International
16,000 evacuated from Kabul airport in past 24 hours: Pentagon
AFP
Around 16,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours from Afghanistan through the Kabul airport, the Pentagon said Monday, as the US speeds toward completing its airlift by an August 31 deadline.
General Hank Taylor told reporters that 61 military, commercial and charter flights involving a number of countries flew out from Hamid Karzai International Airport in the 24 hours to 3:00 am Monday (0700 GMT) carrying people escaping the country after the Taliban seized power.
Of the total evacuated that day, 11,000 were taken out by the US military airlift operations, Taylor said.
Taylor said the number of people relocated from Afghanistan since July on US flights hit 42,000, with 37,000 of those since the intense airlift operations started on August 14 as the Taliban moved to take Kabul.
That includes “several thousand” US citizens, and thousands of Afghans who worked for US forces, who had applied for or received special immigrant visas, and Afghans seen as at risk to Taliban attacks for their work in non-governmental organizations, the media, and other jobs, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Kirby said focus remains on getting US evacuation operations done by the August 31 deadline set for the US pullout from the country by President Joe Biden.
That would require withdrawing the 5,800 US troops who have essentially run airport operations and maintained security since August 14, as well as large amounts of equipment brought in to support their mission.
German, British and French officials said Monday that evacuations on their part could continue after August 31, and said they want the US force to stay in place to help the international airlift.
On Tuesday leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations will meet virtually on Afghanistan.
“Whether or not the US can be persuaded to stay is a matter for the prime minister (Boris Johnson) tomorrow in the G7 meeting,” British armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News.
Britain currently chairs the G7, also comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
Kirby did not categorically rule out Washington extending the deadline, although the Taliban have said they will hold the US to it.
For the United States, Kirby said, “The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible.”
“The focus is on trying to do this as best we can, by the end of the month,” he said.
International
7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Drake Passage
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a warning on Thursday after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Drake Passage, in the waters between Antarctica and Cape Horn, at the southern tip of Chile.
Preliminary reports indicate that the earthquake occurred at 10:16 p.m. local time (02:16 GMT Friday) at a depth of 10.8 kilometers.
The National Seismological Center of the University of Chile also issued an alert on its X account for the same tremor, with an epicenter 258 kilometers northwest of the Frei Base in Chilean Antarctica. The center reported a slightly higher magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale.
Chile’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) issued a minor tsunami threat for the coasts of Chilean Antarctica, placing the area under a state of precaution, with waves potentially reaching the Prat and O’Higgins bases.
The National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (SENAPRED) ordered the evacuation of beaches, rocky shores, wetlands, estuaries, river mouths, pedestrian coastal walkways, marinas, coastal roads, coves, ports, and piers in the Chilean Antarctic territory.
International
Peru calls Colombia’s president Persona Non Grata again amid sovereignty concerns
The full Peruvian Congress approved on Thursday a motion to reaffirm the declaration of Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, as persona non grata, initially issued in 2023, due to actions that “disregard and undermine national sovereignty” after Petro claimed an Amazonian island that Peru considers part of its territory.
The motion also requests that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issue an official diplomatic note communicating this decision to the Colombian government and the international community.
This legislative action reiterates the first persona non grata declaration against Petro, approved in 2023 following anti-government protests against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, whose legitimacy Petro did not recognize.
International
Netanyahu orders shortened preparation for Gaza city operation against Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday ordered a “shortening” of the preparation period before troops enter Gaza City, where around one million Palestinians are taking refuge.
“In anticipation of the approval of plans for the operation in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the timelines to be shortened for taking the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The brief text, which may serve as a pressure tactic on both Hamas and the displaced Palestinian population, does not specify any dates.
The Israeli military has also not provided details beyond reiterating that “preliminary operations” have already begun in some neighborhoods of Gaza’s capital.
Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said in an online briefing that “the army now controls the gates of Gaza City” and that forces are stationed in the southern Zeitoun neighborhood and the northern Jabalia area.
“Additional forces will join the fighting in the near future,” Defrin added.
According to Gazan sources, attacks and bombings have increased in these two locations, along with the demolition of homes. The military has also called up 60,000 reservists, according to a Defense Ministry statement.
7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Drake Passage
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