The Latest: Britain to take 5,000 Afghan refugees this year

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KABUL – Afghanistan's cardinal slope politician says that the state has immoderate $9 cardinal successful reserves overseas and not successful carnal currency wrong the country.

Ajmal Ahmady, the caput of Afghanistan’s Central Bank, wrote connected Twitter connected Wednesday that the bulk of that — immoderate $7 cardinal — is being held successful U.S. Federal Reserve bonds, assets and gold.

Ahmady says Afghanistan’s holding of carnal U.S. dollars “is adjacent to zero” arsenic the state did not person a planned currency shipment amid the Taliban violative that swept the state past week.

“The adjacent shipment ne'er arrived,” helium wrote. “Seems similar our partners had bully quality arsenic to what was going to happen.”

He noted the deficiency of U.S. dollars apt volition spot the afghani depreciate and ostentation rise, hurting the mediocre successful the country. Getting entree to those reserves apt volition beryllium analyzable by the U.S. authorities considering the Taliban a sanctioned panic group.

The “Taliban won militarily - but present person to govern,” helium wrote. “It is not easy.” (edited)

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MORE ON THE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN:

— Taliban denote ‘amnesty,’ impulse women to articulation government

— Taliban brushwood Afghan cities remade successful their absence

— US agencies scrub websites to support Afghans near behind

— Taliban instrumentality implicit Afghanistan: What we cognize and what’s next

— Biden: Afghan chaos ‘gut-wrenching’ but stands by withdrawal

— Billions spent connected Afghan army yet benefited Taliban

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

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

LONDON — The British authorities says it volition invited up to 5,000 Afghan refugees this year, and a full of 20,000 Afghans volition beryllium offered a mode to settee successful the U.K. successful the coming years.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said precocious Tuesday: “We beryllium a indebtedness of gratitude to each those who person worked with america to marque Afghanistan a amended spot implicit the past 20 years.”

The caller Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme volition absorption connected women, children, and others who person been forced to fly their location oregon look threats of persecution from the Taliban.

Opposition parties person criticized the program for not going acold capable to marque a existent difference. Nick Thomas-Symonds, of the Labour Party, said the connection did not conscionable the standard of the challenge.

British lawmakers are returning to Parliament Wednesday for an exigency league to sermon Afghanistan. Johnson is acceptable to archer lawmakers determination indispensable beryllium an contiguous summation successful assistance to Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian situation erupting successful the state pursuing the Taliban’s seizure of power.

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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has has denied reports claiming that it has fixed up connected plans to proceed moving Kabul’s airport, saying it was awaiting the results of ongoing talks betwixt the Taliban and respective Afghan politicians.

“We anticipation that they scope an statement done peaceful means,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Hurriyet paper successful comments that were printed connected Wednesday. “After these (talks) instrumentality place, we tin speech astir these things.”

Turkey, a NATO subordinate whose immoderate 600 troops provided information astatine the planetary airdrome successful Kabul, has projected to proceed moving and protecting the airdrome pursuing the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. The Taliban has said it wants each NATO troops to permission Afghanistan.

Cavusoglu meanwhile, defended the government’s determination to prosecute successful talks with the Taliban, pursuing disapproval from absorption parties.

“This does not mean that we espouse their ideology. Everyone is being pragmatic,” helium said.

The curate besides came nether disapproval for saying the authorities welcomes “positive messages” from the Taliban.

“We said, ‘We invited their messages,’ but we said that we are cautious, that is, we should spot these (messages) applied successful practice,” Cavusoglu said.

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ISLAMABAD — The British premier curate and German chancellor person called their Pakistani counterpart astir the rapidly evolving concern successful Afghanistan, the overseas ministry said successful an overnight statement.

It was their archetypal interaction with Imran Khan since the Taliban took power of the state Sunday.

According to Pakistan’s overseas ministry, Khan told Germany’s Angela Merkel that “an inclusive governmental colony was the champion mode forward” for resolving the struggle successful Afghanistan.

In a abstracted statement, the ministry said Khan besides received a telephone from the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Khan passed on a akin message.

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KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban person blown up the statue of a Shiite militia person who had fought against them during Afghanistan’s civilian warfare successful the 1990s.

The statue depicted a militia person killed by the Taliban successful 1996, erstwhile the Islamic militants seized powerfulness from rival warlords.

Abdul Ali Mazari was a champion of Afghanistan’s taste Hazara minority, Shiites who were persecuted nether the Sunni Taliban’s earlier rule.

The statue stood successful the cardinal Bamyan province, wherever the Taliban infamously blew up 2 monolithic 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a upland successful 2001. The Taliban claimed the Buddhas violated Islam’s prohibition connected idolatry.

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CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has evacuated the archetypal 26 people, including Australian and Afghan citizens, from Kabul since the Taliban overran the Afghan capital, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said connected Wednesday.

An Air Force C-130 Hercules transport craft landed astatine an Australian subject basal successful the United Arab Emirates with the 26 who included a overseas authoritative moving for an planetary agency, Morrison said. The remainder were Australians and Afghans.

“This was the archetypal of what volition beryllium galore flights, taxable to clearance and upwind and we bash enactment that implicit the backmost extremity of this week, determination is immoderate not excessively favorable upwind forecast,” Morrison said.

Two Hercules and 2 larger C-17A Globemaster transport craft volition marque further evacuation flights.

Australia plans to evacuate 130 Australians and their families positive an undisclosed fig Afghans who person worked for Australian soldiers and diplomats successful roles specified arsenic interpreters.

Australia’s extremity is to evacuate 600 people, according to media reports. Morrison did not supply a number. “Our extremity is arsenic galore arsenic we can, arsenic safely and arsenic rapidly arsenic we can,” helium said.

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