Axios

As images of desperation emerged from Kabul on Monday, President Biden contended that Afghan capital had fallen to the Taliban because the country's leaders and troops lacked "the will to fight."

Why it matters: The U.S. was utterly unprepared for Kabul to fall as quickly as it did, leaving American troops struggling to secure the airport and evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghan civilians who aided the U.S. war effort.

Amid roiling fear and pleas for help from Afghanistan, Afghan journalist Nazira Karimi demanded answers from the White House at a press briefing Monday.

What she's saying: "I'm very upset today, because Afghan women didn't expect that overnight all the Taliban came. They took off my flag," she said, motioning to a face mask with the Afghanistan flag's design. "And they put their flag. ... Afghan people, they don't know what to do."

Three major news organizations on Monday urged the White House to help evacuate more than 200 journalists and staff members in Afghanistan after the country's government collapsed.

Driving the news: The publishers of the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times asked President Biden to have journalists moved to the safer military side of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as they prepare to board flights.

Amid rising fear and chaos in Afghanistan, President Biden staunchly stood by the decision to leave the country on Monday afternoon, saying the U.S. mission there was always “narrowly focused on counterterrorism, not counterinsurgency or nation-building."

Why it matters: Speaking from the White House's East Room, Biden said he will not pass on the conflict to a fifth U.S. president and that the U.S. would no longer fight a war that is "not in our national security interest." 

With the Taliban's declaration of victory in Afghanistan, Afghan women and girls face an uncertain future and stand to lose hard-won rights to education, employment and everyday freedoms.

Why it matters: Afghan women and girls described fear and a forced end to their lifelong ambitions.

Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai told BBC on Monday that countries need to open their borders to Afghan refugees following the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban.

Driving the news: The Taliban took control of Kabul on Sunday night and chaos erupted at the city's international airport, where the U.S. is trying to evacuate thousands of Afghans who aided the military during the 20-year war.

Afghanistan's Paralympic team won't compete in the Tokyo Paralympics following the country's fall to the Taliban and the closure of all commercial flights at the Kabul airport, NPR reports.

Why it matters: Zakia Khudadadi would have been the first woman to represent Afghanistan at a Paralympic Games, which begin Aug. 24, per Reuters.

The U.S. military is deploying another 1,000 paratroopers to help secure Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where evacuations were halted Monday after thousands of Afghan civilians stormed the runway in attempts to flee the country, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

The latest: Kirby said that operations are on hold until the airport is safe and secure, and that the goal is to be able to get "thousands of people out per day" once evacuations resume. The Pentagon expects the number of U.S. troops in Kabul to reach 6,000.

The Taliban has declared victory in Afghanistan after seizing most of Kabul Sunday, forcing Ashraf Ghani to flee the country and the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.

Why it matters: The U.S.'s exit from the country was the opposite of the orderly withdrawal that President Biden had promised when he announced the full military withdrawal earlier this year.

There were chaotic scenes at Kabul's airport and on roads out of Afghanistan's capital, as thousands of Afghans attempted to flee Monday following the country's fall to the Taliban.

The latest: At least seven people were killed during the chaos, including several people who plunged to their deaths after clinging on to a U.S. military jet that took off from the runway. The U.S. temporarily suspended evacuations to secure the airfield.

President Biden will return to the White House from Camp David and deliver an address on the crisis in Afghanistan at 3:45pm ET on Monday, following the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's declaration of victory.

Why it matters: Biden has faced intense criticism for his silence as the Taliban captured Kabul and chaos erupted at the city's international airport, where the U.S. is attempting to evacuate thousands of Afghans who assisted the military during the 20-year war.

Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was declared the country's president-elect on Monday after winning more than 50% of the vote in last week's election.

Why it matters: It was one of the most decisive electoral wins in the country's history, with Hichilema winning 2.8 million votes to President Egar Lungu's 1.8 million votes, according to AP.

Investors are reevaluating their appetite for China-related bets following a pickup in Beijing's regulatory actions.

Catch up quick: Chinese regulators have made their way into a broad spectrum of domestic industries. That includes moves that limit business growth, like banning DiDi’s app or prohibiting tutoring companies from teaching specific curriculum, as well as increasing scrutiny of online insurance companies and fintechs. 

China will "respect the wishes and choices of the Afghan people" after the Taliban seized Kabul and toppled Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said Monday, according to the Financial Times.

Why it matters: Beijing’s first official comments since the Taliban installed themselves in the presidential palace in Kabul signifies a willingness to work with a Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that President Biden did not believe it was "inevitable" that the Taliban would take control of Afghanistan, laying the blame at the feet of the Afghan security forces who "decided not to step up and fight for their country."

Why it matters: Biden is under fire for comments he made just over a month ago, when he dismissed comparisons to the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam and said it was "highly unlikely" that the Taliban would control the entire country.

The Taliban's lightning seizure of Afghanistan's capital yesterday exposed stunning failures of American intelligence, imagination and execution that will be studied as long as people study history.

The big picture: The United States was literally run out of town after 20 years, $1 trillion and 2,448 service members' lives lost.

Taliban leaders declared Monday "the war is over," after taking control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years on from the militant group fleeing a U.S.-led coalition march into Kabul.

Driving the news: The declaration to Al Jazeera came after the Taliban seized the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday, and following the U.S. evacuation of the American Embassy on Monday. The U.S. was taking over air traffic control at Kabul's airport, where chaotic scenes were reported Monday, as foreigners and Afghan citizens attempted to flee.

The U.S. and over 60 countries issued a joint statement Sunday saying Afghans and international citizens who wish to leave the country should be allowed to do so, with airports and border crossings remaining open.

Driving the news: The statement was issued as the U.S. completed its evacuation of American Embassy staff and prepared to take over Kabul airport's air traffic control to fly personnel out of Afghanistan after the Taliban swept into the capital earlier in the day.