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Fly the United States Flag at Half-Staff on Saturday, September 11, 2021
in Honor of Patriot Day
Info copied from American Flagpole and Flag Co. email.
I'm on their list of being notified when there is a Flag Half Staff notification.
https://halfstaff.org/widget/
( I saw no similar notification from the President )
Saturday, September 11th, 2021 marks the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in suburban Pennsylvania. Patriot Day serves as a remembrance of the lives lost on that September morning.
By a joint resolution approved 12/18/2001, (Public Law 107-89) has designated September 11th of each year as "Patriot Day" which also directs the flags be lowered to half-staff for the entire day on September 11.
A section of the law is below:
''§ 144. Patriot Day''(a) DESIGNATION.-September 11 is Patriot Day.''(b) PROCLAMATION.-The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on-
''(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;
''(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and'
'(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.''.
Fly the United States Flag at Half-Staff on Saturday, September 11, 2021
in Honor of Patriot Day
Info copied from American Flagpole and Flag Co. email.
I'm on their list of being notified when there is a Flag Half Staff notification.
https://halfstaff.org/widget/
( I saw no similar notification from the President )
Saturday, September 11th, 2021 marks the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in suburban Pennsylvania. Patriot Day serves as a remembrance of the lives lost on that September morning.
By a joint resolution approved 12/18/2001, (Public Law 107-89) has designated September 11th of each year as "Patriot Day" which also directs the flags be lowered to half-staff for the entire day on September 11.
A section of the law is below:
''§ 144. Patriot Day''(a) DESIGNATION.-September 11 is Patriot Day.''(b) PROCLAMATION.-The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on-
''(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;
''(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and'
'(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.''.
Fly the United States Flag at Half-Staff on Saturday, September 11, 2021
in Honor of Patriot Day
Info copied from American Flagpole and Flag Co. email.
I'm on their list of being notified when there is a Flag Half Staff notification.
https://halfstaff.org/widget/
(I saw no similar notification from the President)
Saturday, September 11th, 2021 marks the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in suburban Pennsylvania. Patriot Day serves as a remembrance of the lives lost on that September morning.
By a joint resolution approved 12/18/2001, (Public Law 107-89) has designated September 11th of each year as "Patriot Day" which also directs the flags be lowered to half-staff for the entire day on September 11.
A section of the law is below:
''§ 144. Patriot Day''(a) DESIGNATION.-September 11 is Patriot Day.''(b) PROCLAMATION.-The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on-
''(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;
''(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and'
'(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.''.
A Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2021
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/09/09/a-proclamation-on-national-days-of-prayer-and-remembrance-2021/
THE WHITE HOUSE
A Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2021
SEPTEMBER 09, 2021 • PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS
Twenty years ago, our Nation was forever changed. On September 11, 2001, as ordinary people started their days in Manhattan, Shanksville, and Arlington, cowardly acts born out of twisted hate stole 2,977 innocent lives, devastating families and communities. People across the world were shocked by the cruelty and horror of the terrorist act, even as they were inspired by the bravery of the first responders.
Two decades have passed since that day of terror, yet the trauma, the pain, and the quest for justice — both personal and collective — still haunt our memories. Planes piercing buildings. Smoke filling skies. Towers turning to dust. The injured fleeing to safety. The heroes rushing toward danger.
During the National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we honor those who lost their lives on September 11 — lives that will never be forgotten. We also commemorate the humanity and selfless sacrifice of the first responders, service members, and ordinary citizens who banded together to rescue survivors and build a community of support around those who suffered unimaginable loss. Even as we continue to recover from this tragedy, we know for certain that there is nothing that America cannot overcome. Through sorrow, with God’s help, we find strength. Through remembrance, in God’s mercy, we find healing. We move forward with resolve, forever cherishing the memories of the souls who perished that day.
The seeds of chaos, planted that September by those who wished to harm us, blossomed instead into fields of hope for a brighter future. A new generation of patriots — many of whom were just children on that bright September morning, some of whom had not yet been born — now serve in our Armed Forces, as law enforcement officers and firefighters, as paramedics, in the halls of our Federal buildings, and beyond, determined to build our country back better, safer, and more united.
During these National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we solemnly reflect on the freedom and tolerance that are part of our American character. We commit to preserving the memories of our fallen loved ones with the same tenacity with which we uphold the American values that are the root of our strength. We pray for the victims and all those who still mourn their loss. May the power of prayer bring comfort, and may God bless the United States of America.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 10, 2021, through September 12, 2021, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.
I ask that people of the United States honor and remember the victims of September 11, 2001, and their loved ones through prayer, contemplation, memorial services, the visiting of memorials, the ringing of bells, evening candlelight remembrance vigils, and other appropriate ceremonies and activities. I invite people around the world to participate in this commemoration. I invite the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join all people of faith in prayers for spiritual guidance, mercy, and protection.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
A Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2021
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/09/09/a-proclamation-on-national-days-of-prayer-and-remembrance-2021/
THE WHITE HOUSE
A Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2021
SEPTEMBER 09, 2021 • PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS
Twenty years ago, our Nation was forever changed. On September 11, 2001, as ordinary people started their days in Manhattan, Shanksville, and Arlington, cowardly acts born out of twisted hate stole 2,977 innocent lives, devastating families and communities. People across the world were shocked by the cruelty and horror of the terrorist act, even as they were inspired by the bravery of the first responders.
Two decades have passed since that day of terror, yet the trauma, the pain, and the quest for justice — both personal and collective — still haunt our memories. Planes piercing buildings. Smoke filling skies. Towers turning to dust. The injured fleeing to safety. The heroes rushing toward danger.
During the National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we honor those who lost their lives on September 11 — lives that will never be forgotten. We also commemorate the humanity and selfless sacrifice of the first responders, service members, and ordinary citizens who banded together to rescue survivors and build a community of support around those who suffered unimaginable loss. Even as we continue to recover from this tragedy, we know for certain that there is nothing that America cannot overcome. Through sorrow, with God’s help, we find strength. Through remembrance, in God’s mercy, we find healing. We move forward with resolve, forever cherishing the memories of the souls who perished that day.
The seeds of chaos, planted that September by those who wished to harm us, blossomed instead into fields of hope for a brighter future. A new generation of patriots — many of whom were just children on that bright September morning, some of whom had not yet been born — now serve in our Armed Forces, as law enforcement officers and firefighters, as paramedics, in the halls of our Federal buildings, and beyond, determined to build our country back better, safer, and more united.
During these National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we solemnly reflect on the freedom and tolerance that are part of our American character. We commit to preserving the memories of our fallen loved ones with the same tenacity with which we uphold the American values that are the root of our strength. We pray for the victims and all those who still mourn their loss. May the power of prayer bring comfort, and may God bless the United States of America.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 10, 2021, through September 12, 2021, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.
I ask that people of the United States honor and remember the victims of September 11, 2001, and their loved ones through prayer, contemplation, memorial services, the visiting of memorials, the ringing of bells, evening candlelight remembrance vigils, and other appropriate ceremonies and activities. I invite people around the world to participate in this commemoration. I invite the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join all people of faith in prayers for spiritual guidance, mercy, and protection.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
A Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2021
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/09/09/a-proclamation-on-national-days-of-prayer-and-remembrance-2021/
THE WHITE HOUSE
A Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2021
SEPTEMBER 09, 2021 • PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS
Twenty years ago, our Nation was forever changed. On September 11, 2001, as ordinary people started their days in Manhattan, Shanksville, and Arlington, cowardly acts born out of twisted hate stole 2,977 innocent lives, devastating families and communities. People across the world were shocked by the cruelty and horror of the terrorist act, even as they were inspired by the bravery of the first responders.
Two decades have passed since that day of terror, yet the trauma, the pain, and the quest for justice — both personal and collective — still haunt our memories. Planes piercing buildings. Smoke filling skies. Towers turning to dust. The injured fleeing to safety. The heroes rushing toward danger.
During the National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we honor those who lost their lives on September 11 — lives that will never be forgotten. We also commemorate the humanity and selfless sacrifice of the first responders, service members, and ordinary citizens who banded together to rescue survivors and build a community of support around those who suffered unimaginable loss. Even as we continue to recover from this tragedy, we know for certain that there is nothing that America cannot overcome. Through sorrow, with God’s help, we find strength. Through remembrance, in God’s mercy, we find healing. We move forward with resolve, forever cherishing the memories of the souls who perished that day.
