World

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

Approximately 95,700 people have been evacuated since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Thursday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 26, 11:46 am
Images show wounded, devastation after explosions near Kabul airport

Some of the first photos of the scene of the explosions in Kabul — one which occurred at or near the Baron Hotel and the other at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport — show bloody and wounded people evacuating the area.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there were “a number of US and Afghan civilian casualties.”

Kabul Emergency Hospital told ABC News in a statement, “Around 60 patients wounded in airport attack have arrived at our EMERGENCY NGO’s Kabul Surgical Centre so far.”

Smoke leftover from the blasts and gunfire was seen rising over the airport on Thursday.

Aug 26, 11:06 am
‘Complex attack,’ second explosion at hotel near airport: Pentagon

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate, after earlier confirming an explosion outside the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

“We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update,” he said in a tweet.

The Turkish Defense Ministry, which has had forces helping to secure the airport, also tweeted that two explosions had occurred.

“There were two explosions outside of Kabul Airport. There is no damage or casualty in our unit,” it said, translated from Turkish.

Aug 26, 10:44 am
At least 3 US service members wounded in airport attack: Official

A U.S. official said that at least three U.S. military service members have been wounded in the explosion at the Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport. The official did not know the extent of the injuries. U.S. troops have been stationed near large crowds trying to get inside.

The development comes as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul sent another security alert to Americans, warning, “There has been a large explosion at the airport, and there are reports of gunfire.”

“U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time. U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.

The Pentagon has delayed a briefing that was scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said the explosion at the airport coming days before U.S. forces are set to leave the country has made for, “truly, a nightmare scenario.”

Raddatz, who is in contact with Afghans on the ground, said the explosion “devastates” the evacuation process and described the tone in the country as people try to get out in the coming days as “absolute panic.”

“Now today, they’re facing, either a stampede, the Taliban or ISIS bombers — and that really is what it comes down to for all Afghans,” she said.

Aug 26, 10:15 am
Before explosion, acting US ambassador to Afghanistan spoke on GMA about ‘credible’ security threat

Speaking before the explosion outside the Kabul airport, acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson, on the ground in Kabul, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that the threat that prompted the U.S. Embassy to warn citizens to leave the airport on Wednesday was “clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.”

“Being part of these huge crowds that remain around the gates and entrances to the airport is dangerous,” he said, adding the U.S. is working on “other ways on an individualized basis to assist them in getting to the airport in a safe and secure manner.”

“We will do as much as we possibly can, to get as many out as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can, while there is sufficient security that’s provided for us, and no less important, for the travelers themselves, provided by U.S. military forces,” Wilson said.

While the U.S. works to get as many Afghan allies and third-country nationals out of Afghanistan ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline, Wilson acknowledged that the “primary focus” is to evacuate American citizens and said some hopeful evacuees would be left behind.

“There undoubtedly will be people in this country who would like to get out who will be unable to,” he said, adding that the U.S. is talking with the Taliban on how to continue safe evacuations when troops are gone.

Aug 26, 10:05 am
Biden briefed on explosion outside airport in Kabul

A U.S. official confirms the explosion was at Abbey Gate — one of the main entrances to the airport — and that they are assessing casualty numbers right now.

A White House official told ABC News that Biden has been briefed on the situation.

The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul follows the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Americans on Wednesday night to leave the airport gates immediately due to a credible security threat.

Aug 26, 9:50 am
Explosion outside airport in Kabul: Pentagon

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there was an explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport.  Casualties are unclear at this time.  We will provide additional details when we can,” the tweet read.

U.S. officials had been warning of a credible security threat to the airport for several days.

Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours

The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.

In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.

Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns

U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.

“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”

As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”

“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.

When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.

Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately

The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.

The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.

In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

Approximately 95,700 people have been evacuated since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Wednesday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 26, 10:05 am
Biden briefed on explosion outside airport in Kabul

A U.S. official confirms the explosion was at Abbey Gate — one of the main entrances to the airport — and that they are assessing casualty numbers right now.

A White House official told ABC News that Biden has been briefed on the situation.

The explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul follows the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Americans on Wednesday night to leave the airport gates immediately due to a credible security threat.

Aug 26, 9:50 am
Explosion outside airport in Kabul: Pentagon

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed there was an explosion outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport.  Casualties are unclear at this time.  We will provide additional details when we can,” the tweet read.

U.S. officials had been warning of a credible security threat to the airport for several days.

Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours

The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.

In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.

Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns

U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.

“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”

As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”

“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.

When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.

Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately

The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.

The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.

In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 83,000 people since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Wednesday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 26, 8:12 am
US, allies evacuate 13,400 people from Kabul in past 24 hours

The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 95,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.

In a 24-hour period from Wednesday to Thursday, 17 U.S. military flights carried approximately 5,100 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 8,300 people were evacuated via 74 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 101,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.

Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns

U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.

“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”

As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”

“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.

When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.

Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately

The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.

The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.

In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 83,000 people since the effort began on Aug. 14, the White House said Wednesday, while the Pentagon said the military will keep the evacuation mission going until the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 26, 6:31 am
‘Very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at Kabul airport, UK minister warns

U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned Thursday morning that there was “very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack” at the main international airport in Kabul, possibly within hours.

“There is now very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack and hence why the Foreign Office advice was changed last night,” Heappey said in interviews with BBC News. “The credibility of the reporting has now reached the stage where we believe that there is a very imminent, highly lethal attack possible within Kabul.”

As thousands race to evacuate Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to totally withdraw its troops, Heappey acknowledged that people are “desperate” and “there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.”

“There is every chance that as further reporting comes in, we may be able to change the advice again and process people anew but there’s no guarantee of that,” he added.

When asked in an interview with Sky News whether an attack could occur in the next few hours, Heappey replied: “Yes.”

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office released new guidance on Wednesday night telling people not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

“There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack,” the office said. “If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice.”

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert warning of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul Airport” and advising Americans “to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates,” unless they “receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” the embassy said.

Aug 25, 8:05 pm
US Embassy alert tells people to avoid airport, leave certain gates immediately

The U.S. embassy in Kabul issued another alert, but this one with an urgent warning.

“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” it said.

The alert says U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid the airport gates “unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so” — the same instructions they have given in recent days.

In a statement later Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general rule, we do not speak to intelligence, but this is a dynamic and volatile security situation on the ground. We take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The Taliban wrested control of more than just territory from Afghan forces as it tore through Afghanistan this month. By the time the militant group toppled Kabul on Aug. 14, images had emerged showing its fighters holding American-made rifles and posing next to Blackhawk helicopters.

Pentagon officials have told ABC News they don’t have a clear idea of just how much U.S.-made equipment is now in the hands of the Taliban, but government reports give clues to what the group could now have in its arsenal.

Since 2005, the U.S. has spent a total of about $80 billion on Afghan troops and police through the congressional Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, the main source of such money. More than $18 billion went specifically to “equipment and transportation,” according to a July report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR.

The rest of the money went toward sustainment, training, operations and infrastructure.

The weapons given to Afghan forces between 2004-2016 included more than 25,000 grenade launchers, nearly 65,000 machine guns and about 360,000 rifles, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The firearms consisted of U.S. service rifles like the M16 and M4 as well as some Russian-designed AK-47s and Dragunov sniper rifles.

Thousands of indirect-fire weapons such as mortars and 122mm howitzers were also given to the Afghans.

“We don’t have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone, but certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters last week.

In addition to conventional weapons, the U.S. gave the Afghans a large fleet of air and ground vehicles.

ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell, who was in Kabul as the Taliban took over the city, reported seeing Taliban militants driving Humvees. This is perhaps not surprising when considering the defeated Afghan security forces were given some 22,000 Humvees during the course of the war, according to the GAO report.

Add to that 42,000 Ford Ranger pick-up trucks and about 1,000 MRAPs, the large, heavy vehicles used to protect troops against roadside bombs.

For air operations, the U.S. provided the Afghan air force with 40 scout/attack MD-530 “little bird” helicopters, more than 30 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and 23 A-29 Super Tucano propeller attack planes.

Not all of these were left for the Taliban. In a rare public appearance last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “I have received reports of a number of aircraft that were flown into Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.”

Videos have shown Taliban fighters posing by some of these aircraft, but a new Taliban air force is not likely to emerge, according to former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and ABC News contributor Steve Ganyard.

“The U.S. airplanes, they won’t be able to maintain — they’ll likely sell them for cash,” he said. “It’s the ground equipment they’ll use.”

Keeping advanced aircraft in flying condition takes serious maintenance ability and mechanical expertise — something the Afghan air force itself struggled with, even with American assistance.

While much U.S.-made materiel is now under Taliban control, it’s possible the military will try to remove some of it from the equation sometime after the expected Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, according to Ganyard.

