The Pentagon has said that it is formally seeking airlift help from commercial airlines to relocate evacuees from Afghanistan once they have gotten out of their country.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday activated the initial stage of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, asking for 18 aircraft: three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flights from this activation.
According to Kirby, those aircraft will not fly into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. They will be used to move passengers from way stations once they leave Kabul, allowing the US military to focus on the Afghanistan portion of the evacuation.
This comes as the US embassy issued a new security warning, telling citizens not to travel to Kabul airport unless instructed by a US government representative and as President Joe Biden warned he could not predict the outcome of one of the “most difficult airlifts in history”.
Here are the latest updates:
Contents
Afghanistan’s Massoud refuses to surrender to Taliban and warns of war – al-Arabiya
The son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was one of the main leaders of Afghanistan’s anti-Soviet resistance in the 1980s, said he will not surrender areas under his control to the Taliban, Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel cited him as saying.
Ahmad Massoud called on the formation of a comprehensive government to rule the country with the participation of the Taliban, warning that war will be “unavoidable” if the insurgents refuse dialogue, the TV channel said.
Italy flies over 200 from Kabul amid evacuation ops
Italy flew 211 Afghans out of Kabul, bringing the number of Afghan workers and their families who have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan by Italian missions to around 2,100, according to the Defense Ministry.
Of those, 1,100 have been brought to Italy.
Italy launched Operation Aquila Omnia in June, and has deployed 1,500 servicemen and women to operate an airbridge from Kabul to Kuwait, aboard four C130J aircraft, and to ferry evacuees to safety in Italy aboard four KC767s.
UK calls G7 meeting on Tuesday to discuss Afghan crisis
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had called a G7 leaders’ meeting on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan and urged the international community to find ways to prevent it from escalating.
“It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years,” Johnson said on Twitter.
The United Kingdom currently holds the rotating leadership of the G7, which also includes the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Canada.
Infographic: How many people evacuated from Afghanistan so far?
Thousands of people have tried to flee Afghanistan, with many crushed to death, as Afghans fear reprisals and a return to a strict rule under the Taliban.
Crowds have grown at the airport in the heat and dust over the past week, hindering operations as the United States and other nations attempt to evacuate thousands of their diplomats and civilians as well as numerous Afghans who worked for them.
According to official statements and local reports, at least 28,000 people have been evacuated so far.
