more chaotic scenes at kabul airport as people scramble to leave afghanistan. footage emerges of a toddler handed over a wall to western soldiers, in the hope of a better life for the child abroad. many of them don't actually have visas or the necessary documentation. it's very unlikely they will be evacuated, but they are still willing to put up with these awful conditions. the still willing to put up with these awful conditions.— still willing to put up with these awful conditions. the us military sa s it's awful conditions. the us military says it's ramping _ awful conditions. the us military says it's ramping up _ awful conditions. the us military says it's ramping up evacuations| awful conditions. the us military - says it's ramping up evacuations and says it's ramping up evacuations and says that 7000 civilians have already been taken out of afghanistan in the last five days. also evidence has emerged about bands taliban campaigns of threats, including letters against those who worked with the west and their families. we will bring you details of that and also report from haiti, it's been five days since the earthquake there, and many of the worst hit areas remain without help. the death toll is already past 2000.

the airport in kabul is the only way to leave the country by air — and thousands of foreign nationals and afghans are trying to do that. this gives you some sense of the desperation. a toddler being handed over to soldiers at the airport. and this woman is being helped over the wall by soldiers. but even getting this close to the airport is difficult. the taliban control the checkpoints on the route to the airport. kim sangupta is the defence editor for the independent — and he's in kabul. there is no guarantee that if you go past one checkpoint that you will pass the other. the taliban have got every single checkpoint from the city centre up centre up to the airport. they've also got that checkpoint which then veers right

into the military airport. and, really, that chances of getting through these checkpoints depends to a large extent on the type of fighters there are manning them. some have been ok, but then again, you've got others where fighters are extremely aggressive and quite violent as well. so, you know, it's a real ordeal for these people to get through, people who have actually got foreign passports are finding it slightly easier than the ones with afghan passports, but, you know, it is still a horrendousjourney. not everyone does get through those check points. one woman with a valid visa was stopped by the taliban and forced to go home because she was not with a man. here she is speaking to the bbc�*s afghan service.

and there has been violence near the airport — deaths have been reported, shots have been fired. the taliban allege foreigners have opened fire to disperse the crowds but there are reports the taliban have acted in the same way. here's more on the violence from secunder kermani. when i was happy airport, we have seen all these awful scenes in recent days. one man running up to me and whispering in my ear, despite taliban fighters being

around, he said, love, tell the world they have not changed. they are the same as they were in the 19905. are the same as they were in the 1990s. they are beating people, they are firing into the air. they are scaring us. so you see these two different sides, and it's hard to resolve them. i was speaking to some of those taliban fighters there, they are quite frustrated it seems with the images that are being projected around the world of so many afghans wanting to flee the country. they want, of course, to project an image of stability. so in fact, they were stopping us from filming on a number of occasions. at times, they were aggressive, but other times they reprimand we had long conversations. and you can see those evacuation planes leaving here. this was filmed on board an evacuation flight conducted by the uk military. according to the government at least two planes have left today. carrying hundreds of people. here's the uk defence secretary ben wallace. things are changing rapidly. that's why, to me, every hour counts.

that's why i'm putting in another company of soldiers today to help with public order and to get it through. and, you know, if at the end of the day we are allowed to stay longer, or we can stay longer, then that is a real benefit to us all. but in the rush to get to the airport at least 12 people have died. my colleague zarghuna kargar has been talking to one woman who went there with her husband and four children on monday. her husband got caught up in the chaos and was shot. we're not naming her or showing her face because for security reasons, she explains what happened that day. translation: that morning, | my husband read on facebook that the americans are helping people to get out and accept them as refugees. he said people have written that the americans have a really good attitude, they want to help afghans and that they are families with kids. ——good attitude, they want to help afghans and that they are accepting families with kids. so we heard all of this on facebook, and my husband and i with my children took a taxi,

we went to the airport. at the airport, it was really busy. the taliban where outside and they kept making fun of us as we were going into the airport. they said when you go to america, he can say what you want about us, but here, we will suck your blood, so we were scared but still went inside. it was really, really busy. i was with my kids, and among the crowd, i lost my husband. we got separated from each other. he was trying to get us to a safer corner, but fighting started and we saw bullets everywhere. my husband saw us, he was running towards me to get me and the children, and that was where he was hit. they shot him. he fell to the ground. iran towards him and left my children. who was shooting? translation: the americans and the taliban were firing. i the taliban were shooting in the direction of the aeroplane, so americans also started shooting. but it was chaos. we were behind the taliban. he was facing the americans and he got shot. it was a horrible time. i was in shock, i'm still in shock. i held my husband and put him in a luggage trolley. people take their luggage and with thousands of hopes of going abroad, but i was carrying my injured husband in it, and he

was bleeding and shot. i was holding his hand, if i let go it would fall. i was in a terrible situation, and no one was helping me. people watching but not helping. i came out to take him to the hospital. i stood in front of a car driving towards me, i didn't care if i was hit and died, ijust wanted to take into the hospital as soon as i could. i forced the driver to help me. i couldn't close the door of the car, i was screaming. i just wanted to take him to the hospital. when i took them to the hospital, he was still alive. he was worried about the children. my family called me and they said that they had seen my kids at the airport and taken them home. and when he heard this, he calmed down and he died, and our lives were destroyed. and moving away from the airport now a un document says the taliban are intensifying their hunt for people who worked for and collaborated with nato and us forces. it says the taliban have lists of individuals they want to arrest. the document says those at particular risk are people with positions in the military, police and investigative units.

this letter was written to an individual threatening the to kill or arrest family members if they do not surrender. here's one of the authors of the report. the taliban and in advance of moving into all major cities in afghanistan, notjust cobble is that they have a more advanced intelligent system, a list of individuals and even within the very first hours of —— kabul from a moving into kabul, they began searching for former government employees, especially in intelligence services and special forces units. this is not the action of random taliban groups seeking revenge. this involved and issued a written order from the military commission of the taliban and, and

it involves actual intelligence, photographs and so on of the individuals they are searching for. i would like to stress that the taliban and that we are currently seeing is definitely a different animal than what we encountered 20 years ago. they are more advanced, they have a much more improved financial system and intelligent system. and the fact that they can commence as funds for former collaboratively —— collaborators are individuals working with western intelligence services of special forces units, notjust in kabul, but elsewhere shows that the taliban and wear very well prepared on this. for mind this report, here is the bbc's mind this report, here is the bbc�*s security correspondent, frank gardner. . ., , gardner. the evidence that is startina gardner. the evidence that is starting to — gardner. the evidence that is starting to come _ gardner. the evidence that is starting to come out - gardner. the evidence that is starting to come out saying l gardner. the evidence that is i starting to come out saying that there _ starting to come out saying that there is— starting to come out saying that there is this man hunt list that's been drawn up in advance of the taliban— been drawn up in advance of the taliban taking over provincial capitals, _ taliban taking over provincial capitals, they knew they wanted to target, _ capitals, they knew they wanted to target, and they are now threatening

those _ target, and they are now threatening those relatives saying hand them over, _ those relatives saying hand them over. or— those relatives saying hand them over, or else he will get arrested and possibly killed. i'm sure this will be _ and possibly killed. i'm sure this will be denied by taliban leadership you want_ will be denied by taliban leadership you want to present, it is in their interest— you want to present, it is in their interest to — you want to present, it is in their interest to present an aspect of normatitx _ interest to present an aspect of normality. they want people to stay in the _ normality. they want people to stay in the country, they want to build that according to their own scriptures. it's not in their interest, _ scriptures. it's not in their interest, but the practicality is that these are the people who have been hunting down the hot tiny network— been hunting down the hot tiny network as network as well as at-anda _ network as network as well as al-qaeda for the last 20 years. of course _ al-qaeda for the last 20 years. of course they— al-qaeda for the last 20 years. of course they are going to want to go after them — course they are going to want to go after them. they will want to the very least — after them. they will want to the very least question them. worryingly for the _ very least question them. worryingly for the west, the fact that some of their methods, so the road back into westerh_ their methods, so the road back into western intelligence are now going to be revealed. this is yet another blow_ to be revealed. this is yet another blow for— to be revealed. this is yet another blow for the west in its attempt to try to _ blow for the west in its attempt to try to stop— blow for the west in its attempt to try to stop terrorism seeping out of afghanistan in the future. the ori . ins afghanistan in the future. the origins of _ afghanistan in the future. the origins of the _ afghanistan in the future. he origins of the international struggle against the taliban and lie in the attacks of september the 11th 20 years ago, nearly 3000 people were killed in them. the vast

majority in new york. al-qaeda had found a safe haven in afghanistan and it was able to plot 911 from there. that's why the us decided to invade afghanistan. as our correspondent has been hearing in new york, some of those affected are now feeling fearful again. in the soaring skyline of lower manhattan, there remains a heart—rending gap where the towers of the world trade center once stood. their footprints turned into memorials for the victims. within a month of the horrific acts which took their lives, 7,000 miles away military operations were being launched. the war in afghanistan of course was started in the name of those who died at this spot nearly 20 years ago, in trying to find their killers, in trying to ensure an attack like that never happened again. but some of those relatives left behind are now among those who are furious at how it has all ended. ao—year—old katherine wolf

from swansea was working on the 97th floor of the north tower when it was struck by a plane. no remains of hers were ever identified. her husband charles says there's no question the war was justified, and that he had certainly celebrated the death of 0sama bin laden, but that he has been shocked by recent events. the situation that just occurred in afghanistan over the weekend was inexcusable. absolutely inexcusable. what they did was pull out — how they did it was absolutely wrong. absolutely wrong. after this debacle this last weekend, i do not feel proud of our leaders, i feel proud about our nation but not our current leaders. each room has a little piece ofjoe in it. christine lemm feels a huge amount of pride for her husband, joe. he was in the new york police at the time of the 9/11 attacks and was one of those who pulled bodies from the rubble.

that day was the reason he re—enlisted and went to fight in afghanistan. but it was there that he was killed. they went over there to make america safer after what happened at 9/11. so how are we safer now, with the taliban taking over? i'm sick to my stomach. looking at a 20—year war wherejoe and over 2,300 soldiers have died in the afghan war, all to be given back to the taliban. joe was specifically killed by a taliban suicide bomber. christine's son was just four years old when he saluted the coffin of his father. for all the sacrifice, there are suddenly fears the chaos far away means a new, more dangerous area here. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in new york.

joe biden has a 31 august deadline to get us forces out — but he's acknowledging he may need to go beyond that to get all us civilians out. he made the comments in an interview with abc news' george stephanopoulos. the commitment to get everyone out that in fact we can get out and everyone that should come out, and that is the objective. that is what we're doing now, that is the path we are on and i think we will get there. so americans should understand that troops might have to be there beyond 31? nw, americans should understand that we are going to try to get it done before august 31. but if they don't, that troops will stay? if we don't, we will determine at the time who is left. and? and if there is american citizens left, we are going to stay until we get them all out. but although some us citizens and allies have managed to leave — many still remain behind. it's estimated that up to 15,000 us citizens are currently in the country. washington has pledged to evacuate

all remaining american citizens. they've also promised to withdraw at least 50,000 afghans. that includes former translators for the us military. the us say approximately seven thousand people have been evacuated so far. this is from a pentagon briefing. the us military footprint in kabul has now more than 5200 total troops on the ground. kabul airport remains secure and open for flight operations. there are now multiple gates that have access for entry into the airfield, which will help expedite processing in a safe and orderly manner. president biden has faced intense criticism both at home and abroad for the way in which the evacuation has been handled. representative jason crow, a colorado democrat and a former army ranger who served in afghanistan said...

