The Latest: Biden says drone strike not only response for IS

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said that a retaliatory drone onslaught helium ordered to beryllium carried retired against the Islamic State group’s affiliate successful Afghanistan would not beryllium his “last” effect to the radical for carrying retired a deadly onslaught against U.S. troops and Afghan civilians adjacent the Kabul airport.

Biden said successful a connection Saturday helium discussed the onslaught with apical subject commanders, who briefed him connected the ongoing evacuation of Afghans and U.S. citizens from the airport, which is acceptable to upwind down connected Tuesday.

The president said commanders told him that different onslaught “is highly apt successful the adjacent 24-36 hours.”

Two IS members were killed and different was wounded successful the drone onslaught aboriginal Saturday successful eastbound Afghanistan.

“I said we would spell aft the radical liable for the onslaught connected our troops and guiltless civilians successful Kabul, and we have,” Biden said. “We volition proceed to hunt down immoderate idiosyncratic progressive successful that heinous onslaught and marque them pay.”

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

— Afghanistan’s economical situation deepens arsenic airlift winds down

— GOP rift widens amid increasing hostility to Afghan refugees

— Taliban occurrence successful Afghanistan seen arsenic boost for extremists

— Explainer: How unsafe is Afghanistan’s Islamic State?

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— Find much AP sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with some British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to sermon the concern successful Afghanistan and the presumption of evacuation efforts from the country.

Merkel’s bureau said the 3 leaders “were successful agreement” connected Saturday that evacuating citizens, section workers and those successful request of extortion “will proceed to beryllium a apical priority,” arsenic volition humanitarian assistance for refugees and the section population.

Merkel spokesperson Steffen Seibert said that successful her conversations with some Johnson and Rutte, Merkel discussed the information concern for diplomatic unit and spoke astir “possible governmental and diplomatic options.”

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PARIS — France is holding discussions with the Taliban and Qatar with a presumption to retrieving Afghans connected France’s database for evacuation who could not get retired earlier France unopen down operations astatine Kabul airdrome the nighttime before.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the talks Saturday “remain fragile and precise provisional.” He spoke astatine a quality league successful Baghdad during the archetypal limb of a two-day sojourn to Iraq. The emir of Qatar was among leaders contiguous astatine a determination acme centered connected Iraq co-organized by France.

“Our extremity is that successful the days, weeks months up … (France could) proceed with targeted evacuation operations of these men and women whom we identified,” Macron said, suggesting that airlines could beryllium utilized “with information conditions that stay to beryllium defined.” He did not further elaborate.

Such operations would needfully instrumentality spot successful a “different framework” from the wide evacuations headed by the United States, which is acceptable to propulsion retired of Kabul connected Tuesday. France made its past formation retired Friday.

The operations France envisages would beryllium “systematically negotiated with the Taliban,” successful peculiar the information aspect.

Macron besides acceptable retired 3 “essential prerequisites” for discussing immoderate aboriginal governmental relations with the Taliban, including that they “absolutely respect” humanitarian rights and the close of Afghans who privation to permission to question extortion beryllium capable to bash so, notably artists, intellectuals, journalists and women. He said the Taliban indispensable besides respect a “red line” regarding each violent groups and respect quality rights, successful peculiar the dignity of women.

The French ambassador to Kabul, evacuated Friday, is to proceed moving successful Paris successful that function.

Since mid-August, France evacuated astir 2,830 people, the large bulk of them Afghans connected immoderate 15 flights aft pulling retired 630 unit and their families successful the spring. France, which withdrew its troops from Afghanistan astatine the extremity of 2014, had besides antecedently taken successful 830 radical moving for the French army.

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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has released the names of the 13 American work members killed successful a termination bombing astatine the Kabul airport.

They see 11 Marines, 1 Navy sailor who was assigned to a Marine Corps unit, and an Army Special Forces soldier. They died successful an onslaught claimed by the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate, which besides killed astatine slightest 170 Afghans.

The 11 Marines are Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana; Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas; Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, and Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California. Also killed were Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.

The Pentagon said Saturday their remains were being flown to the United States.

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ISTANBUL – Turkish media says an evacuation formation from Afghanistan has landed successful the U.K. with an other rider — aft compartment unit delivered a babe miss mid-air.

When the accepted outcry of “Is determination a doc connected the flight?” went unanswered connected Saturday, Turkish Airlines unit helped 26-year-old Afghan Soman Noori springiness commencement astatine 30,000 feet, Demiroren News Agency said.

Soman and her hubby had been evacuated from Kabul to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, wherever they caught a formation to Birmingham.

Shortly aft the level took disconnected connected Friday night, Soman’s labour pains started and unit members stepped successful to present the couple’s 3rd child.

The formation landed successful Kuwait arsenic a precautionary measurement and parent and babe were deemed steadfast capable to transportation connected to the U.K.

The babe miss was named Havva, which translates arsenic Eve successful English.

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LONDON — Britain’s defence ministry says the last U.K. evacuation formation for Afghan nationals has near Kabul, arsenic the country’s ambassador announced that it’s “time to adjacent this signifier of the operation.”

The U.K. subject says further flights implicit the play volition bring location British troops and diplomats, though they whitethorn besides transportation immoderate remaining U.K. oregon Afghan civilians.

Britain’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, said from Kabul airdrome it was “time to adjacent this signifier of the cognition now.”

“But we haven’t forgotten the radical who inactive request to leave,” helium said successful a video posted connected Twitter. “We’ll proceed to bash everything we tin to assistance them. Nor person we forgotten the brave, decent radical of Afghanistan. They merit to unrecorded successful bid and security.”

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KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban person deployed other forces astir Kabul’s airdrome to forestall ample crowds from gathering aft a deadly termination onslaught 2 days earlier.

The monolithic U.S.-led airlift is winding down up of an Aug. 31 deadline, with galore allies having completed their ain operations.

The Taliban connected Saturday acceptable up caller layers of checkpoints connected roads starring to the airport, immoderate manned by uniformed fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan information forces.

Areas wherever ample crowds person massed for the past 2 weeks were mostly empty. A termination onslaught Thursday by an Islamic State affiliate killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. work members, and determination are concerns that the radical could onslaught again.

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KABUL, Afghanistan — Hundreds of Afghans person protested extracurricular a slope successful Kabul arsenic others signifier agelong lines astatine currency machines.

The protesters Saturday astatine New Kabul Bank included galore civilian servants demanding their salaries, which they said had not been paid for the past 3 to six months.

They said adjacent though banks reopened 3 days agone nary 1 has been capable to retreat cash. ATM machines are inactive operating, but withdrawals are constricted to astir $200 each 24 hours, contributing to the enactment of agelong lines.

Meanwhile, a U.N. bureau warned that a worsening drought could permission millions successful request of humanitarian aid.

The economical situation could springiness Western nations leverage arsenic they impulse Afghanistan’s caller rulers to signifier an inclusive authorities and let radical to permission aft the planned withdrawal of each U.S. forces connected Aug. 31.

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ROME — A NATO diplomat who helped coordinate evacuations astatine Kabul airdrome says the enactment volition effort its champion to get those who were near down to safety.

Stefano Pontecorvo spoke to reporters astatine Rome’s main airdrome Saturday greeting soon aft disembarking from an Italian Air Force level that carried retired Italy’s last evacuation of Afghan civilians.

“We crossed the enactment betwixt imaginable and intolerable to get successful (to the airport) everybody we could, support the airdrome running, to coordinate whatever” was doable fixed the situation, said Pontecorvo, who is NATO’s elder civilian typical to Afghanistan.

But Pontecorvo said helium was “unsatisfied due to the fact that we near a fewer behind, which we are not abandoning, but we volition strive our best” to get them to safety.

Referring to Thursday’s Islamic State onslaught extracurricular the airdrome perimeter, Pontecorvo besides praised “the generosity of the servicemen, who nether threat, went to the gross and pulled household aft family” wrong the facility.

He referred to the 13 members of the U.S. subject whose lives were lost, saying “even having mislaid successful that mode 12 brothers and 1 sister, successful a mates of hours (the U.S. military) had the airdrome and everything other backmost moving truthful we could get radical out.”

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TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s ultimate person has called the concern successful Afghanistan a calamity and blamed the U.S. for the problems there.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei successful his archetypal authoritative gathering with caller president Ebrahim Raisi’s Cabinet connected Saturday said “the tragedies successful Afghanistan are profoundly affecting quality beings (and were) made by America.”

“The hardships they are suffering, the incidents that are happening, Thursday’s incident, specified killings, each by America,” helium said.

At the Kabul airport, thousands are inactive gathering successful anticipation of fleeing the state aft the Taliban takeover, adjacent aft a termination onslaught Thursday killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. work members and amid warnings of much attacks. A monolithic U.S.-led airlift is winding down

Khamenei said Americans “occupied” Afghanistan for 20 years.

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LONDON — Britain is starting to bring its troops location from Afghanistan arsenic the country’s evacuation cognition astatine Kabul airdrome ends.

A Royal Air Force level carrying soldiers landed astatine the RAF Brize Norton aerial basal northwest of London connected Saturday morning. The troops are portion of a contingent of 1,000 that has been based successful Kabul to assistance tally the airlift.

Flights bringing U.K. citizens and Afghans person mostly ended, though the caput of the equipped forces, Gen. Nick Carter, said determination would beryllium a “very few” much connected Saturday.

Britain says it has evacuated much than 14,500 radical from Kabul successful the past 2 weeks, but that arsenic galore arsenic 1,000 Afghans entitled to travel to the U.K. person been near behind.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised Friday to “shift eden and earth” to get much radical from Afghanistan to Britain by different means, though nary factual details person been offered.

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ROME — Italy’s last evacuation formation of refugees from Afghanistan has landed astatine Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport.

The Italian Air Force C-130J with 58 Afghan citizens aboard arrived Saturday morning, immoderate 17 hours aft it departed from the Kabul airdrome and aft a planned stopover.

Also aboard were Italy’s consul and a NATO diplomat who had coordinated evacuations astatine the Kabul airport.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Italy was prepared to enactment with the United Nations and with countries bordering Afghanistan connected what helium described arsenic the “more hard phase.”

He said that consisted of efforts to evacuate different Afghan citizens who worked with Italy’s subject during its 20-year beingness successful Afghanistan but weren’t capable to get into Kabul airdrome successful clip for the evacuation flights. He didn’t accidental however galore inactive were eligible for evacuation to Italy.

Rescuing those citizens “would springiness them the aforesaid possibility” of starting a caller beingness extracurricular their homeland, Di Maio said successful a little connection astatine Rome’s airport. He said the 4,890 Afghans evacuated by Italy’s aerial unit successful 87 flights was the highest fig of immoderate European Union nation.

Italy’s remaining soldiers near connected a abstracted formation from Kabul connected Friday night. That aerial unit formation went to Kuwait and the troops are owed backmost successful Italy aboriginal adjacent week.

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ROME — A U.N. bureau is informing that worsening drought successful Afghanistan threatens the livelihoods of much than 7 cardinal people.

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) connected Saturday issued an entreaty for humanitarian assistance. Adding to the plight of what the bureau termed “severe drought” are the economical interaction of COVID-19 and wide interior displacement of Afghans amid enduring conflict.

Earlier this month, the U.N. World Food Program, different Rome-based agency, estimated that immoderate 14 cardinal radical — astir 1 retired of each 3 Afghans — urgently request nutrient assistance.

The FAO said important assistance is needed up of the wintertime wheat planting season, which begins successful a period successful galore areas.

FAO’s typical successful Afghanistan, Richard Trenchard, said successful a connection that “disaster looms” if capable assistance doesn’t materialize for the adjacent wintertime wheat season.

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WASHINGTON — The United States subject struck backmost astatine the Islamic State connected Saturday, bombing an IS subordinate successful Afghanistan little than 48 hours aft a devastating termination bombing claimed by the radical killed arsenic galore arsenic 169 Afghans and 13 American work members astatine the Kabul airport.

U.S. Central Command said the U.S. conducted a drone onslaught against an Islamic State subordinate successful Nangarhar believed to beryllium progressive successful readying attacks against the U.S. successful Kabul. The onslaught killed 1 individual, and spokesperson Navy Capt. William Urban said they knew of nary civilian casualties.

It wasn’t wide if that idiosyncratic was progressive specifically successful the Thursday termination blast extracurricular the gates of the Kabul airport, wherever crowds of Afghans were desperately trying to get successful arsenic portion of the ongoing evacuation from the state aft the Taliban’s accelerated takeover.

The airstrike fulfilled a vow President Joe Biden made to the federation Thursday erstwhile helium said the perpetrators of the onslaught would not beryllium capable to hide. “We volition hunt you down and marque you pay,” helium said. Pentagon leaders told reporters Friday that they were prepared for immoderate retaliatory enactment the president ordered.

“We person options determination close now,” said Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff.