of glasgow, not particularly widespread rains here you can see plenty of these. you highlands in lake victoria. it becomes wet at night and shells move west towards rwanda. but you'll notice the monsoon, which is still there up the coast of somalia, though it's dry ah, joy applicant launches trade and investment in south africa into african trades gives you access to more than 1100 exhibitors and $10000.00 visitors and buyers and more than $5000.00 conference delegates, more than $35.00 countries, participate in trade and investment deals with $40000000000.00 as business and governments come together to explore business and networking opportunities at the international exhibition boots to you by the african export import back at the premium partners the atl 2020 was transforming africa. oh,

i was just reminder of what helps to israel and egypt have agreed to strengthen the relationship and the interests of both countries. prime minister natalie ballot is the 1st israeli leader to officially visit egypt in a decade. 11 on september the 1 1000000000 dollars from the international monetary fund to help struggling economy. countries, new cabinets, has held its 1st meeting since being appointed. the you and it says more than $1000000000.00 and $8.00 is being placed for a janice done following an international donor conference. secretary general, i'm sorry, it says off guns of facing the collapse of the entire country. it's important that nations engage with the town about gabriella wiseman is the global humanitarian

director, would save the children. she says, international fundraising has become more difficult. the meeting of graham, his son are astronomical. it's probably one of the worst mentoring crises at the moment in the world. we have one and every 2 children, that nurse at the moment in enough counties on one every 3 of guns are food insecure. could a need are incredibly dire. they are urgent and there are huge magnitude and the situation is complex. and on top of that, we don't have the money that we need in order to resume out obligations in order to support the people in i've gone on, hence this conference. it's a complex situation, it's difficult to operate in kindness. so at the moment we are at resuming some of our operations. but we are also in discussions with our donors, as well as the authorities on the ground to make sure that we are so safely and

responsibly fundraising is becoming very difficult because we are seeing indeed much more inward looking governments taken care off. you know, the problems that they have in their own countries that sort of help us cove it. but certainly our lead to the governments of this world to remember states will see united nations is to make sure that they don't forget that they have an international responsibility. and the international solidarity is crucial in this day and age. the world needs us, the world needs us right now and we need individual people to give. we certainly need governments to give you. let me take a live to washington d. c. u. s. secretary of state anthony blank and testifying in the 1st of to hearings before congress this week, about the u. s. withdrawal from afghanistan. let's listen to what he has to say. nearly 3000 men, women and children lost their lives. were reminded why we went to afghanistan in the 1st place to bring justice to them to attack us. and to ensure that it would

not happen again. which of those objectives long ago or sound good? lauren was killed in 2011 a decade ago. ok, this capabilities were degraded significantly, including its ability to plan and conduct external operations. after 20 years, 2641 american lives lost $20000.00 injuries in dollars spent. it was time to end america as long as laurel and president barton took office. in january, he inherited an agreement that is predecessor had reached the top of on to remove all the remainder forces from afghanistan by may 1st of this year. part of that agreement, the previous administration pressed the afghan government to release $5000.00 taliban prisoners, including some top war commanders. meanwhile, it reduced our own force presence to 2500 troops and return the taliban agreed to

stop attacking us, partner forces and to refrain from threatening afghanistan's major cities. but the taliban continued relentless march on remote outposts, checkpoints on villages and districts as well as the major roads connected. by january 2021. the taliban was in the strongest military position. it had been in since 911. and we had the smallest number of troops on the ground since 2001. as a result, upon taking office, president biden immediately faced the choice between ending the war or escalated. had he not followed through on a speed of attacks on our forces and those are allies, what region and the taliban nationwide assault and i can stand major cities would have commenced that would require substantially more us forces into i've got to stand to defend themselves and prevent

