Afghanistan, the deadline for the withdrawal remains August 31st. UN: "We will stay here alongside the people"

• The Taliban: "Don't take our engineers and doctors away"

• Afghanistan.

  Gentiloni: "May the EU welcome even without unanimity"

• Afghanistan, young Afghans to the Daily Telegraph: "Whipped by the Taliban for wearing jeans"

• Afghanistan, hundreds of refugees arrive at the Sigonella military base

• Afghanistan, Massoud: ready for inclusive government with the Taliban

• Afghanistan, US weapons in the hands of the Taliban

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August 25, 2021

"In these hours we are trying to evacuate as many people as possible from Afghanistan, there will be another 50 flights and we will finish the evacuation by 31 August". The US president, Joe Biden, thus closes the discussion on the extension of the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from the country. "We cannot afford further risks, and they are

" he said in the evening, after

convened by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which saw two fronts: on the one hand, the United States, in fact, firm in respect of agreements signed with the Taliban, on the other the EU which, with Great Britain, was asking to stay longer.

"The Taliban have taken steps to help get people out" of Afghanistan, Biden later said. News from the camp yesterday morning told of a dramatic situation at Kabul airport, with the Taliban preventing people from reaching the airport to be evacuated. Then, in the early afternoon, the surprise press conference of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who just over half an hour from the start of the G7, returned the photograph of a country under control, "never before so Safe".

said Zabihullah Mujahid, asking the US to

.

Words that echoed from Kabul, while the UN reported summary executions "of Afghan civilians and security forces" by the Taliban.

"None of us will take their word for it," Biden said from the White House, reporting that at the summit all allies agreed on judging the Taliban by their actions. 

"We have helped evacuate 70,700 people since August 14. This is a testament to the efforts of our brave women and men on duty, our diplomats in the field in Kabul and the Allies who are still with us," the US president then tweeted. .

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Sidney Blumenthal, Bill Clinton's senior advisor from 1997 to 2001 and a close adviser and friend of Hillary, comments on what he calls

. "January 6 is not really over. It is not just political polarization, it is much more. The main danger to America as a democracy and to internationalism is domestic," says Blumenthal, referring to the assault on Capitol Hill by the supporters of former President Trump. The adviser analyzes the crisis in Afghanistan and says he is baffled by how Biden has handled the withdrawal. "The lack of consultation with the allies seemed to me a surprising omission. During the crisis in the Balkans I had personal relations with all the European leaders, including Romano Prodi", he recalls, specifying that the Afghanistan case is not an example of a new doctrine and this passage is not "the signal of a repudiation of internationalism, it is only the consequence of what Joe Biden thinks,and not from today, of Afghanistan ". The American president, concludes Blumenthal," was determined to get out and Trump gave him the basis to do so through his surrender treaty, I cannot define it otherwise, to the Taliban (the Doha , ed). The problem is that the alarms coming from some State Department officials and generals were ignored and the evacuation was not planned: so it seemed that we abandoned our Afghan allies. "The problem is that the alarms coming from some State Department officials and generals were ignored and the evacuation was not planned: so it seemed that we abandoned our Afghan allies. "The problem is that the alarms coming from some State Department officials and generals were ignored and the evacuation was not planned: so it seemed that we abandoned our Afghan allies. "

"The United Nations has worked with and for the Afghan people for decades.

and do all we can for the safety of our staff and to serve the Afghan people who have suffered greatly," he posted this morning. UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres.

From London, disappointed by the outcome of the G7 (Johnson reappeared on the international scene as a protagonist), we learn today that

from Kabul should finish within "24-36 hours". The British newspaper Guardian writes exclusively, citing British defense sources consulted at the end of the G7. According to these sources, the US military needs two or three days to complete its operations at the Afghan capital airport and British troops aim to close them at least 24 hours earlier than the US. The RAF planes, therefore, would have only a small window to evacuate people at risk from the takeover of power by the Taliban. In this way, the newspaper comments, thousands of Afghans risk being abandoned in the country. "The number one condition we insist on is a safe passage beyond 31, thus beyond the initial phase for those who want to leave Afghanistan"were the words of Boris Johnson at the end of the G7.

The G7 meeting

The Taliban who came to power in Afghanistan "will be held accountable for their actions in preventing terrorism and respecting human rights, especially those of women". This was stated by the leaders of the G7 in the statement released at the end of the virtual emergency meeting dedicated to the Afghan situation. In the communiqué, the G7 warned that Afghanistan "must never again become a safe haven for terrorism and a source of terrorist attacks against other" countries. 

"We express our grave concern at the situation in Afghanistan and call for calm and restraint to ensure the safety of vulnerable Afghan and international citizens and the prevention of a humanitarian crisis." This is what we read in the final declarations of the extraordinary G7 summit on Afghanistan. "We demand compliance with the obligations under international human rights law, including the rights of women, girls and minority groups, and that international humanitarian law be respected in all circumstances". The Afghan people, say the leaders of the G7, "deserve to live in dignity, peace and security".

The evolution of the situation in Afghanistan, humanitarian aid, the management of migrants and the fight against terrorism were the main points of the speech by Prime Minister Mario Draghi during the extraordinary meeting of the G7, in which he thanked "all those which are helping to ensure the successful outcome of the evacuation operations in Kabul, in particular the US, British and German armies. " The goal, said Draghi, is to be able to safely conclude these operations by the end of August. In this regard, the Prime Minister underlined the need to "maintain a contact channel even after the deadline of 31 August and the possibility of transiting Afghanistan safely."we must ensure - right from the start - that international organizations have access to Afghanistan even after this deadline ".

"To achieve the objectives, I believe that the G7 must show itself united also in opening relations with other countries. In this, the G20 can help the G7 in involving other countries that are very important because they have the possibility to control what happens in Afghanistan: Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and India ", said Draghi.

The Prime Minister addressed an appeal to the leaders of the G7: "Italy will redirect the resources that were destined for the Afghan military forces towards humanitarian aid. I ask all of you to join in this commitment, compatibly with the situation of your countries" . On the issue of immigration "will we be able to have a coordinated and common approach? So far - added Draghi - both at European and international level, we have not been able to do so. We must make enormous efforts on this".

As regards the fight against terrorism "our cooperation is essential and it is crucial to act in a united way. It is also essential to use all the diplomatic and financial levers at our disposal".