President of the medical association DGIIN called for a “triad of incidences, hospital cases and intensive care bed occupancy” to determine the countrys pandemic strategy.
Daily COVID-19 infections in Germany continued to rise as 12,626 new cases were registered within one day, 4,226 more than a week ago, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Thursday.
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The COVID-19 incidence in Germany in the past seven days reached 66.0 per 100,000 citizens on Thursday, up from 61.3 the previous day and 44.2 a week ago, according to the RKI.
“We are again in the exponential growth of infections and also serious illnesses,” Christian Karagiannidis, president of the medical association DGIIN, told the Rheinische Post on Thursday.
Since an incidence of 50 or higher has been dropped by the Bundestag as the only measure to trigger COVID-19 measures, Karagiannidis called for a “triad of incidences, hospital cases and intensive care bed occupancy” to determine the country’s pandemic strategy.
Customers wearing face masks walk out of a store in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Aug. 5, 2021.
On Thursday, Germany recorded 415 new hospitalized cases, while the 7-day incidence of hospitalized cases rose from 1.47 per 100,000 residents on the previous day to 1.56, according to the RKI.
To date, more than 3.9 million COVID-19 cases and 92,082 deaths have been registered in Germany, according to the RKI.
UN chief following with great concern situation in Kabul: spokesman
“This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people,” a UN spokesman said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following with great concern the ongoing situation in Kabul, especially at the airport, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at the daily noon briefing.
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“He condemns this terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians, and extends his deep condolences to the families of those killed. He stands in solidarity and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” said Dujarric.
“This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people,” the spokesman added.
Multiple casualties were reported after twin explosions in Kabul on Thursday.
UK to continue Afghan evacuation despite Kabul airport explosions: PM
Two explosions took place at the Kabul airport on Thursday. At least 60 people were reportedly killed and 140 others wounded in the explosions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that Britain will continue its evacuation operation at the Kabul airport despite twin bombings there that reportedly have killed at least 60 people.
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“I want to stress that this threat of a terrorist attack is one of the constraints that we’ve been operating under in Operation Pitting, in the big extraction that’s been going on, and we’ve been ready for it; we’ve been prepared for it,” Johnson told the reporters after an emergency meeting.
“And I want to stress that we’re going to continue with that operation — and we’re now coming towards the end of it, to the very end of it, in any event,” he said.
Two explosions took place at the Kabul airport on Thursday night, reportedly caused by suicide bombers. At least 60 people were killed and 140 others wounded in the explosions, the BBC reported, quoting a senior health official in Afghanistan.
File photo taken on Aug. 16, 2021 shows people gathering at the Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Clearly, what this attack shows is the importance of continuing that work in as fast and as efficient manner as possible in the hours that remain to us, and that’s what we’re going to do,” the prime minister said, noting that Britain “will keep going to the last moment.”
Less than a week is left for the U.S.-led forces to evacuate from Afghanistan. During a Group of Seven (G7) virtual summit on Tuesday, Johnson and leaders of other U.S. allies failed to persuade U.S. President Joe Biden to extend the Aug. 31 evacuation deadline.
Johnson said earlier during the day that around 15,000 people — the “overwhelming majority” of those eligible to come to Britain — had been evacuated by the British troops.
Pentagon says a number of U.S. troops killed in Kabul attack
U.S. officials believe ISIS-K, a local affiliate of the Islamic State, was likely behind the airport attack but are still working to confirm the terror groups involvement, CNN reported.
Anumber of U.S. service members were killed, and several others wounded in an attack at Kabul airport, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
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“We can confirm that a number of U.S. service members were killed in today’s complex attack at Kabul airport. A number of others are being treated for wounds. We also know that a number of Afghans fell victim to this heinous attack,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement.
Kirby said earlier in the day that at least two explosions had taken place in Kabul, one at the Abbey Gate of the airport, and at least one other near the Baron Hotel in proximity to the airport.
U.S. officials believe ISIS-K, a local affiliate of the Islamic State, was likely behind the airport attack but are still working to confirm the terror group’s involvement, CNN reported, citing a senior U.S. official and another source briefed on initial assessments.
President Joe Biden, who is in the White House monitoring the situation, has said U.S. troops operating on the ground to assist the evacuation are reminded of heightened risks posed by ISIS-K.
Head of U.S. Central Command says 12 U.S. service members killed, 15 wounded in Kabul attack
Head of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Thursday that 12 U.S. service members were killed in an attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan
Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Thursday that 12 U.S. service members were killed in an attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan earlier in the day, while another 15 were wounded.
ISIS affiliate behind airport attack sees both U.S. and Taliban as foes
For months, terrorism analysts warned that Islamic State-linked militants in Afghanistan would try to turn the Biden administrations exit into a bloody spectacle.
On Thursday in Kabul, those predictions were realized.
ISIS-Khorasan, the Islamic State’s Afghanistan and Pakistan arm, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the suicide bombing attack that killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans in an attack outside the airport. The series of blasts ripped through crowds of civilians who were clamoring for a chance to flee before the U.S. withdrawal deadline on Tuesday.
With its signature blend of complexity and cruelty, the attack was seen by many observers as a reminder to both the Americans and the Taliban that, no matter who was in the presidential palace, Afghanistan would remain contested.
Authorities had instantly suspected the Islamic State affiliate, known as ISIS-K or ISK for short.
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The group’s rivalry with the Taliban is a microcosm of the competition between al-Qaeda and its more radical spinoff, the Islamic State, analysts say. There are generational and doctrinal splits between the groups, with the Islamic State brand more popular with militants in recent years because it managed to capture territory and create a short-lived extremist fiefdom that spanned Iraq and Syria.
In Afghanistan, with the U.S.-backed government gone from power, ISIS-K can now focus on undermining its other local enemy, the Taliban, which analysts said will be hard-pressed to stave off attacks as it struggles to secure and govern a war-weary nation.
Amira Jadoon, an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy, has written extensively about ISIS-K, arguing that an unconditional U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover would bring about “the most permissive” environment for the group to operate.
“And this is what we are seeing now,” Jadoon said. “ISK’s main goal right now is to stay politically relevant, disrupt efforts to stabilize the country, and also undermine the Afghan Taliban’s credibility.”
In the hours before the attack, U.S. and Western governments warned of a specific threat related to ISIS-K and urged people to stay away from the airport. But the crowds returned Thursday, taking their chances before the evacuation window closed for good.
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“An attack was said to be imminent and has now taken place,” tweeted Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, a terrorism-monitoring outfit that translated the ISIS-K statement. “Sadly, despite this intel, the attackers were still able to infiltrate.”
The 13 U.S. military deaths marked the first in Afghanistan since February 2020; the Pentagon said another 15 service members were wounded. They were days away from their homecoming and the effective end of the 20-year war.
Meanwhile, TV footage showed wounded Afghans writhing in pools of blood.
In a speech from the White House on Thursday evening, President Joe Biden blamed the Islamic State and addressed the attackers directly: “We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay.”
Even before the Taliban takeover, U.S. officials were worried about ISIS-K’s spoiler role in Afghanistan’s transition. An Aug. 17 Defense Department report said, “ISIS-Khorasan exploited the political instability and rise in violence” from April through June “by attacking minority sectarian targets and infrastructure to spread fear and highlight the Afghan government’s inability to provide adequate security.”
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“The blast at the airport today is showing that unfortunately a very bloody future is ahead of us,” said an Arab intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be interviewed.
The official said the target of the attack was just as much the Taliban as it was the Americans: “It’s a battle over ideologies and hearts and minds.”
ISIS-K began operating in Afghanistan in 2015, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Started in 2014 by Pakistani national Hafiz Saeed Khan, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State’s former head, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, it was a small band of mostly Pakistani militants operating in the eastern Afghanistan province of Nangahar.
Some recruits came from the Taliban, though members of other extremist groups in the region also defected to the Khorasan group, according to the CSIS report.
As with other Islamic State affiliates, ISIS-K has stayed nimble and able to regroup after military blows. The founder died in a U.S. airstrike in 2016, according to CSIS. Dozens of fighters were killed in 2017, when the U.S. military dropped the “mother of all bombs” – the biggest one in the U.S. arsenal – on a cave the group was using as a hideout.
Still, the United Nations estimates that ISIS-K retains a core group of some 1,500 to 2,200 fighters in Afghanistan’s Konar and Nangahar provinces. Smaller cells are scattered across the country.
Attacks like the one at the airport are why armed groups are preparing for internecine battles, said an Afghan militant with ties to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, who spoke on the condition that he be identified only by a nom de guerre, “Abu Muhammad.”
“What happened today at Kabul airport is undermining the position of the Taliban, but they also know they can’t fight a war on two fronts,” Abu Muhammad said.
ISIS-K wants to destroy any coordination between the Taliban and the departing U.S. government and military, he said, adding that the suicide bombing was “a punishment also for all those who want to leave Afghanistan to go and live in the West.”
“The Taliban are trying to convince ISIS -K members to leave the group and rejoin the ranks of the Taliban, which might be difficult,” Abu Muhammad said. “We are all preparing for the possibility of a long war.”
Jadoon, the U.S. Military Academy academic, and co-author Abdul Sayed reported in March that ISIS-K had claimed responsibility for 47 attacks in the first two months of 2021, comparable to the group’s peak years of 2017 and 2018, when it was linked to 100 and 84 attacks, respectively.
Jadoon said ISIS-K is probably contemplating a number of ways to take advantage of the fluid situation in Afghanistan right now. She said three areas to watch are: the group’s efforts to recruit from the Taliban and other militant groups, prison-break operations to free fighters, and attempts to carve out strongholds in Nangahar and Konar.
The group is sure to continue targeting civilians in attacks that “tend to be more lethal and garner more publicity,” Jadoon said.
“Now without U.S. support or Afghan security forces,” she added, “I don’t think we can realistically expect the Taliban to constrain ISK without any additional support.”
Asia Album: Evacuation underway at Kabul airport in Afghanistan
Military aircraft from countries including Germany and the United States have been evacuating people at the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital on Aug. 15.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday said the United States should withdraw all troops and contractors before Aug. 31 deadline from Afghanistan, and no extension for the ongoing evacuation process would be possible.
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People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of the United States and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of the United States and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021.
People take a military aircraft of Germany to leave Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People take a military aircraft of Germany to leave Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
The West has failed Afghanistan, says Spanish Defense Minister
Spains Minister of Defense Margarita Robles said there was “no doubt” the West had “failed the Afghan people.”
The minister also lamented the attitude of U.S. President Joe Biden, who continues to insist that American troops will leave Kabul on Aug. 31.
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Spain’s Minister of Defense Margarita Robles said on Wednesday there was “no doubt” the West had “failed the Afghan people,” as Spain and other western powers struggle to evacuate as many people from Kabul following the Taliban takeover.
A steady stream of aircraft carrying refugees has been arriving at the Spanish Air Force base at Torrejon de Ardoz in recent days, but despite the efforts of Spanish troops who “are putting their lives at risk,” Robles admitted “a lot of people are going to be left behind.”
The Defense Minister explained that the Spanish troops in Kabul were restricted by the fact they could not act beyond the airport.
She also lamented the attitude of U.S. President Joe Biden, who continues to insist that American troops will leave Kabul on Aug. 31.
“We won’t be able to get any more people out, and we are aware of the human drama … We will be there as long as necessary,” said Robles.
Malaysia opposition hails good beginning with new premier
Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakobs meeting with opposition leaders on Wednesday left Anwar Ibrahim positive about working with the new government to heal the nation thats seen change of three administrations since 2018.
The meeting, which lasted over an hour at the premier’s office, was focused on finding common ground to best handle the Covid crisis, save lives and revive the economy, according to a joint statement signed by Ismail and the three leaders of the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition Anwar, Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad Sabu.
“This was a good beginning for us to present more effective ways to manage Covid, and pro-people programs focused toward the problems of the poor and unemployed,” Anwar told reporters in Putrajaya after the meeting.
“If the situation is like this and there are pro-people programs, we will not complicate matters,” Anwar said when asked what position Pakatan Harapan would take should a confidence vote be tabled in parliament.
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Malaysia’s king on Friday named Ismail as the country’s third prime minister in just 18 months, after determining that he had the support of 114 of the nation’s 220 lawmakers. The slim majority may be put to the test once parliament reconvenes next month.
The meeting suggests Malaysia may see some semblance of political stability return. The main stocks index, which touched a nine-month low on Aug. 4, capped its biggest two-gain since November on Wednesday.
The leaders came to an agreement on strengthening the role of parliament as an institution that provides checks and balances to the executive, according to the joint statement from the premier and opposition leaders. The four also agreed on the importance of the judiciary’s independence, institutional reform, and good governance.
Ismail’s appointment was a blow for Anwar, who was also a frontrunner for the top job. He had a deal to succeed Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister following a surprise 2018 election win by what was once the opposition. But that never happened, with Mahathir’s resignation in early 2020 kicking off instability that has gripped the country ever since.
Anwar said that he thanked Ismail for meeting them, given the hostile stance Ismail’s party held toward the opposition leader and Lim’s Democratic Action Party. “He replied that it was done in the spirit of the king’s decree that we work together,” said Anwar.
Ismail was sworn into office Saturday, marking the United Malays National Organisation’s return to the country’s top post after just three years on the periphery.
UMNO ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957 before it was ousted in 2018 in part due to the multibillion-dollar corruption scandal involving state fund 1MDB. UMNO was briefly relegated to the opposition, but returned to the ruling coalition last year under the previous administration.
The opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition earlier Wednesday said they would consider Ismail’s offer to be a part of the National Recovery Council, which oversees the exit plan from the pandemic, and a committee to manage Covid.
U.S. child COVID-19 cases reach levels not seen since winter surge: report
More than 180,000 child COVID-19 cases were added the past week, reaching levels of the previous winter surge of 2020-2021, according to a report.
The child COVID-19 cases in the United States reached levels not seen since the winter surge, said the latest report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
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As of Aug. 19, over 4.59 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, said the report.
More than 180,000 cases were added the past week, reaching levels of the previous winter surge of 2020-2021, it said.
After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially, with over a four-fold increase the past month, rising from about 38,000 cases the week ending July 22 to 180,000 the past week.
According to the report, at this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children.
However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects, it said.
Customers wearing face masks walk out of a store in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Aug. 5, 2021.
File photo taken on Aug. 16, 2021 shows people gathering at the Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of the United States and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021.
People take a military aircraft of Germany to leave Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021.
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