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Afghans Fate in Question Over Taliban's Grip; Women and Girls' Future in Jeopardy; President Biden's Decision Being Criticized; Haiti Bracing for Storm After Earthquake; Former President Ashraf Ghani Avoid Bloodshed. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 16, 2021 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, a chaotic scene in Kabul's airport, Afghans rushed a passenger plane desperate to flee from a likely future under Taliban rule. The U.S. admits it was caught off guard at the speed of the Taliban's takeover. Now troops are heading back to a country they just left as President Biden makes plans to address the American people on the situation.

And, in Haiti, a race to rescue survivors of Saturday's devastating earthquake as tropical storm Grace bears down on the island.

Thank you for being with us.

We start with more breaking news out of Afghanistan. Commercial flights from the capital of Kabul have been canceled, leaving people fewer options as they try to flee the Taliban. The capital surrendered to the militants on Sunday, triggering an exodus of civilians, diplomats, and the Afghan president.

Ousted leader Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. And video from Al Jazeera shows heavily armed Taliban fighters in the presidential palace. The U.S. State Department says that all personnel have been evacuated from the U.S. Embassy. They were flown out by helicopter to the airport which is being secured by U.S. troops.

But that hasn't stopped chaotic scenes like this. CNN cannot independently verify but video shows crowds storming the tarmac earlier, scrambling to board any plane that will get them out of Afghanistan.

And CNN's Anna Coren has reported extensively from Afghanistan including on a recent trip there. She joins me now from Hong Kong with the latest on the Taliban takeover. Good to see you, Anna.

So, what is happening at the airport right now in the midst of this chaotic evacuation process, and of course on the streets as the Taliban takeover.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, what we are witnessing is utter desperation. You know, these people, you know, many of them are Afghan interpreters who have worked with the U.S. military who applied for the SIVs, that special immigrant visas and had them rejected.

So, in their minds, the only way that they can get out of this country is by storming the airport which is what they have done and trying to board a plane, trying to clamber up, you know, the ladder. It's just remarkable to see these scenes.

Obviously, these people are not going anywhere. They don't have the visas. They don't have the paperwork. I'm in touch, Rosemary, with the U.S. human rights lawyer who is representing not just Afghan interpreters but also Afghan journalists who have worked for U.S. media companies. And she is talking to staff at the civilian airport who have been there since early yesterday afternoon when the Taliban entered Kabul.

And they are calling her in tears, saying you have to help us, you have to get us out of there. And as you just reported, you know, commercial flights have now been canceled. The civilian side of the airport has now been closed.

And a little bit earlier, Rosemary, I was sent a video from Afghan interpreters who have been pushed outside the airport. They are now on the perimeter. And you can see the Taliban they're driving around in armored vehicles. And then in the distance there is gunfire. We don't know who is firing. We don't know if it's the Taliban, we don't know if it's the U.S. soldiers inside the airport.

Because as you say, it's U.S. troops who are securing the perimeter now of the Afghan international airport. I mean, this is a huge space. You head the civilian airport on one side, you have the military on the other. And the military airport is where the embassies including the U.S. embassy has evacuated to.

That is where all the expats or the foreigners will be flying out of. As for the Afghans, those Afghan journalists who have gone to the airport, you know, they are stuck on the civilian side. And as we are learning they -- it has now been closed but there is a real sense of fear now that the Taliban are in control of the city, of the capital city, of the streets. There is great fear of reprisal attacks and retribution. Rosemary?

CHURCH: As you say a desperate situation playing out there. Anna Coren joining us from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

[03:05:06]

Well, one person who has been noticeably absent so far, U.S. President Joe Biden. Instead, officials from his administration have been doing the talking for him. But a senior official says Mr. Biden will address the nation in the next few days.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more now from Washington. JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the U.S.-

backed government of Afghanistan crumbled in Kabul on Sunday and the Taliban swept into the presidential palace, President Joe Biden was nowhere to be seen or heard. Instead, it was Secretary of State Tony Blinken who is the administration's top spokesman on this issue.