The seeds of chaos, planted that September by those who wished to harm us, blossomed instead into fields of hope for a brighter future. A new generation of patriots — many of whom were just children on that bright September morning, some of whom had not yet been born — now serve in our Armed Forces, as law enforcement officers and firefighters, as paramedics, in the halls of our Federal buildings, and beyond, determined to build our country back better, safer, and more united.
During these National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we solemnly reflect on the freedom and tolerance that are part of our American character. We commit to preserving the memories of our fallen loved ones with the same tenacity with which we uphold the American values that are the root of our strength. We pray for the victims and all those who still mourn their loss. May the power of prayer bring comfort, and may God bless the United States of America.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 10, 2021, through September 12, 2021, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.
I ask that people of the United States honor and remember the victims of September 11, 2001, and their loved ones through prayer, contemplation, memorial services, the visiting of memorials, the ringing of bells, evening candlelight remembrance vigils, and other appropriate ceremonies and activities. I invite people around the world to participate in this commemoration. I invite the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join all people of faith in prayers for spiritual guidance, mercy, and protection.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The U.S. just had its hottest summer on record
This summer beat the previous record set by the Dust Bowl summer of 1936, when huge portions of the West and Great Plains were parched by severe drought.
Sept. 9, 2021, 2:05 PM CDT / Updated Sept. 9, 2021, 3:46 PM CDT
By Denise Chow
The United States had its hottest summer on record this year, narrowly edging out the previous milestone that was set 85 years ago during the Dust Bowl.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that the average temperature this summer for the contiguous U.S. was 74 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2.6 degrees warmer than the long-term average. The heat record caps off a season full of extremes, with parts of the country experiencing persistent drought, wildfires, record-breaking heat waves, .. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/heat-wave-west-coast-hints-climate-change-scientists-say-rcna1297 .. hurricanes and other extreme weather exacerbated by climate change.
This summer beat the previous record set in 1936 by a hair, coming in at less than 0.01 degrees warmer than during the Dust Bowl year, when huge portions of the West and Great Plains were parched by severe drought.
Though this year's summer was technically hotter than 1936, the very small gap puts the two years "neck and neck," in what NOAA called a "virtual tie."
NOAA's report spans "meteorological summer," .. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202108 .. which covers June, July and August. During that time, 18.4 percent of the country experienced record-high temperatures, including five states — California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah — that had their warmest summers in recorded history, according to the agency.
"Sixteen additional states had a top-five warmest summer on record. No state ranked below average for the summer season," NOAA officials wrote in the climate report.
In June, the Pacific Northwest suffered through a heat wave .. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/heat-wave-west-coast-hints-climate-change-scientists-say-rcna1297 .. that shattered all-time temperature records in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. More than 35 cities in the western U.S. tied or set heat records during the multiday heat wave, where temperatures soared to up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in some places.
Global warming is making heat waves and other extreme weather events both more likely and more severe, and climate scientists have said conditions this summer offer a glimpse of what could become more common in the future.
NOAA's report highlighted other extreme events that plagued the country in August, including devastating floods from Tropical Storm Fred, which hit western North Carolina; Tropical Storm Henri, which soaked parts of the Northeast; and flash flooding that killed at least 22 people in Tennessee.
Hurricane Ida, which battered Louisiana and left a trail of destruction from the Gulf Coast into the Northeast, also drenched huge swaths of the country from late August into September.
"With 35 fatalities accounted for during August, it was the deadliest month for flooding across the U.S. since Hurricane Harvey in 2017," NOAA officials wrote in the report.
Dry conditions in the Western U.S. have also fueled a catastrophic wildfire season. In California, the Dixie Fire became the second largest in the state's history, .. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dixie-fire-grows-second-largest-california-history-n1276305
while the Caldor Fire forced thousands to flee from South Lake Tahoe in late August...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/thousands-forced-flee-lake-tahoe-california-s-caldor-fire-rages-n1278076
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/us-just-hottest-summer-record-rcna1957
Unity and diversity: Tokyo bids farewell to the Paralympic Games in a spectacular ceremony
5 Sep 2021
The Paralympic flame is extinguished, and the curtain has come down on a memorable and historic Tokyo 2020 Games; more than 4,400 elite athletes participated, and many celebrate their achievements at a spectacular closing ceremony before the baton was handed over to Paris 2024.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/unity-and-diversity-tokyo-bids-farewell-to-the-paralympic-games-in-a-spectacular
-------------------------------------------
Featured News
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/
Top moments from the Closing Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
5 Sep 2021
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/top-moments-from-the-closing-ceremony-of-the-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 12
5 Sep 2021
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-12
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 11
4 Sep 2021
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-11
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 10
3 Sep 2021
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-10
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 9
2 Sep 2021
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-9
58 Photos: Hurricane Ida causes flooding and destruction
https://abcnews.go.com/US/photos/photos-hurricane-ida-damage-79720725/image-79733705
AP PHOTOS: Images of the first week of Paralympic Games
August 29, 2021
The Paralympic Games have been under way for almost a week in Tokyo and will continue until the closing ceremony on Sept. 5.
Here are some photos from the first week of competition.
There are 22 sports in the Paralympics. Some carry the same name as in the Olympics, such as swimming track and field, archery, badminton, rowing, track cycling, road cycling, and so forth.
But there are sports that are unique to the Paralympics: sitting volleyball, boccia, goalball, and 5-a-side-football. In addition, there are four sports that are contested by athletes in wheelchairs, but the sports will sound familiar: wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, and wheelchair tennis.
4 of 20
Daomin Liu competes at Women's 200m Individual Medley - SM6 Heat 1 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Each athlete has unique differences that have to be classified according to individual impairments. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
United States's Susannah Scaroni competes in the women's 5000-meters T54 final during the 2020 Paralympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. Each athlete has unique differences that have to be classified according to individual impairments. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Joshua Wheeler of the United States, right, is blocked by Britain's Stuart Robinson during the wheelchair rugby gold medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Each athlete has unique differences that have to be classified according to individual impairments. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Swimming athlete Siyazbek Daliyev, from Kazakhstan, stretches before the Men's 50m Backstroke - S5 final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Each athlete has unique differences that have to be classified according to individual impairments. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
[...]
14 Photos of the Day 8
1 Sep 2021
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/photos/galleries/photo-of-the-day-01-09-2021
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 8
1 Sep 2021
Follow the highlights from the eighth day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they happen via our blog below.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-8
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 7
31 Aug 2021
Follow the highlights from the seventh day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they happen via our blog below.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-7
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 6
30 Aug 2021
Follow the highlights from the sixth day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they happen via our blog below.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-6
20 years and 3 presidents and the Afghan war continued....
until the current PRESIDENT demonstrated he had the balls to seriously address the issue and end the war!!!!
Taliban wrestle with Afghan economy in chaos, humanitarian crisis
September 1, 2021
3:14 PM CDT
Last Updated 4 minutes ago
Reuters
01:48
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
Summary
* Prices soar, currency plunges, shops close
* Taliban struggle to keep banks, services, medical care running
* Crowds line up outside Kabul banks for scarce cash
* Thousands flee to border crossings with Pakistan, Iran
Sept 1 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers struggled to keep the country functioning on Wednesday after the final withdrawal of U.S. forces, with foreign donors alarmed about an impending humanitarian crisis.
Two weeks since the Taliban's sweep into Kabul brought a chaotic end to 20 years of warfare, the Islamist militants have yet to name a new government or reveal how they intend to rule.
In an administrative vacuum, prices have soared and crowds have gathered at banks to withdraw cash.
Heavily armed fighters have imposed control on the capital, but Taliban officials were grappling with keeping hospitals and government machinery running following the end of a huge airlift of foreigners and Afghans who had helped Western forces.
The new, Taliban-appointed central bank head has sought to reassure banks the group wants a fully functioning financial system, but has so far given little detail on how it will supply funds for it, bankers familiar with the matter said.