“The U.S. will have the option of bombing the storage areas and destroying equipment once the airlift of American citizens is complete,” he said.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 37,000 people since the effort began on Aug. 14, Pentagon officials said Monday, while reiterating their focus remains on maintaining the airport perimeter and increasing the number of evacuees out of Kabul ahead of the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also addressed the nation several times since.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 25, 7:18 am
US evacuates 19,000 people from Kabul in past 24 hours

The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 82,300 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.

In a 24-hour period from Tuesday to Monday, 42 U.S. military flights carried approximately 11,200 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 7,800 people were evacuated via 48 coalition aircraft. Since the end of July, approximately 87,900 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.

Aug 25, 6:20 am
World Bank freezes aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The World Bank said it has suspended funding for projects in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power, becoming the latest international organization to do so.

“We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women,” a World Bank spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Wednesday. “We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation in line with our internal policies and procedures.”

“As we do so, we will continue to consult closely with the international community and development partners,” the spokesperson added. “Together with our partners we are exploring ways we can remain engaged to preserve hard-won development gains and continue to support the people of Afghanistan.”

The World Bank, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has committed some $5.3 billion for reconstruction and development projects in Afghanistan since 2002.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund announced that its financial resources will no longer be accessible to Afghanistan due to a “a lack of clarity within the international community” over the country’s government, after the Taliban seized control of the capital.

Aug 24, 9:09 pm
2 House lawmakers take unauthorized trip to Kabul amid evacuation operation

Veterans and Reps. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., traveled to Afghanistan to review the situation at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul – an unauthorized trip they are now defending amid criticism that they distracted from the evacuation mission.

The Washington Post first reported on their unauthorized trip, and the anger it prompted inside the Pentagon and State Department as officials work around-the-clock to evacuate endangered Americans and Afghans.

Their trip prompted the letter to lawmakers House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent Tuesday that said travel to the region would distract from the ongoing evacuations.

Official travel by members of the House must be approved by the speaker or relevant committee chairs.

In a joint statement, the two representatives said they conducted the visit in secret to gather information about operations there and not disrupt them.

They provided few details on what they learned — except to say how proud they are of the U.S. officials — military and civilian — on the ground. They added that “Washington” should be “ashamed” of the position they’ve put these public servants in.

They added that they went into the visit wanting Biden to extend his deadline, but after talking to commanders on the ground, it is impossible to get “everyone out on time,” even if Biden pushed back the full withdrawal until Sept. 11.

“Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban,” they said in the statement.

While a congressional delegation to this humanitarian crisis took up time and seats, the two lawmakers defended themselves in their statement by saying in part, “We left on a plane with empty seats, seated in crew-only seats to ensure that nobody who needed a seat would lose one because of our presence.”

Aug 24, 7:52 pm
Pelosi warns lawmakers to avoid travel to Afghanistan

In a dear colleague letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned lawmakers to avoid traveling to Afghanistan given security concerns.

“Given the urgency of this situation, the desire of some Members to travel to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is understandable and reflective of the high priority that we place on the lives of those on the ground,” she wrote. “However, I write to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger.”

“Member travel to the Afghanistan and the surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating (Americans) and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan,” she continued.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Tens of thousands of Americans, Afghans and other foreigners have been evacuated from Kabul’s international airport to U.S. military installations in Qatar, a key U.S. partner in the Middle East that has received public shout-outs from President Joe Biden and his top officials.

But privately, Qatari officials are warning their American counterparts that the situation at U.S. facilities, where thousands of Afghan evacuees are being housed, is growing more dire, according to an internal State Department report obtained by ABC News.

Some Afghans and Americans who have been housed at the bases have spoken publicly about the lack of space, food and water or facilities. But the urgent warnings from Qatari officials to their American counterparts speak to how thin-stretched facilities have become — and the risks that it entails, including for human trafficking.

Asked about conditions on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the administration was “aware” of issues, but “worked quickly to improve” them.

“Certainly, we want the individuals who are being evacuated to be treated with respect. We also want them to be safe, hence the speed necessity, but we worked to improve the conditions as soon as we learned,” she said.

In meetings Monday, however, Qatar Foreign Ministry officials were still expressing concerns about “deteriorating health and security conditions” and over-crowding at Al Udeid Air Base and Camp As Sayliyah, according to the internal report.

