Minggu, 08 Agustus 2021

Taliban seizes provincial capitals and lays siege to Afghan cities - Financial Times

The Taliban have captured two provincial capitals and descended on several others across Afghanistan, making significant advances in their campaign for control of the country as the US and UK warn their citizens to leave.

The Taliban on Friday captured its first local capital, Zaranj in the country’s southwestern Nimroz province, without any strong resistance and sent Afghan officials and armed forces fleeing into neighbouring Iran.

This weekend, the insurgents also over-ran Sheberghan, the capital of northern Jowzjan province, a strategic and symbolic gain. Jowzjan is the stronghold of Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful anti-Taliban warlord who until last year served as vice-president to Ashraf Ghani.

Other provincial capitals, including Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Kunduz, are under siege. The Taliban, who have already swept through large swaths of the countryside, are targeting several strategic cities following the Biden administration’s decision to pull out remaining US forces by the end of this month.

Analysts warn that the escalating violence could result in a protracted civil war, impending break-up of the country or the Taliban overrunning the national capital Kabul.

The Islamist group on Friday assassinated Dawa Khan Menapal, head of the government’s media centre, in the capital and also claimed responsibility for a deadly attack last week that targeted the defence minister, who was not present. 

While some officials denied Sheberghan had completely fallen to the Taliban, multiple sources confirmed the insurgents had gained control of the city and much of the province. After several days of clashes, the Taliban reportedly used water canals to breach the city’s defensive lines in the dead of the night.

One local businessman told the Financial Times that there was now “no resistance” and social media videos reportedly showed Taliban forces inside Dostum’s palace.

US forces have carried out air strikes in a bid to deter the Taliban and boost the morale of Afghan national security forces, but an American defence official said the strikes amounted to only “a handful” each day.

The US embassy in Kabul on Saturday said US citizens should leave Afghanistan “immediately”. “The order for American citizens to leave is an indication of the deteriorating security situation,” the US defence official told the Financial Times.

The UK Foreign Office has also updated its travel advice to urge all citizens to leave the country.

Joe Biden ordered the drawdown of US troops to bring America’s longest-running war to a close, upholding a deal the Trump administration struck with Taliban.

Both presidents took the decision against the advice of some US military officials, who warned pulling out troops risked emboldening the Taliban and damaging fragile gains in Afghanistan.

The Biden administration has been making a last-ditch effort to secure a negotiated political settlement that would give the Taliban a role in the government rather than pursue its advantage on the battlefield, but to little effect.

“These Taliban actions to forcibly impose its rule are unacceptable and contradict its claim to support a negotiated settlement in the Doha peace process,” the US said.

The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. They were deposed by a US invasion in response to the 9/11 attacks, which were conducted by al-Qaeda, a jihadi group that established ties to the Islamist Taliban militancy.

On Friday, Deborah Lyons, the UN special representative for Afghanistan, said at least 104 civilians had been killed and 403 wounded in Lashkar Gah since late July.

Civilians in the city are trapped in the close-range combat between the Taliban and besieged Afghan forces, with heavy bombardment from US and Afghan air forces adding to the danger.

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2021-08-08 06:11:15Z
CAIiEBEpKJU_dTqcDL48j2dDhWgqGAgEKg8IACoHCAow-4fWBzD4z0gw_fCpBg

COVID-19: Travel boost as seven more countries join green list from today - and France leaves 'amber plus' - Sky News

Hopes for a summer getaway are given a boost from today with a sizeable expansion of the government's green travel list - and the return of holiday favourite France to the regular amber category.

After a spell on the so-called "amber plus" list, France's move back to amber means that fully vaccinated travellers returning from there to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland no longer need to quarantine.

India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are moving from red to amber, whilst Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Romania and Norway are going green.

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How does govt make decisions on travel?

People arriving from green list countries do not need to quarantine regardless of vaccination status - but it's the additional amber list destinations that appear to have attracted the most interest.

Ahead of the changes to the lists coming into effect at 4am today, travel companies reported a surge in interest in journeys to France and the UAE.

Brittany Ferries said bookings between the UK and France had more than doubled after the government's announcement earlier this week, Eurostar said it was ready to boost capacity on its London-Paris route, while Skyscanner reported a threefold increase in searches for Dubai.

