Australians to be evecuated from Afghanistan ‘this week’ amid ‘difficult, challenging’ situation
Scott Morrison has warned support will not reach everyone in Afghanistan as he announced plans are underway to rescue Australians “this week”.
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Operational plans are underway in preparation for evacuations from Afghanistan “this week”, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.
Mr Morrison confirmed Afghan nationals who worked with Australian forces and the embassy were among those to be rescued from capital Kabul, as well as Australian citizens and dual nationals.
He described the Kabul airport situation as still “difficult and challenging”.
He read a special statement for Australia’s veterans saying for the veteran community, Kabul’s collapse was a time of sadness and no doubt they were asking “deep questions” about what their duty was all about.
He said the extraordinary sacrifices by those who went to Afghanistan serving under the Australia flag would not be forgotten as for two decades they contained the terror threat.
“The uniform you wear and have worn has always been about keeping Australia and Australians safe,” he said ahead of veterans day on Wednesday, adding regardless of which battle fought the nation honour all who served in uniform.
He added: “You are not alone”.
Mr Morrison said: “To the men and women of the ADF and Australia’s veterans I know today is a day of sadness and reflection for our Afghanistan veterans. It is a time of deep and uncomfortable questioning and that is only right, we should not hide from it. The scenes from Kabul have been absolutely heart breaking.
“It is a sobering day for everyone and particularly those who have given so much for the past 20 years and most notably those 41 who were lost.
“I know the overriding concern of the veterans I’ve spoken to has been for us to protect those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan, worked alongside you. Eighteen hundred have already been brought to Australia, 430 just since April this year and more will come.
I want you to know we will do everything we can for those who have stood with us as we have to this day.”
He said Australia would do all it could “for those who have stood with us”, referring to Afghan locals who supported our embassy and ADF, but said help will not reach all whom it should and it was likely to be a sad and distressing time for Australia’s veterans and their families who sacrificed much for the mission.
“But I want to talk openly to veterans that despite our best efforts I know that support won’t reach all that it should. On the ground, events have overtaken many of us, we wish it were different.”
BIDEN ‘STANDS BY DECISION’
US President Joe Biden has broken days of silence on the chaotic American pullout from Afghanistan, doubling down on his decision as he fired scorching criticism at the country’s former Western-backed leadership for failing to resist the Taliban.
“I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces,” he said in a televised address from the White House on Tuesday.
As images of chaos and desperation beamed in from Kabul, where American soldiers were trying to mount an evacuation from the airport while Taliban fighters flooded the city, Mr Biden said: “The buck stops with me.”
Brushing off criticism that the evacuation is a debacle, the president said the priority is to stop a war that had expanded far beyond its initially modest goals of punishing the Taliban for links to al-Qaeda after 9/11.
“The mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building,” he said, vowing that despite the departure of US troops anti-terrorism operations would continue.
He said “thousands” of US citizens and Afghans who had worked with American forces are to be evacuated over the coming days.
He threatened a “devastating” military response if the Taliban launch attacks in the meantime.
Underlining his insistence that he is on the right course, President Biden was due to leave the White House soon after the speech to return to his weekend retreat at Camp David.
He had just flown in from Camp David hours earlier to give the speech after coming under pressure to address the nation.
While Mr Biden said he took responsibility for the fate of the US mission, he lashed out at the former Afghan government and military commanders who were put in place, organised and supported by Washington over the last 20 years.
Instead of standing up to the advancing Taliban – a highly experienced guerrilla force but more lightly armed than the US-supplied Afghan army – the government fled.
“We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future,” Mr Biden said.
Partly acknowledging the surprising suddenness of the final Taliban assault, Mr Biden said “this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.”
But rather than dwell on the shocking scenes of Afghans mobbing the airport or respond to criticism that the White House was unprepared, Mr Biden hammered home his wider message that ending the war is what matters.
“Our true strategic competitors, China and Russia, would love nothing more than the United States to continue to funnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilising Afghanistan indefinitely,” he said.
Mr Biden said he was “left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: how many more generations of America’s daughters and sons would you have me send to Afghanistan’s civil war?”
The US president authorised 6000 troops to Afghanistan to secure Kabul airport and resume flights to evacuate US and allied civilian personnel as well as some vulnerable Afghans.
“I know there are concerns about why we didn’t begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner, part of the answer is some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier, still hopeful for their country,” he said.
“And part of it was because the Afghan government and it’s supporters discouraged us from organising a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence.”
A spokesman said that before returning to the White House, Mr Biden was briefed by top national security officials on the situation at the Kabul airport and “ongoing efforts to safely evacuate American citizens, US Embassy personnel and local staff … and other vulnerable Afghans.”