a taliban take taking cavities and with the best aspect, restoring his family and remaining stuck in afghanistan under fire indefinitely. there is no evidence staying longer, would have made the afghan security forces, or the can government any more resilient or self sustaining. if 20 years at hundreds of millions of dollars in support, equipment and training did not suffice. why would another year? another 5, another 10. conversely, there is nothing but our strategic competitors, like china, russian or adversaries like a ran and or 3. it would have like more than for the united states to re up a 20 year war and remain bob and ask you to stand for another decade in advance the president's decision. i was in constant contact with our allies and partners to hear their views and factor them into our thinking. when the president announced

those for all natal immediately and honestly embraced it. we all set together on the drop down. similarly, we weren't intensely focused on the safety of americans in afghanistan. in march, we began urging them to leave the country. in total, between march and august, we sent 19 specific messages without warning and office to help, including financial assistance to pay for plane tickets. despite this effort, at the time the evacuation began, there were still thousands of american citizens in afghanistan. almost all of them we've actuated by august 31st. many, we're all citizens living at afghan, a stand for years, decades, generations deciding whether or not to leave the place. they know as home was an incredibly wrenching decision. in april, we began drawing down our embassy,

ordering non essential personnel to depart. we also use this time to significantly speed up the processing of the special immigrant visas for afghans who had worked for us. and by our side, the past 20 years. when we took office, we inherited a program with a 14 step process based on the statutory framework inactive by congress and involving multiple government agencies and a backlog more than 17000 s i. the applicants there has not been a single interview and the outside the program interval for 9 months going back to march of 2020. the program was basically install within 2 weeks of taking office. we restarted the f. i the interview process and couple of february, 4th, one of the very 1st executive orders issued by president biden directed us to immediately review the the program to identify causes of undue delay and to find ways to process the applications more quickly. this spring,

i directed significant additional resources to the program. expanding the team in washington, a people processing applications from 10 to 50 and doubling the number that's like the adjudicators that are understandable. even as many embassy personnel returned to the united states under order departure, we set more counselor officers tickle to process the applications. as a result of these and other schools, including working with congress by may, we had reduced the average person entitled for special american pieces by more than a year. even a met, a public search and at the c capital in june, we continued to issue visits. and we learn from issuing about a 100 special mach baez's per week in march to more than $1000.00 for wood. in august, when our evacuation and relocation efforts began, that emergency evacuation was parked by the collapse of the afghan security forces and government throughout the year were constantly assessing their staying power

and considering multiple scenarios. even the most pessimistic assessment did not predict the government forces interval would collapse while us forces remain. as general milly, the trauma, the staff said nothing. i or anyone else sought, indicated a collapse of this army and this government in latin date. nonetheless, we plan to exercise a wide range of contingencies because of that plan, we were able to draw down our embassy and move our remaining personnel to the airport within 48 hours. and the military placed on stand by president button was able to secure the airport and start the evacuation within 72 hours. evacuation itself was an extraordinary effort under the most difficult conditions imaginable. by our diplomats, by our military, by our intelligence professionals. they worked around the clock to get american citizens, afghans who helped us citizens of our allies and partners,

and at risk afghans on plains, out of the country, and off to the united states. what the transit locations that our diplomats had arranged a negotiated in multiple countries. a consular team or 247 to reach out to americans who could still be in the country. making in those couple of weeks, 55000 and phone calls, sending 33000 minutes and they're still out in the midst of this heroic effort and isis k attack kill 13 service members working the gates of only 20 years and killing and moni scores of afghans these american service members gave their lives so that other lives could continue. in the end, we completed one of the biggest air lists and history of 124000 people evacuated to safety and august 31st couple the military mission and afghan. stan officially ended and

a new diplomatic mission began. why don't we dollars more than 2 dozen countries that have helped with the relocation effort? some served as transit hubs, some welcoming afghan iraqis for longer periods of time. and i want to recognize the extraordinary efforts by congress as well can. i'm just a few examples. congressman with project worked with the state department to reunite and act in family in new jersey congress from keating work for the folks on the ground to help a voice american reporter, his family get to the airport. congressman jacobs and congressmen. this worked across party lines to draw attention to cases of legal, permanent residence and afghans at risk. please know your emails, your cos, made a real difference in getting people out and we continue to use listen information you're providing in the next phase of the mission. let me not just briefly outline what the state problem is done over the next of the last couple of weeks and where

we're going in today's in weeks ahead. first, we moved our diplomatic operations from coupled to doha, where our new african affairs ferris team as far to work. many of our key partners have joined us their 2nd. we're continuing relentless efforts to help any remaining americans, as well as afghans and citizens of allen partner countries. leave afghanistan, if they so choose this past thursday, guitar always charter flight with us citizens and others on board, depart a couple and landed in on friday a 2nd flight carrying us citizens and others to part of that piano stand. these flights for the coordinate were the result of a coordinated effort by the united states cutter and turkey. to reopen the report, an intense diplomacy to start the flights. in addition to those flights, i half dozen american citizens, but it doesn't permanent residence of the united states, have also left afghanistan via an overland group. with our health. we're in

constant contact, american citizen, still an afghan, a stand who told us that they wish to leave each has been assigned a case management team to offer specific guidance and instruction. some decline to be on the 1st flight on thursday and friday, for reasons and any more time to make arrangements wanting to remain with extended family for now or medical issues that precluded traveling last week. we'll continue to help them and we'll continue to help any american who still wants to leave, and afghans to whom we have a special commit. just as we've done in other countries where we've actually, there are embassy and hundreds or even thousands of americans remain behind. for example, in libya, in syria, in venezuela, in yemen, in somalia. there is no deadline for this mission. 3rd, are focused on counter terrorist taliban as committed to prevent terrorist groups from using afghan to stand as a base for external operations that could threaten the united states or allies,

including out cater and isis. k will hold them accountable for that. that does not mean we will rely on we will remain a vigilant and monitoring threats. will maintain robots, counter terrorism capabilities in the region to neutralize those that if necessary . and we do that in places around the world where we do not have military forces on the ground. we continue our intensive diplomacy with allies and partners. we initiated a statement joined by more than half world countries over a 100 countries, as well as the united nations security council resolution. setting out the intervention communities expectations of a taliban, like government, respect the taliban to ensure a freedom of trout to make good on his commitments on counter terrorist to uphold the basic rights of the afghan people, including women, girls and minorities. to name a broadly representative, permanent government to force the legitimacy and support the taliban

cease from the international community will depend on its conduct. we organize contact groups with key countries to ensure the international community continues to speak with one voice on i've got to stand and to leverage or combine influence. last week, i let administer a meeting of 22 countries, nato. you the united nations, to continue to align our efforts and will continue to support your mandatory and a to the afghan people. consistent with actually, the said will not flow through the government. rather through independent organizations like n g o is new and agencies. just today we announced the united states is providing nearly 64000000 dollars in new manager and assistance to the people that dana stand to be critical needs address the protection concerns of women, children, minorities, to help more children, including girls go back to school. this additional funding means the united states has provided nearly $330000000.00 in assistance. the african people this fiscal

year in doha ramstein, i talked to the city where afghans that we evacuated are being process before moving on to their next destination. here at home, spend some time at the dulles expo center where more than 45000 afghans have been processed after arriving in the united states. it's remarkable, remarkable to see what our diplomats are military and employees and i don't civilian agencies across the us government have been able to achieve in a very short time. they've met an enormous human coordinated food, water, sanitation, thousands, tens of thousands of people. they arranging medical care, including the delivery of babies, the reuniting families who are separated and caring for unaccompanied miners. it's an extraordinary interagency effort and a powerful testament to the skill, the compassion, and the dedication of our people. we should all be proud of what they're doing. and

as we've done throughout our history, americans are now welcome, usama, math ganna stand into our communities and helping them resettle if they start their new lives. that's something to be proud of as well. thanks very much for for listening and with that mister chairman, writing mem, recall. i look forward your questions. thank you. thank you, secretary, blinking for your testimony. i will not recognize members for 5 minutes and pursuant the house rules all time yield. it is for the purposes of questioning our witness. i'll recognise members by committee, seniority, alternating between democrats and republicans. please note that i will be strict and enforcing the 5 minute time limitation for question. what do i mean? i don't want members to ask questions for 5 minutes and then not leave the secretary time to respond. so when addressing your questions,

please keep in mind that the 5 minutes is for questions and answers. i'll start by recognizing myself. mister secretary, you've mentioned it. an area of concern that i know is shared by all is the status of american citizens green caught home with this, and our s, our heroes who are yet to be evacuated. can you tell us how many of them remain in the country in country? and what is our plan to facilitate that evacuation now? yes, thank you mister chairman. so as at the end of last week, we had about 100 american citizens in afghanistan who told us that they wish to leave the country. and i want to emphasize that this is a snapshot in time. it's a, it's more accurately a moving picture as you don't stepping back for

a minute to know precisely at any given moment in time. exactly how many american citizens are in any country. it's something we can't and don't know, americans are not required to register when they go to a foreign country or if they reside there. and so from the start of this effort, we've been engaged in an intense effort to identify every american citizen that we could get them to be in touch with them in contact with them and to work with them if they want it to lead. we've also benefited greatly from information provided by congress to help us fill out this picture. but as of last week, there were about 100 who had we were in contact with who continue to express an interest to lead. we offered seats on the plains that got out last week to about 6030. came forward and use those seats. what happens in any, at any given moment, is that people are making decisions, hour by hour,

if not day by day, about whether to leave or not. and as i said earlier, these are incredibly wrenching decisions. because for the most part, this is a community of people who've been living, residing in afghanistan for all their lives. afghanistan is their home, they have extended famines and it's very, very hard for them, understandably, to make that decision. but that is the, the group that we're working with. now, what also happens is, as people will identify themselves, including since the end of the evacuation, as american citizens in afghanistan who wished to leave. so they get added to the picture. we get information from you from angie else from other groups, veterans groups about people purporting to be americans in afghanistan. we immediately seek to, to contact them, to engage with them to find out if in fact they're going to stand. and if in fact they want to leave, so this is a picture that will continue to change over time, but that is the, the rough population that we're working with right now. thank you. let me ask next

question. i know that the jump administration is able to tell are meant that they were $2500.00 troops remaining with less than 5 months to complete the withdraw at any time, did you did the by the administration? consider where do we negotiate the deal with a tell a ball. the taliban made abundantly clear and many public statements private statements to us to others around the world that it was going to hold us to the deadline that the previous administration negotiated. in terms of withdrawing the remaining american forces. it made very clear that if we move past that deadline, it would resume the attack that it had stopped on our forces and on our knowledge and partners, as well as to commence the onslaught on the cities that we we've seen in recent months. and so that was exactly the,

the choice that president biden faced, whether to go forward with the agreement and the commitments that his predecessor bade, in terms of withdrawing all forces by may 1st or return towards the taliban and escalate, not end the war now. but recovers, you know, what the president did do was to take some risk in extending past may 1st the time we would use to actually withdraw horses so that we could do it in the safest and most quarterly way possible. let me try one more appointed that, that deadline until september. so also we know that there are was appointed recently in the government, hot linus, and the new taliban group kind of bonds. commitment to she had power with other afghan political and social groups excludes women and minorities. how does this does the important appointment of this new government backed into the administration strategy to engage with the taliban or assumptions that did taliban

may have changed? so the, the interim government name by the taliban falls very short of the mark that was set by the international community offering passivity. that is to have a government that was broadly representative of the afghan people, not just the taliban. and it's chauncey to include women which this interim government does not. and as has been noted, it includes many key members who have very challenging track record. we've been very clear that when it comes to engaging with that government or any government to be named on a more current basis, we're going to do so on the basis of whether or not it advances our interest. and those interests are very clear. there are the expectations that we've set and the international community is set for the ongoing freedom of travel. for a government that makes good on the taliban commitments to combat terrorists not