But today also marks the addition of several places to the red list - meaning that arrivals must spend 11 nights at a quarantine hotel.

More on Covid-19

The new red list countries are Mexico, Georgia, and the French overseas territories La Reunion and Mayotte.

For now, solo travellers staying at quarantine hotels face a rate of £1,750 - but this will rise to £2,285 on Thursday.

Travellers exit from an arrivals gate at St Pancras International station following the arrival of a Eurostar train from Paris
Image: Eurostar is among the travel companies ready for a surge in interest and bookings

UK holidaymakers in those new red list countries have been racing to get home to avoid having to quarantine, with British Airways (BA) putting on extra flights from Mexico - notably Mexico City and Cancun.

One BA flight from Cancun was due to touch down at Gatwick at 3.05am - less than an hour before the deadline.

Such frantic flight plans have been a fixture of the summer for UK tourists thus far, prompting criticism from the travel industry and politicians across the Commons.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has promised that the latest changes to the travel lists will be in force for at least three weeks, barring any unforeseen developments.

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Shapps: No travel changes for three weeks

Despite the additions to the green list and the allowances for fully vaccinated Britons to go to amber list nations, the prime minister is being warned that more needs to be done to make foreign holidays viable for families.

Boris Johnson has been told by travel industry leaders and backbench Conservative MPs that the cost of tests are a major obstacle, with many holidays requiring as many as three tests to be arranged for each person.

Some countries, including France, have ditched the testing requirement for arrivals if they are fully vaccinated.

But there's not yet any sign of the UK government following suit - and arrivals from amber list Spain and its islands are being actively advised to use a PCR test as their pre-departure test wherever possible "as a precaution against the increased prevalence of the virus and variants in the country".

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'Unforgiveable' govt 'chaos' on travel advice

Earlier this week, Tory MP and Transport Select Committee chairman Huw Merriman tweeted: "Passengers are being ripped off with expensive PCR tests.

"We are told this is justified to sequence for variants but only 5% of tests are.

"This barrier to affordable travel needs to stop now."

Mr Merriman has called for cheaper lateral flow tests to be used for travel instead, with only those people who test positive then requiring a PCR test.

The government says a cautious reopening of the travel industry is needed to protect the UK's vaccine rollout, with almost 47 million adults having now been double jabbed.

Latest figures showed another 35,665 first doses and 162,827 second doses had been carried out, while 28,612 cases and 103 more deaths were also reported.

A young woman receives a vaccine at a clinic in London
Image: The UK's vaccination programme is now focused on younger age groups

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has dismissed criticism of Dominic Raab following a newspaper report alleging he'd avoided quarantine rules after a trip to France last month.

The Sunday Mirror said the foreign secretary should have had to go into isolation because at the time all arrivals from France had to quarantine for 10 days regardless of vaccination status.

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But ministers are said to be exempt from quarantine rules on account of conducting essential state business and a statement from Mr Raab's department said: "The foreign secretary travels on diplomatic business within the rules.

"It is his job to pursue the UK's interests abroad, including on security, trade, and international development."

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2021-08-08 03:19:20Z
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Sabtu, 07 Agustus 2021

Greece wildfires: PM describes 'nightmarish summer' - BBC News

Greece's prime minister has talked of a "nightmarish summer" as forest fires continue to ravage the country.

Thousands have been evacuated from their homes in parts of Greece and more than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to bring the flames under control.

The country is experiencing its worst heatwave in more than 30 years.

Authorities have warned that the risk of further fires remains high in many regions including Athens and Crete.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government's priority has been "first and foremost , to protect human lives".

In the last 10 days, more than 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres) have been burnt in Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

People gather on motorbikes as wildfire flames rise behind them on Evia
Reuters

Dozens of wildfires have broken out in the last 24 hours with the largest fronts in Evia - Greece's second largest island - and areas in the Peloponnese including Arkadia and Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

In Evia, more than 2,000 people have been evacuated via ferry. Ten ships are waiting at Pefki, in the north of the island, ready to evacuate more people if needed, a Coast Guard spokesperson told AP news agency.

On Saturday, a fire just north of Athens on Mount Parnitha spread smoke across the capital. Authorities set up a hotline for people with breathing difficulties, according to AP news.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the area since Thursday but by Saturday the flames had receded. However with strong winds forecast, there are concerns that the fire could flare again.

