(KABUL, Afghanistan) — United States troops have taken control of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan as chaos continues after Afghanistan’s president fled the country over the weekend and the Taliban seized control of the presidential palace, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
U.S. troops have established large barriers and roadblocks on the streets near the airport in an effort to both slow and control the fleeing population.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stood by the administration’s decision to withdraw troops by Aug. 31 on ABC’s Good Morning America Monday and placed blame for the speed of the Taliban takeover on the Afghan army for its decision “not to step up and fight for their country.”
“What the president was not prepared to do was enter a third decade of conflict, flowing in thousands of more troops, which was his only other choice, to fight in the middle of a civil war that the Afghan army wouldn’t fight for itself,” Sullivan said. “He would not do that to America’s men and women or their families, and that is why he made the decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan this year.”
As with Pentagon officials, Sullivan would not say that the takeover took the administration by surprise but did acknowledge it “certainly unfolded at an unexpected speed.” Presented with the fact that thousands of allies appear stranded in the country, Sullivan said the U.S. had planned for a “wide range of contingencies,” though he didn’t offer more specifics on timing or numbers of people that will be moved.
“We believe that we can effectuate an ongoing evacuation of American citizens, of Afghans who worked for us, including interpreters and translators and others vulnerable Afghans at risk. We’re working to do that by securing the airport today and in the days ahead by taking people out one flight at a time, flight after flight,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan insisted Afghanistan presented the U.S. with an opportunity to prove “that we can fight terrorism effectively without having a large military footprint on the ground.”
He also said the American people can expect to hear from the president “soon” as President Joe Biden faces criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the public for how the withdrawal has played out.
The increase of service members in Kabul follows Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, meeting with representatives of the Taliban earlier Sunday in Doha, Qatar, to inform them not to interfere with the U.S. mission at the airport, according to a U.S. official.
As the Taliban advanced last week, the U.S. State Department announced it was reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon began sending in U.S. troops — now up to 6,000 — to help facilitate departures of Americans and Afghan allies.
The world reacts
An emergency session of the United Nations will be held Monday, and leaders around the globe have been issuing responses to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was speaking about the race against time to evacuate Brits and Afghans who helped the military when he became overcome with emotion after saying that some people who served the U.K. will not come back.
When asked in an interview with British radio station LBC why he was taking it so personally, he said, “Because I’m a soldier. It’s sad, and the West has done what it’s done, and we have to do our very best to get people out and stand by our obligations.”
Russia’s top envoy on Afghanistan has said Moscow will not rush to recognize the Taliban as the country’s new government.
But the envoy, Zamir Kabulov who oversees Russia’s Afghan policy, said in a radio interview with Echo of Moscow the Taliban had learned its lesson from 20 years ago when the world moved against them as terrorists.
He said the Taliban had promised no Russians would be harmed and that the group’s fighters have now taken Russia’s embassy under protection in Kabul. Russia has not evacuated its embassy so far, though it has pulled out some staff.
Meanwhile, official statements from China lay the groundwork for Beijing recognizing a Taliban government.
Spokesperson Hua Chunying noted that the Taliban said Sunday that the “war in Afghanistan is over” and that they will work to establish an inclusive government and ensure the safety of foreign missions in Afghanistan. Chunying said China expects these statements to be implemented in order to ensure a smooth transition and curb terrorist and criminal acts, so the Afghan people can avoid war and rebuild their country.
China has been wanting to expand their Belt and Road infrastructure initiative into Afghanistan but the U.S.-backed government had been reluctant to commit. China is connected to Afghanistan by a sliver of land called the Wakhan Corridor, which has historically been a well-traveled trade route. It connects to China’s Xinjiang region, and if it were opened, it would provide a better route from Kashgar, China, to Peshawar, Pakistan.
(NEW YORK) — After a deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti Saturday morning, destroying hundreds of buildings and homes, the beleaguered country is in need of assistance as a new tropical storm threat approaches.
Haiti’s Civil Protection agency announced Sunday that the death toll is at least 1,297 with initial reports that indicate there are more than 700 collapsed buildings, including hospitals and schools, at least 3,778 homes destroyed and significant damage to infrastructure and roads. The country’s prime minister declared a monthlong state of emergency.