And for the first time admitting that the U.S., at a minimum, miscalculated the situation in Afghanistan, saying that he expected that the U.S. administration expected that those Afghan Security Forces who have been trained and equipped for nearly two decades now by the United States that they crumbled in the face of this Taliban offensive far quicker than the United States expected. He said more quickly than we anticipated were the words of Tony Blinken.

As for the president plans are underway for him to address the nation at some point in the coming days but it's not clear yet exactly when. The president on Sunday when he's at the presidential retreat at Camp David, where you can see in this picture the president on Sunday morning, alone at Camp David at this big conference table.

But on the screen in front of him you can see the secretary of defense, the secretary state, as well as the national security adviser and dozens of other national security officials in Washington and around the world.

Certainly, the White House's efforts to show that he is on top of the situation even as we were seeing this pretty chaotic scene unfolding in the streets of Kabul, and certainly, at the airport where foreigners, as well as Afghanis we're trying to flee the country as the Taliban enter the country.

Of course, this question of a miscalculation is something that the president will have to address. Here's President Biden just over a month ago talking about the fact that he believes Taliban taking over Afghanistan was highly unlikely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The Afghan troops have 300,000 well-equipped, as well-equipped as any army in the world and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable the jury is still out. But the likelihood there is going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND (on camera): Now officials have made clear that President Biden has not had second thoughts about his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but clearly, the situation rapidly deteriorating in that country. Not only did the president on Saturday decide to send an additional 1,000 troops on top pf the 3,000 that he had ordered in the day before.

But on Sunday, the Department of Defense announcing that another thousand troops will go to Afghanistan. That will bring the total U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 6,000 to assist with securing the airport in Kabul and assisting with the evacuation of U.S. personnel as well as many of those special immigrant visa applicants, some of those Afghan translators, for example, who have helped the U.S. military and our now desperately trying to get out of that country.

So certainly, a rapidly unfolding situation and the president expected to address the nation in the coming days.

Jeremy, Diamond, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: As Jeremy mentioned, the Biden administration is already facing questions about exactly what went wrong in Afghanistan. And some of the harshest criticism is coming from within Washington. Many Republican lawmakers slamming the Biden administration over the chaotic withdrawal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE MCCAUL (R-TX): I think it's an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions. I think the president, this is going to be a stain on this president and his presidency and I think he's going to have blood on his hands for what they did.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): I would have expected the Afghan government to be more stable. I would've expected the military to be more stable. But ultimately, what happened now is what was a foregone conclusion the moment that Trump announced withdrawal of American troops on May the 1st the Taliban simply seized negotiate and began to establish themselves and prepare for what is now happening.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): What we are seeing now is actually the opposite of ending more. What we are seeing now is a policy that will ensure - ensure that we will in fact have to have our children and our grandchildren continuing to fight this war at much higher cost. So, everybody, you know, the Rand Paul, Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, Joe Biden view of the world here is fundamentally dangerous and irresponsible and wrong.

[03:10:00]

CHURCH: So how did the U.S. get it so wrong? And who, if any one, is to blame? We are joined now by columnist and editorial board member at Bloomberg, Bobby Ghosh. Good to have you with us.

BOBBY GHOSH, COLUMNIST & EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER, BLOOMBERG: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, everyone is looking for someone to blame for this rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, George W. Bush for starting the war, Donald Trump for stating a pull-out date and excluding the Afghan government from peace talks with the Taliban. And now President Biden for this chaotic withdrawal and evacuation in what many are calling a Saigon moment for the U.S. Who will likely be the fall guy in the end?

GHOSH: Well, for as your previous speaker said, this is a calamity of epic proportion, so something so horrific and so grand, so large. There's plenty of blame to go around. And everybody you mentioned will get a piece of it, but it is a tradition of American democracy and American politics that the buck stops at the White House. And the man occupying the White House at this moment, the moment when this tragedy reaches its, sort of, climax is Joe Biden.

And since it was his call in the end to announce the rapid drawdown of the remaining American forces, he is the one who is going to have to take the bulk of the blame. He is the one whose legacy it will take the most. He is the one who will have to pay the biggest political price and midterm elections coming up next year. And reelections if that is what he chooses to do.

CHURCH: And of course, we are yet to hear from President Biden but his administration causes this rapid takeover by the Taliban a miscalculation. So, what does that mean? Is it an intelligence failure or something else? And why didn't they get Americans out earlier given Kabul was surrounded by the Taliban?

GHOSH: Well, first and foremost, I think this is a political miscalculation. And again, that has to be laid at the door of the president. We are hearing now more and more the reports that the American generals that Biden was told by his military advisers not to pull out the American forces at such a short notice. He ignored them, he overruled them. So, he has to take a big part of the blame.

Then he was also given bad political advice by Zalmay Khalilzad, the American negotiator with the Taliban seems to have told him that the Taliban would be willing to continue to negotiate. Whether (Inaudible) very clear that the Taliban know such a thing.

So, it's a combination of Biden deciding to override his generals and also Biden being badly informed by the people on the ground whose political adviser who should've known better.

CHURCH: And of course, with corruption so widespread within the Afghan government and the Taliban apparently paying off Afghan troops to walk away without a shot being fired, would this outcome have been any different whether the U.S. left five years from now or five years ago?

GHOSH: It would not have been different if the U.S. continue to do in Afghanistan what it has done for most of the 20 years, which is allow this corruption to take root and to grow and to poorly trained and poorly motivate the American -- the Afghan military and security forces.

Just because things have gone badly doesn't mean they would continue to go badly. When things go wrong you are supposed to try and fix it not walk away from it. The U.S. could have, should have long before begun to insist and force the Afghan government to reform itself to take seriously the anti-corruption measures that were necessary.

The U.S. should have also better equipped the Afghan army. It's not enough to say they're well equipped army with an air force. A lot of the equipment depended on American support and American maintenance crews and American intelligence information. Those who withdrawn, and so the Afghan air force was practically sitting ducks, their aircraft weren't particularly efficient or effective without that American support.

There's a lot more than the United States could've done in the last 10 to 15 years and had been chosen to stay. Had they done some of these things a different outcome is possible. It's not inevitable but what we are seeing take place now was not inevitable, was not necessary, and was not (Inaudible).

CHURCH: All right. Bobby Ghosh, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate your analysis.

GHOSH: Any time.

CHURCH: Well coming up, Pakistan is keeping a close eye on what's going on in neighboring Afghanistan. More on what they have to lose due to the instability there. That's next.

Plus, after two decades of war the Taliban have stormed back into power. We will hear from a Taliban spokesman about what they plan to do next.

[03:15:00]

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CHURCH: Well, Pakistani officials say they are closely following what's happening in Afghanistan. The country isn't just Afghanistan's neighbor. For years, it's served as a refuge for the Taliban and its role moving forward will be key.

CNN producer Sophia Saifi joins me now from Islamabad. Good to see you, Sophia. So, what will Pakistan's role likely be in Afghanistan given its very close relationship with the Taliban?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, at the moment it's anybody's guess because the Taliban don't really particularly need Pakistan as much as they did when they were a guerrilla, you know, organization working, you know, in another -- working of another country. They have complete power in Afghanistan at the moment and that's what analysts are saying on the ground here in Pakistan. Is that, how much do the Afghan and Taliban really need Pakistan anymore?

Pakistan is, you know, the Prime Minister Imran Khan is sharing a meeting of the national security committee that's taking place right now as we speak. It includes top civilian leaders, as well as the top brass of the country's military. It's only after that actual statements and decisions are going to be shared.

[03:20:03]

Imran Khan also share a statement many hours after the Taliban entered the city of Kabul that he had been in talks with the Turkish president, Erdogan, and he said that after the national committee security meeting is over today he is going to call them back to figure out how to go ahead between Turkey and Pakistan how they are going to work to make sure that there is stability in Afghanistan.

And apart from that, you know, it's a very complicated neighborhood, there is also China in the north of Pakistan, there's also the one built, one road project. Pakistan has been saying often in the weeks leading to what happened yesterday that it is not happy with the way the United States is pulling out. It said that it wants stability in Afghanistan because of what it wants to do with China and Central Asia and Pakistan to give them access to Pakistan's deep sea ports.

So, there is a lot up in the air at the moment. There's also of course the question of what's going to happen to the possibly impending crisis of Afghan refugees into Pakistan. Pakistan has said that it's not going to be accepting more refugees into the country, that it's simply cannot afford to do so anymore as it has in decades past.

So, we have two border crossings which are currently open for trucks and goods and perishable items but civilians are not allowed to go back and forth. And we've just seen an announcement by Pakistan's information minister that there have been hundreds of applications to the Pakistani embassy but journalist, by different nationals trying to get a visa to get into Pakistan.

So there is, you know, it's very much in Pakistan's neighborhood and it just remains to be seen how things will move forward. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Sophia Saifi joining us live from Islamabad, many thanks. Well the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan now appears inevitable. But exactly how that new government will take shape, well that remains unclear.

CNN's Nic Robertson talked to a Taliban spokeswoman on Sunday about the group's priorities right now and where things go from here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOHAIL SHAHEEN, TALIBAN SPOKESMAN: Our priority is maintaining security, and then we would have a new government an Afghan inclusive Islamic government in the coming days.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: People who are not members of the Taliban to be part of this new government?

SHAHEEN: Yes. We are intending that because when we are saying an Afghan inclusive Islam government that means that as other Afghans also have participation in the government. So that to make it an Afghan inclusive Islamic government.

ROBERTSON: Will you be calling on the current Afghan army to come and join your forces to provide security in the country?

SHAHEEN: First, all those handing over their weapons and they are joining our forces they will be amnesty and their lives and property secure. Secondly, they have names are registered in our register so that are kind of in a reserved force and in a proper time they will be called as they are needed. ROBERTSON: People, myself included, are asking questions about the

education of girls. This was one of the things that the U.S. administration made an important issue in Afghanistan. And what are the things that we'd like to see is a legacy for the country.

Where does the Taliban stand on going forward now? You are going to be -- you're going to be running the country, what are you going to do about girl's education? Will they be able to stay in school past 12 up to 18? Will they be able to go to university?

SHAHEEN: Our policy is clear, and they, women, can continue their education from primary to the higher education.

ROBERTSON: What do you understand as being the reason why your military offensive was so successful? It's caught everyone by surprise. Did it catch you by surprise how quickly it went? And why do you think it was so successful?

SHAHEEN: Because we have roots among the people because it was a popular uprising of the people. We knew we knew that.

ROBERTSON: And diplomats and foreign nationals and journalist in Afghanistan? What is the policy for them?

[03:25:08]

SHAHEEN: They can continue their work. The embassies should remain functioning. We are committed to providing a secure environment for them. And also not only for the diplomats and the embassies but also for the international NGOs.

ROBERTSON: Are you having conversations with the Americans about this diplomatic departure at the airport?

SHAHEEN: First of all, we call on Americas they should not evacuate their embassy. Because we said that we will not target embassies but rather they will provide secure environment for their functions.

ROBERTSON: So, when you said to the Americans that they should stay and remain in the embassy and they are leaving how do you interpret that? Do you interpret that as they don't trust you?

SHAHEEN: They should trust us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Well coming up on CNN Newsroom, Afghan civilians have the most to lose with the Taliban takeover. Thousands have already fled the violence this year, and we will have more on their plight.

And the future for women and girls looks terrifying under Taliban rule. I will talk with an international human rights attorney who has just returned from Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back, everyone. Our top story, the race to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban takeover.

[03:30:04]

The militants wrapped up a blistering advance against major cities over the weekend, ending in the surrender of Kabul.

Ousted President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country and video from Al Jazeera shows heavily armed Taliban fighters in the presidential palace. The U.S. State Department says all embassy personnel have been evacuated. They were flown out by helicopter to the airport, which is being secured by U.S. troops.

But that hasn't stopped chaotic scenes like this. CNN cannot independently confirm it, but video shows crowds storming the tarmac earlier scrambling to board any plane that will get them out of Afghanistan. And just a short time ago it was announced all commercial flights out of Kabul have been canceled.

