— fighters to refrain from fighting in kabul city which some interpret as not to— kabul city whichinterpret as not to enter, not to fight in the city~ _ not to enter, not to fight in the city~ there _ not to enter, not to fight in the city. there have been a number of reports _ city. there have been a number of reports and — city. there have been a number of reports and maybe when we come on here next— reports and maybe when we come on here next time we can refer to the other— here next time we can refer to the other reports. but another bbc colleague in kabul was at the government office a few months ago and they— government office a few months ago and they were asked to leave and the office _ and they were asked to leave and the office was— and they were asked to leave and the office was closed. the morass to evacuate — office was closed. the morass to evacuate uncertain shops in kabul were _ evacuate uncertain shops in kabul were shut — evacuate uncertain shops in kabul were shutdown. he told me without any reason _ were shutdown. he told me without any reason it was closed and

of kabul and stop the gates of the cityals are reporting that has been breached. the taliban statement also says the security of kabul is the responsibility of the afghan government until the transition takes place. it looks what was happening in the background between the president and various afghan leaders and the americans and others has been about some sort of a deal which sees an afghanistan president either stepstone or resigns on a new government, that is a transitional government, that is a transitional government, comes into play. but this is again a city of at least 6 million people, a city that went through a civil war and with the taliban many deadly attacks of the past 20 years. it will not be easy to ensure residents who have been left to chaos and uncertainty and left to chaos and uncertainty and left to chaos and uncertainty and left to the possibility of bloodshed and killings and as we had, foreign and killings and as we had, foreign and western diplomats have left to undisclosed locations. the afghans do

obviously in kabul city, the people i obviously in kabul city, the people here do— obviously in kabule in control so — here do not want the taliban to be in control so even if... it is still not _ in control so even if... it is still not a _ in control so even if... it is still not a great _ in control so even if... it is still not a great situation to be in for many— not a great situation to be in for many people, especially for women in kabul— many people, especially for women in kabul and _ many people, especially for women in kabul and there have been reports 'ust kabul and there have been reports just come — kabul and there have been reports just come out that apparently the interior— just come out that apparently the interior minister has said there will he — interior minister has said there will he a — interior minister has said there will be a transitional administration as per the agreement and there _ administration as per the agreement and there will not be an attack against — and there will not be an attack against kabul. afghan forces have been _ against kabul. afghan for

city? well, that is very catastrophic. as soon as i | is very catastrophic. as soon as i landed this morning here in kabulre of the city was entirely different, and there was a huge trafficjam in kabul city from the airport towards the outskirts of the airport towards the outskirts of the kabul city, and i could see the families, kids, females, everyone with their belongings in their cars, trying to get out of the city, and they looked depressed, devastated and defeated.— and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul. thank — and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul, thank you _ and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul, thank you very _ and defeated. malik mudassir in kabul, thank you very much. - here, the prime minister chaired an emergency cobra meeting this aftermoon, and parliament is being recalled to discuss the situation. borisjohnson said the immediate priority is to evacuate british citizens and afghans who had worked with the uk. here's our political correspondent ben wright. for 20 years, the uk has committed its military, money and lives to afghanistan. some of the fie

the taliban disbursed crowds with gunfire and some cities. at kabul airport, children have been hoisted above crowds, as people try to escape. the u.k. says it is unable to evacuate unaccompanied children. the u.s. president, joe biden, says his forces could stay in afghanistan until all american citizens are out. we have more from kabul. reporter: the problem is that with so many people, the taliban are overwhelmed. they have just closed down the airport road and put checkpoints on either side, trying to figure out who has a valid reason to enter and can actually get on these flights with the americans and other nations, or who is just trying their luck. they ran into issues, because the last couple of days, they have been trying to push back people shooting into the air, there are images of them whipping people, people trying to push them back. they were getting a lot of critique for that, obviously, because people were really scared. >> foreign aid is finally reaching rural parts of haiti. devastated by a powerful earthquake on saturday. hundreds o

kabul? this was the last ma'or city held by the — kabul? ma'or city held by the government _ kabul? this was the last ma'or city held by the government in h kabul? this was the last major city held by the government in the - held by the government in the northern region of afghanistan. it was a commercial hub and the border city with uzbekistan, so it is a huge military prize for the taliban. the government in kabul, the north is being dominated by the taliban, so they are now taking territories close to kabul city itself and in the morning they were targeting a town a0 kilometres south—west of kabul and they also targeted other provinces nearby, meaning the government now only has two cities, the big cities in kabul and one other, so there are expectations they might come under attack in the coming days, meaning the government is in charge of only kabul. now the taliban are tightening their stranglehold on the city itself and many people think the taliban might start the siege in the coming weeks. and when we see the number of key cities th