How people can help
Disaster response teams from World Central Kitchen, an international humanitarian organization, and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led charity group, arrived in Haiti with food, water and relief supplies early Monday.
Both nonprofit organizations originated from the front-line relief efforts from the 2010 earthquake in the same country. Now, 11 years later, Team Rubicon executive and military veteran Jake Wood explained what their services look like in action amid chaos and uncertainty.
“There is the literal fog of war that takes place in those moments,” Wood told ABC News. “As veterans being able to conduct that operational planning, identify those risks and mitigate them, work within those local populations was a huge benefit — to get out to otherwise denied areas.”
Americans can donate directly to Team Rubicon here and visit their site and social media channels for updates and information as the efforts continue.
There are already culinary students in Haiti hard at work making meals for first responders thanks to world renowned chef and hospitality executive José Andrés, who has traveled to Haiti over 20 times with the group, providing food in the wake of natural disasters.
Nate Mook, World Central Kitchen executive director, told ABC News that “Haiti is in need of a lot right now” but their focus “is providing hot food, fresh meals.”
Haitian communities in the United States have started to rally support for the struggling nation.
Yolette Williams of the Haitian American Alliance said that after the initial period of shock “you get into working mode” and think about “what are we going to do?”
In Brooklyn, New York Haitian Americans have held meetings to decide the best way to get crucial resources to loved ones.
Local organizations in Miami have also combined efforts to send medicine and nonperishables directly to first responders on the ground.
Marleine Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement, told ABC News “we want to do things differently” than how the response was handled 11 years ago.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in 2010, where a lot of international organizations collected millions and millions and the money never reached the impacted people,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — With the death toll now nearing 1,300 people and thousands more injured after a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the beleaguered nation faces the threat of fast-approaching Tropical Storm Grace potentially exposing an already vulnerable population to a double impact in a matter of days.
Haiti’s Civil Protection agency announced Sunday that the death toll had jumped from more than 700 to at least 1,297. Initial reports indicate there are more than 700 collapsed buildings, including hospitals and schools, at least 3,778 homes destroyed and significant damage to infrastructure and roads.
Grace is forecast to make landfall in Haiti between Aug. 16 to 17.
“The people of Haiti are not only going to have to deal with this earthquake and its aftershocks but also this impending tropical storm,” United States Geological Survey geophysicist William Barnhart, from the Earthquake Hazards Program, said. “It’s honestly just a terrible situation.” Barnhart said there could be thousands of deaths from the disaster.
“The number of fatalities does not always make it out,” he told ABC News. “There’s a lot of time that has to go into recovering individuals from buildings and accessing areas and towns.”
The earthquake, according to USGS, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island’s COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines.
The Haitian government “believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake’s magnitude,” Bocchit Edmond, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed,” Edmond added, saying destruction is “widespread.”
The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments.
Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke to Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry Sunday to express condolences for the disaster, according to a statement from Sherman’s office.
“Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated our support for Haiti during this challenging time and underscored USAID’s leadership role in supporting U.S. assistance efforts in the aftermath of this tragedy,” the statement read.
The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line — the Enriquillo Plantain Garden — but farther west and in a less-populated region.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn’t ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages.
“It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time,” said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert.
She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as “very strong” and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures.
But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren’t entirely surprising, Jones added.
Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization’s disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort.
“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning,” Biden said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed.”
“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild,” he continued. “The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Power spoke to Henry, also the acting president of Haiti in the wake of Jovenel Moise’s assassination, Saturday evening about how USAID can assist the country. Earlier, the agency said a disaster assistance response team had been sent to the island.
USAID tweeted Sunday morning that “at the at the request of Haiti’s government” it has “deployed an urban search & rescue team to join our #Haiti earthquake disaster response team. This 65-person deployment brings 52,000 pounds of specialized tools, equipment & medical supplies to assist in search operations.”
While a recent surge in COVID-19 cases has tapered off, the possible displacement of thousands of people has created ripe conditions for a spike in COVID-19 infections, potentially overwhelming an already weak and overstretched health system that will also have to provide assistance to those injured by the earthquake.
Meanwhile, some celebrities and companies are offering aid to Haiti.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka posted on Twitter that she plans to donate her prize winnings to relief efforts in Haiti. “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on,” she tweeted.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Cupertino would be donating to “assist relief and recovery efforts in the affected communites,” in a Sunday morning tweet.
Celebrity chef José Andrés tweeted Sunday that he and his organization, World Central Kitchen, have been on the ground in Haiti since yesterday providing food.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — United States troops have taken control of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, as chaos continues after the Taliban took control of the country.
U.S. troops have reportedly established large barriers and roadblocks on the streets near the airport in an effort to both slow and control the fleeing population.
The world reacts
Leaders around the globe have responded to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was speaking about the race against time to evacuate Brits and Afghans who helped the military when he became overcome with emotion after saying that some people who served the U.K. will not come back.
When asked in an interview with British radio station LBC why he was taking it so personally, he said, “Because I’m a soldier. It’s sad, and the West has done what it’s done, and we have to do our very best to get people out and stand by our obligations.”
Russia’s top envoy on Afghanistan has said Moscow will not rush to recognize the Taliban as the country’s new government.
But the envoy, Zamir Kabulov who oversees Russia’s Afghan policy, said in a radio interview with Echo of Moscow the Taliban had learned its lesson from 20 years ago when the world moved against them as terrorists.
He said the Taliban had promised no Russians would be harmed and that the group’s fighters have now taken Russia’s embassy under protection in Kabul. Russia has not evacuated its embassy so far, though it has pulled out some staff.
Meanwhile, official statements from China lay the groundwork for Beijing recognizing a Taliban government.
Spokesperson Hua Chunying noted that the Taliban said Sunday that the “war in Afghanistan is over” and that they will work to establish an inclusive government and ensure the safety of foreign missions in Afghanistan. Chunying said China expects these statements to be implemented in order to ensure a smooth transition and curb terrorist and criminal acts, so the Afghan people can avoid war and rebuild their country.
China has been wanting to expand their Belt and Road infrastructure initiative into Afghanistan but the U.S.-backed government had been reluctant to commit. China is connected to Afghanistan by a sliver of land called the Wakhan Corridor, which has historically been a well-traveled trade route. It connects to China’s Xinjiang region, and if it were opened, it would provide a better route from Kashgar, China, to Peshawar, Pakistan.
(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that U.S. personnel are being relocated from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to the airport “to ensure they can operate safely and securely,” as the Taliban are in Afghanistan’s capital negotiating a transfer of power and the U.S. works around the clock to evacuate Americans and special visa applicants.
“It’s why the president sent in a number of forces to make sure that as we continue to draw down our diplomatic presence that we do it in a safe and orderly fashion. And at the same time maintain a core diplomatic presence in Kabul,” Blinken told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
The rapid takeover by the Taliban has blindsided the Biden administration. Just over a month ago, President Joe Biden said it was “highly unlikely” they would overrun the entire country — and pressed by Karl on why the president was drastically wrong in his assessment, Blinken said they’ve maintained that the Taliban “was in a position of strength,” and blamed Afghan security forces for failing to defend their country.
“When we came to office, the Taliban was at its strongest position at any time since 2001, since it was last in power and Afghanistan, before 9/11, and it’s been able to build up its capacity over the last couple of years,” Blinken said, adding that Afghan security forces “proved incapable of defending the country — and that did happen more rapidly than we anticipated.”
While Biden remains committed to his deadline of a full withdrawal of U.S. forces by Aug. 31, he’s ordered more troops back into Kabul to help with evacuations. He announced in a statement on Saturday that he was sending an additional 1,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total to 5,000, to help evacuate American personnel and Afghan civilians who assisted the U.S. throughout the war.
An internal document obtained by ABC News on Friday directed all personnel at the embassy to destroy sensitive material, including items with U.S. logos and flags. Asked by Karl if this is out of fear that the Taliban will take over the compound, Blinken said this is “standard operating procedure.”
“This is being done in a very deliberate way, it’s being done in an orderly way, and it’s being done with American forces there to make sure we can do it in a safe way,” he continued.
Pressed further by Karl on saying this is “standard operating procedure” and “orderly” when American military helicopters are being used to evacuate personnel from the embassy, reminiscent of the scenes from the 1975 evacuation of Americans in Saigon, Vietnam, Blinken said “this is manifestly not Saigon.”
“We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago, with one mission in mind, and that was to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11,” Blinken said. “And that mission has been successful. We brought (Osama) Bin Laden to justice a decade ago. Al-Qaida, the group that attacked us, has been vastly diminished. Its capacity to attack us again from Afghanistan has been, right now, does not exist, and we’re going to make sure that we keep in place in the region, the capacity, the forces necessary to see any reemergence of a terrorist threat, and to be able to deal with it.”
Before Biden ultimately made his determination to withdraw, he was advised by his top military advisers to leave a military presence in the country of up to 4,000 troops. Asked Sunday if Biden now regrets his decision, Blinken said “the idea that we could’ve sustained the status quo” with U.S. forces is “wrong.”
“Here’s what would have happened if the president decided to keep those forces there: During the period from when the agreement was reached to May 1, the Taliban had ceased attacking our forces, ceased attacking NATO forces. It had also held off on this major offensive that we see now to try to take over the country to go for these provincial capitals, which in recent weeks it has succeeded in doing. Come May 2, if the president decided to say — all gloves would have been off. We would have been back at war with the Taliban. They would have been attacking our forces. We would have had 2,500 or so forces remaining in the country with air power. I don’t think that would have been sufficient to deal with what we’re seeing, which is an offensive across the entire country.”
In his statement on Saturday, the president also double-downed on his decision to withdraw, saying an “endless American presence” was not acceptable to him and that he would not pass the decades-long war to a fifth American president.
“One more year, or five more years, of U.S. military presence would not have made a difference if the Afghan military cannot or will not hold its own country,” Biden said. “And an endless American presence in the middle of another country’s civil conflict was not acceptable to me.”
After years of advancements for women and young girls in Afghanistan, the rights they’ve come to know could quickly be reversed as the Taliban is on the brink of a total takeover. Asked by Karl what this means for America’s image in the world, Blinken said it’s “incumbent on the international community … to sustain the gains they’ve made.”
“When we consider women and girls, all those who’ve had their lives advanced, this is searing. It is hard stuff,” Blinken said.
“Ultimately, it is in the Taliban’s self-interest. They have to make that determination. But it’s in their self-interest if they truly seek acceptance, international recognition, if they want support, if they want sanctions lifted. All of that will require them to uphold basic rights, fundamental rights,” he added. “If they don’t and if they’re in a position of power and they don’t do that, then I think Afghanistan will become a pariah state.”
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan contributed to this report
(WASHINGTON) — US Embassy says to avoid airport because it’s taking fireTaliban militants have been ordered to enter Kabul, following earlier assurances by Taliban officials that they do not intend to take Afghanistan’s capital by force
According to a statement, the Taliban ordered its fighters to enter the city because “now there are reports that districts in Kabul have been evacuated, police have left their job of providing security, ministries have been evacuated, and security personnel from the Kabul administration have fled.”
“So that God forbid the common thieves and robbers in Kabul do not mix, the abusers do not harm the people, the Islamic Emirate ordered its forces to enter the areas of Kabul from which the enemy went and areas there is a risk of theft and robbery,” the statement continued.
The Taliban went on to tell Kabul residents that they should not fear these troops and that none would enter anyone’s homes or harass anyone.
However, a short time later, the U.S. Embassy issued a security alert urging Americans to shelter in place and avoid the airport, which was reportedly taking fire. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter that NATO is helping keep the Kabul airport open to facilitate and coordinate evacuations.
Despite the Taliban moving into the last major city that remained under government control, U.S. officials said that its airport operations in Kabul would continue. A U.S. official added that American forces at the airport are properly secured and that despite the latest developments, there is no expected direct impact on U.S. operations there.
Earlier Sunday, both former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, issued a statement confirming that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country and announced plans to form a new reconciliation council.
The new reconciliation council will be formed headed by Afghan politician and former Mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and former President Hamid Karzai, according to the statement, “To prevent chaos and reduce the suffering of the people and to better manage the affairs related to peace and (a) peaceful transfer.”
“The council calls on the government security forces and the security forces of the Islamic Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) to resolutely curb the chaos and incitement of irresponsible and unrelated individuals while maintaining restraint,” the statement adds.”The council calls on the government security forces and the security forces of the Islamic Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) to resolutely curb the chaos and incitement of irresponsible and unrelated individuals while maintaining restraint,” the statement continued.
The Taliban reported earlier Sunday that its leaders were at the presidential palace to negotiate a transfer of power.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that U.S. personnel are being relocated from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to the airport “to ensure they can operate safely and securely,” but still maintain a core diplomatic presence there.
Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell said Sunday that he could hear American Chinook helicopters flying overheard and ferrying people out to the airport so that they could leave the country.
“There’s a real climate of fear and dread of what the future holds,” Pannell told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Canada also announced Sunday that it was temporarily suspending operations at its embassy in Kabul.
“The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and poses serious challenges to our ability to ensure the safety and security of our mission,” according to a statement.
“As always, our priority in these situations is ensuring the safety and security of Canadian personnel. They are now safely on their way back to Canada,” the statement continued.
Additionally, the United Kingdom announced it reduced its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, but the ambassador remains in Kabul along with UK staffers who continue to work to provide assistance to British nationals and to its Afghan staff.
The U.S. State Department announced Thursday it was reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon began sending in troops to help facilitate those departures. The president on Saturday authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising the number of troops to 5,000 to assist with “orderly and safe drawdown.”
Early Sunday, the Taliban entered the outskirts of Kabul and fighters were seen gathering in the Kabul districts of Kampany and Barchi, a local reporter confirmed to ABC News.
They have assured residents that their lives are not in danger and a Taliban spokesman told ABC News that the Taliban leaders have ordered their troops not to take over Kabul by force for now but to “remain at the gates.”
President Ashraf Ghani’s official Twitter account reported that gunshots were heard in remote areas of Kabul province, but that “the situation is under control.”
The Taliban entered the outskirts of the city early Sunday and fighters were seen gathering in the Kabul districts of Kampany and Barchi, a local reporter confirmed to ABC News. Officials told the Associated Press that there were also Taliban fighters in the districts of Kalakan, Qarabagh and Paghman.
Russia is ready to cooperate with a “transitional government” that would include the Taliban and members of the current government, the Russian Embassy in Kabul reportedly said, according to the state news agency TASS. The embassy also said the resignation of Ghani was a condition for the Taliban not storming Kabul.
President Joe Biden, spending the weekend at Camp David, has received another briefing from his national security team on the latest developments in Afghanistan and will be briefed throughout the day, a White House official told ABC News.
Members of Congress were also receiving virtual briefings on Afghanistan from Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, according to congressional sources familiar with the matter.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul instructed all U.S. personnel to destroy items like documents and electronic devices to “reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property,” according to an internal notice obtained by ABC News.
“Please also include items with embassy or agency logos, Americans flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” the notice said.
Blinken on “This Week” said the removal of American flags and sensitive items is standard operating procedure in any such situation.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez, Patrick Reevell, Christine Theodorou, Trish Turner and Lauren King contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — With the death toll now at 700 people and more than 2,800 injured after a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the beleagured nation faces the threat of fast-approaching Tropical Storm Grace potentially exposing an already vulnerable population to a double impact in a matter of days.
Haiti’s Civil Protection agency confirmed the number of deaths and injuries and said those figures are expected to rise. Initial reports indicate there are more than 700 collapsed buildings, including hospitals and schools, at least 3,778 homes destroyed and significant damage to infrastructure and roads.
Grace is forecast to make landfall in Haiti between Aug. 16-17.
“The people of Haiti are not only going to have to deal with this earthquake and its aftershocks but also this impending tropical storm,” United States Geological Survey geophysicist William Barnhart, from the Earthquake Hazards Program, said. “It’s honestly just a terrible situation.” Barnhart said there could be thousands of deaths from the disaster.
“The number of fatalities does not always make it out,” he told ABC News. “There’s a lot of time that has to go into recovering individuals from buildings and accessing areas and towns.”
The earthquake, according to USGS, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island’s COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines.
Jerry Chandler, Haiti’s director of civil protection, said that teams will be sent to the area for search and rescue missions, The Associated Press reported.
The Haitian government “believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake’s magnitude,” Bocchit Edmond, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed,” Edmond added, saying destruction is “widespread.”
The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments.
The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line — the Enriquillo Plantain Garden — but farther west and in a less-populated region.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn’t ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages.
“It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time,” said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert.
She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as “very strong” and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures.
But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren’t entirely surprising, Jones added.
Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization’s disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort.
“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning,” Biden said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed.”
“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild,” he continued. “The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
Power spoke to Henry, also the acting president of Haiti in the wake of Jovenel Moise’s assassination, Saturday evening about how USAID can assist the country. Earlier, the agency said a disaster assistance response team had been sent to the island.
USAID tweeted Sunday morning that “at the at the request of Haiti’s government” it has “deployed an urban search & rescue team to join our #Haiti earthquake disaster response team. This 65-person deployment brings 52,000 pounds of specialized tools, equipment & medical supplies to assist in search operations.”
The quake could not have come at worst time for Haiti, which is still reeling from Moïse’s assassination on July 7, and escalating gang violence which has resulted in the internal displacement of thousands of people in the country, according to a June UNICEF report, AP reported — greatly worsening an already precarious humanitarian situation.
While a recent surge in COVID-19 cases has tapered off, the possible displacement of thousands of people has created ripe conditions for a spike in COVID-19 infections, potentially overwhelming an already weak and overstretched health system that will also have to provide assistance to those injured by the earthquake.
Meanwhile, some celebrities and companies are offering aid to Haiti.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka posted on Twitter that she plans to donate her prize winnings to relief efforts in Haiti. “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on,” she tweeted.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Cupertino would be donating to “assist relief and recovery efforts in the affected communites,” in a Sunday morning tweet.
Celebrity chef José Andrés tweeted Sunday that he and his organization, World Central Kitchen, have been on the ground in Haiti since yesterday providing food.
.@WCKitchen We are there since yesterday! Already on the ground and cooking as we speak….amazing work by so many….we will take care of the people of Haiti! #ChefsForHaiti
(NEW YORK) — At least 304 people were killed and more than 1,800 injured as a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the country’s civil protection agency confirmed to ABC News.
The earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island’s COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines.
The Haitian government “believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake’s magnitude,” Bocchit Edmond, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed,” Edmond added, saying destruction is “widespread.”
Haiti, which is divided into 10 departments, said 160 deaths took place in Sud, 42 in Nippes, 100 in Grand’Anse and two in Nord-Ouest, according to the civil protection agency.
The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments.
The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line — the Enriquillo Plantain Garden — but farther west and in a less-populated region.
The earthquake struck just days before Tropical Storm Grace is forecast to reach Haiti late Monday night or early Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn’t ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages.
Initial reports from those in Port-au-Prince said the city seemed to be “fine” and that the airport remained operational.
“It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time,” said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert.
She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as “very strong” and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures.
But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren’t entirely surprising, Jones added.
Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization’s disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort.
“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning,” Biden said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed.”
“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild,” he continued. “The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Justin Doom, Justin Gomez and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — On the heels of an address to the nation by Afghanistan’s president, Taliban forces gained major ground Saturday while they advance toward the capital of Kabul.
As the latest cities fall, President Joe Biden announced he would be sending more troops to Kabul to facilitate the “orderly and safe drawdown” of U.S. personnel, allied forces and Afghan civilians who helped with the war effort. Instead of heading to Kuwait as previously planned, 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne will head directly to Kabul, the president said in a lengthy statement Saturday afternoon.
In a televised national address Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected suggestions he might resign in his first appearance since the rapid offensive, saying his focus is to “prevent further instability, violence and displacement of our people.”
“Therefore, I have started extensive consultations inside the government, with the elders and political leaders, representatives of people from all walks of life and our international partners,” he said. “Swift consultations in this regard are going on and the results will soon be shared with you, my dear compatriots.”
The Taliban have demanded that Ghani resign in exchange for a reduction in violence and to lay the groundwork for a transitional government. But Ghani has said he is the democratically elected leader of the country and will remain so until negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government reach a conclusion — an increasingly distant reality.
US troops deployed to reduce embassy staff
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said Friday it would begin reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon was sending in troops “as we speak” to help facilitate those departures.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby wouldn’t say the Taliban’s advances took the Biden administration by surprise but said officials are “certainly concerned” by the speed at which the Taliban is moving.
“We’re obviously watching this just like you’re watching this and seeing it happen in real-time, and it’s deeply concerning. In fact, the deteriorating conditions are a factor — a big factor — in why the president has approved this mission to help support our — the reduction of personnel there in Kabul,” he said in a briefing from the Pentagon Friday afternoon.
Kirby said the “leading elements” of one of the two Marine battalions headed to Kabul had arrived and that “the bulk” of the 3,000 troops would be there by the end of the weekend.
The Taliban pressuring major Afghan cities was a significant factor in the decision to go forward with the reduction in embassy staffing and the new military mission, a U.S. official told ABC News.
A military analysis said Kabul could be isolated in 30 to 60 days and captured in 90 days, a U.S. official told ABC News. That timeline seemed even more accelerated Thursday as the Taliban claimed Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city. As of Friday, the Taliban had taken control of Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city, located 300 miles south of Kabul and considered the birthplace of the Taliban. The Taliban had also seized Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has urged Americans to evacuate Afghanistan immediately, amid fears that the capital could fall into Taliban hands in a matter of weeks.
“Clearly from their actions, it appears as if they are trying to get Kabul isolated,” Kirby said of the Taliban at the Pentagon Friday afternoon.
In a security alert issued Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul announced it is considering evacuation flights for American citizens in Afghanistan as the Taliban approach the capital.
Commercial flights are still operating, “but seats may not be available,” the alert said, and advised U.S. citizens to register with the embassy for repatriation flights for themselves and any non-citizen spouses or children under the age of 21.
Afghans who have U.S. citizen children, but are not citizens themselves, may be forced to choose to send their children off without them: “If you do not have appropriate travel documentation [like a valid U.S. visa], please identify an individual who currently has valid travel documentation who could accompany your U.S. citizen minor,” the alert said.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the embassy in Kabul will remain open as it reduces its civilian footprint due to the “evolving security situation.” He added that the embassy expects to draw down to a core diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
“What this is not — this is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation. This is not the wholesale withdrawal,” Price said Thursday. “What this is, is a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint. This is a drawdown of civilian Americans who will, in many cases, be able to perform their important functions elsewhere, whether that’s in the United States or elsewhere in the region.”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has instructed all U.S. personnel to destroy items like documents and electronic devices to “reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property,” according to an internal notice obtained by ABC News.
“Please also include items with embassy or agency logos, Americans flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” the notice said.
A State Department spokesperson did not deny this was the case, but in a statement described it as “standard operating procedure designed to minimize our footprint.”
In addition to the U.S. troops heading to Kabul, 1,000 personnel were being sent to assist with the processing of Afghans who worked as interpreters, guides and other contractors and applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).
“I want to stress that these forces are being deployed to support the orderly and safe reduction of civilian personnel at the request of the State Department and to help facilitate an accelerated process of working through SIV applicants,” Kirby said Thursday.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the national security team by video conference Saturday morning regarding the evacuation of Americans and SIV applicants from Afghanistan, according to the White House.
In a statement Saturday afternoon, Biden said the White House has conveyed to the Taliban that “any action on their part on the ground in Afghanistan, that puts U.S. personnel or our mission at risk there, will be met with a swift and strong U.S. military response.”
The president’s statement said that in addition to authorizing 5,000 troops to assist with the “drawdown” of U.S. and allied personnel and the “evacuation” of certain Afghans, he had ordered armed forces and intelligence “to ensure that we will maintain the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from Afghanistan,” directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to support “Ghani and other Afghan leaders as they seek to prevent further bloodshed and pursue a political settlement” and placed Ambassador Tracey Jacobson in charge of the effort to “transport, and relocate Afghan special immigrant visa applicants and other Afghan allies.”
Among the 5,000 troops cited by Biden are 1,000 soldiers from 82nd Airborne initially intended to go to Kuwait, a defense official told ABC News. The remaining brigade of 2,500 soldiers will still head to Kuwait to preposition in case they are needed.
There are also 1,000 troops already in Kabul, the official said, including the 650 protecting the airport and the embassy.
Kirby called it a “very temporary mission for a very temporary purpose,” and said the DOD expects to keep no more than 1,000 troops in Kabul to protect the airport and embassy after the Aug. 31 deadline — up from the 650 troops originally set to remain.
Price said officials will continue to relocate qualified Afghans who assisted the American mission, such as interpreters and others who worked for the U.S. government, and flights will ramp up in the coming days.
“Our hearts go out to the brave Afghan men and women who are now at risk. We are working to evacuate thousands of those who helped our cause and their families,” Biden said in his statement Saturday, noting that the administration to working to relocate SIV applicants and “other Afghan allies.”
The United Kingdom is also sending military personnel — about 600 paratroopers — to Kabul on a short-term basis to provide support to British nationals leaving the country, according to a joint press release from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The number of staffers working at the British Embassy in Kabul has been reduced to a core team focused on providing consular and visa services for those needing to rapidly leave the country.
U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday he believed the country was “heading towards a civil war” as the Taliban gain momentum.
Other nations were working to reduce their embassy staff, including Germany and Spain. The Danish Embassy in Kabul will be closing, and Italy’s defense minister said Friday evening that the country was reviewing embassy security in the capital.
‘Immense’ human toll
Amid the Taliban’s advance, tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes to avoid living under the insurgents’ rule.
Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, a senior fellow for the Middle East Institute, Afghanistan war veteran and ABC News national security analyst, called on the U.S. to reverse its decision to withdraw troops in order to “prevent the country’s fall to the Taliban and the establishment of a safe haven for terrorist organizations.”
“In the absence of that, the international community must immediately establish a secure, fortified area within the Kabul region where Afghans, especially females, fleeing the Taliban can have their own safe haven,” he said Friday.
“This should also come with a clear warning to the Taliban that if they enter the Kabul region, they will be met by military force from the United States,” he added. “This is the only thing they will understand and likely the only thing that will stop them from an assault on Kabul that will cause a major humanitarian crisis.”
Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, warned Friday at a press conference in Geneva that a worsening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Afghanistan.
“The human toll of spiraling hostilities is immense. The United Nations Assistance Mission has warned that without a significant de-escalation in violence, Afghanistan is on course to witness the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year since the UN’s records began,” she said.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for a cease-fire in remarks on Friday.
“The message from the international community to those on the warpath must be clear: seizing power through military force is a losing proposition,” he said. “That can only lead to prolonged civil war or to the complete isolation of Afghanistan.”
According to the U.N., some 400,000 civilians have been forced to flee from their homes since the start of the year, joining 2.9 million Afghans already internally displaced across the country at the end of last year, she said.
ABC News’ Cindy Smith, Justin Gomez and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — At least 227 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured in the devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti Saturday morning, the country’s civil protection agency confirmed to ABC News.
The earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, struck about 5 miles north of Petit Trou de Nippes, Haiti, a little over 90 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There are also concerns that the earthquake could exacerbate the island’s COVID-19 infection rate should displaced people be forced into closer confines.
The Haitian government “believes high casualties are probable given the earthquake’s magnitude,” Bocchit Edmond, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“Emergency responses are underway, and damages are being assessed,” Edmond added, saying destruction is “widespread.”
The embassy is helping to coordinate response efforts between the U.S. and Haitian governments.
The earthquake was virtually the same size and at the same shallow depth as the 2010 quake, and along the exact same fault line — the Enriquillo Plantain Garden — but farther west and in a less-populated region.
The earthquake struck just days before Tropical Storm Grace is forecast to reach Haiti late Monday night or early Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is mobilizing government resources to help victims in affected areas and declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country. In a press conference, he said he wouldn’t ask for international help until officials assess the extent of the damages.
Initial reports from those in Port-au-Prince said the city seemed to be “fine” and that the airport remained operational.
“It will be very bad, but maybe not quite as bad as 2010 just because Port-au-Prince is farther away from this one and therefore got less shaking this time,” said Dr. Lucy Jones, an earthquake expert.
She said that about 650,000 people have been exposed to level VII shaking, which the USGS defines as “very strong” and which is powerful enough to topple poorly built structures.
But many of the buildings that potentially would have been at risk from this quake were destroyed by the earthquake 11 years ago or by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, meaning fewer reports of extensive damage now aren’t entirely surprising, Jones added.
Groups like Community Organized Relief Effort are trying to help vaccinate locals to prevent COVID-19 spread.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said the organization’s disaster experts already on the ground in Haiti are assessing damage and humanitarian needs.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the earthquake Saturday morning. The president authorized an immediate U.S. response, and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior U.S. official to coordinate this effort.
“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning,” Biden said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed.”
“Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild,” he continued. “The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Justin Doom, Justin Gomez and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.