In particular, Lolwah al Khater, a Qatari assistant foreign minister, told U.S. Ambassador John Desrocher that both bases “had hit maximum capacity to house in a safe and secure manner” and warned of “growing crises” at each.

Both Qatari bases include U.S. military installations that are hosting thousands of evacuees, although the pressure on them has decreased in recent days as more U.S. allies accept evacuation flights, especially Germany.

“The fact that we now have more than two dozen countries, across four continents, taking part in this operation has already provided relief to crowding in Doha,” a State Department spokesperson told ABC News Tuesday, adding they are “working closely to improve conditions on the ground in Qatar.”

Qatari officials were especially concerned about Al Udeid’s “ill-famed ‘Afghan hangar,'” according to the internal report, which houses some 4,500 Afghans. There are another 4,000 Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah, where the Qatari officials warned there were “increased tensions among the Afghan population,” according to the report, which provided no other details.

Khalifa Jassim al Kuwari, Qatar’s foreign aid and development chief, also “doubted that the USG (U.S. government) had sufficient personnel, food, medicine at CAS (Camp As Sayliyah) to care properly for Afghans there,” the report said he told U.S. officials.

The U.S. facility there lacks sufficient toilets and basic sanitation, the Qatari officials told their American counterparts. In fact, Qatar’s Red Crescent Society had already provided mobile shower trucks and hygiene kits in recent days to help address the desperate needs, and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged for cleaning services.

A State Department spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday that the administration was working to improve conditions, including by bringing in air-conditioning units, improving sanitation, increasing supplies, expanding housing and surging staff to more quickly process some people out of Qatar.

“Qatar has been at the forefront of our efforts as the first evacuation site. We are grateful to the Government of Qatar for their generous assistance that has allowed us to take-in over 20,000 people and sent hundreds of U.S. citizens to the United States and thousands of Afghans to the United States, Germany, and Italy for further processing,” they added in a statement.

Beyond food and water, Qatari officials expressed concern about “whether the USG could provide sufficient medicine and health care requirements for the large numbers of Afghans incoming,” the report said. Al Khater urged U.S. military officials to “muster greater health care resources … to care for the relocating Afghans,” it said.

Qatar also has safety concerns.

Al Khater told U.S. officials there was a “danger of human trafficking in such circumstances and highlighted the cases of unaccompanied minors coming from Kabul,” according to the internal report.

The U.S. government has been working to reunite some unaccompanied minors separated from their families amid evacuation efforts, a second State Department spokesperson told ABC News on Saturday, adding they had already successfully reunited “a number” of them with parents and loved ones.

State Department and Defense Department officials at the Kabul airport were “assisting” a number of unaccompanied minors “sheltering” at a “reunification center” run by Norway, according to an internal situation report from Monday that was also obtained by ABC News.

Additionally, al Khater and other Qatari officials asked the U.S. for manifests of all incoming and outgoing flights — saying they appreciated U.S. efforts, but were concerned there wasn’t a “rigorous filtering system to board those flights” in Kabul.

U.S. intelligence, law enforcement and counterterrorism officials are conducting screening and security vetting on all Afghans before they can enter the U.S., the first State Department spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday. But it’s unclear what steps are being taken to assure Qatari officials.

Despite the high-level concerns, the internal State Department report noted that cooperation between the two countries on the “Afghan relocation crisis has improved markedly in recent days,” praising the “unprecedented level of senior- and working-level teamwork.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 17,000 people since Aug. 14, White House officials said late Saturday morning. Pentagon officials have said their focus remains on maintaining the airport perimeter and increasing the number of evacuees out of Kabul.

President Joe Biden returned to Washington from Camp David on Wednesday and sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden addressed the nation again on evacuation efforts on Sunday.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 23, 4:35 pm

Afghan refugees speak after arriving in US

More Afghan refugees have arrived in the U.S. with the first on U.S. commercial carriers coming into Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Monday morning.

“We are really happy to come here,” one refugee traveling with his wife and son told ABC News’ Sam Sweeney. He said that he waited two days at the Kabul airport before getting in.

“The situation in Afghanistan is not good,” he added.

Pentagon officials said at a briefing on Monday that five flights have brought about 1,300 people to Dulles in the last 24 hours.

Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said some 1,200 Afghans are now distributed between four U.S. military bases: Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Bliss in Texas and Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey.

The military is still working to build out the capacity to host approximately 22,000 Afghans at the installations following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Aug 23, 3:49 pm

Pentagon ‘pushing the limits’ to meet Aug. 31 deadline 

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby and Gen. Steve Lyons, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, at an afternoon press briefing, said the military continues to operate under the Aug. 31 deadline President Biden set despite his suggesting the U.S. could stay beyond the end of the month.

“Every day, we take as the day comes,” Lyons said. “We know and are linked very closely with Central Command, potential operations to close out the mission by the 31st — that was the mission given by the president, and we’re committed to do that.”

“We are pushing the limits to do everything we can to get every single evacuee out of Kabul,” he added. “We’re not going to let up.”

Asked about a U.S. medical team helping an Afghan woman deliver a baby on a U.S. Air Force plane just after landing in Germany, Lyons said that the U.S. military does “not have medics on every flight” and suggested that three babies have been born since evacuations started.

“My last data point was three. I don’t have a formal tracker, those are the — you know, we’ll keep you posted,” Lyons said, before the briefing ended.

Aug 23, 2:59 pm

US has ‘method’ for getting Americans to airport: White House

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a White House briefing on Monday that the U.S. is transferring groups of American citizens to the airport in Kabul but declined to go into detail, citing security concerns.

“We have developed a method to safely and efficiently transfer groups of American citizens onto the airfield. For operational reasons I’m not going to go into further detail on this,” he said.

Despite Biden suggesting the U.S. could stay in Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 as evacuations continue, Sullivan, as Pentagon officials had before him, maintained focus on the deadline at the end of the month.

“In the days remaining, we believe we have the wherewithal to get out the American citizens who want to leave Kabul,” he said.

“This operation is complex, it is dangerous, it is fraught with challenges: operational, logistical, human. And it’s produced searing images of pain and desperation. But, no 
operation like this, no evacuation from the capital that has fallen in a civil war, could unfold without those images,” he added.

Aug 23, 1:28 pm

Pentagon officials say military going into Kabul ‘as needed’

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at a briefing on Monday was pressed about reports of British and other coalition forces pushing into Kabul to bring people to the airport and said the U.S. is also running those missions on a “case-by-case basis.”

On occasion, as needed, our commanders have the authority that they need to use their assets and their forces to help assist Americans who need to get to the airport — get to the airport on a case-by-case basis,” he said. Later on, he added, “I don’t want to leave you with the idea that we’re patrolling the streets of Kabul.”

Kirby confirmed there was a second helicopter mission to airlift Americans into the airport, in addition to a helicopter recovery of 169 people outside the airport perimeter last week, but would not give details.

“There has been at least one additional instance where rotary airlift was used to help Americans get from outside the airport into the airport, and I think I’m just going to leave it at that today,” he said.

He said that other extraction methods are being used as well.

“There’s a variety of methods that can be affected and, without going into detail, we’re using the variety of methods at our disposal,” Kirby added.

Aug 23, 12:59 pm

State Department denies only Americans getting into airport

Despite several reports that only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are getting into the airport in Kabul, not Afghans, a senior State Department official told reporters on Monday it’s not the case.

“It is not accurate that only Americans get through. That is not an accurate report,” the official said during a briefing.

The official said the operation is currently prioritizing Americans, touting the “unbelievable effort” to create a task force of consular officers around the world who get in touch with every American who registers with the embassy and provides instructions for them to get inside the airport.

“You can tell by the data,” the official said, “that we are being very successful with this model in getting people amassed and onto airplanes and to the transit hubs, which are represented by countries all over the world.”

Eight of those transit hubs are now open in six countries, according to the State Department, hosting more than 17,000 evacuees who have been flown from Kabul and to these hubs. In the next 24 hours, officials expect 8,000 more beds to be available as capacity continues to ramp up.

The official repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether the U.S. will stick to its Aug. 31 deadline, which Biden has seemed open to extending, but which the Taliban warned against earlier on Monday.

Aug 23, 12:16 pm

Pentagon officials address humanitarian crisis unfolding at airport

ABC News’ Luis Martinez asked Pentagon officials how they can prevent a humanitarian crisis from developing inside the airport as thousands of people who have travelled for miles gather for evacuations in the blistering heat and amid a global pandemic.

Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor said that as military flights arrive into Kabul to take out evacuees, they’re bringing in supplies including food and water for those preparing for evacuation flights.

“The last 48 hours, we had a lot of folks there which is a good thing,” Taylor said. “That means we have gotten people through the gate, we process them, it means we have people safe, then we can fly out,” adding the commanders on the ground are there to help ensure a safe and humanitarian environment.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby added that they’re “very aware” of reports of sanitation and sustainment issues.

