Follow the latest developments in Afghanistan in this live blog.
Here are the main points:
- “The diplomats left against all instructions Dutch Embassy in Kabul
- The despair of the Dutch in the hell Kabul: “Why do the French manage to escape, but not us?”
06.43 – Official Spokesperson: The Taliban quickly come up with a model of government
Within weeks, the Taliban will announce how they will rule Afghanistan. A spokesman for the radical Islamic organization said this on Saturday.
According to the spokesperson, Taliban legal and religious specialists are currently working with foreign policy experts on a new model of government. It should be ready in a few weeks.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. They lost their power after the US invasion in 2001. Since their swift seizure of power last week, they have tried to present themselves in a more moderate form.
What next in Afghanistan? This and more in the podcast Delta Tango With Jorit Kamenga, author of Thank You Bin Laden:
06.36 – Five official Taliban websites blocked
Five official Afghan Taliban positions were closed late Friday night. These websites are an important means of communication for the Taliban, which they use to disseminate official information. It is unclear whether there are technical problems or whether there is targeted action against the radical Islamic organization.
English, Arabic, Pashto, Urdu and Dari websites are secured by CloudFare according to online logs. A spokesperson for this US security company could not comment.
On Friday, the Washington Post reported on the authority of the SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that tracks online extremism, that several Taliban WhatsApp groups have been shut down. The encrypted messaging service is owned by Facebook, which bans the Taliban from its platforms.
23:00 – US soldiers transport civilians outside Kabul airport
US soldiers have briefly left the airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to pick up people they want to evacuate out of fear of the new rulers, the radical Islamist Taliban movement. Soldiers with three Chinook helicopters transported 169 stranded civilians 200 meters from the airport, according to US Department of Defense reports.
The Pentagon did not provide any information about the nationalities of the citizens. US President Joe Biden had said earlier that 169 Americans entered the airport with the help of US forces. The Americans control the airport.
At the same time, there are reports that Taliban fighters have hit American civilians. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calls this unacceptable.
Speaking to lawmakers, Austin said the Americans were “beaten” by the Taliban in Kabul, US media reported. They depend on the participants for the counseling. He appears to confirm that the Taliban are taking a tougher stance. Soon after seizing power, they announced that they would not retaliate after 20 years of fighting foreign forces in the country.