One resident, who was sitting in a car park with his girlfriend, said they had only spent one night in their newly built house before they had to flee. He had spent four hours trying to use a garden house to save his property.

A firefighting helicopter douses a wildfire near Athens
EPA

A number of countries have offered support to Greece. Fire-fighters from nations including the UK, France, Romania and Switzerland have sent firefighters to the area.

In Turkey, authorities have been struggling to contain a number of blazes, which have been described by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the country's worst wildfires.

Tens of thousands of hectares have been destroyed in Mediterranean and Aegean provinces.

Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

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2021-08-07 22:33:06Z
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Kabul blast claimed by Taliban kills Afghan air force pilot - Al Jazeera English

Officials said Afghan air force pilot Hamidullah Azimi died when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle detonated.

An Afghan air force pilot has been killed in a bomb blast in Kabul, claimed by the Taliban, officials said.

The pilot, Hamidullah Azimi, died on Saturday when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle detonated, officials said, adding that five civilians were wounded in the explosion.

Azimi was trained to fly US-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and had served with the Afghan air force for almost four years, the forces’ commander, Abdul Fatah Eshaqzai, told the Reuters news agency.

He had moved to Kabul with his family a year ago due to security threats, Eshaqzai added.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed the attack in a statement.

Reuters was first to detail a Taliban campaign to assassinate pilots off-base that Afghan officials say killed at least seven Afghan pilots before Saturday’s killing.

The Taliban has confirmed a programme that would see US-trained Afghan pilots “targeted and eliminated”.

US and Afghan officials believe it is a deliberate effort to destroy Afghanistan’s corps of US- and NATO-trained military pilots as fighting escalates across the country.

The Taliban – which has no air force – wants to level the playing field as they press major ground offensives that have seen them swiftly seize territory since May.

Emboldened by Washington’s announcement that it was ending its military mission by the end of August, the Taliban has launched a military blitz across the country which has gained momentum in recent days.

On Friday, the Taliban captured its first provincial capital in years when it took control of Zaranj, on the border with Iran in Afghanistan’s southern Nimruz province.

On Saturday the Taliban captured the city of Sheberghan, the city’s deputy governor told the AFP news agency.

Qader Malia, the deputy governor of Sheberghan in Jawzjan province that government forces and officials had retreated to the airport on the outskirts of the northern Afghan city, where they were preparing to defend themselves.

As the Taliban eyes other cities, the Afghan air force has played a crucial role in holding it back.

Azimi’s death came just days after the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), in a report to the US Congress, said the targeting of pilots detailed by Reuters was another “worrisome development” for the Afghan air force as it reels from a surge in fighting.

In its quarterly report covering the quarter through June, SIGAR described an air force increasingly under strain and becoming less ready to fight.

Its fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had a 39 percent readiness rate in June, about half the level of April and May.

“All aircraft platforms are overtaxed due to increased requests for close air support, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions and aerial resupply now that the [Afghan military] largely lacks US air support,” the report said.

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2021-08-07 20:06:24Z
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Taliban fighters in Afghanistan enter second provincial capital in as many days - Sky News

Taliban fighters have entered the capital of Afghanistan's Jawzjan province, a politician has said, as they seek to capture their second provincial capital in as many days.

Mohammad Karim Jawzjani said the militants had reached the city of Sheberghan but the Afghan government, while not denying this, insisted the city had not yet fallen.

Sheberghan is particularly important because it is the stronghold of Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum, whose militias were resurrected to help the Afghan government forces.

Mr Dostum, a former army paratrooper, returned to the province last week after months in Turkey, where he is believed to have been receiving medical treatment.

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His spokesman Ehsan Nero told the AFP news agency that he was meeting senior officials to talk about security in Sheberghan.

Residents of the city said there had been heavy airstrikes and that the Taliban had freed prisoners from the jail.

More on Afghanistan

The militants have taken advantage of the departure of foreign forces from the country, quickly taking control of vulnerable districts and now turning their attention to provincial capitals.

On Friday, the Taliban took control of Zaranj, capital of the southwestern province of Nimroz, and the government said its forces were still fighting inside the city.

More than half of the country's 421 districts and district centres are in Taliban hands and several of the provincial capitals are under threat.

The worsening situation prompted a warning from the UK government on Friday evening, advising Britons to leave the country immediately.

Many of the places under threat are remote but some are strategically important and would give the Taliban control of lucrative border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Stranded people gather and wait to open the border which was closed by authorities, in Chaman, Pakistan, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. Chaman border crossing is one of busiest border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis cross daily and a steady stream of trucks passes through, taking goods to land-locked Afghanistan from the Arabian Sea port city of Karachi in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Tariq Achakzai)
Image: Taliban fighters have closed the border crossing at Spin Boldak, trapping people and supplies there and on the Pakistani side at Chaman (pictured)

Also on Friday, the Taliban fighters closed the border crossing with Pakistan at Spin Boldak, protesting against Pakistan's demand that all Afghans crossing the border must have Afghan passports and Pakistani visas.

The crossing is important because it is one of the main routes for goods to be driven to land-locked Afghanistan from the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

By Saturday, more than 600 trucks, many carrying perishable food, were backed up in both countries.

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UK should 'step forward' to help Afghanistan

Meanwhile, the US has said the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan is more than 95% complete and will be finished by the end of this month, but the US Air Force continues to help Afghan forces defend Helmand and Kandahar in the south, in an effort to prevent a Taliban takeover.

In Helmand, provincial council member Nafeeza Faiez said Taliban troops are in control of nine of the 10 police districts in the capital city of Lashkar Gah.

Afghan commando forces and regular troops are trying to get the fighters out of the city but with little success, she said, adding that conditions for civilians are desperate.

Many are trapped in the city, unable to get supplies and unable to get to hospitals for medical help.

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2021-08-07 16:29:04Z
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Greece wildfires: British firefighters sent to help out - as footage shows boat escape while island burns - Sky News

British firefighters are being deployed to tackle the raging wildfires in Greece - as new footage shows people escaping by boat as flames fill the sky.

It comes after the death of a volunteer firefighter and the evacuation of thousands of people from an island near Athens, as well as towns north of the capital.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said teams from Merseyside, Lancashire, South Wales, London and West Midlands fire services will fly to Athens this weekend to battle the blazes alongside Greek firefighters.

People are evacuated on a ferry as a wildfire burns in the village of Limni
Image: Thousands of people have been evacuated by ferry

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "I've seen first-hand this week the devastating wildfires ripping through Greece and the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with our Greek friends at this difficult time.

"I've asked the National Fire Chiefs Council to send out a specialist team to provide support in responding to this emergency. I am immensely grateful to the brave firefighters for stepping forward and volunteering to help, and their expertise will be invaluable in supporting the Greek emergency services."

The wildfires broke out amid the country's most severe heatwave in 30 years, with temperatures soaring to more than 40C (104F) in some areas.

Fires burned through Greece for a fifth day on Saturday as flames swept through a town near Athens overnight and thousands of residents and tourists were evacuated by ferry from the island of Evia, east of the capital, in apocalyptic scenes shown in new footage.

More on Greece

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Dramatic evacuation of fire-hit Greek island

The blaze on Mount Parnitha has seen crews grappling with winds and high temperatures in a bid to contain it.

"We're talking about the apocalypse, I don't know how to describe it," Sotiris Danikas, head of the coastguard in the town of Aidipsos, Evia, told state broadcaster ERT.

Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said firefighters faced "exceptionally dangerous, unprecedented conditions" as they battled 154 wildfires on Friday, with 64 still burning into the night.

A firefighter battles a wildfire burning in the suburb of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens
Image: A firefighter battles a wildfire burning in the suburb of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens

"Over the past few days we have been facing a situation without precedent in our country, in the intensity and wide distribution of the wildfires, and the new outbreaks all over (Greece)," he said.

While the flames appeared to die down later on Saturday, winds were forecast to strengthen - meaning there was still a high threat they would flare again.

During an emergency briefing, Mr Hardalias said: "Under no circumstances can we be complacent. We are fighting a very big battle."

A resident evacuates the area with his animals as a wildfire rages in the suburb of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens
Image: A resident evacuates the area with his animals as a wildfire rages in the suburb of Thrakomakedones, north of Athens

Homes and businesses have been left blackened and destroyed, although authorities have been unable yet to provide detailed figures for how widespread the damage is.

The burned-out homes of residents
Image: Homes and other buildings have been destroyed

Shifting winds and new flashpoints on Friday afternoon caused the blazes outside Athens and Evia to repeatedly change direction, in some cases returning to threaten areas that had narrowly escaped destruction earlier in the week.

In the last 24 hours, more than 400 wildfires have broken out across Greece, with the biggest still burning in Evia and areas in the Peloponnese including Ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described it as a "nightmarish summer", adding the government's priority "has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives".

At least 20 people have needed hospital treatment across Greece and the causes of the fires are under investigation.

On the island of Evia, people were evacuated by cruise ships after other routes were closed of by flames
Image: On the island of Evia, people were evacuated by cruise ships after other routes were closed off by flames
Firefighters battled 154 wildfires on Friday, with 64 burning into the night
Image: Firefighters battled 154 wildfires on Friday, with 64 burning into the night

In neighbouring Turkey, authorities evacuated six more neighbourhoods near the Mugla province town of Milas as a wildfire burned some 5 kilometres (3 miles) from a power plant.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said they were the worst wildfires in the country's history and six fires were still burning in on Saturday.

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Sky reporter at edge of Turkey wildfires

So far, eight people have died in the fires that have burned through Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coastal regions for 11 days, forcing thousands of residents and tourists to leave homes and hotels.

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2021-08-07 16:04:53Z
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Afghanistan war: Sheberghan falls to Taliban, militants say - BBC News

Afghan security officials patrol after they took back control of parts of Herat city
EPA

The Taliban say they have taken control of the city of Sheberghan in the northern Afghan province of Jawzjan.

An Afghan defence ministry spokesman told the BBC government forces were still in the city and would clear out the Taliban "soon".

This is the second regional capital to fall to the militants, after Zaranj in the south-western province of Nimroz fell on Friday.

It is a major blow to security forces, with battles raging across the country.

There are also reports of heavy fighting in Kunduz in the north and Lashkar Gah in the south.

Violence has escalated across Afghanistan after US and other international forces began to withdraw their troops from the country, following 20 years of military operations.

Taliban militants have made rapid advances in recent weeks, capturing large swathes of the countryside, and are now targeting key towns and cities.

Sheberghan is a stronghold of the former Afghan vice-president and warlord, Abdul Rashid Dostum, whose supporters have been leading the fight against the insurgents.

Local media reports that 150 people travelled to the city to help Afghan forces.

The Taliban first took control of the governor's compound on Friday during intense fighting, before it was retaken by Afghan security forces.

However, the region's council chief, Babur Eshchi, told the BBC the militants were now in control of the whole city, except an army base, where fighting was still going on.

Afghan defence ministry spokesman Fawaad Aman told the BBC's Newshour programme government forces were still in "the majority" of the city, including the airport, and insisted Sheberghan would be "clear of terrorists soon".

But he conceded the Taliban had captured parts of the city, and that government troops had retreated "to prevent civilian casualties".

Taliban officials also said they had captured a prison in Sheberghan. Video on social media shows hundreds of inmates leaving the city jail.

Other provincial capitals under pressure include Herat in the west, and the southern cities of Kandahar and Lashkar Gah.

The Afghan military says dozens of Islamist fighters, including senior commanders, have been killed in Lashkar Gah. The Taliban however have denied the military's version of events.

And in the Afghan capital Kabul this week, the Taliban shot dead President Ashraf Ghani's former spokesman and carried out a bomb attack on the house of the acting defence minister.

A map showing who's in control of Afghanistan
1px transparent line

Taliban fighters have also captured key border crossings with neighbouring countries in recent weeks.

The militant group has closed the border with Pakistan, and pictures show dozens of Afghans stranded on the Pakistani side, unable to return to their families.

"We came [to Pakistan] to attend a funeral three days ago. Now the border is closed. We're sitting here. We have no food and no money," a man trying to get home to Kandahar told Reuters news agency.

The US and UK governments have urged its citizens to leave the country immediately because of the worsening security situation.

On Friday, the British Foreign Office warned that militants were very likely to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. The US said citizens can receive a repatriation loan if they cannot afford to pay for a commercial flight themselves.

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2021-08-07 13:38:57Z
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