https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58224399
To his critics, the president's decision to wind down America's longest conflict has undone 20 years of work and sacrifice, paved the way for a humanitarian catastrophe and called into question US credibility.
Many of those closest to the conflict - Afghans, soldiers and statesmen - have long been sceptical of the president's view that the Kabul government could be expected to maintain the country's security by itself.
With the fall of the capital city on Sunday, some wonder whether it is only a matter of time before the American electorate comes to regret Mr Biden's move to deliver on the long-held promise of getting America out.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-58223530
A spokesman for the Taliban has told the BBC that the militants want a "peaceful transfer of power" in Afghanistan the next few days.
Suhail Shaheen called the BBC's Yalda Hakim, live on air.
In the wide-ranging interview, she pressed him on the Taliban's plans for the country amid concern the militants will impose strict interpretations of Sharia law, including corporal punishments and a ban on girls going to school.
（视频）Kabul University女生出逃在Kabul机场被困，遭遇交火。
https://twitter.com/AishaTaIks/status/1427006712737898500
Caught by a crossfire. #Kabul now #KabulHasFallen #Afghanistan
Thanks for your help, cannot get help but now late! Buried my hope with this darkness.
https://www.cnn.com/webview/world/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-troops-intl-08-15-21/
President Biden is expected to address the nation in the next few days about the crisis in Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official.
One option under discussion is to have Biden return to the White House, though the official cautioned that they had not completely ruled out making the remarks from Camp David.
Earlier today, CNN's Jeff Zeleny reported that while Biden can receive the same level of briefings from Camp David, as he has been doing throughout the weekend, officials are aware of the optics of the President being out of town during this perilous moment.
Several administration officials have also been on vacation, but began returning to work remotely Sunday or in the West Wing.
The US has flown approximately 500 staff members from the US embassy in Kabul out of Afghanistan today, a defense official told CNN.
Approximately 4,000 US embassy staff members are still to fly out of the country, including US citizens and Afghan nationals who work for the embassy, two defense officials said.
That number does not include family members of the Afghan staffers. The US plan for those family members remains unclear at this time.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) released a statement on Sunday addressing the situation in Afghanistan saying that there has been an influx of large groups of people seeking safety from conflict and other threats since July 1.
UN OCHA says that they have identified 17,500 newly internally displaced people (IDPs) in the past month in Afghanistan.
Most IDPs arriving to Kabul in the past few days “were reported to have arrived from Ghazni and Logar provinces” the statement reads. The organization says they assisted approximately 13,500 of these people in providing food, cash, health, household items and water and sanitation support.
UN OCHA says that the needs of IDPs continue to be shelter, household items, food, sanitation, hygiene kits and drinking water.
More than 550,000 people have been displaced by conflict in Afghanistan to date this year and the number of those displaced due to conflict has more than doubled since the end of May, according to UN OCHA. The organization also says that the number of people displaced by conflict in 2021 has already surpassed the humanitarian community’s planning figure of 500,000 for the year.
“Some 18.4 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan,” the statement reads. “The US $1.3 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan remains just 38 per cent funded, leaving an almost $800 million shortfall.”
