The Latest: US secretary to visit, thank Persian Gulf allies

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin volition sojourn Persian Gulf allies to convey them for their practice successful the evacuations from Afghanistan.

Spokesman John Kirby said Austin volition depart Sunday and sojourn Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

He said the Pentagon main volition reaffirm U.S. defence relationships successful the region. He besides volition sojourn with U.S. work members.

Qatar’s support for the United States to temporarily location Afghan evacuees astatine al-Udeid aerial basal was a cardinal to facilitating the Kabul airlift. It volition beryllium Austin’s archetypal sojourn to the Gulf since President Joe Biden announced successful April that helium was ending U.S. subject engagement successful Afghanistan.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A Qatari pitchy carrying the Gulf country’s peculiar envoy for counterterrorism and struggle solution has arrived successful Kabul.

A Qatari authoritative with cognition of Friday's sojourn said officials would sermon efforts astatine an inclusive authorities and the resumption of civilian commercialized operations astatine the airport. The authoritative addded that Qatar continues to enactment intimately with nations whose embassies relocated to the Qatari superior of Doha from Kabul successful past days. Those countries see the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Japan portion of an effort to supply harmless corridors and state of question for those inactive successful Afghanistan.

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No further details were provided.

Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, the Qatari envoy who landed successful Kabul, said his federation remains “an impartial mediator” and has engaged with each sides. Qatar has hosted Taliban governmental leaders for years, arsenic good arsenic unsuccessful attempts astatine bid talks betwixt the militant radical and the U.S.-backed authorities earlier its collapse.

Al Qahtani said successful a connection to The Associated Press that Qatar's "priority with the Taliban includes guaranteeing a peaceful transportation of powerfulness and ensuring an inclusive and effectual authorities is formed to service the Afghan people.”

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PRISTINA, Kosovo --- Kosovo’s authorities says that the fig of Afghan evacuees who had worked with NATO, and their families arriving successful the state has reached 467.

The archetypal radical of 111 Afghans arrived successful the state connected Sunday.

Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla connected Friday met with planetary organizations to “discuss the existent concern and needs connected the impermanent lodging of the Afghan citizens successful Kosovo.”

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Svecla said that NATO has assisted successful their accommodation truthful acold and called for assistance from the organizations contempt their enactment for “dignitary accommodation to marque their enactment easier” successful the country.

Kosovo has said it whitethorn temporarily structure up to 2,000 Afghans portion they process documentation connected their last destination to the United States.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark's overseas curate says the state volition not admit immoderate Taliban government.

Jeppe Kofod told Danish broadcaster DR connected Friday that leaders determination are acrophobic astir “ensuring that the advancement we person made done 2 decades of efforts successful Afghanistan tin beryllium sustained.”

The astir contiguous priority, Kofod said, is ensuring that everyone connected the country's evacuation database tin permission Afghanistan “in bully order.”

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KABUL, Afghanistan — A fewer twelve protesters person gathered extracurricular the statesmanlike palace successful Kabul, urging the country's caller Taliban enactment to uphold women's rights achieved nether Western patronage and see women successful the upcoming government.

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At 1 gross connected Friday, astir a twelve women held up tiny printed pages urging for “A heroic Cabinet with the beingness of women.” The protestors chanted slogans asserting quality rights and saying they did not privation to instrumentality to the past.

A papers circulated by protesters demanded that Afghan women are granted afloat rights to education, societal and governmental contributions successful the country's future, and wide freedoms including that of escaped speech.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

— US defends strike that Afghan household says killed innocents

— Qatar says it’s not wide when Kabul airdrome volition reopen

— Those near successful Afghanistan complain of breached US promises

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— Afghans look hunger crisis, adding to Taliban’s challenge

— Biden defends departure from ‘forever war,’ praises airlift

— UN main urges countries to assistance Afghans successful ‘hour of need’

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

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WARSAW, Poland – A authorities authoritative says that Poland volition temporarily big immoderate 500 Afghan evacuees who had worked for NATO successful Afghanistan.

Michal Dworczyk said Friday that the Afghans volition stay successful Poland for up to 3 months earlier moving connected to different countries. Depending connected their choice, up to 50 persons volition beryllium capable to settee successful Poland. However, Poland has not been a fashionable destination successful Europe for migrants.

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Dworczyk, a apical adjutant to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, said connected Radio RMF FM that the archetypal radical of immoderate 250 persons would get Friday from the NATO aerial basal successful Ramstein, Germany.

Separately, Poland has evacuated immoderate 1,300 radical from Kabul, mostly Afghanis, who had worked with Poland’s subject and diplomatic mission, and their families and said it is taking work for them.

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KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban accidental Western Union volition resume its operations successful Afghanistan, opening a uncommon conduit for overseas funds to travel into the cash-strapped country.

The group’s ’s taste committee spokesman, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, announced the determination Friday. The American fiscal services elephantine had halted operations successful Afghanistan erstwhile the Taliban took powerfulness successful the superior connected Aug. 15.

The opening volition beryllium particularly welcomed by Afghans with overseas relatives abroad. Hundreds of radical person been lining up regular extracurricular Afghan banks to retreat cash. Withdrawals person been constricted to $200 per week and currency machines aren’t working. The overcrowding means that not everyone manages to get wealth connected a fixed day.

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and archetypal woman Jill Biden visited injured U.S. troops astatine Walter Reed National Military Medical Center connected Thursday night.

There are 15 Marines astatine the infirmary successful Bethesda, Maryland, conscionable extracurricular Washington, who were wounded successful an Aug. 26 termination bombing astatine the Kabul airport. The onslaught occurred arsenic the U.S. authorities was arranging evacuations of Americans, Afghans and allies earlier the astir two-decade warfare successful Afghanistan officially ended Aug. 31.

Eleven Marines were besides killed successful the attack, arsenic good arsenic 1 Army solider and 1 Navy corpsman. Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base successful Delaware connected Sunday to witnesser the instrumentality of their remains to U.S. ungraded successful a solemn “dignified transfer.”

One of the wounded Marines was successful captious condition. Three were successful superior information and 11 successful unchangeable condition.

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