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News Reports

Current Operations

• Joint Statement from the Department of State and Department of Defense: Update on Afghanistan US Dept. of State 15 Aug 2021 -- The following is the text of a joint statement released by the Department of State and Department of Defense on Afghanistan.
• Iran says reduces staff in Afghanistan missions; diplomats in good conditions Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry says the country's embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul is still active, but has reduced the number of its personnel as Taliban forces are poised to take over the capital city of the war-ravaged country.
• Secretary Blinken's Calls with Counterparts on Afghanistan US Dept. of State 15 Aug 2021
• Ghani Leaves Afghanistan as Taliban Enter Kabul, Set to Take Control VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, along with his vice president and other senior officials, flew out of Afghanistan on Sunday, setting the stage for Taliban insurgents to regain power in the country 20 years after a U.S.-led military invasion ousted them.
• US Claims Control of Kabul Airport as City Falls to Taliban VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- U.S. officials watching armed Taliban fighters move into the Afghan capital of Kabul say American forces "firmly control" the U.S. embassy and the city's international airport, even as the top U.S. diplomat described the scene as "heart-wrenching."
• Hundreds More US Troops Head to Kabul; Airport Under Threat VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- Just weeks before the United States was set to complete its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, military commanders surged hundreds more troops to Kabul to protect U.S. diplomats and Afghan allies, following a swift takeover of the capital by Taliban insurgents.
• Afghans Say They 'Have Nowhere to Go' VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- More than 1,200 Afghans under a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program have undergone processing at Fort Lee, Virginia, since President Joe Biden announced U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan by August 31.
• Afghanistan: Guterres urges restraint as Taliban reach Kabul; UN Security Council set to meet Monday UN News 15 Aug 2021 -- As the crisis in Afghanistan deepens by the hour, with reports that insurgent forces reached the country’s capital, Kabul, earlier on Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the Taliban and all other parties “to exercise utmost restraint to protect lives and ensure that humanitarian can be addressed.”
• Taliban Sweep Through Afghanistan, Enter Kabul VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban swept through Afghanistan, taking most of its 34 Afghan provincial capitals in about nine days. The insurgent group reached Kabul early Sunday.
• Panic Spreads Among Kabul Residents Amid Taliban Takeover VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- There was panic in the streets of the Afghan capital Kabul as reports came in that the Taliban were poised to enter the city.
• UN Agencies Pledge to Remain in Afghanistan Despite Challenges VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- United Nations agencies say they intend to stay in Afghanistan to provide aid to millions of Afghans facing the impending fall of the country to Taliban insurgents.
• Taliban Spokesman Declares 'War Is Over in Afghanistan' Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- Earlier, according to reports, the Taliban took over the state television station in Kabul, calling on citizens to remain calm. The movement earlier asserted that it had established control over the Afghan capital, with videos surfacing online showing the militants in the presidential palace.
• Afghan President Ghani Claims He Resigned to Prevent Bloodshed as 'Taliban Sought to Attack Kabul' Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- Earlier, media reports suggested that the former Afghan president had left the country on a jet soon after resigning from his post. He took this step in the wake of Taliban forces surrounding the capital and demanding a peaceful transfer of power from the government.
• President Ghani 'Stepped Down, Left the Country', Top Afghan Official Claims - Video Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was reported to be willing to resign after the Taliban* surrounded Kabul and demanded a peaceful transition of power. He is said to have fled the country to Tajikistan.
• Afghan President Leaves Country As Taliban Surrounds Kabul RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Aug 2021 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has left country as the Taliban entered the outskirts of the capital, the only major city left in government hands.
• West Accelerates Evacuation Of Kabul Embassy Staff, Russia Says No Plan To Leave RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Aug 2021 -- The U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul are being moved to the airport amid the Taliban advance on the Afghan capital, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, as Western states look to bring their embassy staff in Kabul to safety.
• Albania To Take In Afghan Refugees Upon U.S. Request RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Aug 2021 -- Albania has accepted a U.S request to temporarily take in Afghans who are fleeing their country in the face of the rapid Taliban advances.
• Blinken Rejects Kabul-Saigon Comparison As Countries Call For UN Security Council Meeting RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Aug 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has rejected comparisons between the U.S. departure from Kabul and the chaotic exit after the Vietnam War, as the Taliban surrounded the Afghan capital.
• The Taliban Is Back -- What Happens Next? RFE/RL Gandhara 15 Aug 2021 -- The situation in the Afghan capital, Kabul, is changing rapidly as the Taliban has moved into the city and taken over parts of it, including the Presidential Palace. This happened as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and security forces in the city melted away.