Qatar's Al Jazeera television reported that Qatari technical experts had arrived at the Taliban's request to discuss resuming operations at Kabul airport, currently inoperable.
The foreign minister of neighbouring Pakistan, which has close ties to the Taliban, said he expected Afghanistan to have a new "consensus government" within days.
In Washington, where the end of America's longest war has sparked the biggest crisis of President Joe Biden's administration, .. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/everybody-screwed-up-blame-game-begins-over-turbulent-us-exit-afghanistan-2021-09-01/ .. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said the United States is looking at all possible options and routes to continue to help Americans and legal permanent residents leave Afghanistan.
read more
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-says-looking-all-possible-routes-afghan-evacuations-2021-09-01/
Washington would keep having conversations with the Taliban that serve U.S. interests, she told reporters, adding the United States would look at how it could give aid to Afghanistan without benefiting any government that it forms.
People fearful of life under Taliban rule rushed to the borders.
In Panjshir province, members of local militias and remnants of former military units were still holding out under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud. Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on them to put down weapons and negotiate.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is home for all Afghans," he said in a speech.
The Taliban have declared an amnesty for all Afghans who worked with foreign forces during the war that started when they were ousted from power in 2001 over their refusal to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Taliban leaders have called on Afghans to return home and help rebuild. They have promised to protect human rights in an effort to present a more moderate face than their first government, which enforced a strict version of sharia law, including banning women from education and employment.
PRICES SOAR
But their more immediate concern is staving off economic collapse. Afghanistan desperately needs money, and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to the roughly $10 billion in assets mostly held abroad by the Afghan central bank. .. https://www.reuters.com/business/afghanistan-central-bank-board-member-urges-biden-imf-release-funds-2021-09-01/
The Taliban have ordered banks to reopen, but strict weekly limits on withdrawals have been imposed.
4/7 Afghans line up outside a bank to take out their money after Taliban takeover in Kabul, Afghanistan September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
The acting central bank governor, Haji Mohammad Idris, met members of the Afghanistan Banks Association and other financiers this week, said two bankers who attended the meeting. The militant group was working to find solutions for liquidity and rising inflation, they quoted Idris as saying.
"They were very charming and asked banks what their concerns were," said one of the bankers who requested anonymity.
Long lines have formed at banks, the currency is sinking, inflation is rising and many offices and shops remain shut.
"Everything is expensive now, prices are going up every day," said Kabul resident Zelgai.
Outside the capital, humanitarian organizations have warned of impending catastrophe as severe drought has hit farmers and forced thousands of rural poor to seek shelter in the cities. But foreign donors are unsure about whom to speak to.
Taliban officials have said the problems will ease once a new government is in place, and have urged other countries to maintain economic relations.
Bankers outside Afghanistan said it would be difficult to get the financial system running again without the bank specialists who joined the exodus. "I don't know how they will manage it because all the technical staff, including senior management, has left the country," one banker said.
The European Union will need to engage with the Talibanbut will not rush into formally recognising them as the new rulers of Afghanistan, a senior EU official said.
LEFT BEHIND
More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in the U.S.-led airlift after the Taliban seized the city in mid-August, but tens of thousands of Afghans at risk remained behind.
With Kabul's airport out of action, efforts to help Afghans fearful of the Taliban focused on arranging safe passage across the borders with Iran, Pakistan and central Asia. read more
At Torkham, a crossing with Pakistan just east of the Khyber Pass, a Pakistani official said: "A large number of people are waiting on the Afghanistan side for the opening of the gate."
Uzbekistan's border with northern Afghanistan remained shut.
Britain and India held separate talks with Taliban officials in Doha amid fears that up to half a million Afghans could flee. read more
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Wednesday that Afghans had so far largely stayed within Afghanistan and only small numbers had fled to neighbouring countries. It called for $300 million in international funding for the humanitarian emergency.
The Taliban said they had surrounded forces in Panjshir, the only province still resisting, and called on them to negotiate a settlement. Some Taliban leaders mocked the United States.
"Your power is gone, your gold is gone," Anas Haqqani, a Taliban leader, said on Twitter, posting a photo of himself holding discarded shackles as he toured Bagram prison, where he was held for years by U.S. forces.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Angus MacSwan and William Maclean; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Cooney
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
Taliban wrestle with Afghan economy in chaos, humanitarian crisis
September 1, 2021
3:14 PM CDT
Last Updated 4 minutes ago
Reuters
01:48
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
Summary
* Prices soar, currency plunges, shops close
* Taliban struggle to keep banks, services, medical care running
* Crowds line up outside Kabul banks for scarce cash
* Thousands flee to border crossings with Pakistan, Iran
Sept 1 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers struggled to keep the country functioning on Wednesday after the final withdrawal of U.S. forces, with foreign donors alarmed about an impending humanitarian crisis.
Two weeks since the Taliban's sweep into Kabul brought a chaotic end to 20 years of warfare, the Islamist militants have yet to name a new government or reveal how they intend to rule.
In an administrative vacuum, prices have soared and crowds have gathered at banks to withdraw cash.
Heavily armed fighters have imposed control on the capital, but Taliban officials were grappling with keeping hospitals and government machinery running following the end of a huge airlift of foreigners and Afghans who had helped Western forces.
The new, Taliban-appointed central bank head has sought to reassure banks the group wants a fully functioning financial system, but has so far given little detail on how it will supply funds for it, bankers familiar with the matter said.
Qatar's Al Jazeera television reported that Qatari technical experts had arrived at the Taliban's request to discuss resuming operations at Kabul airport, currently inoperable.
The foreign minister of neighbouring Pakistan, which has close ties to the Taliban, said he expected Afghanistan to have a new "consensus government" within days.
In Washington, where the end of America's longest war has sparked the biggest crisis of President Joe Biden's administration, .. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/everybody-screwed-up-blame-game-begins-over-turbulent-us-exit-afghanistan-2021-09-01/ .. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said the United States is looking at all possible options and routes to continue to help Americans and legal permanent residents leave Afghanistan.
read more
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-says-looking-all-possible-routes-afghan-evacuations-2021-09-01/
Washington would keep having conversations with the Taliban that serve U.S. interests, she told reporters, adding the United States would look at how it could give aid to Afghanistan without benefiting any government that it forms.
People fearful of life under Taliban rule rushed to the borders.
In Panjshir province, members of local militias and remnants of former military units were still holding out under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud. Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on them to put down weapons and negotiate.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is home for all Afghans," he said in a speech.
The Taliban have declared an amnesty for all Afghans who worked with foreign forces during the war that started when they were ousted from power in 2001 over their refusal to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Taliban leaders have called on Afghans to return home and help rebuild. They have promised to protect human rights in an effort to present a more moderate face than their first government, which enforced a strict version of sharia law, including banning women from education and employment.
PRICES SOAR
But their more immediate concern is staving off economic collapse. Afghanistan desperately needs money, and the Taliban are unlikely to get swift access to the roughly $10 billion in assets mostly held abroad by the Afghan central bank. .. https://www.reuters.com/business/afghanistan-central-bank-board-member-urges-biden-imf-release-funds-2021-09-01/
The Taliban have ordered banks to reopen, but strict weekly limits on withdrawals have been imposed.
4/7 Afghans line up outside a bank to take out their money after Taliban takeover in Kabul, Afghanistan September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
The acting central bank governor, Haji Mohammad Idris, met members of the Afghanistan Banks Association and other financiers this week, said two bankers who attended the meeting. The militant group was working to find solutions for liquidity and rising inflation, they quoted Idris as saying.
"They were very charming and asked banks what their concerns were," said one of the bankers who requested anonymity.
Long lines have formed at banks, the currency is sinking, inflation is rising and many offices and shops remain shut.
"Everything is expensive now, prices are going up every day," said Kabul resident Zelgai.
Outside the capital, humanitarian organizations have warned of impending catastrophe as severe drought has hit farmers and forced thousands of rural poor to seek shelter in the cities. But foreign donors are unsure about whom to speak to.
Taliban officials have said the problems will ease once a new government is in place, and have urged other countries to maintain economic relations.