Well, desperate Afghans are crossing the border into neighboring countries. Uzbekistan said it detained 84 Afghan military personnel at the border, some of whom were wounded. And civilians who made it across the border say they are not sure what to do next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAJI AHMAD, AFGHAN ENTREPRENEUR (through translator): I arrived would my family, my wife and five children. I had a one-year Uzbek visa. All my relatives stayed there. I was doing business there, now we're here. God knows what will happen next. Can we find a job here or will the war end there and we will go back? We don't know. My business, my house, everything stayed there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): About 117,000 displaced Afghans are in Turkey. And Turkey's president says the country will work with Pakistan to help stabilize Afghanistan and prevent a new wave of Afghan migrants.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins me now live now from Istanbul. Good to see you, Arwa.

So, Turkey's president says the country faces a wave of Afghan migrants through Iran. What more are you hearing about that, and what role will Turkey likely play in helping stabilize Afghanistan?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, a couple of things to address here. First of all, those numbers of Afghans who are currently in Turkey they are not necessarily part of a newer wave, one that came across once the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan began.

The other thing also to note is that when we talk about a refugee influx into neighboring countries, we're not really seeing that just yet. Why? Because most of the roads are blocked. The only lifeline for Afghans, and this is only a lifeline for Afghans who are fortunate enough to have a passport and visa elsewhere is right now the Kabul airport.

And that choice to leave their own country is now being denied to them by the U.S. military who has effectively taken over air-traffic control and has thousands of troops guarding the military side of the airport. When it comes to Turkey's position and Turkey's role in particular, now Turkey cannot afford another influx of refugees. It is still trying to deal with the millions of Syrians who remain here after Europe closed its borders. And it is also dealing with a lot of tensions among the Syrian refugee population and the Turkish population.

Turkey's main focus as is the focus it seems of all the neighboring countries and frankly of any country that is discussing what is happening in Afghanistan right now is to figure out how to quote, unquote, "stabilize Afghanistan" which really seems to be more a conversation about how to trap Afghans inside of Afghanistan.

Those who want to flee, those who do not want to live under the Taliban, they don't have that option anymore at this stage. And so, one really gets the sense that the conversation needs to shift because what we're seeing transpiring right now in Afghanistan is fundamentally and morally wrong. It did not have to be like this. And it should not be like this, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Arwa Damon bringing us the very latest there. Many thanks.

With the Taliban seizing power, the fate of Afghan women and girls hangs in the balance as do hard-fought freedoms and rights. There's concern the militants will reintroduce their misogynist and archaic rule from the '90s. Girls and women were barred from almost all work, the right to vote and access to education. One activist says it's already happening again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHBOUBA SERAJ, WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I came to Afghanistan to be the voice of the voiceless women of my country. All those women that are living in the provinces of Afghanistan all the way back in the districts and nobody hears their voices, and they are in dire need of help. They are poor. They are not educated. Their children are dying because they're sick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:01]

CHURCH: Kimberley Motley joins me now from Charlotte in North Carolina. She's an international human rights attorney with Motley Consulting International. Thank you so much for talking with us.

KIMBERLEY MOTLEY, INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY, MOTLEY CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL: Thank you for having me. CHURCH: So, you recently returned home from Afghanistan, but as you

watch how rapidly the Taliban have been able to take over the country and now of course the capital Kabul with so little resistance from the Afghan military, what's been your reaction?

MOTLEY: Well, I mean I've been watching it in shock and horror, frankly. I have been significantly surprised that they have been able to take over the country in such a short amount of time. I mean, I'm really, really concerned for the people there particularly the women who are terrified at what they have to face moving forward under Taliban rule.

CHURCH: And yes, you have called the situation in Afghanistan a humanitarian nuclear bomb that we can change. What do you mean by that exactly? And what can and should be done to change that particularly for women?

MOTLEY: Well, I mean there's a couple things. First of all, I don't understand why the White House made this decision to withdraw its troops so swiftly with literally no plan. I mean, I think that is abominable, and I think that's something that definitely should be dealt with and there should really be looked at if there needs to be a change in leadership with regards to those that are advising the president. Because I don't know what his intelligence was telling him.

I think in terms of women it's really important to know whether or not they're going to be allowed to continue their education. I mean, there's many, sort of, groups that I represent like the Afghan women's robotics team who are in the White House not that long ago who are now terrified for their lives.

