Afghanistan news live updates: Taliban’s first press conference: ‘We don’t want any enemies’

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The Taliban hold their first press conference after taking power in Kabul.

“We don’t want any external or internal enemies,” their spokesman said.

This comes after Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh said that he is in Afghanistan and that he is the “legitimate interim president.”

Mr. Saleh wrote on Twitter: “According to the express clause of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, in the event of the president’s absence, flight or death, the first vice president will be the acting president.

I am inside the country and I am legally and legally responsible for this position/chair. I am consulting with all the country’s leaders to strengthen this position.”

Read More Latest UpdatesView Latest Updates 1629230630 Italian Prime Minister vows to protect Afghans’ rights

The Italian prime minister pledged that Italy would remain committed to promoting and protecting fundamental rights in Afghanistan, especially women’s rights, after the Taliban seized power and evacuated diplomats and Western military forces.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 industrialized nations this year, is the “natural” forum to launch a process of cooperation between countries including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as Europe. .

In an interview with state Rai TV, Draghi praised the killing of 53 Italian soldiers and the wounding of 700 others during Italy’s 20-year involvement in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, and said Italy was looking to the future, not the past.

He said: The future of Italy consists in defending basic rights, defending women’s rights and protecting all those who revealed themselves in these years to defend these rights in Afghanistan. This must be done in all possible contexts.”

1629228462 There is no clear time frame from the government regarding the evacuation of the Irish Kabul

The Irish government has refused to say how long it thinks it will take to evacuate Irish citizens from Afghanistan.

On Monday, an Irish woman in Kabul told the Palestinian News Agency that she believed she might be able to leave the Taliban-controlled city within 48 hours.

When asked by the Palestinian Authority whether the Irish government was operating on the same two-day schedule, the Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman refused to answer the question directly.

An embassy spokesperson said: “The embassy in Abu Dhabi is in direct and ongoing contact with Irish nationals who remain in Afghanistan and are known to us – or, in a small number of cases, with the organizations they work with.”

“We work closely with other EU member states, most of which also have nationals in the country, regarding options for repatriation flights. We understand that there are no commercial flights in operation.”

1629225953 Veteran trapped in Afghanistan says country ‘left to wolves’

A war veteran trapped in Afghanistan said Western governments that gave the country’s young people hope have now “abandoned them to the wolves”.

Former Royal Navy chief and founder of the animal charity Nowzad, Paul Farthing, tried to organize his wife’s escape through Kabul airport on Tuesday, but said she had become “crushed” in the random crowd.

After serving in the Afghan province of Helmand in the mid-2000s, Farthing, better known as Bean, established the sanctuary that has rescued stray dogs, cats, and other animals for 15 years.

He urged the British government to help his staff, their families and the animals leave Afghanistan as part of a campaign called Operation Ark, which aims to raise £200,000.

The veteran said he would not leave the country without 71 refugees.

Another campaign called Rescue the Animal Rescuers called on the prime minister to include Nowzad’s staff, along with workers at the Mayhew animal charity in Kabul, on the British rescue list.

1629223459EU Suspends Development Payments for the Afghan Government

The European Union is suspending development aid payments to Afghanistan now that it has fallen to the Taliban, but is considering whether it will boost humanitarian aid to the strife-torn country.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy coordinator, says that “there can be no development assistance payments until we clarify the situation” with Taliban leaders.

Borrell, after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, said the Taliban must respect UN Security Council resolutions and human rights in order to receive the funds.

“Humanitarian assistance will continue, and perhaps we will increase,” Borrell says, given the number of displaced Afghans, the ongoing drought, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

1629222310 EU foreign policy chief says priority is to evacuate EU staff and Aghan aides from Kabul

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday that while the war against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has succeeded, the nation-building process has failed despite the huge amount of resources destined for the country.

Borrell was speaking after a conference call with European Union foreign ministers.

“The main conclusions of this meeting were that the first and priority objective is to ensure the evacuation in the best security conditions for European citizens who are still present in the country, as well as Afghan citizens who have worked with us for more than twenty years if they want to leave the country.”

1629218457EU says he will only work with the Taliban if rights are respected

The European Union foreign policy official said, on Tuesday, that the European Union will not cooperate with the Afghan government after the return of the Taliban to power unless it respects basic rights, including women, and prevents terrorists from using Afghan soil.

“Cooperation with any future Afghan government will be conditional on a peaceful and comprehensive settlement and respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including women, youth and persons belonging to minorities, as well as respect for Afghanistan’s international obligations, commitment to combating corruption and preventing the use of Afghan territory by terrorist organizations,” he said in a statement. “.

The statement came after an emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers to discuss events in Afghanistan.

Stormont Executive urged to provide homes for Afghans who helped coalition forces

The Northern Ireland Executive was urged to provide a safe home for Afghans who assisted the Allied forces.

The call came from Ulster Union leader and veteran Doug Petty, who won the Military Cross for his service in Afghanistan.

As dozens attempt to flee the country after the Taliban seized the capital, Kabul, Petty said Northern Ireland must provide a home for those who need it.

A humanitarian crisis unfolds in Afghanistan. “There are five million displaced people inside the country,” the Moroccan Liberation Army said.

1629215945 A ‘very worried’ woman shares fears for her elderly parents in Afghanistan

An emotional woman said she was “very worried” about her elderly parents who remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over.

The militant group moved to Kabul on Sunday, ending two decades of attempts by the United Kingdom and its allies to transform the country.

The 45-year-old was in tears at the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) in Feltham, west London, on Tuesday as she said her family needed “help”.

Speaking with her four-year-old son, she said: “I want peace and justice for my country, I am worried for my country and my people and I am very sad.

“Today is one of the darkest days in the history of Afghanistan.

“I am so sad, my family is there, I spoke yesterday, I talk to them every day, I ask how hard it is for them because they are my father and my mother.

They are in Afghanistan, Kabul, they were worried and afraid when the Taliban came, they were shocked.

“They see the Taliban pass by in their cars on the road.”

1629215008 Taliban: No foreign fighters in Afghanistan

At the press conference, the media asked about the relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says: The territory of Afghanistan will not be used against anyone. We can assure the international community of that.”

Taliban: The media should not contradict national values

However, he said he had “requests” to the media including that “there should be nothing contrary to Islamic values ​​when it comes to media activities, so Islamic values ​​must be taken into account when it comes to media activities.”

He stressed that the media “should not contradict national values ​​and national unity.”

Mujahid said, “When it comes to ethnic differences, religious differences and animosities, they should not actually be promoted by the media, but rather they should work… for the unity of the nation so that they can live in peace and brotherhood.”

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