Afghanistian; “We will Not Allow Afghans to Leave”- Talibans

As a frenzied Western evacuation operation at Kabul airport gained up pace, the Taliban announced Tuesday that they were “no longer facilitating the evacuation of Afghans” and warned that the US must stick to next week’s deadline to withdraw.

See also Afghanistian Taliban; Protest Rocks Parts of Kabul, People Die.

The news came as US President Joe Biden stated that he intends to keep his August 31 timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan if the Taliban does not hinder ongoing evacuation operations or airport access.

Top American allies have already requested for an extension so that more people can be flown out.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that while foreign nationals could continue to come to the airport, the large masses of Afghans who had collected there in recent days should return home and would fear no retaliation from the country’s new authorities.

“The road, which goes to the airport, is blocked. Afghans cannot take that road to go to the airport, but foreign nationals are allowed to take that road to the airport,” Mujahid said.

“We are not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore and we are not happy with it either,” he added.

The doctors and academics of Afghanistan “should not leave this country, they should work in their own specialist areas,” Mujahid added. “They should not go to other countries, to those Western countries.”

Many of those departing the country after the Taliban’s takeover have been educated individuals, particularly women.

Women were barred from working and from attending schools and universities during the Taliban’s reign.

Mujahid also assured that foreign embassies and assistance organizations would remain open.

Experts, however, remain skeptical of such pledges in light of accusations of human rights violations and concerns that the situation may worsen once the majority of the foreign community has left the country.

Afghanistan; G7 Leaders gives conditions to Talibans

The G7 leaders met on Tuesday for the first time since the Taliban overthrew the internationally supported Afghan government more than a week ago.

They have urged the Taliban to ensure safe passage for all people seeking to leave Afghanistan after August 31, according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who described this as the G7’s “number one demand” for the Taliban.

“The number one condition we are setting as G7 is that they’ve got to guarantee right the way through — through August 31 and beyond — safe passage for those who want to come out,” Johnson said after the virtual meeting of G7 leaders.