• FM spox: Iran's five representative offices pursuing activities from Kabul IRNA 15 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Foreign Minister spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran five representative offices which used to scatter across Afghanistan are now pursuing their activities from the capital city Kabul.
• Iran says reduces staff in Afghanistan missions; diplomats in good conditions Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry says the country's embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul is still active, but has reduced the number of its personnel as Taliban forces are poised to take over the capital city of the war-ravaged country.
• Security sources: No clashes take place between Taliban, Iran border guards Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- Security sources informed with the matter have dismissed rumors that there have been clashes between the Taliban militants and Iranian border guards, saying there exists no problem at Iran's borders with neighboring Afghanistan.
• War, violence, like occupation, no solution to Afghanistan's problems: Iran Foreign Minister Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has rejected war and violence as a solution to the existing problems in the neighboring Afghanistan, reiterating Iran's support for the establishment of sustainable peace in the war-ravaged country.
• Boris Johnson recalls Parliament as Afghanistan retreat descends into shambles Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- As the UK's collapsing position in Afghanistan worsens by the hour, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has recalled Parliament for the middle of next week to take stock of the developing disaster.
• UK Parliament Recalled for Afghan Debate Next Week as Taliban Enters Kabul Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- Three prominent Tory backbenchers have criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson for failing to oppose the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan and called for a new military intervention, even as talks on a transfer of power were underway in Kabul.
• US goes for a full embassy withdrawal as the Taliban close in on Kabul Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- The United States is reportedly removing all of its staff from the embassy in Kabul in the next 72 hours and closing the embassy as the Taliban appear to capture the seat of the central government.
• 'This is Not Saigon': Blinken Insists US' Afghanistan Mission Was a 'Success' Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- The United States sent choppers to evacuate diplomats from its embassy in Kabul on Sunday as Taliban insurgents encircled the Afghan capital and demanded a peaceful transfer of power.
• Taliban seek peaceful transfer of power in 'next few days': Spokesman Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- A Taliban spokesman says the group expects a "peaceful transition of power" in the next few days after the militants entered Afghanistan's capital Kabul with little resistance amid evacuation of US diplomats from its embassy by helicopter.
• Only Kabul Left Standing as Jalalabad Falls VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- Local sources confirm that Taliban have taken over Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, leaving Kabul, the nation's capital, as the only major city in Afghanistan under government control.
• Taliban say militants waiting at Kabul gates after seizing Jalalabad Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban have reportedly entered the Afghan capital but the group said its militants have been ordered to wait at the city's gates and that they are not planning to capture Kabul "by force" shortly after they seized control of a strategic eastern city without any resistance.
• Biden increases troops deployment to Afghanistan amid Taliban advances People's Daily 15 Aug 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he had authorized the deployment of roughly 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to support personnel drawdown, warning the Taliban not to put U.S. personnel and mission at risk.
• Biden deploys 5000 US troops to Afghanistan, braces for brutal loss in 20-year war Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- US President Joe Biden has ordered the deployment of nearly 5,000 American troops to Afghanistan to ensure "an orderly and safe drawdown" of US and allied personnel as well as "safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops" in wake of the persisting Taliban advance towards Kabul.
• Taliban Seizes Capital of Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province Without a Fight, Source Says Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban* has made significant gains in Afghanistan in recent months following the US announcement of a troop withdrawal from the country. The terrorist group has seized nearly 90% of the country and surrounded the capital Kabul.
• Taliban Reportedly Controls All of Afghanistan's Border Crossings Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- Earlier on Sunday, media reports said the Taliban* had captured Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province and one of the two big cities in the country that remained under the Afghan government's control.
• Taliban Allegedly Captures Provincial Capital of Maidan Wardak, West of Kabul Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban* surge previously prompted a mass evacuation of diplomats from Kabul, as the militants managed to capture all major Afghan cities, except for the capital. The movement has already claimed to have seized over half of the nation's provincial centres amid the US withdrawal from the country.
• Taliban Reportedly Seizes Jalalabad, One of Afghanistan's Biggest Cities Sputnik 15 Aug 2021 -- Jalalabad, located in the eastern part of Afghanistan, is one of two big cities in the country that remained under Afghan government control, along with the capital city of Kabul.
• Biden Sends 1,000 More US Troops to Aid Evacuation as Taliban Advance VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized another 1,000 troops -- in addition to the 3,000 ordered earlier last week -- to go to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and other allies from Kabul as Taliban insurgents drew closer to the Afghan capital.