And so, I think we really need to look at ourselves and, frankly, evaluate what we can do to continue to support Afghanistan as well as Afghan women. Frankly, I think as many women as we can get out of the country absolutely have a responsibility to do that, and I'm hoping that, you know, that the government including the U.S. government and other governments loosen some of their very rigid immigration standards that they require of people and really think about inviting -- allowing Afghans to come in under different schemes than our traditionally available because this was a problem that was created, unfortunately, by the international community.

I mean, I know there's been talks about, you know, Saigon. This is really Saigon on steroids. It's insane what is happening there now. And, you know, we really have a responsibility, a humanitarian responsibility to make sure that we continue to support the women, to support those that support democracy, freedom and rule of law and figure out how we're going to move forward together. Before we do that, the U.S. government has a responsibility to make sure that everyone that they can is safe and safely gets out of the country.

CHURCH: And what do you think life will be like for Afghan women under the Taliban, and how much did it change in the last 20 years while U.S. troops were there?

MOTLEY: Well, I'll say that while the troops have been there for the last 20 years that there were, you know, millions of girls that have gone to school. Before we came there 20 years ago there were no girls in school. And now there are millions that have gone to school.

And with the Michelle Obama program, for instance, the Let Girls Learn program, there were 80,000 girls that benefitted from that school that are supposed to be entering the 12th grade this year. We're hopeful that can continue to happen, but we don't know.

The infant mortality rate significantly was decreased within the last 20 years. We saw more women that were represented on virtually every sector, the health sector, the law sector, the political sector, the education sector. There were women that were going to work, more women reading.

You know, virtually there was such an amazing advancement of women in a very short period of time that there was kind of -- there was sort of this turn around that was happening in the country.

And also, it's important to note that Afghanistan is relatively a young country. Over 70 percent of the country is under the age of 24. And so, you have a lot of that population that is educated that prior to us going there 20 years ago did not have the benefit of education and a free press and things like that. So, it's really, really concerning what this new normal looks like.

CHURCH: Kimberley Motley, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

MOTLEY: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: The death toll is climbing in Haiti after Saturday's powerful earthquake destroyed thousands of homes and left hospitals overwhelm. And we are tracking a storm as it approaches Haiti. How officials fear it could complicate rescue efforts for earthquake victims.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): Well, we are getting a clearer picture of the earthquake devastation in Haiti. The death toll has now jumped to nearly 1,300 people, and more than 5,700 are injured. Thousands of homes are destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry says international aid is desperately needed. Columbia and Mexico sent medical aid, food and rescuers on Sunday. That's according to Reuters. And more assistance from other countries including the U.S. is starting to pour in.

Our CNN's Matt Rivers reports relief efforts can't come soon enough.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're not far from where the epicenter of this earthquake was, and we're here at the rubble of what was a multistory relatively luxury hotel in the Les Cayes region, which is where we are right now. You can kind of get a scale for what happened here. If you look to the right, that would be presumably be part of the

roof, a part of this building that collapsed into the swimming pool that was there. If you look further to the left you can see kind of a teetering set of columns up there that is basically very precariously perched and then back down here you can see an excavator that was presumably part of the search and rescue that took place.

According to authorities there are very much -- there is very much likelihood that there are remain bodies in this rubble and yet there's not a lot of search and rescue efforts here ongoing. What is ongoing as you can see people walk behind me here with metal is looting. People are coming through this site taking basically whatever they think they can sell, metal, we saw a dresser being taken out.

This goes to the desperation in this area. This is a very poor part of Haiti that has been devastated by previous disasters over the last decade and these are opportunistic people coming here to try and take what they can get from what is no doubt a tragic scene, something that collapsed during this earthquake.

[03:45:08]

There are people that have been here trying to help, people trying to look for survivors. That is not the majority of what's happening here right now. What you don't see here are Haitian authorities. There's no police presence, there is no firefighters, there are no search and rescue here. There's just people from the community and this lone excavator that is not currently in operation.

It's very indicative of what we're seeing as we drive through this area near the epicenter, a lack of authoritative stance from the government trying to help people get control of this situation. Unfortunately, this is the reality on the ground at this moment.