Through the weekend, the one-time Democratic senator, who took office with more foreign policy experience than any new president in decades, stayed hunkered down at the secluded Camp David.
As stunning images emerged from Kabul, where the frantic US evacuation echoed the 1975 fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, Mr Biden was virtually invisible.
His only statement came in written form on Saturday, insisting that the sudden US withdrawal from Afghanistan, triggering a total Taliban takeover of the war-wracked country, had been the only possible choice.
Then as pressure mounted on Sunday for Mr Biden to demonstrate he was in charge, the White House issued a single photograph, showing the president in a polo shirt seated alone at a table while listening to advisers on a large monitor screen.
Mr Biden was elected last year on a promise to restore expertise and responsibility to the Oval Office after the turbulent Donald Trump years.
The chaos in Afghanistan threatens to torpedo that image.
Now beset by accusations of incompetence and betrayal, the White House is doubling down, insisting that the chaos in Kabul is actually the best of all the bad available options, because it at least stops an unwinnable war.
“What the president was not prepared to do was to enter a third decade of conflict, throwing in thousands more troops — which was his only other choice,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC in the US.
“The president had to make the best possible choice he could and he stands by that decision.”
HORROR AS PEOPLE ‘FALL FROM THE SKY’
Kabul Airport is open again after flights were suspended earlier, US Major General Hank Taylor told reporters at the Pentagon.
It comes after reports that the Taliban had set up a cordon to stop people getting into the terminal and fired warning shots to keep people away from the area.
At least eight people are dead after chaos erupted at the airport when hundreds of desperate people tried to flee the capital of Afghanistan.
US forces killed two people who the Pentagon described as carrying weapons in the melee, according to reports.
Horrifying footage showed people fall from the sky as planes fled the country.
Video showed an American aircraft race down the runway through the crowd as Afghans desperately ran alongside it and clung on.
As hundreds rushed the tarmac of Kabul’s airport, the Taliban reportedly made a deal with US Central Command’s General Frank McKenzie not to attack or interfere with evacuations.
One witness earlier said he had seen the bodies of five people being taken to a vehicle. Another said it was not clear whether the victims were killed by gunshots or in a stampede.
US troops, who are in charge of the airport, had fired in the air to scatter the crowd, a US official told Reuters.
Dramatic footage posted by an Afghan television network showed people running frantically alongside a US cargo plane and grasping onto its side.
Later footage also emerged showing people falling from the sky.
Reports suggested as many as 12 young men were holding onto the landing gear as the plane took off.
Kabul-based Aśvaka News Agency posted footage of bodies falling from the sky.
At least some of the bodies reportedly fell onto people’s homes.
“One of the locals confirmed this and said that the fall of these people made a loud and terrifying noise,” Aśvaka News Agency said.
The agency produced footage it said where of the bodies of some of the men who fell from the C-17 aircraft being collected by locals.
Many stopped on the runway to watch the plane take off – and screams could then be heard as they watched the people fall to their deaths.
Witnesses said they had been holding onto the plane’s tires.
INCREDIBLE PICTURE SHOWS PEOPLE CRAMMED IN US PLANE
A photo has emerged showing hundreds of Afghans packed inside a US cargo plane.
A total of 640 people crammed inside the the US Air Force C-17 before it took off on Sunday (Kabul time).
That’s believed to be among the most people ever flown in the C-17, according to Defense One.
The C-17 was not intending to take on such a large load, but panicked Afghans who had been cleared to evacuate pulled themselves onto the C-17’s half-open ramp, one defence official told the outlet.
Instead of trying to force those refugees off the aircraft, “the crew made the decision to go,” a defence official said.
“Approximately 640 Afghan civilians disembarked the aircraft when it arrived at its destination,” the defence official said.
An unbelievable picture of the inside of a U.S. Air Force transport aircraft packed with Afghans trying to escape the #Taliban. #Afghanistanpic.twitter.com/DTyLzCWCD2
— Reza H. Akbari (@rezahakbari) August 16, 2021
US SAYS AFGHAN GOVT TIES DEPEND ON ‘ACTIONS OF TALIBAN’
The United States says that it would only recognise a Taliban government in Afghanistan if it respects the rights of women and shuns extremist movements such as al-Qaeda.
It comes as European Union foreign ministers prepare to hold talks on the takeover on Tuesday local time and the UK Parliament is recalled from its summer recess on Wednesday local time to debate the situation.
“Ultimately when it comes to our posture towards any future government in Afghanistan, it will depend upon the actions of that government. It will depend upon the actions of the Taliban,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters when asked about recognition.
“A future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people, that doesn’t harbor terrorists and that protects the basic rights of its people including the basic fundamental rights of half of its population – its women and girls – that is a government that we would be able to work with.”
