Afghanistan: Germany hints at reopening Kabul embassy — live updates

• Germany considers reopening embassy under certain conditions
• India has spoken with Taliban leaders for the first time since fall of Kabul
• US issues humanitarian license, Taliban remain blacklisted

This live article was last updated at 08:12 UTC/GMT.

How life is changing for Afghanistan’s minorities

Following the Taliban’s power grab, members of the Hazara minority fear that they will be targeted. Those who can, escape. Others are joining the armed opposition. But for many, there is no way out, DW reports.

Johnson: Britain owes ‘immense debt’ to Afghan staff  

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his country’s “vital support” for Afghans who had worked with NATO forces and were resettling in the UK. 

“We owe an immense debt to those who worked with the Armed Forces in Afghanistan and I am determined that we give them and their families the support they need to rebuild their lives here in the UK,” Johnson said of the so-called “Operation Warm Welcome” measures to support Afghan arrivals in the UK.

The measures include offering coronavirus vaccinations to resettled Afghans, as well as £3 million (€3.5 million, $4.1 million) in funding for health care access, Johnson’s office said. 

Germany could reopen Kabul embassy

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has ended his four-day visit to key regional neighbors of Afghanistan. At his last stop on Tuesday evening in Doha, Qatar, the minister expressed willingness to reopen Germany’s embassy in Kabul “if it’s politically possible and the security situation allows it.”

Maas was also optimistic about the prospect of Germans and local allies still in Afghanistan being able to leave. “The Taliban have said they’re prepared to let Afghans and local supporters legally leave Afghanistan after August 31,” he said.

He also made clear that talks with the Taliban came with conditions: “The Taliban can demand what they want. We’ve set out clear requirements: the holding up of human rights, the fact that people can continue to leave, and that no terrorist groups will be given shelter in Afghanistan.”

Taliban celebrate first night without US presence

The Taliban took over Kabul airport on Tuesday following the departure of the last US troops and personnel, marking the first time in 20 years that there has been no official US presence in the country.

US: 98% of Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan were able to do so

The US facilitated the departure of 98% of Americans that wanted to leave Afghanistan and said it remained committed to helping the 100 to 200 left behind.

“For those remaining Americans there is no deadline. We remain committed to  get them out if they want to come out,” Biden said.

India held talks with Taliban leaders

India has, for the first time, admitted to holding diplomatic talks with the Taliban. An Indian envoy met a Taliban leader in Doha, Qatar’s capital, after a request by the militant group.

US Treasury issues humanitarian license

The US issued a license that provides authorization for the delivery of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, in Afghanistan, a Treasury official told Reuters. The Taliban remains blacklisted by the US.

The license expires next March and comes amid widespread concerns over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The UN reports that roughly half of Afghanistan’s population, some 18 million people, need humanitarian assistance. Half of all children in the country under five suffer currently from acute malnutrition amid a second drought in four years.

Tuesday’s developments: Taliban take airport, celebrate victory

After US forces left Kabul airport early Tuesday, the Taliban took charge of the facility and celebrated their victory.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, people in the eastern city of Khost watched a mock funeral featuring Western nations’ flags draped over caskets.

US President Joe Biden addressed the nation, calling the evacuation both a success and “the best decision for America.”

The UN warned of a humanitarian catastrophe while Europe looked to Afghanistan’s neighbors to shoulder more displaced refugees.

ab, ar/jsi (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-germany-hints-at-reopening-kabul-embassy-live-updates/a-59046583?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf