The G7 will hold a leaders' virtual meeting next week to discuss a "common strategy and approach" to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the White House announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: Afghanistan has been mired in chaos since Kabul fell on Sunday, with thousands of Afghans fleeing their homes. The crisis has bolstered calls for countries to open their borders to Afghan refugees.
Tropical Storm Grace lashed Haiti Monday into Tuesday, complicating rescue efforts following Saturday's earthquake that left at least 1,941 people dead, nearly 10,000 injured and tens of thousands homeless.
The big picture: The temporary pause in search and rescue efforts due heavy rain and strong winds from the storm exacerbated growing anger and frustration in affected areas, AP reported.
New Zealand entered a snap nationwide lockdown at its highest level Tuesday night after a 58-year-old man from Auckland tested positive for COVID-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.
Why it matters: This was the first coronavirus case detected in New Zealand for nearly six months and officials were concerned the man had the highly contagious Delta variant. By Wednesday morning local time, scientists confirmed he had the Delta variant and four other people had tested positive for the virus.
President Biden spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson today about the developing situation in Afghanistan — his first talk with a world leader since the nation's government fell to the Taliban, per a White House readout of the call.
The bottom line: The pair discussed the "need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners," and agreed to hold a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach.
Until Afghanistan, Vietnam was America's longest war. The images we're seeing now have a lot of parallels with that war — right down to the scenes of the chaotic, desperate final days.
Satellite photos taken from space Monday show the crowd of thousands of Afghans attempting to flee the country after the Taliban took over.
Why it matters: Thousands of Afghans stormed the airport runway in a desperate effort to flee the Taliban. Afghans were seen clinging to planes taking off and crowding the tarmac in an attempt to escape. Seven people were reported dead from the chaos at the airport.
President Biden is getting some unlikely backing for his Afghanistan troop withdrawal from a longtime nemesis: the Koch political network.
Driving the news: Concerned Veterans for America, a foreign policy-focused arm of Charles Koch's Stand Together political and policy apparatus is coming to Biden's defense after the U.S. withdrawal handed control of the country to the Taliban this week.
In his first press conference from Kabul, a Taliban spokesperson said Tuesday the group would honor women's rights and an independent media, but within the "frameworks" of Islamic law.
The big picture: The Taliban's swift takeover has renewed fears that the group will return to the brutal grip it ruled with in the 1990s, when women's freedoms were severely restricted, other human rights were limited and executions were carried out in public.
Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar, the militant group's political leader, arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday for the first time in more than two decades, according to a Taliban spokesperson.
Why it matters: It's still unclear who will lead the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as president, but Baradar is widely viewed as the public face of the Taliban movement.
When venture capitalist Peter Pham spoke to Axios last night, he knew he had to call his father, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. But he was nervous about conjuring tough memories and painful empathies.
What he's saying: "I know this stuff's hard for him, particularly the idea of people being left in the lurch ... Hopefully we can all agree that those people who truly put their lives at risk to be on our side aren't left behind," Pham said.
The U.S. military has secured the international airport in Kabul and flights evacuating civilians and diplomats in Afghanistan have resumed, officials said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Operations were suspended Monday after thousands of Afghan civilians stormed the airport's runway in a desperate attempt to flee the Taliban. Seven people were killed during the chaos, including several who attempted to climb onto departing U.S. military planes.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday that officials had been planning for non-combatant evacuation operations in Afghanistan "as far back as May," but — acknowledging the "graphic nature" of the mayhem in Kabul — suggested that "no plan survives first contact."
Why it matters: The Biden administration is facing intense criticism for the scenes of chaos at the international airport in Kabul, where at least seven people were killed after thousands of Afghans stormed the runway in a desperate effort to flee the Taliban.
Iran continues to produce uranium metal, which can be used in the creation of nuclear bombs, the United Nation’s atomic watchdog said Tuesday, AP reports.
Why it matters: The continued production of uranium metal further complicates any possible revival of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, AP notes.
The Taliban accumulated an enormous amount of U.S.-supplied guns, ammunition, helicopters, combat aircraft and more after Afghan security forces collapsed this weekend, AP reports.
Why it matters: The U.S. spent billions of dollars over two decades to train and support the Afghan security forces, but the Taliban was the ultimate beneficiary of the decades-long investments.
Above, you see hundreds of desperate Afghans running alongside a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane as it took off from Kabul yesterday.
Driving the news: The amateur video played around the world, and this photo is atop front pages across America, making it a defining image of the exit debacle — and, many Democrats fear, Joe Biden's presidency.
Senior national security officials presiding over a historic foreign policy collapse are privately expressing deep frustrations about the thin Afghanistan withdrawal plans left behind by Donald Trump.
Why it matters: Many experienced operatives in both parties are aghast that President Biden and his team didn't ready better preparations over nearly seven months since taking office.
The Taliban declared an "amnesty" and called on women to join their new government on Tuesday, as the militant group marked the first day of what it's calling the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."
Why it matters: The remarks by Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, mark "the first comments on governance from a federal level" since the Taliban returned to power, AP notes.
Former President George W. Bush said late Monday that he and former first lady Laura Bush had "been watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness."
Why it matters: Bush ordered the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and deny al-Qaeda of a haven to launch any more terrorist attacks on the U.S. following 9/11. He said last month that President Biden's decision to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan would leave Afghan women and girls facing "unspeakable harm."
Zarifa Ghafari, Afghanistan’s youngest mayor and the first female mayor in the Maidan Wardak province, told iNews that she is waiting for the Taliban to come and kill her, as no help awaits her and her family.
Why it matters: The Taliban's victory this week signaled fear for many Afghan women and girls, who stand to lose hard-won rights to education, employment and everyday freedoms under Taliban rule.