He said that the US negotiator on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, remained in the Taliban’s diplomatic base of Qatar where US officials have been in talks with the insurgents.
“I would say that some of those discussions have been constructive,” Mr Price said.
“But again, when it comes to the Taliban, we are going to look for their actions rather than listen to their words,” he said.
The Taliban imposed draconian rules on women during its 1996-2001 rule, which was ended by the US invasion, including banning education for girls.
CNN REPORTER FACES CRITICISM AFTER CALLING TALIBAN ‘FRIENDLY’
Clarissa Ward, a reporter embedded in Kabul for CNN, is facing backlash after calling the Taliban friendly amidst chants of “death to America”.
“They’re just chanting ‘Death to America’ but they seem friendly at the same time,” she said during a live cross.
Adding to confusion, she then added the “welcoming spirit only extends so far and my presence soon creates tension.”
The journalist also faced criticism for wearing a hijab and covering from head to toe in a Burqa.
People took to Twitter and posted memes of ‘before and after Taliban’s insurgency’ pictures of Ward.
But Ward clarified that she always wore a headscarf on the streets in Kabul previously.
This meme is inaccurate. The top photo is inside a private compound. The bottom is on the streets of Taliban held Kabul. I always wore a head scarf on the street in Kabul previously, though not w/ hair fully covered and abbaya. So there is a difference but not quite this stark. pic.twitter.com/BmIRFFSdSE
— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) August 16, 2021
AFGHANS ON TEMPORARY VISAS IN AUSTRALIA CAN STAY – FOR NOW
Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has demanded the federal government guarantee the permanent resettlement of Afghan refugees in Australia on temporary visas.
“We’ve got Afghan refugees in Australia, Hazara people from the minority. We need to reach out to them, and I think we have to commit not to send them back to Afghanistan,” he said on Tuesday morning.
“I just don’t think we can turn our back on the Hazaras who are here in Australia.”
Mr Shorten’s call was supported by Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who also called for them to be allowed to stay.
“The idea that there’s something temporary about people, particularly the Hazara community and others, that at some stage, they’ll be going back to Afghanistan, is just not real,” Mr Albanese said.
“We need to give them the certainty of Australian citizenship on a permanent basis, rather than some pretence that somehow their circumstances are temporary. They are not. And they need to be given that security.”
But the push has caused some issues internally, with other Labor figures fearing it could send a signal to people smugglers.
One MP said that while they had “a lot of sympathy” for those on temporary protection visas in Australia, they said it would be a mistake to issue permanent visas “en masse”.
“We have to be very careful about the risk of restarting the people smuggling trade,” the MP said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said Afghans on temporary visas would not be forced to leave “at this stage”.
“All the Afghan citizens who are currently in Australia on a temporary visa will be supported by the Australian government,” she said.
“And no Afghan visa holder will be asked to return to Afghanistan at this stage.”
It comes as UN chief Antonio Guterres urged all countries to accept Afghan refugees and refrain from deportations.
“Afghans have known generations of war & hardship. They deserve our full support,” he said on Twitter.
ADF ‘WON’T BE LANDING INTO KABUL’ FOR NOW
Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Australian forces will not land in Kabul to evacuate Australians and Afghan aides until it is safe to do so.
Mr Dutton said forces will wait at an air base in the United Arab Emirates until they could enter Afghanistan.
“We won’t be landing into Kabul in these circumstances,” Mr Dutton told Nine’s Today show.
“These are terrible scenes. There needs to be order restored to the airport so that there can be safe passage of planes in and out and so that we have the ability to move people whether they’re Australian citizens or American citizens, Canadians, New Zealanders, in and out of that airport.
“So it’s in a state of flux at the moment. We’d need to see order restored. Hopefully that takes place sooner than later.
“Obviously we have a base close by, which is safe and secure in the UAE. That’s where we’ll stage from, but we’ll work with the Americans and others, including the Turks, et cetera, to make a very difficult, a tragic situation as best as it can be.”
Mr Dutton said the government was in a good position to assist because diplomats and military officials had already left Afghanistan before the US withdrawal.
“We took advice from our military planners to get out ahead of the withdrawal date and we were criticised at the time for doing that. But I think in the end it was the right decision to make,” he said.
“We do have some Australians who are left there who are working as NGOs or who are contractors in the country, or who might be dual nationals, for example, and who have decided to stay.
“People who’ve decided to stay in recent months have a definite reason as to why they’ve decided to stay in Afghanistan. But we’ll provide assistance to withdraw them but that will take some time.”
AUSSIE TROOPS HEADED FOR AFGHANISTAN
A total of 250 Australian troops are on their way to Afghanistan.
The Aussie troops are being sent to support efforts to evacuate Australian citizens and visa holders from the country, where the Taliban have seized power.