Bankers outside Afghanistan said it would be difficult to get the financial system running again without the bank specialists who joined the exodus. "I don't know how they will manage it because all the technical staff, including senior management, has left the country," one banker said.
The European Union will need to engage with the Talibanbut will not rush into formally recognising them as the new rulers of Afghanistan, a senior EU official said.
LEFT BEHIND
More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in the U.S.-led airlift after the Taliban seized the city in mid-August, but tens of thousands of Afghans at risk remained behind.
With Kabul's airport out of action, efforts to help Afghans fearful of the Taliban focused on arranging safe passage across the borders with Iran, Pakistan and central Asia. read more
At Torkham, a crossing with Pakistan just east of the Khyber Pass, a Pakistani official said: "A large number of people are waiting on the Afghanistan side for the opening of the gate."
Uzbekistan's border with northern Afghanistan remained shut.
Britain and India held separate talks with Taliban officials in Doha amid fears that up to half a million Afghans could flee. read more
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Wednesday that Afghans had so far largely stayed within Afghanistan and only small numbers had fled to neighbouring countries. It called for $300 million in international funding for the humanitarian emergency.
The Taliban said they had surrounded forces in Panjshir, the only province still resisting, and called on them to negotiate a settlement. Some Taliban leaders mocked the United States.
"Your power is gone, your gold is gone," Anas Haqqani, a Taliban leader, said on Twitter, posting a photo of himself holding discarded shackles as he toured Bagram prison, where he was held for years by U.S. forces.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Angus MacSwan and William Maclean; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Cooney
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
Op-Ed -- Estimating the costs of 20 years in Afghanistan
August 28, 2021
As an avoidable and catastrophic human tragedy unfolds as U.S. government personnel and military forces leave Afghanistan, various analyses are using different yardsticks to determine how much American treasure supported 20 years of combat and supporting operations. Many are asking what sort of return on investment was achieved for Afghans, the U.S., and our allies. Separate from the value of our presence, the cost of war figures ranges from tens of billions to trillions. Most numbers are not “right” or “wrong,” but rather more expansive or less. Understanding estimates more richly will help policymakers evaluate the financial costs and consequences of combat.
Pentagon War Cost Estimates
The Department of Defense can detail that it has spent $1.7 trillion on war-related costs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries since September 2001. For Afghanistan specifically, Operation Enduring Freedom costs totaled roughly $578 billion, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel costs are currently about $256 billion. The Pentagon, therefore, estimates spending a total of $837 billion as the cost for the Afghanistan war.
However, tracking and adding the accounts to pay for these operations over time is not straightforward. The U.S. military designates specific war zones as named operations with aligned funding within dedicated accounts, and the names change when the associated missions shift. U.S. operations in Afghanistan started as Enduring Freedom, which lasted from 2001 to 2014, and then became Freedom’s Sentinel, which will presumably conclude this month or next.
The funding streams for these operations also changed for a variety of reasons. In the early 2000s, war costs were classified under emergency and supplemental appropriations. Successive administrations treated these appropriations differently. For example, some years of procurement not related to the wars could be included; others could not.
Dedicated war funding was later concentrated in the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account. While the original purpose of OCO was to provide funding for the incremental costs of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan—on top of the Pentagon’s regular budget to man, train, and equip forces—it was also exempt from spending limits established by the 2011 Budget Control Act. As a result, OCO was often used as a means to pay for normal and predictable expenditures or costs the military would need to cover even if it was not involved in combat. Eventually, this led to breaking the OCO account into different spending categories.
Direct war requirements covered combat or combat support costs that were expected to end when conflicts concluded, like Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and partnership programs like the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund (ASFF). In contrast, the enduring requirements funding category included in-theater and U.S. based costs that would be expected to remain after combat operations ended, such as weapons system sustainment, depot maintenance, ship operations, contractor support and more. The base funding category covered expenses that belonged in the base budget but could or would not be placed there due to spending caps.
With the Budget Control Act expiring, President Biden’s first defense budget for next fiscal year 2022 also has money requested for operations overseas, but they are now entirely included in the base defense budget. The Biden administration asked for $42 billion in OCO for direct war and enduring requirements while doing away entirely with reporting of OCO-for-base requirements.
Outside Estimates of Military Operations
In a 2019 report on OCO, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) estimated that operations in Afghanistan from FY 2001 to FY 2019 totaled $765 billion. However, these figures are based upon Pentagon estimates relayed through quarterly Defense Department reporting to Capitol Hill. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) notes said figures are imprecise for a variety of reasons, including unnamed classified operations and the growth of non-war-related costs in the requests.
CRS highlights additional limitations to the Pentagon’s reporting on the cost of Afghan operations. They cite “incomplete accounting of costs, limited distribution of the documents and underlying data, and formatting that makes it difficult to reconcile the data with information contained in budget justification documents.”
More recently, a 2021 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) that covered September 2001 through March 2021 estimated that $837 billion was spent on warfighting alone in Afghanistan. However, despite its deficiencies, SIGAR also relied upon the Pentagon’s most recent “Cost of War” report.
Beyond warfighting but part of the operation, SIGAR also put the cost of U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan at $145 billion. According to the CRS and SIGAR, $83 billion of that reconstruction figure is already contained in the Defense Department’s $837 billion cost of war total.
Brown University takes a more expansive calculation, estimating the U.S. costs of the Afghan war at $2.3 trillion between FY 2001 and FY 2022. This is because they measure more than just immediate warfighting costs.
Brown totals include:
State Department funding for contingency operations;
Care for veterans of the Afghan war;
Federal interest payments on war-related debt; and
$433 billion estimated cost growth in various base spending categories like military compensation that could be explained by the war, based on the assumption that an all-volunteer force required more incentives during wartime and more medical support during and after deployments.
Still, even Brown’s methods might not cover all the funding streams that could conceivably be tracked in relation to the Afghanistan war. In 2018, for example, the Stimson Center studied counter-terrorism (CT) spending across the U.S. government and estimated that CT-related funding already reached $2.8 trillion between fiscal years 2002 and 2017 alone, “including expenditures for government wide homeland security efforts, international programs, and the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.” Parsing out the overlapping and unique funding in each instance and estimate is not a straightforward task.
What Is Missing?
Plenty of other costs could be related to the war but remain opaque. America’s abrupt departure from Afghanistan is poised to leave a paper trail of penalties for broken contracts, in addition to abandoned materiel and equipment, even before the Taliban reached Kabul on August 15.
The House Armed Services Committee’s draft of the FY 2022 defense bill reportedly still includes $350 million for closing out contracts and operations related to supporting Afghan security and defense forces. The Pentagon has also activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program to help transport Afghan refugees, using commercial aircraft to augment the airlift. The airlines will receive compensation for that support.
As the Taliban advanced, they captured unknown amounts of U.S. military equipment—including vehicles, small arms, ammunition, ISR equipment, helicopters, and more. Even if the Taliban cannot use all of the gear, the U.S. military no longer can either. Another cost.
Further, while an estimated $6 billion in approved or requested funding for training the Afghan military is now largely up for grabs in Congress, commanders have already said they’ll need to beef up counter-terrorism efforts in the region. This also will require new investment in allied and partner nations for intelligence gathering assets and equipment, such as drones with wider ranges, to mitigate the loss of local bases.
The costs of the war are far from over on August 31st. Brown researchers emphasize that the U.S. government is obligated to provide lifetime support to veterans of war, and interest payments on related debt will only increase over time. Both cautions are important, and the benefits that veterans receive are particularly difficult to fully estimate.
There are also many costs yet to be paid to fulfill commitments to veterans’ care and benefits, including to family members for the KIA, which continue many decades after a conflict ends. For example, the last U.S. Civil War dependent beneficiary died in 2020, which is 155 years after the war ended.
America’s two decades of war in two countries have a “tail” of 5 million-plus deployed military personnel that is likely to be just as long and incredibly expensive. The cost of benefits programs for veterans and their dependents comes not from the Defense Department budget but rather from the VA and other implementing federal agencies, such as the Treasury Department supporting pensions via the Military Retirement Fund.
