Taliban assure US of safe passage for Afghans after August 31 — live updates

• US citizens flown to Kabul airport from nearby hotel in military helicopters
• The Taliban have assured the US that Afghans can leave after August 31
• A total of 300 refugees arrive at Ramstein Air Base, Germany

This story was last updated at 03:15 UTC/GMT. Catch up on Friday’s main events here.

Baby in viral video at Kabul airport ‘was ill’

The Pentagon has provided more information about the baby who was captured on video being lifted by a US Marine over a razor wire-topped wall at Kabul’s airport. The footage of the infant was widely shared on social media.

“The video you are talking about — the parent asked the Marines to look after the baby because the baby was ill,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

“So the Marine you see reaching over the wall took it to a Norwegian hospital that is at the airport. They treated the child and returned the child to the child’s father,” he said. “It was an act of compassion because there was concern about the baby,” he added.

Refugees arrive at Ramstein Air Base, Germany

According to the US-operated Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate, around 300 refugees from Afghanistan have landed in Germany as part of the Allied Refuge program. They are the first to arrive at the military base at Ramstein.

The US Air Force flew them from Qatar in two C-17 aircraft. The refugees will at first be housed in temporary accommodation in the aircraft hangars. “The Ramstein personnel are working tirelessly to provide the refugees a safe place to rest. I am unbelievably proud of the capability of our team who executed this mammoth task in such a short space of time,” said military commander Josh Olson of the 86th Airlift Wing.

What are the Taliban’s possible next steps?

Omar Samad, a former senior adviser to the chief executive of Afghanistan and a former Afghan ambassador to France and Canada, spoke to DW about the future of the Taliban regime.

“We still don’t know whether they’re going to consolidate power in a purely Taliban style or whether they’re going to open the political space to others who can participate,” he told DW.

Samad explained that international aid could also play a role in influencing the path that the Taliban take. The Taliban “will have to show flexibility domestically at home as well as externally in its relationship with the international community,” he said.

US military helicopters transport evacuees to airport

Three US military helicopters were deployed to fly Americans some 200 meters (656 feet) from the Hotel Baron in Kabul to the city’s airport.

The United States military said 169 US citizens were transported in this way.

The Americans were unable to get to the gate of the airport, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Thousands have flooded the airport after the Taliban swept into the capital city on Sunday.

Taliban assure US that Afghans can leave after August 31

The Taliban have told the US that Afghans will be allowed to leave the war-torn country even after all US troops withdraw by the end of this month.

However, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price urged caution when dealing with the militant group.

“Their words are one thing, the only thing that matters are their actions,” he said.

The end of August was set as the final date for the full US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. This was set before the Taliban took control of the capital on Sunday after a sweeping offensive, forcing the US to expedite its departure.

So far, the US has evacuated around 13,000 people on US military aircraft since August 14, according to the State Department.

Price added that a number of countries in Europe, the Middle East and in Central Asia will be acting as transit countries for Americans and potentially others who have been evacuated from Kabul.

Concern is growing for many Afghans who worked for the US military and allies during the Afghanistan war from 2001 to 2021. Many people who worked as interpreters or helped the foreign troops in other ways now fear they will face reprisals from the hardline Taliban.

Friday’s top developments

The Taliban reportedly began rounding up Afghans on a blacklist of people with suspected links to the previous Afghan administration, according to intelligence group, the Norwegian Center for Global Analyses (RHIPTO).

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp took new measures to protect users in Afghanistan.

A German man was shot while traveling to the airport in Kabul. He was receiving treatment for a non-life-threatening injury.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told DW that the alliance has “some leverage” over the Taliban to facilitate evacuations.

US President Joe Biden vowed to bring home all Americans who are still stranded in Afghanistan.

The official websites of the Taliban appeared to have vanished from the internet late on Friday.

kmm/dj (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-assure-us-of-safe-passage-for-afghans-after-august-31-live-updates/a-58938304?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf