This is the lead story on the RTE (Irish national broadcaster) media page - I laughed but I also felt kind of sick, this is just so unbelievable and tone-deaf! I mean just when you thought these people might stop digging their hole, they did it deeper, wider, and more disgusting.
European countries have moved to evacuate their nationals and local staff in Afghanistan as the Taliban entered the country's capital city Kabul.
www.rte.ie
US mission in Afghanistan 'successful' - Blinken
Updated / Sunday, 15 Aug 2021
15:50
A US military helicopter is pictured flying above the US embassy in Kabul
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the United States' mission in Afghanistan has been "successful", as Taliban forces surrounded Kabul and US embassy staff were being evacuated.
The Afghan government has conceded there will be a "transfer of power" as the Taliban rapidly gained territory across the country culminating in today's move against the capital.
The US sent in troops to ensure the safe evacuation of their personnel on the ground.
Mr Blinken told ABC: "It's why we had forces on hand to make sure we could do this in a safe and orderly fashion. The compound itself, folks are leaving there and going to the airport.
Despite the precipitous move, he rejected comparisons with the chaotic American departure from Saigon in 1975 as the Vietnam War drew to a close.
"This is not Saigon," Mr Blinken said. "The fact of the matter is this: We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago with one mission in mind. That was to deal with the people that attacked us on 9/11. That mission has been successful."
NATO, meanwhile, has said that finding a political solution to Afghanistan conflict was more pressing "than ever" as the Taliban stood poised to take power on the outskirts of Kabul.
"We support Afghan efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, which is now more urgent than ever," an official at the 30-nation alliance told AFP.
The official said "NATO is constantly assessing developments in Afghanistan" following a lightning sweep by the insurgents to the edge of the capital.
"We are helping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world," the official said.
"We also maintain our diplomatic presence in Kabul. The security of our personnel is paramount, and we continue to adjust as necessary."
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The Afghan authorities signalled there were negotiations under way to avoid bloodshed in Kabul, and to hand power to a "transitional government".
The United States is unlikely to change its military strategy in Kabul unless the Taliban impact the evacuation of the embassy, a US official said.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the United States had not yet seen the Taliban enter Kabul in a major way.
France said it was making the repatriation of several hundred of its citizens and security priority, faced with what the Elysee said was a "very worrying deterioration of the situation".
Germany has shut its embassy in Kabul and again called on German citizens to leave Afghanistan.
"The security situation has deteriorated drastically. The German embassy Kabul is closed as of Aug. 15," the foreign office in Berlin said on its website.
Sweden's embassy personnel in Kabul will leave immediately and the evacuation is expected to be completed tomorrow, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said.
"All deployed staff will be out by tomorrow," Ms Linde told a news conference. "The Swedish Migration Agency is working to bring home the locally employed staff."
Italian embassy staff in Kabul will return to Rome today, the foreign ministry said.
A military aircraft will leave Kabul at 9.30pm local time, a spokeswoman said, adding that most of the embassy staff had left the building yesterday and are currently at the airport.
She declined to say whether the ambassador would be among those leaving on tonight's flight and said it was premature to say that Italy had actually closed its embassy.
Canada said it was temporarily suspending its diplomatic operations in Kabul and that its personnel were on their way back home, according to a statement.
"The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and poses serious challenges to our ability to ensure the safety and security of our mission," Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said in the statement.
Canadian personnel "are now safely on their way back to Canada," he added.
Meanwhile, United Arab Emirates airline flydubai will suspend flights to Kabul from tomorrow, a spokesperson said.
A flight to Kabul today returned to Dubai before reaching the Afghan capital, the spokesperson said, adding that flights would be suspended until further notice.
thehill.com