Financial Costs of War Pale in Comparison to Other Consequences
The immediate costs of war are staggering—personally, physically, emotionally, nationally, financially, and so much more. Of course, none of these spending analyses reflects the many other costs and consequences of war. They certainly do not incorporate the blood spilled for these missions, the lifetime of suffering for so many wounded in action, and a host of other opportunities missed, abandoned or not undertaken as a result. Further, estimating the direct costs of America’s operations in Afghanistan cannot capture the lasting shame of how it ended. Still, such benchmarks, baselines, timeframes and categories help policymakers evaluate the treasure spent on combat operations and its value, or lack thereof.
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/estimating-the-costs-of-20-years-in-afghanistan/
Op-Ed -- Estimating the costs of 20 years in Afghanistan
August 28, 2021
As an avoidable and catastrophic human tragedy unfolds as U.S. government personnel and military forces leave Afghanistan, various analyses are using different yardsticks to determine how much American treasure supported 20 years of combat and supporting operations. Many are asking what sort of return on investment was achieved for Afghans, the U.S., and our allies. Separate from the value of our presence, the cost of war figures ranges from tens of billions to trillions. Most numbers are not “right” or “wrong,” but rather more expansive or less. Understanding estimates more richly will help policymakers evaluate the financial costs and consequences of combat.
Pentagon War Cost Estimates
The Department of Defense can detail that it has spent $1.7 trillion on war-related costs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries since September 2001. For Afghanistan specifically, Operation Enduring Freedom costs totaled roughly $578 billion, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel costs are currently about $256 billion. The Pentagon, therefore, estimates spending a total of $837 billion as the cost for the Afghanistan war.
However, tracking and adding the accounts to pay for these operations over time is not straightforward. The U.S. military designates specific war zones as named operations with aligned funding within dedicated accounts, and the names change when the associated missions shift. U.S. operations in Afghanistan started as Enduring Freedom, which lasted from 2001 to 2014, and then became Freedom’s Sentinel, which will presumably conclude this month or next.
The funding streams for these operations also changed for a variety of reasons. In the early 2000s, war costs were classified under emergency and supplemental appropriations. Successive administrations treated these appropriations differently. For example, some years of procurement not related to the wars could be included; others could not.
Dedicated war funding was later concentrated in the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account. While the original purpose of OCO was to provide funding for the incremental costs of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan—on top of the Pentagon’s regular budget to man, train, and equip forces—it was also exempt from spending limits established by the 2011 Budget Control Act. As a result, OCO was often used as a means to pay for normal and predictable expenditures or costs the military would need to cover even if it was not involved in combat. Eventually, this led to breaking the OCO account into different spending categories.
Direct war requirements covered combat or combat support costs that were expected to end when conflicts concluded, like Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and partnership programs like the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund (ASFF). In contrast, the enduring requirements funding category included in-theater and U.S. based costs that would be expected to remain after combat operations ended, such as weapons system sustainment, depot maintenance, ship operations, contractor support and more. The base funding category covered expenses that belonged in the base budget but could or would not be placed there due to spending caps.
With the Budget Control Act expiring, President Biden’s first defense budget for next fiscal year 2022 also has money requested for operations overseas, but they are now entirely included in the base defense budget. The Biden administration asked for $42 billion in OCO for direct war and enduring requirements while doing away entirely with reporting of OCO-for-base requirements.
Outside Estimates of Military Operations
In a 2019 report on OCO, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) estimated that operations in Afghanistan from FY 2001 to FY 2019 totaled $765 billion. However, these figures are based upon Pentagon estimates relayed through quarterly Defense Department reporting to Capitol Hill. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) notes said figures are imprecise for a variety of reasons, including unnamed classified operations and the growth of non-war-related costs in the requests.
CRS highlights additional limitations to the Pentagon’s reporting on the cost of Afghan operations. They cite “incomplete accounting of costs, limited distribution of the documents and underlying data, and formatting that makes it difficult to reconcile the data with information contained in budget justification documents.”
More recently, a 2021 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) that covered September 2001 through March 2021 estimated that $837 billion was spent on warfighting alone in Afghanistan. However, despite its deficiencies, SIGAR also relied upon the Pentagon’s most recent “Cost of War” report.
Beyond warfighting but part of the operation, SIGAR also put the cost of U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan at $145 billion. According to the CRS and SIGAR, $83 billion of that reconstruction figure is already contained in the Defense Department’s $837 billion cost of war total.
Brown University takes a more expansive calculation, estimating the U.S. costs of the Afghan war at $2.3 trillion between FY 2001 and FY 2022. This is because they measure more than just immediate warfighting costs.
Brown totals include:
State Department funding for contingency operations;
Care for veterans of the Afghan war;
Federal interest payments on war-related debt; and
$433 billion estimated cost growth in various base spending categories like military compensation that could be explained by the war, based on the assumption that an all-volunteer force required more incentives during wartime and more medical support during and after deployments.
Still, even Brown’s methods might not cover all the funding streams that could conceivably be tracked in relation to the Afghanistan war. In 2018, for example, the Stimson Center studied counter-terrorism (CT) spending across the U.S. government and estimated that CT-related funding already reached $2.8 trillion between fiscal years 2002 and 2017 alone, “including expenditures for government wide homeland security efforts, international programs, and the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.” Parsing out the overlapping and unique funding in each instance and estimate is not a straightforward task.
What Is Missing?
Plenty of other costs could be related to the war but remain opaque. America’s abrupt departure from Afghanistan is poised to leave a paper trail of penalties for broken contracts, in addition to abandoned materiel and equipment, even before the Taliban reached Kabul on August 15.
The House Armed Services Committee’s draft of the FY 2022 defense bill reportedly still includes $350 million for closing out contracts and operations related to supporting Afghan security and defense forces. The Pentagon has also activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program to help transport Afghan refugees, using commercial aircraft to augment the airlift. The airlines will receive compensation for that support.
As the Taliban advanced, they captured unknown amounts of U.S. military equipment—including vehicles, small arms, ammunition, ISR equipment, helicopters, and more. Even if the Taliban cannot use all of the gear, the U.S. military no longer can either. Another cost.
Further, while an estimated $6 billion in approved or requested funding for training the Afghan military is now largely up for grabs in Congress, commanders have already said they’ll need to beef up counter-terrorism efforts in the region. This also will require new investment in allied and partner nations for intelligence gathering assets and equipment, such as drones with wider ranges, to mitigate the loss of local bases.
The costs of the war are far from over on August 31st. Brown researchers emphasize that the U.S. government is obligated to provide lifetime support to veterans of war, and interest payments on related debt will only increase over time. Both cautions are important, and the benefits that veterans receive are particularly difficult to fully estimate.
There are also many costs yet to be paid to fulfill commitments to veterans’ care and benefits, including to family members for the KIA, which continue many decades after a conflict ends. For example, the last U.S. Civil War dependent beneficiary died in 2020, which is 155 years after the war ended.
America’s two decades of war in two countries have a “tail” of 5 million-plus deployed military personnel that is likely to be just as long and incredibly expensive. The cost of benefits programs for veterans and their dependents comes not from the Defense Department budget but rather from the VA and other implementing federal agencies, such as the Treasury Department supporting pensions via the Military Retirement Fund.
Financial Costs of War Pale in Comparison to Other Consequences
The immediate costs of war are staggering—personally, physically, emotionally, nationally, financially, and so much more. Of course, none of these spending analyses reflects the many other costs and consequences of war. They certainly do not incorporate the blood spilled for these missions, the lifetime of suffering for so many wounded in action, and a host of other opportunities missed, abandoned or not undertaken as a result. Further, estimating the direct costs of America’s operations in Afghanistan cannot capture the lasting shame of how it ended. Still, such benchmarks, baselines, timeframes and categories help policymakers evaluate the treasure spent on combat operations and its value, or lack thereof.
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/estimating-the-costs-of-20-years-in-afghanistan/
Biden says Afghanistan exit marks the end of U.S nation-building
Reuters
August 31, 2021
4:41 PM CDT
Last Updated an hour ago
Aug 31 (Reuters) - Facing sharp criticism over the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday it was the best available option to end both the United States' longest war and decades of fruitless efforts to remake other countries through military force.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-withdrawal-afghanistan-brings-biden-new-tests-home-2021-08-31/
Biden portrayed the chaotic exit as a logistical success that would have been just as messy even if it had been launched weeks earlier, while staying in the country would have required committing more American troops.
