is kabul under threat? is kabul isolated? what is it? mr. kirby: right now, without getting into a battlefield assessment everyday, i don't want to do that. but kabul is not right now in an imminent threat environment. but clearly, david, if you just look at what the taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate kabul. what they want to do, if they achieve that isolation, i think only they can speak to that. you can see a certain effort to isolate kabul. it is not unlike the way they have operated in other places of the country, isolating provincial capitals and sometimes being able to force surrender without necessarily much bloodshed. again, i cannot speak for their intentions. what i can tell you is we are taking the situation seriously and that is one of the reasons why we move these forces. we are moving them into kabul to assist with this mission because we know time is a precious commodity here. >> is an isolated now? mr. kirby: i don't want to get into a specific intelligence assessment on the battlefield. i don

is kabul under threat? is kabul isolated? what is it? right now without getting into a battlefield assessment everyday, and i don't want to do that. kabul is not right now in imminent threat environment. but clearly, david, if you are looking at what the taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate kabul. now, what they want to do if they achieve that isolation, only they can speak to, but you can see a certain effort into isolate kabul. it is not unlike the way they have operated in other parts of the country, and operated in other capitoitals and to force without much bloodshed. i can't speak to what their intentions are, but i can tell you that what we are doing is to take the situation seriously, and that is one of the reasons that we are moving the forces into kabul with this particular mission, because we know that time is the precious commodity here. >> it is isolated now? >> i don't want to get into the specific assessment on the battlefield right now, but clearly from the actions, it appears as if they are

of kabul. , . . ., , ., of kabul. they are at the gates of kabul. stepping _ of kabul. they are at the gates of kabul, stopping the _ of kabul. they are at the gates of kabul, stopping the fighters - of kabul. they are at the gates of kabul, stopping the fighters from j kabul, stopping the fighters from entering the city, but this government is effectively only peacefully sitting there because the taliban are allowing it to happen. the government does not have many options because if they are fighting arabs, but who is —— who is then blamed for the loss of life and bloodshed the? there is panic, this is a city of 5 million people, people are rushing back home and trying to get out, the road to the effort was this morning, but then only when they heard they were not coming in, there was some sort of normal return, people went back to their homes, but still, there is fear and tension about what is going to happen in the coming days. but what the taliban has re—sent out as a message is that there fighters will not

yogita limaye in the capital kabul kabul. yogita limaye in the capital kabul. thank _ kabul. yogita limaye in the capital kabul, thank you. _ police in devon say there have been a number of fatalities in a "serious firearms incident" in the keyham area of plymouth. a number of people have also been injured. a local mp says the incident is not terror related. 0ur correspondentjon kay is in plymouth for us now. jon, what more do we know? we understand it was just after 6pm that police were called here. eye witnesses in the area have told us they heard some shouting, they heard a door banging, and then they had three orfour a door banging, and then they had three or four micro—gunshots around the biddick drive area here in the keyham part of plymouth, about a mile from the centre of the city. there were reports of more gunshots on the streets around that property and tonight we are told it was a serious and critical incident and that tomorrow we will get details of a number of fatalities. we understand that there were also a number of other people who have been injured in this

it is collapsed here in kabul. the only thing we have not seen in kabul is the arrival in strength of the taliban and they are just waiting until the americans leave as the americans leave heading out rushing to the airport and then the taliban will come in and they are negotiating with the government on how that, what they consider aha victorious arrival into kab how that will be choreographed. >> we were talking about the bagram air force base and you were on the air force base after troops have left and that is in the hands of the taliban and there is ahe prison on the base and we saw images of people streaming out of that prison and also we talked about the fact that america has trained troops. the taliban does not have pilots and airplanes and helicopters. tell me how this is all played out with the air base and the troops. >> actually, they do now have some helicopters. they have a lot of weapons and drones andea they have humvees d they have all their prisoners back. not just the taliban prison, there was a

it isjust like that in kabul now. kabul is in total mess. everyone is talking about it and one woman that i was speaking to said, if you look at afghanistan today, if you look at kabul, just remember that we trusted the americans. do not trust the americans when they say that they are going to come and liberate you. they don't, they leave you in the middle of the night and they abandon you. that's how they feel. i they abandon you. that's how they feel. ~ ., , ., �* feel. i think one thing we shouldn't foruet and feel. i think one thing we shouldn't forget and we _ feel. i think one thing we shouldn't forget and we need _ feel. i think one thing we shouldn't forget and we need to _ feel. i think one thing we shouldn't forget and we need to point - feel. i think one thing we shouldn't forget and we need to point out. feel. i think one thing we shouldn't forget and we need to point out is| forget and we need to point out is the gains of the last 20 years. so while people talk about the government, there was only women, so many extraordinary