“It’s not lost on us,” Kirby said. “There’s a lot of people, and they are desperate. And we are trying to do the best we can to get them out of harm’s way as fast as possible. And when you have a throughput problem, it means that some people are going to be stuck in a given location.”

“We’re doing the best we can, under extraordinary circumstances and believe me, the pain and the suffering, the fear, the anxiety, all of that none of it is lost on U.S. troops,” he said.

Aug 23, 12:04 pm

Pentagon officials decline to give details on extending Kabul airport perimeter 

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at a briefing on Monday said the U.S. military presence in Kabul remains focused on the airport following President Biden saying on Sunday that the U.S could possibly extend the perimeter there.

Sources familiar with the situation clarified to ABC News following Biden’s remarks that it did not mean U.S. troops would be moving outside of the airport.

“We continue to look at security on the airport itself, as well as the immediate environments of the airport because in those immediate environments outside the airport, that’s where you have Taliban checkpoints, where you have crowds assembling,” Kirby said. “That’s where access to the gates is critical, in the space just outside the airport where we don’t have a military presence of a sustained nature, and what we’re doing is that we are in constant communication with the Taliban about that space.”

Pressed for more information, Kirby said he didn’t want to release tactical details but said the U.S “not out there, side by side” with the Taliban.

“I think, for very good reasons of operational security, we’re just not going to detail everything we’re doing, and every opportunity we’re taking advantage of,” he said.

Aug 23, 11:31 am

Pentagon: No plans to reopen Bagram Airfield, send more troops to Kabul

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby at a Pentagon briefing on Monday said the Defense Department does not have plans to reopen Bagram Airfield as it continues to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghan allies out of Kabul.

He said reopening Bagram, which the U.S. vacated in July, “would be an expenditure of resources and personnel, as well as an increase, most likely to the threat that they’re under.”

“And I understand a lot of people have views and opinions about this. It was closed down as part of the retrograde; it was always supposed to be closed down as part of the retrograde. It was the last base to be turned over to the Afghans,” he said.

Kirby, instead, said the military maintains its focus on evacuating people from Hamid Karzai International Airport.

“There are no plans at this time to request or to authorize additional U.S. forces to this mission,” Kirby added later of the ongoing evacuation mission. He said the Pentagon is still “trying” to meet the Aug. 31 deadline for a full military withdrawal.

Aug 23, 11:27 am

Pentagon: 16K evacuated in 24 hours

In a Pentagon briefing Monday, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, deputy director of Joint Staff regional operations, said that 16,000 evacuees have been flown out of Kabul since Sunday.

“Within the last 24 hours, 25 U.S. military C-17, three U.S. military C-130s and then a combination of 61 charter commercial and other military flights departed Kabul,” Taylor said, reminding that six commercial airlines have joined the Defense Department’s evacuation mission.

Of the 16,000 evacuees, Taylor said the military transported just under 11,000. He said the use of temporary safe haven locations across Europe and the Middle East to house Afghans, from Qatar to Spain, is a “testament to the importance of our alliances and our partnerships.”

NEW: In last 24 hours, dozens of flights departed Kabul, Afghanistan, carrying 16,000 passengers, Pentagon spokesperson says; U.S. military transported just under 11,000.

“Our mission remains focused on ensuring a steady flow of evacuees out of Kabul.” https://t.co/LpP1JnG206 pic.twitter.com/c1hqORZzn3

— ABC News (@ABC) August 23, 2021

In the U.S., he said four military installations, as well as Dulles International Airport, are now receiving Afghans as they come into the country. The installations include Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Lee in Virginia, Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey and Fort Bliss in Texas.

While Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. has evacuated “several thousand” Americans, he declined to give a more accurate approximation when pressed, saying the number is “very fluid” and “literally changes nearly by the hour.”

Aug 23, 10:37 am
US confirms member of Afghan forces killed

United States Central Command has confirmed one member of the Afghan security forces was killed overnight in a firefight.

“No U.S. or coalition forces were hurt during a brief exchange of gunfire last night outside the north gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The incident appeared to begin when an unknown hostile actor fired upon Afghan security forces involved in monitoring access to the gate. The Afghans returned fire, and in keeping with their right of self-defense, so too did U.S. and coalition troops,” said Navy Capt. William Urban, U.S. CENTCOM spokesperson, in a statement.