top of the hour right here on msnbc as we continue to watch these live pictures coming from the city of kabul. a city that is right now encircled by the taliban. by some reports, the taliban have been spotted within the streets of the city. there are reports that negotiations are taking place within the presidential palace there in the capital city. it's not clear if ashraf ghani who is taking part of those negotiations. also, we got word on that power will be transferred to a third-party, a temporary third-party soon. >> and we also know from our courtney kube's reporting there is gunfire in the kabul region. it's not characteristic of an all-out offensive. reports are there will be a peaceful transition there of at least temporary power here. we do know that the u.s. is going to be sending another battalion there to get troops out of the embassy, to get people also safely to the airport and get them out of the country. and this really has been a fast-moving development just over the last 24 hours with the taliban taking jalalabad in the outskirts of kabul where kabul is completely surrounde

kabul. things seemingly peaceful in the capital city of kabul. we are told that the taliban basically have that city surrounded. but also, the big news that we learned at the top of this hour from our richard angle who is there in the capital. he says that the taliban is negotiating with the afghan government for a transition of power. he says also that refugees are flooding to the u.s. embassy there in the city. in the meantime, there is an all out effort to try to evacuate the embassy there. >> and of course, we know that u.s. lawmakers are going to want to know a -- briefing on the situation and that is actually going to happen later this morning. they're getting an unclassified briefing on the situation in afghanistan. we're bringing in julie this morning with the latest. julie, talk to us about this briefing? what we're supposed to learn? what lawmakers are supposed to learn? learn>> good morning lindsey ad kendis. speaker pelosi originally called for a briefing on august 23rd, a day that the house returns from recess. but overnight, she call

kabul. some reports say they've begun entering the city. but a spokesman for the militants said they'd been told to wait. the afghan presidential palace has tweeted that gunshots have been heard at a number of points around kabul. these pictures filmed by the bbc in kabul show people attempting to leave the city. the taliban says negotiations are taking place to ensure a peaceful transition of power. us and british troops have been arriving in afghanistan to evacuate diplomatic staff from their embassies. earlier, thousands of afghans in the capital were seen trying to withdraw their savings from atms as fear gripped the capital. overnight, the insurgents seized the eastern city of jalalabad. local leaders handed it over without a fight according to reports. it means the taliban can secure the roads that connect afghanistan to pakistan — further consolidating their grip on power. let's speak to our south asia correspondent anbarasan ethirajan. this bill is a frightening shocking and surprising situation. i have been speaking to residents of

as you are witnessing yourself, the situation in kabul, a city of about 6 million people, is extremely worrying to say the least. we have seen chaotic scenes at the kabul international airport as desperate citizens are trying to leave the country. this to president, we -- mr. president, we are extremely concerned about the taliban not honoring their promises and commitments made in their statements at doha and other international forums. we have witnessed time and again how the taliban have broken their promises and commitment in the past. we have seen gruesome images of mass executions of military personnel and targeted secure -- targeted killings of civilians in kandahar and other big cities. mr. president, we cannot allow this to happen in kabul, which had been the last refuge of people escaping violence and tele-bands revenge attacks. -- taliban's revenge attacks. there are already reports of target killings and looting in the city. kabul residents are living in absolute fear right now. mr. president, there's no time for blame game anymore. we have an opportunity to prevent further

, one of the big cities in kabul.t come under attack in the coming days which means the government is in charge of kabul. with these provinces and coming from the north, now the taliban are tightening their stranglehold on the city itself and many people think the taliban might start this siege in the coming weeks. the northern part was considered an unusual anti—taleban bastion and the people there considered to be anti—taleban so those people are worried what will the taliban do once they captured these areas. that is why videos posted on social media show people fleeing in cars, pick—up trucks and lorries towards any other location and also towards kabul, the population of kabul increasing day by day with all of these people fleeing and trying for a safer location, first of all they want to save their life and second they want to escape from what they describe as taliban territory we are getting reports of executions and people being dragged out of their houses and they are not hearing anything about these people a

the last few days have been chaotic in kabul city. _ you. chaotic in kabul city. the - you. the last few days have been | chaotic in kabul city. the situation of the conflict... however, people, they are more people out on the streets and businesses are slowly and carefully reopening, seeing women in public, of course, that taliban have been trying to control things... the taliban spokesperson said the day before yesterday there were good and positive things to say about the taliban, however, i am very critical of what they say because the actions prove their true intentions. so, things i would say are concerning, there are reports of the door of people who worked with the door of people who worked with the government and media. there were reports by the us today that the taliban have been looking for people who work with the us and nato. however, in a situation like this, reports like these are very difficult to verify. it's very important that these things are recorded and investigated at the earliest possible opportunity. right. have you

in just two weeks, every major city has fallen and most provinces, leaving kabul surrounded and isolatedl the city's main prison is now in taliban hands. inmates are being let out. it is a pattern repeated across the country in recent days. personally, i hang my head in shame. the words "betrayal" and "abandonment", i think you used earlier, yalda, and that is what afghans feel, afghan colleagues, friends, afghans who have worked hard to build a modern afghanistan, worked hard as reliable allies and partners for us over the years. at the border with pakistan, afghans are fleeing. with or without fighting the taliban's takeover looks set to trigger a fresh wave of refugees. paul adams, bbc news. let's speak to our south asia correspondent, anbarasan ethirajan. here with the very latest. i do suggest breaking news. in here with the very latest. i do suggest breaking news. in the last few minutes. _ suggest breaking news. in the last few minutes, we _ suggest breaking news. in the last few minutes, we have _ suggest breaking news. in the last few minutes, we have a _ suggest breaking news.

she is a lawful permanent resident in new york whose 4 children in kabul were trying to escape the city there yesterday, her husband and the father for children worked with the u.s. military as an interpreter and he disappeared in 2013. he's presumed to be dead. it is believed that due to his work with the u.s. military. he was taken by the taliban. sunni does refugee case was picked up for resettlement in the u.s. but since arriving here, she has not been able to get safe passage for her children. >> to the petition she says i'm worried for my children's safety because the taliban is taking over everyone is running away from the kabul city and trying to get out of the country, but they are unsupervised kids by themselves all alone in an apartment and are really scared and afraid because of taliban coming in. >> sunni to came here to the u.s. hoping the government would help her get her kids back after her brother-in-law kidnap them in afghanistan. women do not have custody rights of their children if the father passes away the kids escaped and were approved for humanitarian parole, but

and leaving kabul the only city under government control. rol will last. let's bring in our chief international correspondent clarissa ward live in kabul. can you give us an update? do you know how close they are? >> reporter: they are at the gates, they are just on the edge. what they are saying is they don't want to enter the city violently. they want to enter it peacefully. they are saying they are continuing negotiations as to how that may happen. we heard from the afghan defenders that they are continuing to be in control of kabul that they have secure promises of international forces to help them keep control of kabul. i am assuring all afghan, no one can enter the city. it is fair to say that those assurances are unlikely to stop the real feeling of panic and chaos on the streets of the capitol here. we have heard a steady stream of helicopter all morning as u.s. personnel are evacuated. it was accompanied by three c chanucks. the fact that there is gun ship speaks to the fact that there are fears about that threat against u.s. personn

it is just kabul city centre.ook at what they said about the transition of power.- at what they said about the transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and _ transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and confusion _ transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and confusion in - transition of power. there is a lot of chaos and confusion in kabul. transition of power. there is a lot| of chaos and confusion in kabul at the moment. can you just help us understand what the taliban plan to do at present and next? yes, there should not be any confusion in kabul. we assure the people in the city of kabul that their properties, their lives are safe. there will be no revenge on anyone. we are the servants of the people and the country. our leadership have instructed our forces to remain at the gate of kabul and not to enter the city. we are waiting a peaceful transfer of power. but peaceful transfer of power to what? people in afghanistan have a lot of reason to feel fearful now, especially women.— lot of reason to

— running away from them, heading to kabul, a city of 4 million, and now of course — kabul, a cityg to find escape — of course they are trying to find escape routes, an escape route out. and let's — escape routes, an escape route out. and let's put _ escape routes, an escape route out. and let's put it on a human level as well, _ and let's put it on a human level as well, these — and let's put it on a human level as well, these are people who have now, you know. _ well, these are people who have now, you know, they'd seen that women can -et you know, they'd seen that women can get educated, they can fulfil their potential, and what they are looking at now _ potential, and what they are looking at now is _ potential, and what they are looking at now is the sheer terror. i mean, i at now is the sheer terror. i mean, iwas _ at now is the sheer terror. i mean, iwasjust_ at now is the sheer terror. i mean, i wasjust putting myself in their place _ i wasjust putting myself in their place and — i wasjust putting myself in their place and i was thinking, how would ifeel_ place and i was th

, only the big cities in kabulre expectations that that might come under attack in the coming days, which means the government is really in charge of only kabul. so with this northern border province and another from the north, so now the taliban, they are tightening their stranglehold on the city itself and many people think the taliban might start the siege in the coming weeks. and then, when we see the number of key cities that have fallen, mazar—e—sharif, sharan, asadabad, presumably this just makes the humanitarian situation even more of an acute crisis with people fleeing and having to escape their homes, their towns in their cities to go elsewhere? that is a big concern for the humanitarian agencies and also for the government itself, because the northern part was considered usually an anti—taliban bastion and the people were considered anti—taliban. so those people are worried what the taliban will do once they capture these areas. that is why videos posted on social media show people fleeing in cars, pick—

kabul. some reports say they've begun entering the city. okesman for the militants said they'd been told to wait. the afghan presidential palace has tweeted that gunshots have been heard at a number of points around kabul. these pictures filmed by our crew in kabul in the last hour show people attempting to leave the city. the taliban says negotiations are taking place to ensure a peaceful transition of power. us and british troops have been arriving in afghanistan to evacuate diplomatic staff. overnight, the insurgents seized the eastern city of jalalabad. local leaders handed it over without a fight according to reports. let's speak to our south asia correspondent, anbarasan ethiraja. remind us of the key points and the significance of what has happened in the last hour and a half. i can the last hour and a half. i can confirm that _ the last hour and a half. i can confirm that after _ the last hour and a half. i can confirm that after speaking i the last hour and a half. i can i confirm that after speaking with the last hour and a half. i

and we don't know how many afghans who would be eligible to take those evacuation flights are in kabul cityo know there are many in that county who are refugees. but the key to get out is to get to kabul airport, which is impossible for many to do, state department not giving any indication how people are going to be assisted to get to the airport to the taliban lines. anchor: foreign embassy staff and afghan citizens who have managed to board evacuation flights have began arriving in several european countries. many landed in a flight to madrid on thursday. spain plans to air left around 500 people, including embassy staff and the afghans that work with them. the prime minister said spain could become a hub for afghan refugees, but no further details have been given. in germany, an uzbekistan airlines flight landed in frankfurt. the german military arranged travel between kabul and have evacuated several hundred people so far. there is temporary accommodation while authorities work on permanent accommodations. a plane carrying more than 200 afghans, including activists and medical research

but, i mean, if you think about kabul city, i've come back after several years, people are saying toheir house at night. women don't feel safe, people don't feel safe. there's different militia groups in the city. i mean, how has it got so bad? well, we have foiled 850 attacks in 200 days. but those which have gone off, yes, failures. but 850 have been stopped. this is my chief of staff. nice meeting you. these security briefings were taking place against a backdrop of increasing uncertainty. last year, the us and the taliban had signed a peace deal agreeing a prisoner swap. do you regret releasing the prisoners? big time. very big mistake. but we did not want to lose the goodwill of our allies. we knew it was not going to work. and we calculated all the risks, and we said, "this is not going to work, but we don't want to be labelled as the obstacle. so here they are." it was agreed that american troops would be withdrawn by summer 2021. it's time to end america's longest war. it's time for american troops to come home. america's withdrawal was a landmark moment. after the prisoner s

government because this came just about ten hours after the taliban walked into the northern city of mazar—i—sharif. kabulr government control now. after capturing several provincial capitals, and i believe 25 are under taliban control, they are getting closer and closer to kabul. yesterday they were fighting in one of the small towns outside of kabul, just an hour or aokm from kabul. this was the capital of kabul at big risk and no—one is clear what is going to happen in the next few days. mil is going to happen in the next few da s. �* , , is going to happen in the next fewda s. �* , ,., ., few days. all eyes are on kabul few days. all eyes are on kabul. as _ few days. all eyes are on kabul, as you _ few days. all eyes are on kabul, as you say. - few days. all eyes are on kabul, as you say. is - few days. all eyes are on i kabul, as you say. is there few days. all eyes are on . kabul, as you say. is there a theory could be lost to the militants within days or weeks? are afghan government troops surrendered the city? what is being done in the capital? that is auoin being done in the capital? that is goin

city. it is collapsed here in kabul. the only thing we have not seen in kabul is the arrival in strength of the taliban and they are just waiting until the americans leave as the americans leave heading out rushing to the airport and then the taliban will come in and they are negotiating with the government on how that, what they consider aha victorious arrival into kab how that will be choreographed. >> we were talking about the bagram air force base and you were on the air force base after troops have left and that is in the hands of the taliban and there is ahe prison on the base and we saw images of people streaming out of that prison and also we talked about the fact that america has trained troops. the taliban does not have pilots and airplanes and helicopters. tell me how this is all played out with the air base and the troops. >> actually, they do now have some helicopters. they have a lot of weapons and drones andea they have humvees d they have all their prisoners back. not just the taliban prison, there was a

if you think about kabul city, i have come back after several years, people are saying to me they can't house at night, women don't feel safe, people don't feel safe, there are different militia groups in the city. how has it come to this? those problems were there before the 6:30 meetings. have you thwarted many attacks as a result? we have foiled 850 attacks in 200 days. those that have gone off, yes, failures, but 850 have been stopped. this is my chief of staff. nice meeting you. the first speaker at the security briefing was halima karimi, mp for the remote province of wolesijirga, who had come to demand answers from the security services following the murder of her brother. what i heard in the meeting was shocking. the vice president was determined that i don'tjust take his word for it. he arranged for us to get access to the prisons and speak directly with some of the recently detained taliban suspects. we have just arrived at the headquarters of the national directorate of security. we have been promised that we can meet some prisoners accused of being behind some of the targete

if you think about kabul city, i have come back after several years, people are saying to me they can'touse at night, women don't feel safe, people don't feel safe, there are different militia groups in the city. how has it come to this? those problems were there before the 6:30 meetings. have you thwarted many attacks as a result? we have foiled 850 attacks in 200 days. those that have gone off, yes, failures, but 850 have been stopped. this is my chief of staff. nice meeting you. the first speaker at the security briefing was halima karimi, mp for the remote province of wolesijirga, who had come to demand answers from the security services following the murder of her brother. what i heard in the meeting was shocking. the vice president was determined that i don'tjust take his word for it. he arranged for us to get access to the prisons and speak directly with some of the recently detained taliban suspects. we have just arrived at the headquarters of the national directorate of security. we have been promised that we can meet some prisoners accused of being behind some of the targeted

all - residents of kabul that we protect them, they are saved, and now all our fighters across kabul cityr — and will protect women's rights to access education — but there's scepticism and fear of a return to brutal rule. translation:

these pictures filmed by the bbc in kabul show people attempting to leave the city. ban said they are in talks with senior officials in president ashraf ghani's government on a peaceful transfer of power. and these images have emerged of us embassy staff being helicoptered to kabul airport. it comes as the secretary of state antony blinken has insisted the situation is "patently not saigon" — in a reference to america's humiliating departure from vietnam in 1975. he argued us had succeded in its mission. we can do right by the people who stood with us in afghanistan all these years, including afghans who worked for the embassy, worked for our military. we have a massive effort under way to bring afghans at risk out of the country, if that's what they so desire. and ultimately it is up to the afghans themselves, it is up to the afghan government, the taliban, to decide the way forward for the country, including kabul. this story is moving at a fast pace — so let's just remind ourselves what else we know happenend today. the taliban closed in on kabul this morning — aft

taliban fighters have reached the gates of the capital city of kabul. >> yeah, a statement issued by ying that its fighters are now on the outskirts of the city and they want to take control of kabul peacefully. the embattled afghan government is currently in talks with the taliban over the country's future and sources tell cnn that taliban representatives are right now at the presidential palace in the city's center. the acting minister of national defense is attempting to reassure kabul citizens saying in a speech that the security of the city is ensured and afghan defense forces are committed to defending kabul. >> the effort to get americans out of afghanistan is gain

the taliban control every major city, except kabul and in that city, there is growing panic. what's the latest? >> well, the taliban's momentum, at the moment, is such that they are winning without even having to fight. if you look at their biggest prizes over the last 24 or 36 hours, they -- they really haven't had to fight for them. so think of mazar-i-sharif, the biggest city up north, well, the security forces there fled ahead of the taliban advance. and they actually made their way or tried to make their way to neighboring uzbekistan. if you think of jalalabad, which you mentioned earlier, that was surrendered without resistance. add to that, the fact that all the border controls in the country are now under taliban control. it's, really, down just to kabul where the government, still, has reportedly or, in theory at least, some -- some modicum of control. the taliban, currently, control -- i beg your pardon, they don't control the capital city, they surround the capital city. would they commit their forces to a pitched street-by-street battle in kabul? we don't know but