, effort of lifting people out of kabul. ., kabul. tens of thousands of eo - le kabul. tens of thousands of people have _ kabul. tens of thousands of people have been _ kabul. tens of thousands of people have been airlifted l kabul. tens of thousands of| people have been airlifted to security. today i would like to once again repeat that those who have not been able to leave kabul with the help of the airlift will not be forgotten. we will continue to work to ensure that they can leave their country if they so wish. ms merkel has actually cancelled a trip to israel due to the unfolding crisis in afghanistan. separately, the uk prime minister has also weigheed in. borisjohnson condemned the attack as "barbaric", paying tribute to the "phenomenal effort" of those involved in the evacuation operation. but he added that the uk evacuation effort would continue. (sot we have already extracted the overwhelming majority of those under both the schemes, the uk persons, uk nationals, plus the afghans, the interpreters and others, and it has bee

is kabul under threat? is kabul isolated? what is it? mr. kirby: right now, without getting into a battlefield assessment everyday, i don't want to do that, but kabul is not, right now, in an imminent threat environment. but clearly, david, if you just look at what the taliban has been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate kabul. what they want to do, if they achieve that isolation, i think only they can speak to. you can see a certain effort to isolate kabul. it is not unlike the way they have operated in other places of the country, isolating provincial capitals and sometimes being able to force surrender without necessarily much bloodshed. again, i cannot speak for their intentions. what i can tell you is we are taking the situation seriously and that is one of the reasons why we move these forces. we are moving them into kabul to assist with this mission, because we know time is a precious commodity here. >> is it isolated now? mr. kirby: i don't want to get into a specific intelligence assessment on the battlefield. i don't

another delegation from kabul, and we can manage to leave kabul and come to germany. how much fear did you experience during those chaotic hours when the taliban swept into the afghan capital? you clearly felt that it was no longer safe for you. how fearful were you? it was really, really difficult and i was very concerned, especially about myself and also about my family. early in the morning, when i heard the news, i left the home and came to the airport. it takes a lot of time to get to the plane. it was a really tough time. i received a lot of messages from different friends and people from town that the taliban came to kabul, and most of my friends, they left their houses and they sent a text message to me that, "where are you?" i was in the airport. it was a really, really difficult time for me. now, kamila, you refer to your friend gayle, who helped make arrangements to get you out, and of course, gayle wrote the book the dressmaker of khair khana, which was about your extraordinary life — as a young woman, you set up as a dressmaker and you then found a way

kabul �* , especially the people of the city kabul. �* , ., ., ., kabul. but if they want to leave, can they? _ kabul. but if they want to leave, can they? we — kabul. but if they want to leave, can they? we call _ kabul. but if they want to leave, can they? we call on _ kabul. but if they want to leave, can they? we call on them i kabul. but if they want to leave, can they? we call on them not l kabul. but if they want to leave, | can they? we call on them not to leave, can they? we call on them not to leave. but _ can they? we call on them not to leave. but we _ can they? we call on them not to leave, but we can't _ can they? we call on them not to leave, but we can't force - can they? we call on them not to leave, but we can't force them. i can they? we call on them not to i leave, but we can't force them. the cuestion leave, but we can't force them. the question of — leave, but we can't force them. the question of force is a big part of the feeling that people have towards the feeling that people have towards the taliban, that the taliban force peo

two kabul? the have taliban have put out? two kabul? they have issued _ taliban have put out? two kabul? they have issued a _ taliban have put out? two kabul? they have issued a statement - taliban have put out? two kabul? j they have issued a statement why they are staying on the outskirts of what their planners. does that reassure you in any way? some news from the taliban _ reassure you in any way? some news from the taliban as _ reassure you in any way? some news from the taliban as well _ reassure you in any way? some news from the taliban as well as _ reassure you in any way? some news from the taliban as well as the - from the taliban as well as the government that they will base an exchange of power on an agreement and we have some videos from the taliban fighters in the social media saying we have this much people ready to attack on kabul and thus much like those who will do the battle on the ground, this matchable blast themselves and so much for this and these things are coming out to

michael: our journalist joins us from kabul. new details from the pentagon confirmed only one explosion took place outside kabul airport. initial reports mention two explosions. what are you hearing? correspondent: the people we spoke to who were there, eyewitnesses, said there was a second sound, something that seemed like a second explosion, only a little bit after the first one. one family had said that when they made it safely away from the gates is when they heard what they presumed to be a second blast, so later at night around 11:00 p.m., there was something i heard myself, that people waiting outside the emergency hospital in kabul that people throughout kabul heard, that sounded like another blast that took place, so the pentagon 's report does not seem to match up with people at the airport later, and also with people in the city of kabul even later at night around 11:00 p.m. at night , so it is interesting to see how they do not add up and why they may not add up. michael: u.s. officials also say there are credible th

it is just kabul city centre. the security is now being held by, if you look at the statements, they say the other side. they say the other side is taking care of security. let's have a look at what they said about the transition of power.- at what they said about the transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and _ transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and confusion _ transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and confusion in - transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and confusion in kabul. transition of power. there is a lot| of chaos and confusion in kabul at the moment. can you just help us understand what the taliban plan to do at present and next? yes, there should not be any confusion in kabul. we assure the people in the city of kabul that their properties, their lives are safe. there will be no revenge on anyone. we are the servants of the people and the country. our leadership have instructed our forces to remain at the gate of kabul and not to enter the city. we are waiting a peaceful t

embassy in kabul, afghanistan as taliban forces are at the gates of the city, kabul. they were in talks of peaceful surrender of kabul. u.s. officials say their goal is to get american personnel out of the country by tuesday morning or if not sooner. a video shot by cnn crew shows helicopters. t taliban seized the city and leaving kabul the only city under government control. it is unclear how long that control will last. let's bring in our chief international correspondent clarissa ward live in kabul. can you give us an update? do you know how close they are? >> reporter: they are at the gates, they are just on the edge. what they are saying is they don't want to enter the city violently. they want to enter it peacefully. they are saying they are continuing negotiations as to how that may happen. we heard from the afghan defenders that they are continuing to be in control of kabul that they have secure promises of international forces to help them keep control of kabul. i am assuring all afghan, no one can enter the city. it is fair to say that those assurances are u

., , ., ., ., ., kabul? no. it is amazing how our abili , kabul? no. it is amazing how our ability. our— kabul? no. it is amazing how our ability, our lack _ kabul? no. it is amazing how our ability, our lack of _ kabul? no. it is amazing how our ability, our lack of empathy, - kabul? no. it is amazing how our ability, our lack of empathy, all | kabul? no. it is amazing how our| ability, our lack of empathy, all of us in the united states, everyone in the desert state is struggling with how you balance social change. 0ne how you balance social change. one of the sure ways you don't get it is ijy of the sure ways you don't get it is by taking a foreign military office and penning them into another country and saying hi guess what, we think we will go this direction. and so, particularly when you talk about women's rights, the embrace of democracy, all of these things that we would like to see, we absolutely should push for them, but it has to be done on an afghan timeline, and in afghan language, there is respectful of how they are coming. i do not ha

and there must be sony parents like you in kabul thinking, - parents like you in kabul thinking, do we stay inside and shelter? do we try to get out? bud do we stay inside and shelter? do we try to get out?— try to get out? and then what? exactl . try to get out? and then what? exactly- that — try to get out? and then what? exactly. that is _ try to get out? and then what? exactly. that is the _ try to get out? and then what? exactly. that is the question i try to get out? and then what? j exactly. that is the question on everyone's mine. it is the shock —— mind. i'm sitting here thinking, the ideas arejust floating. mind. i'm sitting here thinking, the ideas are just floating. i thought the americans had sent 5000 troops along with the british, along with the canadians, and my question is did these 5000 plus troops also leave? 0r did these 5000 plus troops also leave? or at least somebody confirming whether this information is true? because all day long, rumours, information have been floating around that it is hard to believe what to believe. and i hope that there is at least

is kabul under threat? is kabul isolated? what is it? >> right now, without getting into a battlefield assessment every day, i don't want to do that, but -- kabul is not, right now, in an imminent threat environment. but clearly, david, if you just look at what the taliban's been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate kabul. now, what they want to do if they achieve that isolation, i think only they can speak to, but you can see a certain effort to isolate kabul. it is not unlike the way they've operated in other places of the country. isolating provincial capitals and sometimes being able to force surrender without necessarily much bloodshed. again, i can't speak for what their intentions are. what i can tell you is that we're taking the situation seriously, and that's one of the reasons why we moved these forces or we're moving these forces into kabul to assist with this particular mission because we know that time is a precious commodity here. >> is it isolated now? >> i don't want to get into specific intelligence assessm

firing has been heard at several points around kabul kabul with reports taliban forces are within the vicinity. our south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan is following the latest developments, from delhi. we have not had any confirmation about _ we have not had any confirmation about taliban militants entering the city but _ about taliban militants entering the city but we know the presidential palace _ city but we know the presidential palace tweeted a few minutes ago, i am giving _ palace tweeted a few minutes ago, i am giving you a rough translation, saying _ am giving you a rough translation, saying there has been some gunfire being _ saying there has been some gunfire being heard but the security forces are controlling the security situation. this is from a tweet from the presidential palace. the second one is_ the presidential palace. the second one is the _ the presidential palace. the second one is the taliban spokesman tweeted saying _ one is the taliban spokesman tweeted saying they have asked the taliban fighters _ saying they have asked the taliban fighters to ref

in kabul. the rush to leave kabul as taliban fighters enter the city. nato says commercial flights are suspended. president ashraf ghani has also fled the country, saying he did it to avoid bloodshed. the taliban say they want to prevent looting in kabul. there are reports of shooting in several parts of the city. the militants have rolled through the entire country in a matter of weeks. in a bbc interview, a spokesman says women will be safe if they wear the hijab. the policy is that women can have access to education and to work and of course they will observe the hijab, that is it. helicopters ferry us diplomats from their embassy but the us secretary of state says the two—decade—long us military operation in afghanistan was a success. and ultimately it is up to the afghans themselves, it is up to the afghan government, the taliban, to decide the way forward for the country, including kabul. hello and welcome. taliban forces have entered the afghan capital, making their takeover of the c

with all these new troops, resources going into kabul, is there any consideration of using the kabul airport as a staging point for what had been the over the horizon capabilities? and has there been any progress on securing anything closer to afghanistan in terms of stage organize basing for the over the horizon air strikes? and then secondly, how worrisome is it that a city like karat, kandahar, where u.s. air power has been focus in the recent weeks in attempt to assist the afghan security forces, are either falling or have fallen to the taliban despite the additional u.s. support. >> i'm sorry, i didn't get what the question was on your second one. >> sorry. over the last couple of week or so, the u.s., we're told, has focused some of its air strike capability on cities like kurat, kandahar, in an effort to bolster the efforts of afghan security forces there. how worrisome is it that those cities appear to be falling or have fallen into taliban hands despite the fact that the u.s. has focused what capabilities it has on those areas? >> well, obviously no one's pleased to see that

i was in kabul. my trip to london — did you do it? i was in kabul. my trip to london was _ did you do it? i was in kabul. my trip to london was on _ did you do it? i was in kabul. my trip to london was on the - did you do it? i was in kabul. my trip to london was on the 20th l did you do it? i was in kabul. my i trip to london was on the 20th next week. suddenly i heard a lot of news that most of the people left kabul in the night. i received a message from my friend and we exchanged a lot of messages and she supported me to be one of the —— be on one of the private jets to be one of the —— be on one of the privatejets and we to be one of the —— be on one of the private jets and we left kabul and came to germany. haifa private jets and we left kabul and came to germany.— private jets and we left kabul and came to germany. how much fear did ou came to germany. how much fear did you exoerience _ came to germany. how much fear did you experience during _ came to germany. how much fear did you experience during those - came to germany. how

.— territory and literally drive into kabul. ~ ., ., into kabul. whatever foreign oli into kabul. whatever foreign policy failures _ into kabul. whatever foreign policy failures been - into kabul. whatever foreign policy failures been and - into kabul. whatever foreign policy failures been and how| policy failures been and how have the american public been misled or not given the full picture? misled or not given the full icture? , :: :: :: picture? never served in 2000 500,006 picture? never served in 2000 500.006 and _ picture? never served in 2000 500,006 and then _ picture? never served in 2000 500,006 and then again - picture? never served in 2000 500,006 and then again in - picture? never served in 2000 i 500,006 and then again in 2010 and 2011 and i saw first hand on the ground exactly what made this veil as did several others are matters because the afghan military were not being trained to a level where they could stand on their own. we were trying to train them with they had to depend on us. we saw the government was continually and can e

malik mudassir in kabul and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul. thank — and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul, thank you _ and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul, thank you very _ and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul, thank you very much. - here, the prime minister chaired an emergency cobra meeting this aftermoon, and parliament is being recalled to discuss the situation. borisjohnson said the immediate priority is to evacuate british citizens and afghans who had worked with the uk. here's our political correspondent ben wright. for 20 years, the uk has committed its military, money and lives to afghanistan. some of the fiercest fighting was here in helmand. the effort ends with a frantic scramble to get out. the situation in afghanistan continues to be extremely difficult, getting more difficult, i would say. and our priority is to make sure that we deliver on our obligations to uk nationals in afghanistan, to all those who have helped the british effort in afghanistan over 20 years, and to get them out as fast as we can. uk troops first went to afghanistan in octobe

after twin bombings close to kabul airport. this man was there. translation: i saw at least 400 or 500 people there. _ the explosion was really powerful. half were hurled into the water, others on the ground outside. we carried the wounded here on stretchers and, here, my clothes are completely bloodied. so many wounded, some shoved into wheelbarrows, afghans who'd hoped to be on an aeroplane tonight, flying to a safer place. this attack — claimed by the islamic state group — shattered that hope and struck one of the deadliest blows against us troops in the past 20 years. the pentagon put on a brave face. i would like to offer my profound condolences to the families of our service men and women and afghan civilians who lost their lives today. we have put more than 5,000 us servicemembers at risk to save as many civilians as we can. it's a noble mission, and today we have seen first—hand how dangerous that mission is. isis will not deter us from accomplishing the mission, i can assure you of that. hours earlier, in the cen

we saw some astonishing pictures from kabul today. with someone who once was incarcerated in kabul. having meetings in the house. and then you have a delegation of afghans belonging to the old northern alliance. some of them obviously. others are taking an opposition viewpoint. two of massoud's brothers including a foreign minister and others who are in islamabad, pakistan and have been holding talks with pakistanis. even having meetings with the taliban. it will be back in kabul. there's a push to create a broad-based government. there is going to be a two stage affair. stage one is to agree to some kind of an interim or transitional set up. we should expect that to be broad-based. then they will have to work on something more permanent. that may take months or a year or more. what the taliban spokesman yesterday called creating a new state. a new state order and new political order. that is going to take a bit longer because there are many discussions that have to take place. we don't know if there will be a constitution approved. i see this as a two step process. >> omar just men

if you were to return to kabul, how would you govern? suhail shaheen was promising a peaceful afghanistan, and a taliban that had changed. but back in kabul, i was about to meet another taliban leader. that was just a contact who's been communicating with a taliban commander from helmand, and we're hoping to meet him. i've just heard that he's ready to meet, not in helmand, but here in kabul. i mean, what's surprising about all of this is that quite a well known commander can make his way from helmand to the capital and feel quite comfortable being here. it makes you realise just how much they've infiltrated the city. the commander i was meeting had been released as part of the prisoner swap that took place last summer ? in the hope it would pave the way for peace talks. it's very hot, does he want water? do you want the taliban regime to come back into power? if we talk about law, orderandjustice, if someone were to steal or commit adultery, what should happen to them? what about girls going to school? can girls go to school andup until

when i speak to people in kabul them. when i speak to people in kabul. they _ them. when i speak to people in kabul, they talk _ them. when i speak to people in kabul, they talk about _ them. when i speak to people in - kabul, they talk about abandonment and portrayal, those are the two words i continue to hear, over and over. ~ y words i continue to hear, over and over. ~ , , words i continue to hear, over and over. , ,, over. absolutely. it is shocking. britain has _ over. absolutely. it is shocking. britain has a _ over. absolutely. it is shocking. britain has a lot _ over. absolutely. it is shocking. britain has a lot of— over. absolutely. it is shocking. britain has a lot of history - over. absolutely. it is shocking. britain has a lot of history in - britain has a lot of history in afghanistan. sadly, this is another shameful chapter in that story. but right now, i had to ask, and i hope our country is asking, what can it do that is right in the moment right now? and i know that veterans will be thinking that means getting interpreters and other key contracto

lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. the loss of american military lives is exactly what the biden administration was hoping to avoid. us military officials confirmed that 12 died and 15 were injured in the attacks. general kenneth mckenzie, commander of us central command, said there are real specific threats ongoing, but the evacuation will continue as planned. we are continuing to bring people onto the airfield. we just brought a number of buses aboard the airfield over the last couple three hours, so we continue to process, we will continue to fly people out. the plan is to operate under stress. if we can find he was behind this, we will go after them. you have said all along we retain the right to operate against isis in afghanistan and we are working very hard to determine attribution, to determine who is associate with this cowardly attack, and we are prepared to take action against them. islamic state have claimed responsibility for today's attacks. for more on their affiliate in afghanistan and the big—picture

. reunited with her family, who fled kabul-— reunited with her family, who fled kabul. translation: as soon as i saw _ fled kabul. translation: as soon as i saw my _ fled kabul. translation: as soon as i saw my mother- fled kabul. translation: as. soon as i saw my mother running to me, all this vfl away. i took her in my arms and i felt her warmth. took her in my arms and i felt herwarmth. i took her in my arms and i felt her warmth. i rediscovered the smell of my mother and it is something i had forgotten. my mother�*s tears reminded me of the tears she said when i left afghanistan. it was really moving, a lot of emotions today. moving, a lot of emotions toda _ ,, .,~' moving, a lot of emotions toda . ,, today. shakiba has lived in france for _ today. shakiba has lived in france for 12 _ today. shakiba has lived in france for 12 years. - today. shakiba has lived in france for 12 years. in - today. shakiba has lived in| france for 12 years. in 2019 her brother, who served in the afghan army, was killed by the taliban. so when the group seized control of the capital, t