A KC-30A departed Amberley on Monday for Australia’s main operating base in the Middle East and will commence refuelling operations in support of the wider US-led operation later this week.
Two C-17A Globemasters will also depart for the Middle East later this week.
It’s understood Australia is trying to negotiate a landing spot at Kabul airport.`
The Afghanistan capital has descended into bedlam with Taliban blocking routes to the US-controlled international airport.
Among those blocked from the airport are Afghan locals who had been employed by the Australian embassy and were awaiting visas and evacuation orders before the Taliban’s lightning blitz on the city.
One emotional family spoken to through an intermediary has expressed his fears after specifically being named as a Taliban target for his 11 years of loyal duty to the diplomatic post.
He and others have given a harrowing account of moving through a network of safe houses to attempt to reach the airport’s gates and Coalition protection.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “devastated” by the scenes of Kabul and joined other coalition leaders in urging the Taliban to show restraint.
“Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so; roads, airports and border crossing must remain open, and calm must be maintained,” a joint statement from more than 60 countries, including Australia, read.
Mr Morrison said his agencies were working urgently to secure the safe passage of citizens and locals.
In a joint statement with Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, Mr Morrison said the situation was “evolving rapidly”.
“As in any crisis situation, the Australian Government’s priority is to ensure the safety of its citizens. We have over 130 Australians in Afghanistan, working in the UN, NGOs, and elsewhere, and we are working to bring them and their families home,” the joint statement said.
“We are also assisting those who have been granted humanitarian visas, and others who are in the process of applying for protection. We are closely connected to the US, UK, Canada, and other allies and partners.”
The statement said those preparing to leave the country “must be able to do so without threat or hindrance. We will continue to work with key partners in the days ahead to enable this safe passage”.
The situation in Afghanistan remains highly volatile and dangerous, a Defence statement said on Monday afternoon.
“Defence is taking all necessary precautions to protect its people and those authorised for evacuation. The mission will be constantly assessed against the latest developments.”
TALIBAN DECLARES ‘WAR IS OVER’
The Taliban declared “the war is over” as they officially took control of the city on Monday, and specifically the Presidential Palace seat of power after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed he had fled.
The stunning speed and complete routing of the Afghan soldiers, whose officers were trained by Australian and armed by the Americans at a cost of billions of dollars, have stunned coalition forces now left scrambling to get to citizens and Afghans who worked for the forces.
“Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the Mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years,” Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem declared on national television.
“Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.”
He said the “restructure” of the country would begin once all foreigners left.
Australia’s evacuation efforts are being closely co-ordinated with international partners.
The flag of the US embassy was lowered as the ambassador Ross Wilson was given an armed escort to the heavily fortified airport. On Thursday when the Taliban arrived at the city gates the US had 4200 people at the embassy looking for evacuation.
Hundreds of Afghan locals rushed the commercial side of the Hamid Karzai International Airport for one of the last flights out and before coalition forces on the military side took over the central control tower to co-ordinate the huge airlift of foreign nationals. More than 6000 US troops as well as soldiers from other countries including Britain, France, and Germany also arrived to help evacuees.
The latter was a contingent from Townsville that left 48 hours ago, linking up with ADF Special Forces already in place.
There were unconfirmed reports an RAAF marked aircraft was on the tarmac in Kabul last night.
But routes to the airport are being hampered by Taliban checkpoints and reports of sporadic gunfire.
One 30-year-old local who had worked for the Australian embassy for 11 years as a security guard and his 26-year-old wife described the chaos. A month ago he was contacted by a Taliban informer who said he had been identified and would be hunted out.
When the Australian embassy closed, after destroying documents and files in a fire, he was given three months salary and was thanked for his service.
DFAT had contacted him to say his application for a visa was still being processed but he was “on the list” of more than 100 names.
“We are scared, scared. I never expected everything that I could be given but just safety for me and my wife. If they capture me, they will rape my wife in front of me, then kill her, then cut my eyes out and dismember me,” he said though an intermediary.
“This is what it will be like, we are afraid … we are moving house to house but we don’t know what to do as we wait.”
A former staffer from the Afghan post, now in Australia, said he could hear the fear in the man’s voice.
“In the last 24 hours they have been frustrated and angry and feel betrayed really,” they said. “Working for the ‘infidels’ as the Taliban saw it made you a target and they are moving from house to house but you don’t know now who to trust in that country … We just moved too slow, the government has moved too slow.”
It is understood DFAT and the Federal Government are looking to boost the number of those to evacuate under a refugees program as well as humanitarian visas.
A US intelligence assessment passed to Australian counterparts earlier in the week had said Kabul could be encircled in 30 days and could fall to the Taliban in 90 days. But the conquering and capturing of the capital and every other major city took less than a week.
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