, mr mujahid _ taliban have entered kabul city, mr mujahid deed. _ taliban have entered kabul city forces here. there are no security guards in the city, but the - forces here. there are no security guards in the city, but the city- forces here. there are no security guards in the city, but the city is. guards in the city, but the city is in a bit _ guards in the city, but the city is in a bit of— guards in the city, but the city is in a bit of crisis. _ guards in the city, but the city is in a bit of crisis. we _ guards in the city, but the city is in a bit of crisis. we feel- guards in the city, but the city is in a bit of crisis. we feel it - guards in the city, but the city is in a bit of crisis. we feel it is- in a bit of crisis. we feel it is not — in a bit of crisis. we feel it is not secure. _ in a bit of crisis. we feel it is not secure, people - in a bit of crisis. we feel it is not secure, people are - in a bit of crisis. we feel it is. not secure, people are worried. people — not secure, people are worried. people are _ not secure, people are worried. people are worried

city, so that looked murky. and i thought okay, they will eventually come to kabul or reach kabul, the capital city of afghanistan. i thought that my children should go as soon as possible. but i had to stay for some business, and that kept me busy. otherwise i would have already flown as well. >> so you got out of there as quickly as possible. and you also have left people behind. have you spoken to them? >> yes. i have left behind my siblings and my mom, who are also asking me how to get out of here, because i feel pity for them, but i could not take them with me. i only had a greencard, and i know that they would not be allowed to go with me. now that i know i can bring my siblings at least or my mom, and i'm hoping that one day they will join me in the united states. so i'm trying for them. i'm reaching out to the senators here in the united states to help them come and join me and others with their families. >> thank you for sharing your story, and i hope things pan out well for your family. hanif sufizada, thank you. >> thank you so much for having me tonight. >> and we are learning more about how many afgh

. >> kabul city in chaos. jay made several attempts to get to the airport but the taliban made that almost impossible. >> when they were stepped on, people were and this is that i would never forget in my life. >> when he finally reached the airport, he was met by armed security guards. >> i was surprised they had that force out four times. i had to sit down. on my visa, my green card with my passport up, see me? an interpreter who we consider family. i refer to him as my brother. >> a retired marine lieutenant colonel is jay's friends who served in afghanistan helping local governments and training militia. that effort now unraveling. >> people are desperate. it's just a sea of chaos. seeing the fear, confusion, and just utter helplessness and despair in the afghan people who deserve so much better. >> hudson has been working to help jay and others. overnight success. jay made it safely to washington, d.c. he hopes to get his mother and other relatives out of the country soon. >> the only thing i'm thinking a

today i was able to go to the northern outskirts of kabul city where, in a public park, there are at least 2000 of these civilians, fleeing from kunduz, and other northern provinces. you know, the picture that they paint is brutal. it is horrific. they say mortars were hitting homes. airstrikes were hitting homes. dead bodies were lying everywhere. and in the middle of the pandemic, these people had even did not have a mattress to sit on, you know, in the open. no sanitation. i did find at least two young girls whose story is heartbreaking. they said they were wondering what had happened to their friends with whom they were playing. so it is the type of pain that this w is inflicting on afghans. whether you talk about a million in kunduz or a businessman in a city, they have lost investments. every day the taliban are able to collect approximately 2.5 million dollars from border crossings they are controlling. so the afghan government are going to dry up in a country where such income is really crucial. at least so afghanistan could pay for some of its life. >> when we look at the ma

afghanistan continues, as taliban militants capture the country's second largest city, kandahar, with fears mounting for the capital, kabul. the united states has announced plans to airlift thousands of people a day out of the city. in the uk — a vigil has been held in plymouth to remember the victims of thursday's mass shooting — the country's worst since 2010. the victims include the mother of the gunman, and three—year—old sophie martin, who'd been out walking with herfather, who was also shot dead. scorching temperatures are continuing across europe with italy recording a new record high earlier this week and spain and portugal forecast to suffer blistering temperatures this weekend. it comes as us government scientists have confirmed that july was the world's hottest ever month. one of the british soldiers injured in afghanistan was rifleman craig monaghan from manchester. serving with c—company, 2—rifles, he sustained serious head injuries and is still on medication. he says the news that the taliban are back makes him wonder why so many fought, bled and lost their lives. 10 of his colleagues were killed. he's been

they are not bringing anybody in from kabul city. the airport is mobbed with people. the last i heard about an hour ago is that all gates to the airport are closed to entry. they are trying to get people out because they cannot operate with all of them. there is enormous pressure. you may have heard in p.r. this morning saying some flights are leaving with half of the seats empty because people cannot get to the airport if there is a huge crowd outside. it is not clear it is necessarily taliban preventing people from getting in. there is chaos, confusion, taliban mess. what is clear is there is no way you will get out even the people we are already committed to getting out. we are committed to getting out the americans. president biden has said he will keep troops at the airport until all americans are out. he has not said anything about whether he will keep troops out at the airport for the interpretation -- interpreters. bassima: thank. they are claiming to be a caretaker president as asterisk connie fled the country. -- ashraf ghani fled the country. is there any r

and us jets are reportedly carried out air strikes on militant positions outside kabul city so the fightingwards the city as we speak. and in the last few minutes, the taliban say they have launched another assault on the northern city of mazar—i—sharif, that is the biggest city in the region, close to the border with uzbekistan. it is a trading commercial hub, very very important city, that is one of the major cities still in the government control in the northern region so that is an interesting place to watch today. while the government in kabul is relying on the us and other western countries�* financial support, the taliban has reached out to china which is currently the biggest foreign investor in afghanistan. the german marshall fund is a us think—tank promoting cooperation and understanding between north america and europe. andrew small is is a senior transatlantic fellow gmf�*s asia programme. thank you very much forjoining thank you very much forjoining us. thank you very much forjoining us. tell us about the extent of china's involvement in afghanistan? although the are involveme

now the militants are on the outskirts of the capital city kabul.nn's chief international correspondent clarissa ward us the latest. clarissa, welcome. i guess the big question is the taliban seems certainly poised to take kabul. will it fall, and if it doesn't, is that because the taliban are being restrained for some reason? >> well, i think right now there are talks ongoing at the presidential palace between the government and various taliban representatives from the doha contingency. but it appears that the city is poised to fall to the taliban. people here woke up to the news in the morning that the taliban was at the gates just outside kabul. there was chaos in the streets, fareed. people double parking, people were driving down the wrong side of the road. people were just absolutely panicked. there was a run on the banks. there were people waiting outside in long lines outside of the passport office. so now everybody is just waiting to see what emerges from these talks, what, if anything. we're just learning, forgive me for reaching out, fare

kabul at the moment. can you help us understand what the taliban plan to do at present and next? there should not be any confusion. we assure the people in the cityl that their lives and properties are safe. we are the servant of the people and of this country. 0ur leadership have instructed ourforces to remain at the gate of kabul, not to enter the city. we are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power. when you say peaceful transfer of power, what do you mean? what is likely to happen? it means, the city and the power should be handed over to the islamic emirate of afghanistan, then in future we will have an islamic government, and participation. when you say participation, you mean one vote, one person? what do you mean? participation means that we will have in the government other afghans, in the future governments. but it will all fall under the umbrella of the government of the taliban, the islamic emirate, as you describe it? yes. there will be an islamic government. there is a lot of concern from women in afghanistan. they have been writing to me and texting me, they are concerned that you will reimpose that regime of the 1990s where girls co

kabul. and early in sunday the taliban took the key eastern city ofjalalabad and president ashraf ghani fled happen in that way? no, it was entirely avoidable. _ happen in that way? no, it was entirely avoidable. us - happen in that way? no, it was entirely avoidable. us military| entirely avoidable. us military chiefs and others try to advise president biden that he just needed to keep a minimum of 2500 or 3500 troops there as back—up for the afghan national security forces really as a deterrent to stop the taliban doing exactly what they just have them. it's not that the us were leaving, is the manner in which they left. once the us announced they were leaving, there was no longer any incentive for the taliban to keep making any concessions and to peace talks. they had as you heard from their spokesman, they had prepared for this very well. there was this myth that for years the afghan national army had been built up afghan national army had been built up and been trained and given equipment that would make it a cohesive national force, equipment that would make it a cohesive nationalforce

then in kabul city itself, the political negotiations go a pace, and there are expectations that in the coming week we will hopefully see some kind of breakthrough where the cheap one of the senior taliban officials molar. but he is here with his core group in cobble. we know that in the coming days he will likely meet with me because i a former president and also a dollar dollar. he is a very influential figure from this last administration. now before those talks happen, which presumably will lead to the setting up of this new government both cause i end up dollar dollar meeting with other taliban officials here in cobble that it was all very young here. it is all very nice. it seems behind the scenes there seems to be paving the way for this new government to take take power here. nearby taliban are also saying that they are reaching out beyond cobble to some of the 20 or so of afghanistan's $34.00 provinces to former governors, to bureaucrats. government officials, really with the same message, trying to ease, trying to ease tensions. ease. fee is here which do exist still across th

all - residents of kabul that we protect them, they are saved, and now all our fighters across kabul cityl be taking care of the security. taliban militants say they don't want war — and will protect women's rights to access education — but there's scepticism and fear of a return to brutal rule. translation: before our identity had not been cleared _ translation: before our identity had not been cleared to _ translation: before our identity had not been cleared to the _ translation: before our identity had not been cleared to the taliban, - not been cleared to the taliban, because right now, they know our name, ourface, ouraddress, our phone numbers, everything. we'll also look at the taliban's power structure — and who'll make up their future government — as their political leader abdul ghani baradar returns to kabulfrom qatar. and in other news this hour —— a tropical storm is hampering rescue efforts in haiti. heavy —— heavy rain is lashing the country two days after a powerful earthquake struck — killing over 1,400 people. we'll speak to a charity providing health care in the rubble.

on sunday, bilal tweeted -- "the day i leave my country, my city, my kabul. sacre of my dreams and aspirations. a tragic day in my life." his latest piece for the bbc is headlined, "in the city i loved, suddenly nowhere was safe." he is joining us now from doha, qatar. welcome back to democracy now! can you describe -- talk about your decision to leave with your family and then describe your journey from kabul to the airport to where you are now in doha. >> extremely painful decision. all, i had to leave my office, which was next door to my home without being able to tell my sisters or family members where we were going. i took my parents, my wife, my baby daughter with me. we were hiding for a couple of nights. then we headed toward the karzai international airport. since i know the city so well, it is my hometown, my city, where i grew up, i felt like nowhere was safe for me. as the taliban fighters and certain members of the taliban faction continue to knock on doors, i don't know why they were doing that, what exactly they wanted, and why did the taliban p

now the taliban seems to be focusing on that region and one of the cities they captured overnight is about 200 kilometers out of kabulor: it was overshadowed by events in a nearby city. let's look at these pictures, set to show government pictures -- government officials leaving. heavy fighting is now underway in a major southern city. the taliban's advance is shocking, militants emboldened by the u.s. withdrawal have taken more territory in the past two months then at any time -- than at any time since they were ousted from power in 2001. militants now control 65% of afghanistan. our correspondent in the country has been given rare access to new the captured taliban territory and sent us this report. >> new territory. new weapons. all captured in this unprecedented taliban advance, caught in the middle of the families across the country. how can you justify this fighting but it is causing the deaths of thousands of ordinary afghans? >> [speaking non-english language] reporter: you are the ones who started the fighting, though. >> [speaking non-english language] reporter: shortly after the interview, the sound of hel

the gate up until we we saw a piece for transfer, a city well as he been following the events in kabul city, cobble province. and broadly speaking of canister, you'll know the events have been moving very quickly. day to day events are moving our to our now the taliban said on record, they said publicly they said in an interview with this channel that they would not tell their fighters to enter cobble city. they have rescinded that because they say that the afghan security forces have in effect turned tail and left or they have begun the process of leaving or standing themselves down from their jobs that their roster rotate through a taliban spokesman telling the reuters news agency that they have now ordered their fighters to enter cobble, to prevent loosing. that's all we know on that developing aspect of this story. we'll get you more on that just as soon as we can. our correspondent, my how much i'm doing reporting extensively, of course, on the long wanting talks here to help in the taliban and the afghan government, he's keeping the company here in the studio as ref. connie has gone.