today i saw the taliban in kabul. - taliban in kabul now? yes. today i saw the taliban in kabul. we i taliban in kabul now? yes. today i saw the taliban in kabul. we were | saw the taliban in kabul. we were out in the western outskirts of city and there was a stream of taliban fighters coming out of the city on captured police rangers, and they're being cheered by by standers and little children running after them. it was an extraordinary scene. what about the institutions, the authorities, the security forces in kabul, what happened to them? they have completely meanted away —— melted away, collapsed. it started today. there was a rumour the taliban were inside the city. it wasn't true, they were on the outskirts. but soon you saw police abandoning their posts and changing into plain cloths and soon the city was full of soldiers without their uniforms trying to get out, to not be the last ones killed in a war that was lost. and the taliban was sending people to government facilities to facilitate a handover, so they weren't in the city in the force today, but the transition

of kabul. now, the other thing that i want to note this is that u.s. officials have been repeatedly telling cnn over the last few days that there is a problem here in such that the u.s. doesn't have great intelligence on the ground right now. that is one of the things that is fueling the fact that they have decided to get these diplomats home because they really don't know the pro precise dynamics of what is happening here. a reason for that is because the united states has pulled out most of their u.s. troops. those folks were able to collect some intelligence and, as one u.s. defense official put it, this makes the united states blind in the face of some potential jenkins that they used to have getting in. as i said, this fueling the decision to get the diplomats out of the country, but a very rapid acceleration on behalf of the united states. this is something we are learning is going to happen over the next 72 hours. by tuesday, it's expected that the u.s. embassy in kabul is going to be sh

all eyes are on kabul few days. all eyes are on kabul. as _ few days. all eyes are on kabul, as you _ few days. all eyes are on kabul, as you say. - few days. all eyes are on kabul, as you say. is - few days. all eyes are on i kabul, as you say. is there few days. all eyes are on . kabul, as you say. is there a theory could be lost to the militants within days or weeks? are afghan government troops surrendered the city? what is being done in the capital? that is auoin being done in the capital? that is going to _ being done in the capital? that is going to be _ being done in the capital? that is going to be the _ being done in the capital? trust is going to be the big question in the coming days but it will be very, very complicated. now, you have thousands of us troops arriving in kabul to evacuate embassy staff and others. you also have british troops coming in. that means that you have a huge military presence in the us has clearly warned that if anyone is attacking the american troops during the evacuation, they will be met with fierce power. that m

. == because they kept the embassy in kabul. , kabul. -- president erdgoan. the interesting _ kabul. -- president erdgoan. the interesting thing _ kabul. -- president erdgoan. the interesting thing to _ kabul. -- president erdgoan. the interesting thing to watch - kabul. -- president erdgoan. the interesting thing to watch is - kabul. -- president erdgoan. the interesting thing to watch is the l interesting thing to watch is the taliban has been trying to betray itself as an organisation that can govern afghanistan in a way that it did not in a 2001. —— trying to portray itself. they did not care about the outside world, afghan economy, what was needed to do to govern a country. what we are seeing now, for lack of a better word, portraying themselves as better stakeholders governing afghanistan and as a result they know they cannot run at the airport, there are air—traffic controllers and engineers they need so have reached out to the turks to stay and run the airport. so it has been interesting to watch. i am a bit of a sceptic, because although we hav

what a thing we are watching in kabul. you have a lot of knowledge how this unfolded over the years. what's going flew your mind right now? >> it is extraordinary. i think a lot of us who spent time in these places, including afghanistan and pakistan, where i lived -- it is something we all kinds of geft was inevitable at some point when the u.s. left. but i think over the past 20 years so many journalists, academics whona look at this ha real expected that the u.s. would invest time more in strategy. there is this aversion here in the u.s. in recent years about this concept of nation building, administrations constandly say we are not going to places to nation build. butac to an extent there has toe some sort of strategy as far as creating institutions when you go into a country like afghanistan that had been decimated by the taliban andn then the u.s.ma went in with na allies post 9/11.t it was seen very much as a legitimate effort to root out al qaeda from the mountains of afghanistan. but over the course of the years t

