The Taliban have warned there would be "consequences" if the US and its allies extend their presence in Afghanistan beyond the August 31 deadline, as chaos continued to overwhelm Kabul airport.
The Taliban takeover of the country last weekend shocked Western nations, coming just two weeks before the deadline for all troops to fully withdraw from the country.
Taliban's statement came a day after US President Joe Biden said he still hopes to complete the "heartbreaking" evacuation from Afghanistan by the end of the month. Meanwhile, Britain said Monday it would urge the US to extend the August 31 deadline for evacuations from Afghanistan.
However, the Taliban, who have so far sought to strike a more moderate tone, showed no willingness to compromise on the US pullout.
Here are the Updates on Afghanistan-Taliban crisis:
Aug 23, 2021 23:41 (IST)
Afghanistan: Taliban Near Resistance Stronghold Panjshir After Retaking 3 Nearby Areas
The Taliban were in position near the Panjshir valley and had retaken three districts in northern Afghanistan that fell to local militia groups last week, a spokesman said on Monday, though there were no confirmed reports of further fighting, reported Reuters.
The districts of Bano, Deh Saleh, Pul e-Hesar were taken by local militia groups last week in one of the first signs of armed resistance to the Taliban since their seizure of Kabul on August 15. By Monday, Taliban forces had cleared the districts and were established in Badakhshan, Takhar and Andarab near Panjshir valley, according to the Twitter account of spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Aug 23, 2021 22:44 (IST)
LIVE: Afghan Evacuated By France Under Surveillance For Alleged Taliban Links
France has placed under surveillance an Afghan evacuated from Kabul who is suspected of links to the Taliban, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday. About 1,300 Afghans have in recent days been evacuated by France via a military base in Abu Dhabi, after President Emmanuel Macron said the country was opening its arms to people under threat from the Taliban. Four others thought to be close to the main suspect are also the subject of surveillance measures by French intelligence, Darmanin told AFP.
Aug 23, 2021 20:46 (IST)
Afghanistan Crisis: 16,000 Evacuated From Kabul Airport In Past 24 Hours: Pentagon
Around 16,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours from Afghanistan through the Kabul airport, the Pentagon said Monday, as international airlift operations sped up ahead of an August 31 deadline, reported AFP. Spokesman John Kirby said that took the number of people relocated from Afghanistan since July to 42,000, and 37,000 since the intense airlift operations started on August 14 as the Taliban moved to take Kabul.
Aug 23, 2021 16:50 (IST)
Afghanistan Live: US Military Evacuated Over 10,000 From Kabul On Sunday: Official
The US military flew approximately 10,400 people out of Kabul over 24 hours on Sunday, and 61 coalition planes helped evacuate approximately 5,900, a White House official said on Monday, according to Reuters. Since August 14, the US has gotten 37,000 people out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, or helped with their evacuation, the official said.