“One member of the Afghan forces was killed by the hostile actor; several Afghans were wounded during the exchange. The wounded are being treated at an airfield hospital and are reported to be in stable condition,” he said. “Our condolences go out to the teammates and loved ones of the fallen Afghan soldier.”

The German military announced earlier on Twitter that one Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded at the airport in Kabul.

Aug 23, 9:58 am
Taliban holds 1st loya jirga since returning to power

The Taliban is holding its first-ever loya jirga, or “grand council” in Pashto, since taking back control of Afghanistan, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told ABC News.

The event is taking place at the Kabul Polytechnic University in Afghanistan’s capital on Monday.

The purpose of the loya jirga is to hold consultations with religious scholars, and the source said three issues are under consideration: the teaching style in Afghan schools; whether help from the Taliban’s ulema, a body of Muslim scholars, is needed to avoid a mass exodus of Afghans; and how to encourage the country’s younger generation to work, including women.

Aug 23, 7:44 am
Some 16,300 people evacuated from Kabul in past 24 hours

The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 37,000 people from Kabul since Aug. 14 when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.

In a 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday, 28 U.S. military flights evacuated approximately 10,400 people from Kabul. Another 5,900 people were evacuated via 61 coalition aircraft.

Since the end of July, the U.S. has relocated approximately 42,000 people from Kabul, the White House official said.

Aug 23, 5:28 am
Taliban warns of ‘consequences’ if Biden extends withdrawal deadline: ‘It’s a red line’

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News that Aug. 31, the date Biden has set for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, is a “red line” and extending it would “provoke a reaction.”

The U.S. president said Sunday he would not rule out extending the withdrawal deadline beyond Aug. 31, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly expected to urge Biden for an extension. But the Taliban spokesman warned “there would be consequences.”

“President Biden announced that on the 31st of August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Shaheen said in a recent interview with Sky News. “I think it will deteriorate the relation that will create mistrust between us.”

Aug 23, 5:05 am
At least 1 killed, 3 wounded in gunfight at Kabul airport

One Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a shootout with unidentified attackers at the international airport in Kabul on Monday morning, the German military announced via Twitter.

Both German and American forces returned fire when the shooting erupted at the north gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. No German soldiers were hurt in the exchange, according to the German military.

The U.S. military is aware of an incident at one of the gates, a defense official told ABC News.

The deadly gun battle occurred as the United States and other Western nations oversaw the evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners desperate to flee the Taliban-controlled country.

Aug 22, 10:48 pm
Southwest to begin domestic refugee flights

Joining other international airlines like United, Delta and American, Southwest Airlines announced Sunday that it will work with the Department of Defense to help transport domestic refugees from Afghanistan.

“We are proud to support our military’s critical humanitarian airlift mission, and we are grateful to our Employees for demonstrating an eagerness to support these military efforts, once again displaying their true Southwest Heart,” the company said in a statement Sunday.

Southwest said it plans to operate four of these types of flights on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

“Of course, the Southwest Team stands ready to provide additional support to the Department of Defense, if needed,” the company said.

Aug 22, 5:34 pm
Biden again defends decision to withdraw

The president pushed back against critics who questioned his timing about pulling American forces from Afghanistan.

Biden reiterated that the 20-year war has already left 2,448 Americans dead and 20,722 wounded and cost $300 million a day.

“Either increase the number of forces we keep there and keep that going, or I end the war. I decided to end the war,” he said.

The president stressed that America will remain vigilant against overseas terrorists.

“So the question is, when is the right time to leave? Where are our national interests? Where do they lie?” Biden asked.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — On the fourth day of waiting, “Ahmad” had enough. He left Kabul airport, heading back through the Taliban checkpoints and bringing his family of five home.

Desperate for safety and security for his wife and three children, he felt he had no choice but to step back into the fray with his family in search of food, water and a reprieve from the brutal heat.

Stories like Ahmad, whose real name ABC News is not using for his safety, speak to the deteriorating conditions at Kabul’s airport, where thousands of U.S. troops and diplomats are working in overdrive to help evacuate tens of thousands of U.S. citizens, Afghan partners and other foreigners.

So far, the U.S. has evacuated roughly 30,300 people since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan a little over one week ago, according to a White House official.

Outside the airport’s walls, chaotic crowds have tried to press into the airport, now closed except to those given specific instructions to enter. At least seven people have died in the crush, according to an internal State Department memo obtained by ABC News. Taliban fighters guarding checkpoints around the airport have fired into the air to disperse crowds or beaten them back with whips and rifle butts, including some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

“More than 10,000 Afghans surrounded the gates and conditions remained volatile outside the gates,” the internal situation report said Sunday.