our correspondent secunder kermani has more from kabul. this is the very centre of kabul. thousands who have fled fighting across the north now live in these miserable conditions. this family escaped the violence, but say they still don't feel safe. translation: we're thirsty. we're hungry. we have no home. other makeshift camps are even bigger. but this, in the heart of the city, shows how quickly the country is unravelling. we don't want to go back to the era where our sisters and our education sector and the development sector was so shattered, we don't want to go back to that. fighting erupted around mazar—i—sharif. it was one of the last major cities still under government control and had been a bastion of anti—taliban resistance. security forces were fleeing to the border with uzbekistan as the insurgents took it over. once in kandahar, their spiritual home, the taliban cemented their position with a flag—hoisting ceremony. finally addressing the nation, president ghani didn't comment on rumours he may resign. instead, simply promising to re—mobilise beleag

phase one is taking control of kabul. they will be too buy with security and everything else, so they are not going to bother with media outlets. plus there's a huge presence of internatl journalists and they still have lots of diplomats. ase two is going to be the interim, transitional time. they may have a government that is broad-based. phase three will be the emirate of afghanistan. a new constitution, new form of government. in every phase, we will see more restrictions. i think phase one, they will leave the media alone, i would suspect. ros: stay with me. in a few minutes, we will take a closer look at the taliban as an organization and what its aims are now that it is headed for power. for reasons already discussed, some women in afghanistan are already fearing for their lives. we are hearing reports of harsh punishmentd some taliban-captured are. one human rights campaigner has been speaking about the dangerous -- the dangers she and other women face. >> it is not only my life in danger and not only me as a women

that is— kabul, what would be there for him? that is the _ kabul, what would be there for him? that is the big challenge for the international community to contend with _ international community to contend with what — international community to contend with. what is left behind for those ntillions_ with. what is left behind for those millions of— with. what is left behind for those millions of afghans?— coronavirus plans for schools in england have been described as "a recipe for chaos" by education unions, who say they will not be enough to prevent a rise in infections. the government said it has updated its advice on how to respond to an outbreak with minimum disruption to education. paul gosling is the headteacher of exeter road community primary school in exmouth and also the vice president of the national association of head teachers. i asked him how feels about schools reopening. i've got a growing nervousness, actually. we finished in the summer. everyone i know wanted to have a rest from what was quite a difficult 18 months. and then hoping that infection rates wo

other cities around kabul fell, so kabul was isolated and eventually surrounded. >> the u.s. has been training the afghan military for now 20 years. why do you think that the afghan military didn't put up more of a fight? >> reporter: well, when i spoke to then the commander of u.s. and nato forces general scott miller, he said his biggest fear was that these provincial capitals fell one after another. that meant that the momentum with would be with the taliban and the morale would be taken away from afghan forces. and it happened so quickly that the afghan forces were not able to send in reinforcements and to mount any serious defense or counter offensive. >> and, charlie, what do you think the future holds under the taliban control, especially when you think about women and girls? >> reporter: well, the taliban has said, in fact, the taliban told me that they do not have any restrictions for allowing young girls to go to school, allowing women to hold positions in government or hold important jobs. but the facts on the ground suggest otherwise. in taliban-controlled areas,

they say kabul will be safe. there won't be any problems in kabul. richard, as we bring you and, it says don't be a victim of taliban propaganda. do you think that the afghan people have confidence that their safety can be guaranteed? it looks like we lost richard. >> we'll continue on. shannon is pettypiece joining us from the white house. we also are very fortunate to have jack jacobs. colonel, i do want to start with. you leave been watching over the last couple of hours some of those live pictures from afghanistan. if you have those life shots let's put him up as well so we can monitor the situation. there notice some of the ship helicopters. the c 47 shook helicopters which can carry about 33 people are so. at some point, i saw them firing off what would appear to be some heat flares? and the idea what is happening there? and the idea>> the assumption ie taliban have anti aircraft capability. unless it just upper protective measure to divert the focus of any ground to air missiles. it would not appear from richard's report that the taliban are a

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. the prime minister will convene a meeting of the g7 group of leading nations this week to discuss afghanistan, in the wake of the us and allied troop withdrawal. the government says efforts to evacuate british people and eligible afghans from kabul are improving and that more than 1,700 people have been airlifted in the last 2a hours. the former prime minister, tony blair, has described the us withdrawal as "tragic, dangerous, and unnecessary". here's our political correspondent chris mason. he is the former prime minister most often remembered for the war in iraq. good evening. before that, came this moment in 2001. shortly after the september 11th attacks. military action against targets, inside afghanistan has begun. i can confirm that uk forces are engaged in this action. two decades on, chaos, desperation. tony blair says that afghanistan is being abandoned. it is tragic, dangerous and unnecessary, imbecilic to walk away. many people, as a result of what has happened in afghanist

lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. i've been speaking to retired lieutenant colonel daniel davis, an author and american foreign policy analyst who himself served in afghanistan. this is what he had to say about the latest attack at kabul airport. it's really anguishing. i was actually in afghanistan exactly actually in afg ha nista n exactly ten actually in afghanistan exactly ten years ago in august of 2011 when should look helicopter crashed and 30 americans lost their lives at once and this is their lives at once and this is the next deadliest day we've had an entire 20 years of war and it's a tough one, i'm not lying —— a chinook helicopter. any time you've been there, everybody in uniform, it feels like they are a brother and especially as, you know, kinsmen of our country, it's a tough day. kinsmen of our country, it's a tough day-— kinsmen of our country, it's a tou~h da . , �* ., , tough day. president biden has remained steadfast. _ tough day. president biden has remained steadfast. he - tough day. pr

not just in kabul. so there is this legacy of brutality quite recent which the taliban has to mitigate in some form. the next stage is obviously going to be humanitarian relief. hope there is going to be some help -- donors will bring in food and supplies because there's a chronic shortage of food, water, medicine, and everything in kabul right now. business has stopped. kabul isolated for many days. all of the produce has not been coming in. there is any urgency for humanitarian relief, food, but also there has to be a way to distribute it. [indiscernible] distribute itself or wi it somebody else? all of these things have to be negotiated very carefully with the taliban. amy: ahmed rashid, what have you been most shocked by these last few days? you who are steeped in history. i started out by asking ali latifi about the history, but if you can go back to the founding of the taliban. we just heard one of the founders of the taliban. and who exactly they are. >> [indiscernible] 1992. and even then they w

to ensure reception of folks leaving kabul. we were scheduling flights. >> since the pause restarted, how many flights have gone out since then? >> before i left, right before i came in here, we had three leave qatar and one left kabul and one was getting ready the take off. >> since the pause and restart, one has left and potentially a second. >> is it accurate and correct that the backlog couldn't board the planes because they couldn't land them anywhere. was that backlog about 10,000 people? >> less than. i don't have the exact number. >> less than ten but in the thousands? >> yeah. >> since that time they were there for 7 and a half, maybe as much as 8 hours, was there sufficient food, water and sanitation? are they sleeping outside on the airfields? how does that work? >> it was sufficient. we are actively continuing to ensure it's sufficient for the future and continuing as we build out even more. >> did they -- the people stuck there for so long, did they have food, water and sanitation? >> i have no report they didn't.

as the taliban are closing in on kabul, as they are at the gates essentially, you know, of kabul. now, i want to note that one thing that we have learned is that the top u.s. negotiator with the taliban, u.s. special representative has requested that the taliban fighters do not enter kabul until all u.s. personnel are out of the city. now, of course, that is going to happen in the coming days. so the following question is, when u.s. personnel are out, then what? are the taliban fighters going to enter then? they are claiming this morning that they want a peaceful transition, that they are not going to enter with force militarily. but as we well know, the taliban is not one, you know, predictable group of fighters. there are many different factions and one key problem that u.s. officials have described to my colleagues and myself over the last few days is the lack of u.s. intelligence on the ground in afghanistan right now. the u.s. military has withdrawn. most all of the u.s. of the troops from the country already. there is a large group of them that is helping with the peaceful t

disaster in kabul. . ., �* ., ., kabul. the taliban don't want to rive u- kabul. the taliban don't want to give no any _ kabul. the taliban don't want to give no any time _ kabul. the taliban don't want to give up any time do _ kabul. the taliban don't want to give up any time do they? - kabul. the taliban don't want to | give up any time do they? yeah, kabul. the taliban don't want to - give up any time do they? yeah, they have the wind — give up any time do they? yeah, they have the wind in _ give up any time do they? yeah, they have the wind in their _ give up any time do they? yeah, they have the wind in their sails, _ give up any time do they? yeah, they have the wind in their sails, they - have the wind in their sails, they are rushing helter—skelter down hill, but they node to apply the brakes because they are are aring down the hill into something which is not in their interest, there will be a crash at the end of it. they will crash into the reality of a divided afghanistan, where they reason not welcome by sig

the taliban have urged calm but kabul is in chaos. people are desperate to leave, fearing a bloody assault. there's little violence so far, but plenty of panic. let's get more now on the situation in afghanistan. i'm joined now by steve fish, politics professor, at the university of california, berkeley. i want to start by asking you, we've seen this rapid advance by the taliban, did you expect them to move as quickly as they have? i them to move as quickly as they have? . . . , them to move as quickly as they have? ., , ., , have? i actually thought they would. have? i actually thought they would- and _ have? i actually thought they would. and i _ have? i actually thought they would. and i think _ have? i actually thought they would. and i think the - have? i actually thought they| would. and i think the bynum administration grossly underestimated how fast the taliban would move once the united states withdrew its troops. —— biden administration. we actually tend to base their estimates on how long it would take a couple to fall