the democrat was referring to this moment when some afghans hang on to the fuselage. several fell to their deaths. and on the other side of the aisle, some strong words from senate republican leader mitch mcconnell... "the biden administration's botched exit from afghanistan...is a shamefulfailure of american leadership." also in the abc interview, president biden was asked about his administrations approach to the evacuation — here's what he had to say. you don't think think could've been handled, incident could have been handled in any way because make no mistakes? no, i don't think it could've been handled in a way that... we're going to go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there is a way to have out without chaos ensuing, i don't know how that happens. i don't know how that happened. so for you, that was always priced into the decision? yes.

it's five days since an earthquake struck haiti — and the prime minister has said the country is "on its knees". in a video address, ariel henry said the extent of haiti's fragility had again been revealed — and that the situation was heart—breaking. the number of dead is now nearing 2,200 and the number of wounded is estimated to be at least 12,000. but medical help is scarce, and there are still many areas which aid workers have not been able to access. 0ur correspondent james clayton reports from the village of marceline, near the earthquake's epicentre. as you head out from the city of les cayes to the rural areas, the road is marked by landslides and deep cracks. this village is remote, and the scale of the

damage catastrophic. rose—marie took me to her house. her 15—year—old son was charging his phone when the quake hit. the wall collapsed on him. translation: these are his books. he had recently got them so he could start a new year of school. and now, he's gone. i wrap his shirt around my waist. it keeps me strong. when you come to these rural areas, the level of destruction just ups a notch. almost every single house here is completely destroyed. five people were killed in this house alone. and to understand why, you have to look at the cement and rock that these houses are built from. it's really hard to lift this. it's really heavy, and of course, when those kinds of walls fall down, they can cause catastrophic injuries. with no sign of aid or help,

many people are living on top of the rubble of what was their homes. "do we have to scream for the government to hear us?" this woman says. "or is life over?" the people of haiti feel like they've been forgotten. and in many ways, they have. james clayton, bbc news. let's hear more about what humanitarian is — and isn't getting — isn't through to haiti. this is carl—henry petit—frere who works with save the children. at save the children, we prioritise locations that we know very well where we already have interventions. and we have been in contact with our focal points and communities and in schools. fortunately, yesterday

between the departments and with the school, we were able to talk to the school, we were able to talk to the school principal to have an idea of the loss in those areas. most of the schools are destroyed, which means that people cannot go there, and there is a lot of homes lost children and their families are sleeping outside. they need beds, they need shelter so they can be protected. they need water and they need food. just a few minutes ago, i paid you some clips from joe biden's interview with abc news, he was being asked about the situation in afghanistan, let's bring in barbara platt usher live with us from washington, dc. barbara, you watch

the whole interview, what was your assessment of what president said? i thought it was quite remarkable that he still refused to make any sort of admission of mistake orfailure saying that there had been no intelligence assessment that things would collapse this rapidly, that they had made contingency plans and that this is what we were seeing play out right now, but furthermore, he said that it wouldn't have been possible to leave afghanistan without some sort of gas, which is exactly the opposite of what he said last month in which he said it would be an orderly withdrawal. also not really an acknowledgement, at least at that point of the cast being a danger to these many afghans to feel they have to get out quickly to save their lives. 0ther they have to get out quickly to save their lives. other things that he said, he did acknowledge concern for women's rights, but he said that military power was not the way to get them, that they would need to be done through economic and diplomatic pressure. he said that the military had not advised him to hold off on

the withdrawal. it's been widely reported that the military wanted to keep a stabilisation force in the country. he said that that had not been proposed, which was a surprise as well. and he also talked about the threat of the possible threat of terrorism increasing, whether this would give more space to terrorist groups to grow he said possibly, but he said that threat was greater elsewhere in syria and in africa, isis and al-qaeda had metastasize and moved elsewhere. it was important to focus resources on those areas as well.— important to focus resources on those areas as well. barbara, i want to ask about — those areas as well. barbara, i want to ask about something _ those areas as well. barbara, i want to ask about something which - those areas as well. barbara, i want l to ask about something which perhaps didn't come up as much, and we saw this yesterday in the debate of the house of commons as well in the uk. i didn't get the sense that he or indeed the interviewer wanted to talk very much about the merits of spending 20 years trying to do this. the focus to be and how well or otherwise the withdrawal has gone from a net whether the americans were right in the first place to start doing that.—

start doing that. well, there has been quite _ start doing that. well, there has been quite a _ start doing that. well, there has been quite a lot _ start doing that. well, there has been quite a lot of, _ start doing that. well, there has been quite a lot of, you - start doing that. well, there has been quite a lot of, you know, i been quite a lot of, you know, evaluation and the press, analysts and pundits and so on about the failure of the war in afghanistan or the intervention in afghanistan. that is really a collective failure of four administrations. you have had agencies they are going over the failures as they wear. so i think the interview is more focused on the moment whichjoe biden can take responsibility for. the war is the collective failure of others, but the execution of the departure is on hand, and he is going to be the one who has the face of it, and this is why you have the questions focused on that. i guess i lots of people responding to this interview and also to the speech on monday think this is a continuation of donald trump's america first approach, just with the democratic presidents instead of a republican one. is that something that democrats perhaps away from the microphones off the

record would accept?— record would accept? well, i think that they would _ record would accept? well, i think that they would accept _ record would accept? well, i think that they would accept that - that they would accept that president biden has wanted to get out of afghanistan for quite a while for the past decade he has been advocating some form of withdrawal. it was an open question as to whether he would stick with mr tran's planned to leave. in the end, he did so, and i think that probably discomforted some democrats. certainly many of them are horrified by the way things have turned out. the democratic chair is of no less than four congressional committees mr biden is still quite adamant that he has made the right decision in the big picture and he was asked in that interview, but you have withdrawn troops even if president trump hadn't pledged to do so in that much criticised deal with the taliban and? and he said yes, he would've done so in some form. and he said there is never a good time to leave afghanistan, but we

achieved our counterterrorism goals and we should never have been engaged in nation—building. barbara, we believe that there. barbara platt usher live from us from washington, dc. just to reiterate what we were talking about earlier, report has come out today as highlighting evidence that that taliban has lists of people who worked with the us and its allies and in some cases those people are now receiving saying they need to cooperate with authorities and will be with under sharia law, and will be with under sharia law, and some copies of those have also been released as we were seeing earlier. so concern growing about how those who work for the americans may be treated which connects to the pressure that we are seeing at kabul airport with many afghan people trying to get out of the country. we will continue to talk about the strain a couple of minutes' time. hello again. well, so far this month, the weather has been quite average

in terms of the amount of rainfall we've seen, quite average for temperatures too, but, it has been a cloudy month. and today we had a lot of cloud in the skies once again. yeah, a few breaks in the cloud every now and then. the thickest cloud is across northern england where we had some outbreaks of rain. and talking of rain, to our west, we've got these weather fronts associated with this low pressure, and that will be bringing bands of rain across the uk over the next few days. 0ur overnight tonight, it's a dry picture for most of us, but we're going to keep extensive cloud across the skies, maybe a few mist patches forming by dawn. but not a cold night — temperatures about 10—14 celsius. now, tomorrow, the first sign of that area of rain will make its presence felt in northern ireland with the rain turning heavy and steady here. i think for scotland, england and wales, a better chance of seeing some bigger breaks in the cloud and a bit more in the way of sunshine, and we may well hold on to some of that sunshine for the far north of scotland and the far east of england, but at the same time, the cloud well thicken out west

with some rain gathering across western scotland, pushing into the northwest of both england and wales. top temperatures about 22 celsius or so. now, the weekend is going to start off on a wet note. low pressure in charge, and these weather fronts slowly pushing eastwards. sunday is going to be the better of the two days weather—wise. so, rain on the charts for saturday. because this rain is arriving a bit quicker than had been forecast, it means that there is less time for temperatures to rise particularly high across eastern areas. so, not as hot as you might have seen in the forecast over recent days. our top temperatures about 22—23 celsius. the rain heavy at times has it works eastwards with a mixture of sunshine and showers following saturday afternoon for northern ireland, for wales and the southwest of england. now, we still have a bit of rain left on the charts across eastern england on sunday. that will clear out of the way. sunday, generally a day of sunshine and showers, but it's these showers across the midlands,

central—southern england, and perhaps the southeast that we need to keep a close eye on, because they're notjust going to be heavy, they could be thundery and slow—moving in nature. so, potentially one or two naughty showers around. into next week, high—pressure builds, and that means the weather is going to become a lot drier, a lot more settled, more sunshine to go around, temperatures into the low 20s. so no heat wave on the cards.

hello, i'm ros atkins.

this is 0utside source. we've seen more chaotic scenes at kabul airport as people continue to try and leave afghanistan. this footage a merge of a toddler being handed over a wall. so kindercare money is in kabul the pillow it's very unlikely they will be evacuated but they're still willing to put up with these awful conditions of. it's a 7000 civilians have been taken out of afghanistan in the last five days. threats against those who worked with the west and their families has emerged. and five days after haiti's earthquake, many areas remain without help.

since taking power, the taliban have promised to uphold a number of civil freedoms. have promised to uphold these range from ensuring media independence to women's rights — but with a major caveat — that people must live "within the framework of sharia law", otherwise known as islamic law. here's what they said about women. translation: there will be nothing against women in our ruling. - our people accept our women are muslims. they accept islamic rules. if they continue to live according to sharia, we will be happy, they will be happy. since that press conference, the group have made no official statements about that islamic law, but we're already seeing things change. these pictures are from kabul. images of women used for advertising being spray painted over to meet the modesty expectations of the new regime. how the law will be applied is being discussed by ordinary taliban militants. here's one member —

thought it's important to note that he doesn't speak on behalf of the organisation. we have another council that is called concil of scholars, so they will soon decide. we are muslims. people in afghanistan, 99.999% are muslims, and they believe in islam. when you believe in a law, definitely, you should apply that law. so, islam is a law. let's take a look a closer look at what sharia law means. sharia law is islam's legal system, based on the koran and the rulings of islamic scholars. it acts as a code of conduct for muslims and can impact every aspect of daily life depending on how strictly it is followed. sharia law divides offences into two broad categories: "hadd" offences, which are serious crimes with set penalties, and "tazir" crimes, where the punishment is left to the discretion of a judge.

the kinds of things which constitute hadd offences are theft and adultery. these can lead to brutal penalties, but severe punishments are rarely carried out because a high level of proof is required. the previous taliban regime was infamous for its strict interpretation of sharia, which included handed out punishments like whippings, hangings and public stonings. now, the group want to present themselves as a more moderate force, but this remains to be seen. abed awad is a lawyer in the united states and an expert in islamic law. thank you very much forjoining us. did you have many of your questions answered by that press conference in terms of the nature of the sharia law it will be applying? flit terms of the nature of the sharia law it will be applying? of course not. first, _ law it will be applying? of course not. first, thank— law it will be applying? of course not. first, thank you _ law it will be applying? of course not. first, thank you very - law it will be applying? of course not. first, thank you very much l law it will be applying? of course i not. first, thank you very much for inviting me. the sharia is a methodology that produces knowledge, so it's really a process to

construct and ascertain divine will that guides us to a more unethical lifestyle. it's not black and white. what the taliban are talking about in their discussions, and us as western trained attorneys and would understand, emanated from of legislated body. sharia was very diverse and it thrived based on diversity and richness of no monopoly over divine will. what you're seeing with the taliban is taking sharia and politicising the religious scholar the output to become an oppressor oppressor version. so we do not know how they

will implement the sharia. we have to take into account that afghanistan has a corpus of law. it's a civil law system, they have a code based on the french code. they have a criminal code, and in the civil code, you have chapters that govern inheritance, marriage and divorce. what are they going to do? they be able to simply repeal an entire body of law with a simple decree —— they won't be able. what i think will happen is they are going to create scholars who will start renewing the existing status of these laws and may be create some amendments and changes allegedly to comply with sharia. but will they prohibit the banking system? are

they going to change the ownership of property? i think many of these things are still up in the air, but i don't think there will be massive changes. the issue will be relating to family law. it will relate to individual lives. these issues are going to take time. we also have to allow the afghan people and women, they also have agency. we can't superimpose american principles of gender equity or western base feminism on a society where 90% are under the poverty guideline of $2 a day. you have to give them agency. there are opposition... i day. you have to give them agency. there are opposition. . ._ there are opposition... i guess the more pressing _ there are opposition... i guess the more pressing question _ there are opposition... i guess the more pressing question is - there are opposition... i guess the more pressing question is whether| more pressing question is whether the taliban will give them the agency. but i'm curious, when you look at when the taliban was last in power, do you even recognise how it

implemented laws as being within the spectrum of what sharia can be? absolutely not because when it comes to these crimes, sharia has a sense ofjudicial due process and a sense ofjudicial due process and a sense of protection of the defendant, which is kind of based on beyond a reasonable doubt. i recently had reviewed 100 cases from saudi arabia involving sexual crimes, and it was without exception that every single judge said there is a doubt on the intention of what happened, therefore there is no execution and no punitive punishment. so the point is the sharia has due process. the taliban are using sharia as a political tool, and that's where it would lose its underpinnings of

privacy, of due process. we have to see to what extent the taliban are going to try to codify their version of the sharia, which is really not a virgin. it's a deformity of the system of law —— not a version. irate system of law -- not a version. we have to system of law —— not a version. we have to leave it there. thank you very much. abed awad, a lawyer in the us. we're going to look in detail at how the taliban managed to seize power with a fairly very little resistance in such a short space of time. next week, over 4000 athletes gather for the paralympics in tokyo. ahead of the games, a global campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the one billion people who have a disability. many are unlikely to go to school and half are out

of the employment market. paul carter reports. you are superheroes. really? yeah, we're superheroes, all right. this campaign is called we the 15. it aims to highlight and tackle issues faced by disabled people who make up 15% of the world's population, around 1 billion people. we get married! we met on a blind date! the international paralympic committee are leading the campaign, which is launching ahead of the tokyo 2020 games which begin in five days. it brings together a range of global bodies, including unesco, the european commission, and the disability alliance. we want to start from something positive, which is the paralympic games, but of course to change something that is very negative, that is the lack of inclusion. we do believe that the paralympics brings this visibility, that's why we are taking the opportunity of the games, but it's beyond sport. we want to tackle employment, we want to tackle home mobility, changing legislation in nations but at an international level. some who have competed in previous games that were seen as a watershed

moment for disability awareness don't believe that the pace of change has been fast enough. let's face it, being disabled in the uk is tough, and i think the paralympics does a greatjob of showcasing what disabled people can do, but i think it's so important for people like me to highlight that we still face it left on a train, not being able to go to my corner shop because there is a step into the shop. with 125 landmarks around the world being lit up purple, a colour long associated with the disability, this is clearly as athletes arrive at the paralympic village, other disabled people will be waiting to see if it brings about change to their lives. paul carter, bbc news. this is 0utside source live

from the bbc newsroom. 0ur lead story... contingently chaotic scenes at kabul airport as thousands tried to leave afghanistan. fighters have fired shots into the air and soldiers of use tear gas to control the crowds. let's return now to afghanistan and the chaotic events of the past few days. i want to take a step back and look at how the taliban has managed to seize power with seemingly no resistance. the taliban is in control of afghanistan. their president has fled and countries are scrambling to get people out. this took the us by surprise. i get people out. this took the us by surrise. ., ., surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else, surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else. see — surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else. see a _ surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else, see a collapse _ surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else, see a collapse that - surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else, see a collapse that size. - surprise. i did not, nor did anyone else, see a collapse that size. butj else, see a collapse that size. but that's what _ else, see a collapse that size. but that's what happened. let's go through how after 20 years of war, this unfolded so quickly. afghanistan is a country of 48

million. in 2001, a us—led coalition removed the taliban from power, following the 9/11 attack. al-qaeda had managed to use a country at the bates. the taliban didn't go away. years of fighting followed and tens of thousands of troops, militants and civilians died, as did thousands from the us—led coalition. in 2020, after direct talks between the taliban and the trump �*s administration. a deal was done. the taliban would not attack us troops, and the us committed to lead. the new president, joe biden, recommitted to that withdrawal of blue it is time to end america's longest war. they concluded with the americans going. this is our guide

footage. it was essential for acidity —— facility in afghanistan and onjuly the 5th, the americans left for good. without telling the afghan commander. several days later, president biden was asked to assess the risk he was taking with this withdrawal. i5 assess the risk he was taking with this withdrawal. is a assess the risk he was taking with this withdrawal.— this withdrawal. is a taliban take over inevitable? _ this withdrawal. is a taliban take over inevitable? no, _ this withdrawal. is a taliban take over inevitable? no, it— this withdrawal. is a taliban take over inevitable? no, it is- this withdrawal. is a taliban take over inevitable? no, it is not- over inevitable? no, it is not because we _ over inevitable? no, it is not because we have _ over inevitable? no, it is not because we have the - over inevitable? no, it is not because we have the afghan | over inevitable? no, it is not- because we have the afghan troops at 300,000 _ because we have the afghan troops at 300,000 well—equipped _ because we have the afghan troops at 300,000 well—equipped in— because we have the afghan troops at 300,000 well—equipped in the - because we have the afghan troops at 300,000 well—equipped in the world. i 300,000 well—equipped in the world. | -et 300,000 well—equipped in the world. i get something — 300,000 well—equipped in the world. i get something against— 300,000 well—equipped in the world. i get something against set _ 300,000 well—equipped in the world. i get something against set 75,000 i i get something against set 75,000 hollow— i get something against set 75,000 hollow man — i get something against set 75,000 hollow man-— i get something against set 75,000 hollow man. . , _, , hollow man. that figure is contested -- taliban- — hollow man. that figure is contested -- taliban. there _ hollow man. that figure is contested -- taliban. there are _ hollow man. that figure is contested -- taliban. there are questions - —— taliban. there are questions about the strength of the military.

the us continued its withdrawal the taliban continued to protect its operations. by the beginning of august, they took territory they have an occupied for 20 years. on the 6th of august came another strategic symbolic moment, and the taliban took its first capital. it was a city on the southern border of ireland. it fell without a fight. afghanistan made this plea to the us. ., . , .,. afghanistan made this plea to the us. ., . , .. ., , us. the council must act and prevent a catastrophic— us. the council must act and prevent a catastrophic situation. _ us. the council must act and prevent a catastrophic situation. we - us. the council must act and prevent a catastrophic situation. we are - a catastrophic situation. we are alarmed by incidences, by the taliban and their association. that alarm will have grown.— alarm will have grown. mostly without resistance. _

alarm will have grown. mostly without resistance. by - alarm will have grown. mostly without resistance. by now, . alarm will have grown. mostly without resistance. by now, a| without resistance. by now, a quarter of afghanistan's bit biggest cities were in his control. suck under her mummy was speaking to its fighters —— suck under current —— secunder kermani. -- secunder kermani. you're the ones who started — -- secunder kermani. you're the ones who started the _ -- secunder kermani. you're the ones who started the fighting _ -- secunder kermani. you're the ones who started the fighting here, - who started the fighting here, though. the un was speaking out against its progress. the un was speaking out against its rorress. ~ ., ., ., ., , , progress. women are already being killed and shot _ progress. women are already being killed and shot for _ progress. women are already being killed and shot for reaching - progress. women are already being killed and shot for reaching rules. l

killed and shot for reaching rules. it killed and shot for reaching rules. it time _ killed and shot for reaching rules. it time for— killed and shot for reaching rules. it time for the international community to prioritise peace in afghanistan. president biden was not shifting _ afghanistan. president biden was not shifting his position, and he placed responsibility on shifting his position, and he placed responsibili_ l i responsibility on its government. i think they're _ responsibility on its government. i think they're beginning _ responsibility on its government. i think they're beginning to - responsibility on its government. i think they're beginning to realise l think they're beginning to realise they have — think they're beginning to realise they have to— think they're beginning to realise they have to come _ think they're beginning to realise they have to come together - they have to come together politically— they have to come together politically at _ they have to come together politically at the _ they have to come together politically at the top. - they have to come together politically at the top. we'rej they have to come together - politically at the top. we're going to continue — politically at the top. we're going to continue to _ politically at the top. we're going to continue to keep— politically at the top. we're going to continue to keep our— politically at the top. we're going - to continue to keep our commitment, but i to continue to keep our commitment, but i do _ to continue to keep our commitment, but i do not _ to continue to keep our commitment, but i do not regret— to continue to keep our commitment, but i do not regret my— to continue to keep our commitment, but i do not regret my decision. - but i do not regret my decision. also— but i do not regret my decision. also on— but i do not regret my decision. also on the _ but i do not regret my decision. also on the 10th _ but i do not regret my decision. also on the 10th of— but i do not regret my decision. also on the 10th of august, - also on the 10th of august, the story was published. but the next day, white house spokesperson resisted the idea that the momentum was unstoppable. irate resisted the idea that the momentum was unstoppable-— was unstoppable. we are closely watchin: was unstoppable. we are closely watching the _ was unstoppable. we are closely watching the deteriorating - was unstoppable. we are closely l watching the deteriorating security situations. no particular outcome in our view is inevitable.— our view is inevitable. nothing is inevitable. _ our view is inevitable. nothing is inevitable, she _ our view is inevitable. nothing is inevitable, she said. _ our view is inevitable. nothing is inevitable, she said. no - our view is inevitable. nothing is inevitable, she said. no regrets, said joe biden. it was to take far less than that. on the same day,

they said a taliban victory was not inevitable. he travelled to the pacific city and whatever boost he was hoping for, this was undercut some afghans knew what this meant. the taliban could make it to kabul, and that— the taliban could make it to kabul, and that in— the taliban could make it to kabul, and that in itself is a big fear. they've — and that in itself is a big fear. they've always... even while a good negotiating with the americans. no was the answer, there was no political settlement. by the 13th of august, this was the us assessment. kabul is not right now in an imminent— kabul is not right now in an imminent threat— kabul is not right now in an. imminent threat environment.

clearly. — imminent threat environment. clearly. if— imminent threat environment. clearly. if you _ imminent threat environment. clearly, if you just _ imminent threat environment. clearly, if you just look - imminent threat environment. clearly, if you just look at - imminent threat environment. | clearly, if you just look at what the taliban _ clearly, if you just look at what the taliban have _ clearly, if you just look at what the taliban have been - clearly, if you just look at what the taliban have been doing, . clearly, if you just look at what . the taliban have been doing, you clearly, if you just look at what - the taliban have been doing, you can see that _ the taliban have been doing, you can see that they— the taliban have been doing, you can see that they are _ the taliban have been doing, you can see that they are trying _ the taliban have been doing, you can see that they are trying to _ the taliban have been doing, you can see that they are trying to isolate. i see that they are trying to isolate. the threat — see that they are trying to isolate. the threat to — see that they are trying to isolate. the threat to kabul— see that they are trying to isolate. the threat to kabul was _ see that they are trying to isolate. the threat to kabul was imminent| see that they are trying to isolate. i the threat to kabul was imminent by the next day. they took the afghanistan second longer city. the taliban were born in this province. to show off their gains, the group's fighters found themselves walking through the office. there was little doubt that the government could fall. the us began sending thousands of us troops to help with the knife evacuation. 0n to help with the knife evacuation. on saturday, the president addressed the nation. translation:

serious danger of instability. we are taking serious measures to deal with this. ~ ., are taking serious measures to deal with this. ~ . ., , , with this. whatever measures were not enough- _ with this. whatever measures were not enough- 0n _ with this. whatever measures were not enough. on sunday _ with this. whatever measures were not enough. on sunday the - with this. whatever measures were not enough. on sunday the 15th, i with this. whatever measures were | not enough. on sunday the 15th, the taliban entered kabul. it emerged that president donnie had fled the country. i spoke to merkin —— a spokesperson spoke to bbc news. thea;r spokesperson spoke to bbc news. they want to avoid — spokesperson spoke to bbc news. they want to avoid destruction of... to plundering. — want to avoid destruction of... to plundering, looters, who are waiting for sanction — plundering, looters, who are waiting for sanction. the properties of the people _ for sanction. the properties of the eo - le. for sanction. the properties of the eo le, ., , , for sanction. the properties of the --eole. , ., , , people. nine days after seizing its first capital. _ people. nine days after seizing its first capital, the _ people. nine days after seizing its first capital, the taliban _ people. nine days after seizing its first capital, the taliban had i people. nine days after seizing its| first capital, the taliban had taken over. there was perhaps no better illustration of its remarkable progress that these pictures of taliban fighters sitting behind

president ghani's desk. the issue was not whether the taliban was in control, it was. the immediate issue was the airport, as thousands of afghans and try to get out. herring footage it emerged a people desperately trying to get onto planes. with us helicopters being used to clear people from the runway. people chasing one us plane while others climbed to the fuselage. hours after this, president biden addressed americans and refused to accept mistakes have been made. i and refused to accept mistakes have been made. , ., and refused to accept mistakes have been made-— been made. i stand squarely behind my decision- _ been made. i stand squarely behind my decision. after _ been made. i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 _ been made. i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 years, - been made. i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 years, i've i my decision. after 20 years, i've learned — my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the _ my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard _ my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way _ my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way that - my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way that there i my decision. after 20 years, i've i learned the hard way that there is never— learned the hard way that there is never a _ learned the hard way that there is never a good _ learned the hard way that there is never a good time _ learned the hard way that there is never a good time to— learned the hard way that there is never a good time to withdrawal i learned the hard way that there is i never a good time to withdrawal us forces _ never a good time to withdrawal us forces. ., ., , never a good time to withdrawal us forces. . ., , a, ._ never a good time to withdrawal us forces. . .,, ' ~ forces. that was monday the 16th. on tuesday the — forces. that was monday the 16th. on tuesday the 17th, _ forces. that was monday the 16th. on tuesday the 17th, the _ forces. that was monday the 16th. on tuesday the 17th, the taliban - forces. that was monday the 16th. on tuesday the 17th, the taliban gave i forces. that was monday the 16th. on tuesday the 17th, the taliban gave a i tuesday the 17th, the taliban gave a prince conference —— press conference. it prince conference -- press conference-—

conference. it is very understandable i conference. it is very understandable the i conference. it is very - understandable the community conference. it is very _ understandable the community is expressing worried about the security of afghanistan. but i reassure all internationals the embassies to our neighbours that we will not be allowing the soil of afghanistan to be used against anybody. afghanistan to be used against an bod . .,, afghanistan to be used against an bod. ., ., anybody. those reassurances ring hollow for many, _ anybody. those reassurances ring hollow for many, and _ anybody. those reassurances ring hollow for many, and there i anybody. those reassurances ring hollow for many, and there was i anybody. those reassurances ring hollow for many, and there was a | hollow for many, and there was a growing fury the taliban should be an a position to offer them. we heard some of the fury in the house of commons, and borisjohnson what had his turn to defend the withdrawal.— had his turn to defend the withdrawal. . , .. ., withdrawal. the west cannot continue this us-led mission. _ withdrawal. the west cannot continue this us-led mission. a _ withdrawal. the west cannot continue this us-led mission. a mission i this us—led mission. a mission conceived _ this us—led mission. a mission conceived and executed in support and defence of america without american — and defence of america without american logistics, without us airpower— american logistics, without us airpower and without american might. whatever— airpower and without american might. whatever the rights and wrongs of the withdrawal, this is the point we've reached by wednesday the 18th. the taliban was working to form a

government. some of its leaders have arrived in the country. this was a welcome party. high level meetings were happening about the transfer of power. also on wednesday, the ousted president posted a video on facebook. translation: for now, i am in the united arab emirates so _ for now, i am in the united arab emirates so that _ for now, i am in the united arab emirates so that bloodshed i for now, i am in the united arab emirates so that bloodshed andl for now, i am in the united arab i emirates so that bloodshed and chaos is stopped _ emirates so that bloodshed and chaos is stopped. i'm — emirates so that bloodshed and chaos is stopped. i'm currently— emirates so that bloodshed and chaos is stopped. i'm currently in _ emirates so that bloodshed and chaos is stopped. i'm currently in talks- is stopped. i'm currently in talks to return — is stopped. i'm currently in talks to return to— is stopped. i'm currently in talks to return to afghanistan. - is stopped. i'm currently in talks to return to afghanistan. but i is stopped. i'm currently in talks to return to afghanistan. but any ho -e mr to return to afghanistan. but any hope mr ghani — to return to afghanistan. but any hope mr ghani looks _ to return to afghanistan. but any hope mr ghani looks slim. i to return to afghanistan. but any hope mr ghani looks slim. the i to return to afghanistan. but any| hope mr ghani looks slim. the us said it no longer continues mr ghani a figure in afghanistan. rather than seizing power away from the taliban, americans are much more concerned with the vast operation that's under way. with the vast operation that's under wa . , with the vast operation that's under wa . y ., , , way. currently, the military is focused on — way. currently, the military is focused on the _ way. currently, the military is focused on the specific i way. currently, the military is. focused on the specific mission way. currently, the military is i focused on the specific mission of conducting a noncombatant evacuation operation from afghanistan. this is likely to be probably the second

largest conducted by the united states. ., ., ., , . states. that operation very much focuses on _ states. that operation very much focuses on kabul _ states. that operation very much focuses on kabul airport. - states. that operation very much focuses on kabul airport. we i focuses on kabul airport. we continue to see desperate scenes. thousands of people continue to try to get into the airport and onto a flight, but as the americans acknowledge while they control the airport, they no longer control the entire process.— entire process. theme taliban informed us — entire process. theme taliban informed us they _ entire process. theme taliban informed us they are - entire process. theme taliban informed us they are prepared entire process. theme taliban i informed us they are prepared to provide _ informed us they are prepared to provide a — informed us they are prepared to provide a safe passage of civilians and we _ provide a safe passage of civilians and we intend to hold them to that. there _ and we intend to hold them to that. there is— and we intend to hold them to that. there is a _ and we intend to hold them to that. there is a far— and we intend to hold them to that. there is a far longer—term loss of control to consider. 0n there is a far longer—term loss of control to consider. on wednesday evening, secretary of state antony blinken tweeted. .. he goes on... as mr bullington knows, it's the taliban which is in

power now. all the way back to the 90s, and having spent 20 years fighting the us and its allies, this is no concern because whatever the leaders say or tweet come the reality is their influence is dwindling and the democracy they helped created is gone. it will be to china, russia and ireland that the taliban listen. —— iran on. it's an uncomfortable situation after thousands of lives lost. you can find more analysis elsewhere on the bbc. 0ur find more analysis elsewhere on the bbc. our bbc find more analysis elsewhere on the bbc. 0ur bbc is on the bbc website. the report will be on bbc iplayer shortly and you can find analysis pieces and audio if you prefer to listen via bbc sound. a wire to fire

close to california's safe capital is out of control —— a wildfire. we're told its raging through the el dorado national forest. it suddenly rapidly expanding on tuesday morning within a day it was consuming more than 53,000 acres. you can see the scale and the pictures. thousands of residents have been evacuated from this area. this is one of many fires currently burning in the western us. we'll keep a close eye on that. if you want more background information on that and other situations, you can get that through the bbc news website. thanks for watching. hello again. well, so far this month, the weather has been quite average

in terms of the amount of rainfall we've seen, quite average for temperatures too, but, it has been a cloudy month. and today we had a lot of cloud in the skies once again. yeah, a few breaks in the cloud every now and then. the thickest cloud is across northern england where we had some outbreaks of rain. and talking of rain, to our west, we've got these weather fronts associated with this low pressure, and that will be bringing bands of rain across the uk over the next few days. 0ur overnight tonight, it's a dry picture for most of us, but we're going to keep extensive cloud across the skies, maybe a few mist patches forming by dawn. but not a cold night — temperatures about 10—14 celsius. now, tomorrow, the first sign of that area of rain will make its presence felt in northern ireland with the rain turning heavy and steady here. i think for scotland, england and wales, a better chance of seeing some bigger breaks in the cloud and a bit more in the way of sunshine, and we may well hold on to some of that sunshine for the far north of scotland and the far east of england, but at the same time, the cloud well thicken out west

with some rain gathering across western scotland, pushing into the northwest of both england and wales. top temperatures about 22 celsius or so. now, the weekend is going to start off on a wet note. low pressure in charge, and these weather fronts slowly pushing eastwards. sunday is going to be the better of the two days weather—wise. so, rain on the charts for saturday. because this rain is arriving a bit quicker than had been forecast, it means that there is less time for temperatures to rise particularly high across eastern areas. so, not as hot as you might have seen in the forecast over recent days. our top temperatures about 22—23 celsius. the rain heavy at times as it works eastwards with a mixture of sunshine and showers following saturday afternoon for northern ireland, for wales and the southwest of england. now, we still have a bit of rain left on the charts across eastern england on sunday. that will clear out of the way. sunday, generally a day of sunshine and showers, but it's these showers across the midlands, central—southern england, and perhaps the southeast that we need to keep a close eye on, because they're not

just going to be heavy, they could be thundery and slow—moving in nature. so, potentially one or two naughty showers around. into next week, high pressure builds, and that means the weather is going to become a lot drier, a lot more settled, more sunshine to go around, temperatures into the low 20s. so no heat wave on the cards.

this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. the headlines at 8:00.

some at kabul airport hand over their children to us marines,