allow, i can stand to be used as a haven for launching attacks directed against other countries to support the basic rights of the afghan people, including women and minorities. and to allow you mandatory assistance to get the people who so desperately need that will be the basis upon which we engage. any taliban lead government, whether it's the central government or what they may name in the days and weeks ahead. now, year for questions to vacuum. member mccord, there's chairman mr. secretary in the week before the fall, the cobbles this morning or to the taliban. i was on the phone with very high ranking officials at stay d o. the white house trying to save lives. we had americans that couldn't get out. we had interpreters, they couldn't get through the printer or the taliban. they are left behind, they will be executed. they do have a bull's eye on their back. we had 4 buses of app can girls orphans at

the american university school music that sat there for 17 hours. when i was finally told state department would not list the gate to let them in to safety. even though they had an aircraft waiting. will you guarantee to this committee now we are at the mercy. the tell them no. can you guarantee to this committee that we will get them out 1st at regular call. thank you for every effort that you made as well as other members of this committee may to help people in need to try to help them get out. those are deeply appreciate it and going forward. we continue to look this out. i have men and women in my department state department who raised their hands from around the world and ran into the building. they went from post around the world into that airport to help people get out. they were serving at the gates right alongside our brothers and sisters in uniform,

including the 13 who gave their lives literally trying to pull people in as necessary or to walk them in to talk them in to do everything they possibly could to bring american citizens to bring up cancer risks to bring the nationals of our partners and others into the airport. it's time is limited and we think it's important to us. we also thank the service and we also thank the service of people that worked and operation pineapple and done kurt. i would ask the state department, work with them. those are heroes, as well as the state department officials. you're talking about my last question. very important, barger went down. the embassy went down and we went dark. we have no eyes and years on the ground. we've lost intelligence capability in the region that includes russia, china and iran is, you know, this is a national security threats. china moves and for all i know they may take over bar

gram airbase. but this over the horizon capability i believe, is exaggerated. it's not a viable option. is too far away. did you negotiate with countries like who's pakistan or, or to chic, just on to put an ios or capability there. and my last question, is it true? the president couldn't threaten the present united states saying he could not build intelligence capabilities in the region, not build intelligence capabilities in the region. this is an, this is an important question and one that in its detail and substance, i think we need to take up in another setting for readers. i know that you, you very much appreciate, let me just say this very broadly. you know this very well given your, your focus and expertise on these issues. the turner status in the past, the size dramatically over the last 20 years. and it's most acute in places like

yemen, like livia, like iraq, like syria, like somalia. and of course, we have much greater and different capabilities only 20 years ago in terms of dealing with that threat. and in many countries around the world, we deal with it effectively with no us boots on the ground. we lost some capacity for sure, and not having those boots on the ground in afghanistan. but we have ways and we are very actively working on that to, to make up for that to mitigate for that to make sure that we have no eyes on the problem to see if it re emerges and get to stand. and to do a lot of what i would propose, and if i can a recording session, i would, i would like to work with you because if we can't see what's happening on the ground, we can't see the threat. we can't respond to it. the threats only going to grow it's can get worse, not better. and we have to have that capability. you know, let me ask you one last question. we had these planes grounded that marjorie sharif and the taliban seems to be holding these points up. what are you currently

negotiating with the taliban with respect to these americans are trying to get out on these points and also are you negotiating with the taliban on the issue of legit? legitimizing them as a real government? not only us, but virtually the entire international community, including in the united nations security council resolution has made clear what we expect and will assist from the taliban if they want to seek any legitimacy or any support. and that includes it starts with freedom of travel. so we've been intensely engaged with turkey and cutter to get the airport in capital up and running again, which is now the case. and we started to get flights out last week with american citizens on board. and with regard to missouri sharif, you're correct. there been charter flights.