Defense Policy / Programs

• PLA Air Force accelerates pilot cadet training with advanced trainer jets Global Times 15 Aug 2021 -- The first group of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jet pilot cadets who trained with advanced trainer jets immediately after training with basic trainer aircraft have graduated from pilot school, highlighting an innovative training approach that can accelerate combat capability generation, analysts said on Sunday.
• EXERCISE ZAIR-AL-BAHR CONDUCTED BETWEEN INDIAN NAVY AND QATAR NAVY India PIB 15 Aug 2021 -- The second edition of exercise Zair-Al-Bahr between the Indian Navy and Qatar Emiri Naval Force (QENF) was conducted from 09-14 Aug 21 in the Persian Gulf.
• INS TABAR AT PORTSMOUTH India PIB 15 Aug 2021 -- INS Tabar entered Portsmouth harbour on 13 Aug 21 as part of her good will visit. She was received by Commodore JJ Bailey, Portsmouth Naval Base Commander, the Indian NA, the Royal Navy NA in Delhi and other officials of the Royal Navy.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Chuck Todd of Meet the Press on NBC US Dept. of State 15 Aug 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Jonathan Karl of This Week with George Stephanopoulos on ABC US Dept. of State 15 Aug 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Jake Tapper of State of the Union on CNN US Dept. of State 15 Aug 2021

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Cameroon Creates, Trains Militias Against New Terrorism Ideology VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- Cameroon's President Paul Biya has sent his top military officials and a governor to reactivate old militias and create new ones to combat terrorism on the central African state's northern border with Nigeria. The militias are, for the first time, to tell people about what the government says is a new strategy by the Islamic State in West Africa Province, or ISWAP, to attract supporters away from rival Boko Haram through gifts of food and money, and attacking only military positions, unlike Boko Haram, which attacked schools and other civilian targets.

News Reports

• Deputy Secretary Sherman's Call with Haitian Prime Minister Henry US Dept. of State 15 Aug 2021
• Haiti Earthquake Death Toll Tops 700 VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- The death toll in Haiti after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake has risen to more than 700, officials said Sunday.
• Hong Kong's Largest Protest Group Disbands VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- One of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy organizations has announced it will close immediately.
• Hong Kong police take follow-up action on anti-China group Civil Human Rights Front People's Daily 15 Aug 2021 -- Hong Kong police said on Sunday that they are actively taking follow-up action on disbanded anti-China group Civil Human Rights Front's violation of the Societies Ordinance.
• Hong Kong police continue to pursue legal responsibility as city's biggest opposition alliance announces disbandment Global Times 15 Aug 2021 -- The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the biggest opposition alliance in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), announced in a statement that it will disband on a unanimous resolution, starting Sunday, according to Hong Kong media reports.
• Central authorities support HK police in thoroughly investigating Civil Human Rights Front after it disbands Global Times 15 Aug 2021 -- The Chinese central authorities support the Hong Kong police to thoroughly investigate the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) despite the organization had announced its disbandment on Sunday, They said that it is an inevitable result for the illegal organization to collapse, as it has been acting against the government and damaging Hong Kong's social interests for years.
• Disbandment of HK's largest opposition alliance sounds warning to the rest of radicals Global Times 15 Aug 2021 -- Hong Kong's Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the biggest opposition alliance in the city, announced in a statement that it will disband following a unanimous resolution, starting Sunday.
• Hong Kong police take follow-up action on anti-China group Civil Human Rights Front People's Daily 15 Aug 2021 -- Hong Kong police said on Sunday that they are actively taking follow-up action on disbanded anti-China group Civil Human Rights Front's violation of the Societies Ordinance.
• Anti-China group Civil Human Rights Front announces dissolution People's Daily 15 Aug 2021 -- The Civil Human Rights Front, an anti-China group in Hong Kong, announced Sunday its dissolution in a statement after its members recently agreed unanimously on the decision to disband.
• Coalition group behind 2019 unrest in Hong Kong disbands Press TV 15 Aug 2021 -- An umbrella group that organized some of the largest anti-government protests in Hong Kong two years ago says it has decided to disband.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Remarks on Japan's Erroneous Acts Related to the Yasukuni Shrine PRC MofA 15 Aug 2021
• Modi Announces Ambitious Infrastructure, Clean Energy Goals for India VOA 15 Aug 2021 -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced plans to spend $1.35 trillion on building modern infrastructure to give a fillip to the economy and said the country will move toward greater use of clean energy to achieve its climate goals.