But inside, where thousands have been processed and are waiting for a seat on a flight out, crowds have been forced to sleep on the tarmac and spend days in the blazing hot sun. While troops from the U.S., United Kingdom, Turkey, and elsewhere have distributed food and water, the enormous size of the crowds has meant some people go without for days.

“Our overriding priority remains to put as many people as possible on departing planes as quickly as possible. Within the past 24 hours, nearly 60 flights have departed, bringing nearly 8,000 people to safety,” a State Dept spokesperson told ABC News Sunday.

Ahmad decided that he could not wait any longer for help, according to an American who works closely with him and spoke to ABC News on a condition of anonymity.

“This is a man who has been waiting for a long time for his SIV to come through, who has been directly threatened by the Taliban. And yet, when so close to his dream of safety and protection, he decided it was safer to go back home than to keep his family in this U.S. military-run facility any longer,” the source said.

Another source, an American on the ground at the airport, told ABC News the situation was a “non-permissive environment,” which is a term diplomats, aid workers and troops use for difficult conditions where uncertainty and instability make it unsafe to operate.

Among the issues now are a group of unaccompanied minors, which are children that separated from their parents amid the crowds or in certain cases deliberately. Video of a family passing their infant child to U.S. Marine went viral earlier this week, with a Marines spokesperson later confirming that the baby was given needed medical attention and reunited with its father.

But four children are not so lucky. A source on the ground said that their father was killed by the Taliban, and their mother was trampled to death in the stampede outside the gates this week, leaving them orphaned and waiting in the passenger terminal, according to the source, who said U.S. officials are unable to find any next of kin and don’t know what to do with them.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government’s collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

The U.S. has evacuated approximately 17,000 people since Aug. 14, White House officials said late Saturday morning. Pentagon officials have said their focus remains on maintaining the airport perimeter and increasing the number of evacuees out of Kabul.

President Joe Biden returned to Washington from Camp David on Wednesday and sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He addressed the nation on evacuation efforts Friday.

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 23, 5:28 am
Taliban warns of ‘consequences’ if Biden extends withdrawal deadline: ‘It’s a red line’

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News that Aug. 31, the date Biden has set for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, is a “red line” and extending it would “provoke a reaction.”

The U.S. president said Sunday he would not rule out extending the withdrawal deadline beyond Aug. 31, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly expected to urge Biden for an extension. But the Taliban spokesman warned “there would be consequences.”

“President Biden announced that on the 31st of August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Shaheen said in a recent interview with Sky News. “I think it will deteriorate the relation that will create mistrust between us.”

Aug 23, 5:05 am
At least 1 killed, 3 wounded in gunfight at Kabul airport

One Afghan soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a shootout with unidentified attackers at the international airport in Kabul on Monday morning, the German military announced via Twitter.

Both German and American forces returned fire when the shooting erupted at the north gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. No German soldiers were hurt in the exchange, according to the German military.

The U.S. military is aware of an incident at one of the gates, a defense official told ABC News.

The deadly gun battle occurred as the United States and other Western nations oversaw the evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners desperate to flee the Taliban-controlled country.

Aug 22, 10:48 pm
Southwest to begin domestic refugee flights

Joining other international airlines like United, Delta and American, Southwest Airlines announced Sunday that it will work with the Department of Defense to help transport domestic refugees from Afghanistan.

“We are proud to support our military’s critical humanitarian airlift mission, and we are grateful to our Employees for demonstrating an eagerness to support these military efforts, once again displaying their true Southwest Heart,” the company said in a statement Sunday.

Southwest said it plans to operate four of these types of flights on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

“Of course, the Southwest Team stands ready to provide additional support to the Department of Defense, if needed,” the company said.

Aug 22, 5:34 pm
Biden again defends decision to withdraw

The president pushed back against critics who questioned his timing about pulling American forces from Afghanistan.

Biden reiterated that the 20-year war has already left 2,448 Americans dead and 20,722 wounded and cost $300 million a day.

“Either increase the number of forces we keep there and keep that going, or I end the war. I decided to end the war,” he said.

The president stressed that America will remain vigilant against overseas terrorists.

“So the question is, when is the right time to leave? Where are our national interests? Where do they lie?” Biden asked.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.