"I was not going to extend this forever war," he said in a speech from the White House.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan in a lightning advance this month, celebrated their victory. They fired guns into the air, paraded coffins draped in U.S. and NATO flags and set about enforcing their rule after the last U.S. troops withdrew.
In his first remarks since the final pullout on Monday, Biden said 90% of Americans who wanted to leave were able to do so, and that Washington had leverage over the Islamist militants to ensure 100 to 200 others could also depart if they wanted to.
He said Washington would continue to target militants in the country who posed a threat to the United States, but would no longer use its military to try to build cohesive, democratic societies in places that have never had them.
"This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries," he said.
The Taliban now control more territory than when they last ruled before they were ousted in 2001 at the start of America's longest war, which took the lives of nearly 2,500 U.S. troops and an estimated 240,000 Afghans, and cost some $2 trillion.
More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in a massive but chaotic airlift by the United States and its allies over the past two weeks, but many of those who helped Western nations during the war were left behind.
(Also Read: U.S. troops have left Afghanistan. What happens now?)
https://www.reuters.com/world/what-happens-now-that-us-troops-have-left-afghanistan-2021-08-30/
Biden said the only other option would have been to step up the fight and continue a war that Americans soured on long ago. Starting the withdrawal in June or July, as some have suggested, would only have hastened the Taliban's victory, he said.
But Biden's decision is far from popular: 51% of Americans disapprove of his approach to the pullout and only 38% support it, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the departure had abandoned Americans behind enemy lines.
"We are less safe as a result of this self-inflicted wound," he said in his home state of Kentucky.
ELATION AND FEAR
In Afghanistan, there was a mixture of triumph and elation on the one side as the Taliban celebrated their victory, and fear on the other.
"We are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a great power," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at Kabul airport after a C-17 aircraft took the last U.S. troops out a minute before midnight.
While crowds lined the streets of the eastern city of Khost for a mock funeral with coffins draped with Western flags, long lines formed in Kabul outside banks closed since the fall of the capital.
"I had to go to the bank with my mother but when I went, the Taliban (were) beating women with sticks,” said a 22-year-old woman who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared for her safety.
She said the assault occurred among a crowd outside a branch of the Azizi Bank next to the Kabul Star Hotel in the centre of the capital. "It’s the first time I’ve seen something like that and it really frightened me."
Biden has said the world would hold the Taliban to their commitment to allow safe passage for those wanting to leave Afghanistan in future, and to uphold human rights.
The U.S. invasion in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States stopped Afghanistan from being used by al Qaeda as a base to attack the United States and ended a period of Taliban rule from 1996 in which women were oppressed and opponents crushed.
Mujahid said the group wanted to establish diplomatic relations with the world, but Germany reiterated that the Taliban needed to set up an inclusive government.
"Anyone who expects the international community to help ... must also see that the international community also demands certain prerequisites for this," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.
Destruction from recent fighting and a hiatus in administration and the foreign aid on which many Afghans depend have left the country in a precarious state and the Taliban do not have complete control.
At least seven Taliban fighters were killed in clashes in the Panjshir valley north of the capital on Monday night, two members of the main anti-Taliban opposition group said.
Several thousand anti-Taliban fighters, from local militias as well as remnants of army and special forces units, have gathered in the valley under the command of regional leader Ahmad Massoud.
Thousands of Afghans have already fled the country, fearing Taliban reprisals.
LEFT BEHIND
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. military was not concerned with images of Taliban members walking through Kabul airport holding weapons and sizing up U.S. helicopters.
But he said the "threat environment" remained high and the United States was concerned about the potential for Taliban retribution and mindful of the threat that ISIS-K continues to pose inside Afghanistan.
ISIS-K is the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghan civilians.
The U.S. Senate passed legislation to provide aid to Americans returning from Afghanistan, while European Union countries proposed to step up assistance to Afghanistan and its neighbours.
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
Biden says Afghanistan exit marks the end of U.S nation-building
Reuters
August 31, 2021
4:41 PM CDT
Last Updated an hour ago
Aug 31 (Reuters) - Facing sharp criticism over the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday it was the best available option to end both the United States' longest war and decades of fruitless efforts to remake other countries through military force.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-withdrawal-afghanistan-brings-biden-new-tests-home-2021-08-31/
Biden portrayed the chaotic exit as a logistical success that would have been just as messy even if it had been launched weeks earlier, while staying in the country would have required committing more American troops.
"I was not going to extend this forever war," he said in a speech from the White House.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan in a lightning advance this month, celebrated their victory. They fired guns into the air, paraded coffins draped in U.S. and NATO flags and set about enforcing their rule after the last U.S. troops withdrew.
In his first remarks since the final pullout on Monday, Biden said 90% of Americans who wanted to leave were able to do so, and that Washington had leverage over the Islamist militants to ensure 100 to 200 others could also depart if they wanted to.
He said Washington would continue to target militants in the country who posed a threat to the United States, but would no longer use its military to try to build cohesive, democratic societies in places that have never had them.
"This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It's about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries," he said.
The Taliban now control more territory than when they last ruled before they were ousted in 2001 at the start of America's longest war, which took the lives of nearly 2,500 U.S. troops and an estimated 240,000 Afghans, and cost some $2 trillion.
More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in a massive but chaotic airlift by the United States and its allies over the past two weeks, but many of those who helped Western nations during the war were left behind.
(Also Read: U.S. troops have left Afghanistan. What happens now?)
https://www.reuters.com/world/what-happens-now-that-us-troops-have-left-afghanistan-2021-08-30/
Biden said the only other option would have been to step up the fight and continue a war that Americans soured on long ago. Starting the withdrawal in June or July, as some have suggested, would only have hastened the Taliban's victory, he said.
But Biden's decision is far from popular: 51% of Americans disapprove of his approach to the pullout and only 38% support it, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the departure had abandoned Americans behind enemy lines.
"We are less safe as a result of this self-inflicted wound," he said in his home state of Kentucky.
ELATION AND FEAR
In Afghanistan, there was a mixture of triumph and elation on the one side as the Taliban celebrated their victory, and fear on the other.
"We are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a great power," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at Kabul airport after a C-17 aircraft took the last U.S. troops out a minute before midnight.
While crowds lined the streets of the eastern city of Khost for a mock funeral with coffins draped with Western flags, long lines formed in Kabul outside banks closed since the fall of the capital.
"I had to go to the bank with my mother but when I went, the Taliban (were) beating women with sticks,” said a 22-year-old woman who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared for her safety.
She said the assault occurred among a crowd outside a branch of the Azizi Bank next to the Kabul Star Hotel in the centre of the capital. "It’s the first time I’ve seen something like that and it really frightened me."
Biden has said the world would hold the Taliban to their commitment to allow safe passage for those wanting to leave Afghanistan in future, and to uphold human rights.
The U.S. invasion in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States stopped Afghanistan from being used by al Qaeda as a base to attack the United States and ended a period of Taliban rule from 1996 in which women were oppressed and opponents crushed.
Mujahid said the group wanted to establish diplomatic relations with the world, but Germany reiterated that the Taliban needed to set up an inclusive government.
"Anyone who expects the international community to help ... must also see that the international community also demands certain prerequisites for this," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.
Destruction from recent fighting and a hiatus in administration and the foreign aid on which many Afghans depend have left the country in a precarious state and the Taliban do not have complete control.
At least seven Taliban fighters were killed in clashes in the Panjshir valley north of the capital on Monday night, two members of the main anti-Taliban opposition group said.
Several thousand anti-Taliban fighters, from local militias as well as remnants of army and special forces units, have gathered in the valley under the command of regional leader Ahmad Massoud.
Thousands of Afghans have already fled the country, fearing Taliban reprisals.
LEFT BEHIND
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. military was not concerned with images of Taliban members walking through Kabul airport holding weapons and sizing up U.S. helicopters.
But he said the "threat environment" remained high and the United States was concerned about the potential for Taliban retribution and mindful of the threat that ISIS-K continues to pose inside Afghanistan.
