madrassa students and greying leaders back from years of exile.There has been one major exception -- the group's supreme leader.

Afghan Sikhs who reached Ludhiana in Punjab thanked the Government of India for their safe evacuation from war-torn Afghanistan.One of them, Gurdit Singh used to run a grocery shop in Kabul. His family has been living in Afghanistan for sixty years. They are among the Sikh families that have been brought to India from Afghanistan.

Since August 14, the US has helped evacuate approximately 109,200 people from Afghanistan, White House added in a statement

Despite close links between the Taliban and the proscribed outfit Haqqani Network, the US State Department on Friday (local time) said that they are two separate entities. During a press briefing, when US State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked about sharing information regarding the security of Kabul airport with the Taliban and whether it was extended to Haqqani Network, Price replied, "The Taliban and Haqqani Network are two separate entities."

American forces working under heightened security and threats of another attack pressed ahead in the closing days of the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan after a devastating suicide bombing, and US officials said they had killed a member of the extremist group that the United States believes responsible for it.

The strike killed one individual, spokesman Navy Capt. William Urban said.

The United States urged its citizens Friday to "immediately" leave the gates around Kabul's airport, where a suicide bomber this week targeted crowds trying to flee Taliban rule.Earlier Friday, the Pentagon said that the high-risk Kabul airlift operation to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies still faced "specific, credible threats"."US citizens who are at the Abbey gate, East gate, North gate or the New Ministry of Interior gate now should leave immediately," the US Embassy in Kabul said in a security alert.

A US drone strike early Saturday killed a militant in the group blamed for the deadly suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, US officials said, while American forces working under heightened security and threats of another attack pressed ahead in the closing days of the US-led evacuation from Afghanistan.The attack in eastern Afghanistan killed a member of the country's Islamic State affiliate, US Central Command said. President Joe Biden has laid responsibility for Thursday's suicide bombing on the Islamic State, an extremist group that is an enemy both to the West and to Afghanistan's Taliban and is known for especially lethal attacks.

The United States launched a drone strike against an Islamic State attack planner in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, the military said, a day after a suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of Afghan civilians. President Joe Biden vowed on Thursday that the United States would hunt down those responsible for the attack, and said he had ordered the Pentagon to come up with plans to strike at the perpetrators.