August 27 Afghanistan-Taliban news

By Aditi Sangal, Jessie Yeung, Brad Lendon, Tara John, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner, Fernando Alfonso III and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 0301 GMT (1101 HKT) August 31, 2021
23 Posts
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8:04 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

Biden plans to contact families of US service members killed in Kabul airport attack

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on August 26 in Washington, DC. 
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on August 26 in Washington, DC.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Biden plans to contact the families of the 13 US service members who were killed in yesterday's attack on Kabul airport, according to a senior official.

Planning is underway for the President to make that outreach, but the White House is first working to ensure that next of kin notifications have taken place.

Biden addressed those families in his public remarks yesterday, saying "my heart aches for you."

We have some sense like many of you do what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest. There's no way out," Biden said.

"My heart aches for you, and I know this, we have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you, to the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary, it lasts forever," he added.

8:29 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

Here's what to know about ISIS-K, the terror group claiming to be behind the Kabul airport attack

From CNN's Rob Picheta

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the August 26 suicide bombs on August 27.
A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the August 26 suicide bombs on August 27. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images)

A terror group called ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing attacks outside Kabul airport on Thursday, that killed 13 US troops and more than 90 Afghans. The group provided no evidence to support the claim but US officials have said it was likely behind the atrocity.

While this was ISIS-K's most globally consequential action to date, it has been responsible for thousands of deaths since its 2015 formation. It launched 77 attacks just in the first four months of 2021, according to UN figures.

The group's full name, ISIS-Khorasan, comes from its terminology for the area that includes Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its members operate in central Asia. Counter-terrorism analysts estimate its strength now at around 1,500-2,000 members.

According to a US State Department report, the group relied heavily on suicide bombings -- the same tactic used in the Kabul airport blasts on Thursday.

In 2018, ISIS-K was ranked the world's fourth deadliest terror group, claiming more than 1,000 lives, mostly in Afghanistan, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.

The connection between ISIS-K and its apparent parent group ISIS is not entirely clear; the affiliates share an ideology and tactics, but the depth of their relationship with regards to organization and command and control has never been entirely established.

Read a full report on the group's origins, area of operation and more here.

8:16 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

The UK has evacuated 13,708 people from Afghanistan since August 13

From CNN’s Sarah Dean in London

Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan disembark a British military transport aircraft at RAF Brize Norton station in southern England on August 26.
Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan disembark a British military transport aircraft at RAF Brize Norton station in southern England on August 26. (Jacob King/Pool/Getty Images)

The United Kingdom has evacuated 13,708 people from Afghanistan since August 13, the country's defense ministry said Friday as the nation’s evacuation mission wraps up in Kabul.

The ministry added in a tweet that 7,975 of those people are Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy claimants, based on current data.

8:16 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

China condemns Kabul attacks, says security situation in Afghanistan is “complex and severe”

From Zixu Wang and Hannah Ritchie

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a press conference in Beijing on May 19. 
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a press conference in Beijing on May 19.  (Kyodo News/Getty Images)

China has condemned Thursday’s attacks at the Kabul airport.

“China is shocked by the heavy casualties caused by the explosions near Kabul Airport, and China strongly condemns it,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters Friday.  

“The incident shows that the security situation in Afghanistan remains complex and severe. We hope relevant parties will take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan,” Lijian added.

No Chinese casualties have been reported so far and contact has been established with remaining Chinese citizens in Afghanistan, according to the country's embassy there.

7:52 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemns attacks on Kabul

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder in Jerusalem

Iran's Foreign Ministry has expressed its “deepest condolences” for the attacks on Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, its spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement. 

“Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned attacks targeting innocent Afghan people as well as any terrorist operations directed at men, women, youth and children,” the statement read.

“[Khatibzadeh] expressed hope with the immediate establishment of a broad-based government in Kabul, relevant government bodies and institutions discharge their responsibilities with regards to protecting people’s lives and property,” the statement added. 

7:30 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

"The threat is still out there," says senior White House official

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond

As the US works to complete its evacuation mission and withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31, President Joe Biden and his team are bracing for the possibility of another terrorist attack in the final days of that operation.

"The threat is still out there," a senior White House official said. "It's still heightened."

Biden plans to receive regular updates throughout the day on the state of the evacuation mission and the ongoing terrorist threat in Kabul, beginning with his at 8 a.m. daily intelligence briefing.

The President will then meet with his national security team in the Situation Room at 8:30 a.m. to discuss Afghanistan. Additionally, this official said Biden was "solemn and serious" on Thursday as updates on the attack at Kabul airport filtered in.

"He's kind of extremely calm and solemn" in those moments, the official said.

8:16 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

Approximately 12,500 people evacuated by US military and coalition flights in 24 hours

From CNN's Betsy Klein 

In this handout provided by the U.S. Air Force, an air crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assists evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 21 in Kabul, Afghanistan. 
In this handout provided by the U.S. Air Force, an air crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assists evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 21 in Kabul, Afghanistan.  (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force/Getty Images)

As evacuations from Afghanistan approach their final days, the White House says approximately 12,500 people were evacuated in 24 hours.

From 3:00 a.m. ET Thursday to 3:00 a.m. Friday, approximately 8,500 people were evacuated by the US military, and approximately 4,000 were evacuated via coalition flights, for a total of approximately 12,500 people evacuated. 

That brings the total number of people evacuated via US military and coalition flights to 105,000 since August 14, and 110,600 since late July, per the White House.

7:07 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

Kremlin condemns terrorist attacks in Afghanistan 

From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Zahra Ullah in Moscow  

The Kremlin condemned the terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and said the situation continues to be a cause of “grave concern” for Russia. 

“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms. Of course, this is very sad news about the large number of casualties,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists.

The “pessimistic predictions” about the threat of attacks from ISIS were “unfortunately” realised, Peskov added.

“Unfortunately, pessimistic predictions are confirmed that terrorist groups, both ISIS and their derivatives, will not fail to take advantage of the chaos in Afghanistan. The danger to all is great. And this continues to be a cause for our grave concern,” he said Friday.

When asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin will be making a statement about the situation, Peskov emphasized that Russia is not part of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan.

“The President has no such plans. Because you know that Russia is not part of the US-led coalition, which was in Afghanistan for decades and carried out the withdrawal of troops, which provoked the situation,” he said. 

Peskov added he is not aware of any appeals for help from Russia: “To help someone, you need someone to ask for it. I am not aware that there were any appeals from the Americans in this regard.”

Russian intelligence agencies are monitoring the situation and assessing whether the a threat of terrorist attacks is spilling over to other countries, Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia is not yet planning new evacuation operations but said relevant departments are monitoring and further action will depend on the evolving situation, which he noted is “quite unpredictable.”

7:23 a.m. ET, August 27, 2021

"This claim of striking back is wishful thinking"

From CNN's Jeevan Ravindran

A Taliban fighter stands guard near where a bomb went off at Kabul airport on August 27.
A Taliban fighter stands guard near where a bomb went off at Kabul airport on August 27. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images)

CNN's national security analyst, Peter Bergen, said it was "wishful thinking" from President Joe Biden that the US could strike back against those responsible for the attack at Kabul's airport on Thursday.

Last night, US President Joe Biden vowed vengeance against the perpetrators, the Islamic State affiliate known as ISIS-K. He said: "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay."

But the assertion was "ludicrous," Bergen said Friday. He questioned the US's ability to carry out such an offensive, saying American intelligence capabilities had been severely depleted in Afghanistan due to the withdrawal.

We're pulling out all US troops and our intelligence assets are almost entirely gone. So where do you engineer this strike from?"

Bergen explained that the raid that killed former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 had taken years to plan, despite the US having substantial intelligence in Pakistan.