ISIS-K is the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghan civilians.
The U.S. Senate passed legislation to provide aid to Americans returning from Afghanistan, while European Union countries proposed to step up assistance to Afghanistan and its neighbours.
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
What was Trump's plan on ending that 20 year war?
U.S. completes withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan after 20-year war
August 30, 2021
4:36 PM CDT
Last Updated 35 minutes ago
Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Monday, after a chaotic evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies to close out U.S. involvement there after 20 years of conflict.
The operation came to an end before the Tuesday deadline set by President Joe Biden, who has drawn heavy criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of Afghanistan since the Taliban made rapid advances and took over Kabul earlier this month.
The withdrawal was announced by General Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, who told a Pentagon briefing that the chief U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan, Ross Wilson, was on the last C-17 flight out.
Having failed to anticipate that the Taliban would so quickly conquer the country, Washington and its NATO allies were forced into a hasty exit. They leave behind thousands of Afghans who helped Western countries and might have qualified for evacuation.
McKenzie said the final flights also did not include some dozens of Americans who could not get to the airport.
"There's a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we'd stayed another 10 days, we wouldn't have gotten everybody out," McKenzie told reporters.
More than 122,000 people have been airlifted out of Kabul since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban regained control of the country two decades after being removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
The United States and its Western allies scrambled to save citizens of their own countries as well as translators, local embassy staff, civil rights activists, journalists and other Afghans vulnerable to reprisals.
The evacuations became even more perilous when a suicide bomb attack claimed by Islamic State - enemy of both the West and the Taliban - killed 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans waiting by the airport gates on Thursday.
Biden promised after the bloody Kabul airport attack to hunt down the people responsible.
The departure took place after U.S. anti-missile defences intercepted rockets fired at Kabul's airport.
Two U.S. officials said "core" diplomatic staff were among 6,000 Americans to have left.
A U.S. official said initial reports did not indicate any U.S. casualties from as many as five missiles fired on the airport. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks.
In recent days, Washington has warned of more attacks, while carrying out two air strikes. It said both hit Islamic State targets, one thwarting an attempted suicide bombing in Kabul on Sunday by destroying a car packed with explosives, but which Afghans said had struck civilians.
Tuesday's deadline for troops to leave was set by Biden, fulfilling an agreement reached with the Taliban by his predecessor, Donald Trump to end the United States' longest war.
The United States said on Saturday it had killed two Islamic State militants with a drone attack. On Sunday, U.S. officials said a drone strike killed a suicide car bomber suspected of preparing to attack the airport.
The Democratic president has stuck to his goal of ending America's longest war, saying the United States long ago achieved the objectives it set when the U.S.-led invasion overthrew the Taliban in 2001, punishing them for harbouring al Qaeda militants who masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
EVACUATIONS
Most of the more than 20 allied countries involved in airlifting Afghans and their citizens out of Kabul said they had completed evacuations by Friday. Britain, closely involved in the war from the start, said on Saturday it had finished evacuations and withdrawn the last of its troops.
Thousands more Afghans have been left behind, however, and the chaotic scenes outside the airport for the past two weeks, where thousands thronged every day to try to get past the gates, were a bitter coda to the West's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan.
While the Taliban have sought to present a more moderate face to the world and erase memories of the harsh fundamentalist rule they practised in the 1990s, the desperation by many Afghans to flee the country showed clearly the fear inspired by the Islamist group.
Their seizure of the city on Aug. 15 after the Western-backed government collapsed without a fight and President Ashraf Ghani fled, completed a lightning campaign that saw them sweep up all the country's major cities in a week.
It is unclear whether the U.S. pullout represents the end of American military involvement in Afghanistan - given Washington's interest in punishing Islamic State for the airport attack, and keeping the country from becoming a haven for militants.
Now in full control of the country, the Taliban must revive a war-shattered economy but without being able to count on the billions of dollars in foreign aid that flowed to the previous ruling elite and fed systemic corruption.
Cut off from some $9 billion in foreign reserves and missing thousands of educated specialists who have joined the exodus, the inexperienced new administration must deal with a collapse in the afghani currency and rising food inflation.
Banks remain closed, despite promises they would reopen, and the economic hardship facing those left behind has worsened dramatically.
At the same time, the population outside the cities is facing what U.N. officials have called a catastrophic humanitarian situation worsened by a severe drought. The U.N. refugee agency says up to half a million Afghans could flee their homeland by year-end.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus and Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Rupam Jain; Additional reporting by Joseph Nasr in Berlin; Writing by Clarence Fernandez, Peter Graff, William Maclean and Steve Holland; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Catherine Evans and Peter Cooney
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
U.S. completes withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan after 20-year war
August 30, 2021
4:36 PM CDT
Last Updated 35 minutes ago
Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Monday, after a chaotic evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies to close out U.S. involvement there after 20 years of conflict.
The operation came to an end before the Tuesday deadline set by President Joe Biden, who has drawn heavy criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of Afghanistan since the Taliban made rapid advances and took over Kabul earlier this month.
The withdrawal was announced by General Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, who told a Pentagon briefing that the chief U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan, Ross Wilson, was on the last C-17 flight out.
Having failed to anticipate that the Taliban would so quickly conquer the country, Washington and its NATO allies were forced into a hasty exit. They leave behind thousands of Afghans who helped Western countries and might have qualified for evacuation.
McKenzie said the final flights also did not include some dozens of Americans who could not get to the airport.
"There's a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we'd stayed another 10 days, we wouldn't have gotten everybody out," McKenzie told reporters.
More than 122,000 people have been airlifted out of Kabul since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban regained control of the country two decades after being removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
The United States and its Western allies scrambled to save citizens of their own countries as well as translators, local embassy staff, civil rights activists, journalists and other Afghans vulnerable to reprisals.
The evacuations became even more perilous when a suicide bomb attack claimed by Islamic State - enemy of both the West and the Taliban - killed 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans waiting by the airport gates on Thursday.
Biden promised after the bloody Kabul airport attack to hunt down the people responsible.
The departure took place after U.S. anti-missile defences intercepted rockets fired at Kabul's airport.
Two U.S. officials said "core" diplomatic staff were among 6,000 Americans to have left.
A U.S. official said initial reports did not indicate any U.S. casualties from as many as five missiles fired on the airport. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks.
In recent days, Washington has warned of more attacks, while carrying out two air strikes. It said both hit Islamic State targets, one thwarting an attempted suicide bombing in Kabul on Sunday by destroying a car packed with explosives, but which Afghans said had struck civilians.
Tuesday's deadline for troops to leave was set by Biden, fulfilling an agreement reached with the Taliban by his predecessor, Donald Trump to end the United States' longest war.
The United States said on Saturday it had killed two Islamic State militants with a drone attack. On Sunday, U.S. officials said a drone strike killed a suicide car bomber suspected of preparing to attack the airport.
The Democratic president has stuck to his goal of ending America's longest war, saying the United States long ago achieved the objectives it set when the U.S.-led invasion overthrew the Taliban in 2001, punishing them for harbouring al Qaeda militants who masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
EVACUATIONS
Most of the more than 20 allied countries involved in airlifting Afghans and their citizens out of Kabul said they had completed evacuations by Friday. Britain, closely involved in the war from the start, said on Saturday it had finished evacuations and withdrawn the last of its troops.
Thousands more Afghans have been left behind, however, and the chaotic scenes outside the airport for the past two weeks, where thousands thronged every day to try to get past the gates, were a bitter coda to the West's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan.
While the Taliban have sought to present a more moderate face to the world and erase memories of the harsh fundamentalist rule they practised in the 1990s, the desperation by many Afghans to flee the country showed clearly the fear inspired by the Islamist group.
Their seizure of the city on Aug. 15 after the Western-backed government collapsed without a fight and President Ashraf Ghani fled, completed a lightning campaign that saw them sweep up all the country's major cities in a week.
It is unclear whether the U.S. pullout represents the end of American military involvement in Afghanistan - given Washington's interest in punishing Islamic State for the airport attack, and keeping the country from becoming a haven for militants.
Now in full control of the country, the Taliban must revive a war-shattered economy but without being able to count on the billions of dollars in foreign aid that flowed to the previous ruling elite and fed systemic corruption.
Cut off from some $9 billion in foreign reserves and missing thousands of educated specialists who have joined the exodus, the inexperienced new administration must deal with a collapse in the afghani currency and rising food inflation.
Banks remain closed, despite promises they would reopen, and the economic hardship facing those left behind has worsened dramatically.
At the same time, the population outside the cities is facing what U.N. officials have called a catastrophic humanitarian situation worsened by a severe drought. The U.N. refugee agency says up to half a million Afghans could flee their homeland by year-end.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus and Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Rupam Jain; Additional reporting by Joseph Nasr in Berlin; Writing by Clarence Fernandez, Peter Graff, William Maclean and Steve Holland; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Catherine Evans and Peter Cooney
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rockets-fired-kabul-airport-us-troops-race-complete-evacuation-2021-08-30/
Paralympics coverage Sunday on NBCSN 8:00PM-2:00AM
60 PHOTOS: Chaos in Afghanistan as Taliban take control
https://abcnews.go.com/International/photos/taliban-takes-control-afghanistan-79480356?cid=clicksource_4380645_23_posts_outbrain_card_hed/image-79663900/image-79679672
Paralympic coverage airs on NBC for the first time on Sunday
By JOE REEDY yesterday
NBC’s Olympics coverage has long been built on a foundation of human-interest stories and showcasing athletes’ road to the Games. The same philosophies will apply to the coverage of Paralympics, which will air on the network for the first time.
Sunday will mark the first time that Paralympics coverage will air on the main NBC network and is part of 1,200 hours of programming airing across NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel and digital properties. The Paralympics began in Tokyo on Aug. 24 and continues through Sept. 5.
NBC will have three weekend docu-follow series episodes which will show the stories and performances of athletes competing in Tokyo.
Sunday’s episode, which will air at 7 p.m. EDT, will feature U.S. team flagbearers Melissa Stockwell (triathlon) and Chuck Aoki (wheelchair rugby), along with swimmer Jessica Long.
NBC’s Mark Levy, the SVP of Original Production and Creative, said the one-year delay of the Games due to coronavirus allowed them to be able to dive deeper into athletes’ back stories.
“We really want our viewers to feel connected to the Paralympians. We want to give them a chance to care and cheer for them,” Levy said. “It’s our opportunity through the primetime shows to reach a lot of people and share these back stories.”
Jessica Long of the U.S. sits on the side of the pool after the Women's 100m Backstroke - S8 Final Swimming, at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Thomas Lovelock for OIS via AP)
Long — who entered Tokyo with 23 career medals, including 13 gold — has had part of her story shown on Toyota ads that premiered earlier this year during the Super Bowl. Sunday, though, will allow viewers to see her visit to Russia for the first time in 2013 and meeting her birth mother for the first time.
Long was born with fibular hemimelia, a genetic abnormality which caused her lower legs to not develop properly. She was given up for adoption and was adopted at 13 months old. Her lower legs were amputated five months later.
Future episodes will show Long in competition, as well as how her Toyota ad has inspired people.
Stockwell is the first female American soldier to lose a limb in active combat when a roadside bomb exploded while she was leading a convoy in Iraq. She was also the first Iraq War veteran who qualified for the Paralympics in 2008.
Aoki and the wheelchair rugby team are looking to win gold after a tough loss to Australia in Rio in 2016.
The shows will also show swimmer Abbas Karimi, who is part of the six-member Paralympic Refugee Team
“To be able to showcase all these athletes with disabilities and the opportunity to create a dialogue, we’re hoping that people’s perceptions might change,” Levy said. “That’s really compelling for us and a real important reason why we’re sharing these stories.”
Levy is also hoping that people who watch Sunday will possibly tune in at some point to the 12 hours of daily coverage that is on NBCSN.
NBC’s other Paralympic docu-follow series will air on Sept. 4 and 5.
https://apnews.com/article/paralympic-games-entertainment-sports-tv-arts-and-entertainment-9a48505e622f3bf9a0f0c9b4be11c0e9
Afghans arrive for Paralympics; to be mostly out of sight
By STEPHEN WADE today
In this image made from a video, Afghan athletes Zakia Khudadadi, left, and Hossain Rasouli arrive at Haneda airport in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. They have arrived in Tokyo, via what's been described as a harrowing journey from Kabul to Paris, to compete in the Paralympics. (TBS via AP)
TOKYO (AP) — Afghan athletes Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli have arrived in Tokyo, via what’s been described as a harrowing journey from Kabul to Paris, to compete in the Paralympics.
For now, they are sequestered in the Paralympics Village alongside Tokyo Bay, will not be available for media interviews during their stay — before or after they compete. And where they go after the Games close on Sept. 5 is unclear.
The International Paralympic Committee said they arrived in Tokyo from Paris early on Saturday evening, having passed all the required COVID-19 tests to enter Japan. IPC spokesman Craig Spence said they’d need a few days to get their bearing and needed some privacy.
“This is a really complex situation, one of the most complex we’ve ever been involved in,” Spence told a briefing Sunday. “So what we can say is limited. Human life is the most important thing here. Having the athletes here isn’t about getting media coverage. It’s about these athletes fulfilling their dream of being able to attend the Paralympic Games.”
Spence did not say how they got out of Kabul, but mentioned the help of several governments and other agencies. He had said for several days that the IPC was monitoring their whereabouts, and at the opening ceremony on Aug. 24, a volunteer carried an Afghan flag to represent the absent team.
The addition of the Afghan team means that 163 delegations are participating, which includes a refugee team.
“We always knew there was a remote chance both athletes could participate at Tokyo 2020 which is why the Afghan flag was paraded at the Opening Ceremony,” IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement from the IPC.
“Like all the athletes here at Tokyo 2020, we never gave up hope, and to now have Zakia and Hossain in the Paralympic Village alongside 4,403 other Paralympians shows the remarkable power of sport to bring people together in peace.”
Khudadadi would become the first female Afghan athlete to compete in the Paralympics since 2004. She will challenge in the women’s 44-49-kilogram weight category in taekwondo on Thursday.
Rasouli has a tougher road.
He was to run the 100-meters in the T47 class, but arrived too late for that. So organizers placed him in a 400-meter race for next Friday. Apparently, he was not enthused about that choice, which Spence revealed in quoting Rasouli.
“Look, I’m a 100-meters sprinter. Doing 400 is going to be pretty exhausting,” Spence quoted Rasouli as saying.
Instead, he’s been entered in Tuesday’s long jump in the T47 class — and without much practice.
The question of asylum hangs in the air and will they return to Paris?
“That is a question that will be open to the athletes to choose,” Spence said.
“We have a duty to protect these athletes,” Spence added. “And that starts with their welfare and their mental health. The last thing they want at the moment is to be asked multiple questions about what’s going on, or the future.”
Spence choked back tears a few times as he described a meeting on Saturday evening at the Paralympic Village with Khudadadi and Rasouli, IPC President Parsons, and other officials.
“As you can imagine the meeting was extremely emotional,” Spence said. “There were lots of tears from everyone in the room. To actually see them in person — they’re actually here — was remarkable.”
___
More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
https://apnews.com/article/paralympic-games-sports-f6c8f186d9eb291d9b308c288fd5c875
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 5
29 Aug 2021
Follow the highlights from the fifth day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they happen via our blog below.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-5
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 4
28 Aug 2021
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are underway with 12 days of competition across 22 sports.
Follow the highlights from the fourth day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they happen via our blog below.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-4
Highlights: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Day 3
27 Aug 2021
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are underway with 12 days of competition across 22 sports.
Follow the highlights from third day of competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they happen via our blog below.
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/paralympics/news/highlights-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-day-3
A Proclamation Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
August 26, 2021 • Presidential Actions
As a mark of respect for the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack on August 26, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 30, 2021. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/08/26/a-proclamation-honoring-the-victims-of-the-attack-in-kabul-afghanistan/
A Proclamation Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
August 26, 2021 • Presidential Actions
As a mark of respect for the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack on August 26, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 30, 2021. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/08/26/a-proclamation-honoring-the-victims-of-the-attack-in-kabul-afghanistan/