Matt Rivers, CNN, in Les Cayes, Haiti.

CHURCH: Well, meanwhile, the head of Haiti's civil protection agency says an approaching storm could complicate the search and rescue efforts for earthquake victims.

Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now. And Pedram, as if Haiti doesn't have enough to deal with. What are you seeing with this approaching tropical depression?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's a storm system weakening rather quickly, that's the one piece of good news, but unfortunately, Rosemary, it's doing so with the expense of interacting with the mountains of the island of Hispaniola. So, tremendous amounts of rainfall are coming down across this region.

Of course, we have a trio of systems across the area to tell you about, Tropical depression Eight (ph), tropical depression Fred and tropical depression Grace. And the reason this is a tropical depression is exactly because of that.

I mean, look at the island of Hispaniola very elevated terrain and of course we are heading into the peak season here so this is what you expect to see activity pick up in intensity and potentially see additional storms in the coming weeks.

But this elevated terrain rises through as high as 10,100 feet. So, you look at some 37 U.S. states they don't have a mountain nearly this high and speaks to how rugged this landscape is. It isn't often it is one that breaks systems down and allow for weakened tropical systems to move west of this region.

But unfortunately, given what has happened here in recent days this is the last thing you want to see, a system essentially raining itself across this particular area in large part because of the mountains that lie in this region.

So, we're watching for as much as four to six inches of rainfall potentially exceeding 400 millimeters in a widespread area. And a lot of times when you have systems come in, we call this orographic lifting. Essentially the air is forced to rise. Once you force air to rise it cools, it condenses into clouds. And I often use the analogy of if you take a sponge fill it with water and push it against the wall it's going to squeeze all water right alongside the wall.

That's precisely what's happening here on a larger scale across Hispaniola and that is unfortunately going to lead to some landslides, certainly some flash flooding downstream and that is the concern in an area that has seen so much deforestation, that isn't much soil here to absorb the water, much in the way of vegetation to absorb a lot of the water that comes down. So, we expect additional problems to begin because of that.

And of course, we know aftershocks are ongoing in this region as well. Hundreds potentially still left to be had over the next several weeks. So, this is really a difficult scenario here as a tropical system moves across the region, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Pedram Javaheri, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that situation. I appreciate it.

And still to come, Afghanistan's president has fled the country as the Taliban take Kabul. We will take a look at his complicated legacy.

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CHURCH (on camera): Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he felt that leaving the country was the best choice, quote, "in order to avoid the flood of bloodshed." For that he is being slammed by critics and former political allies alike for abandoning his country.

Nic Robertson takes a look back at Ghani's presidency and the legacy he leaves behind.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): Long before reaching Kabul the Taliban were warning Afghan President Ashraf Ghani his days in leadership were running out, rocketing Eid prayers in July, attacking another outdoor presidential address early last year. But in recent days as the Taliban closed in Kabul, Ghani's silence finally signaled his concerns.

His administration unprepared just as the Afghan people were looking for leadership, and international allies waiting for a plan. It was just Saturday with only a few cities left under government control. The rest seized by the Taliban during their rapid advance that Ghani finally addressed the nation.

ASHRAF GHANI, FORMER PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): I will do my best to prevent this imposed war on the Afghan people resulting in further killing in innocent people, loss of your achievements over the last 20 years, destruction of public infrastructure and prolonged instability.

ROBERTSON: Notably, he didn't resign, something the Taliban had been demanding for months but said he was in urgent talks with local leaders and international partners. The embattled president not seeming to grasp with the Taliban staring down on the capital, the army not willing to fight, that he had little power to do anything but leave.

One of the last blows to his presidency, the fall of stronghold Mazar- i-Sharif, he visited the city earlier in the week to try to rally support which was rapidly eroding across the country.

It's a bitter outcome for the former World Bank employee who gave up his U.S. citizenship after the September 11th attacks to return to Afghanistan to help rebuild his home country. He became Afghanistan's president in 2014 following two terms in office by Hamid Karzai who led the country after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. But Ghani came to power in a contested vote where he was accused of voter fraud.

[03:55:01]

The U.S. eventually brokered a power sharing deal with rival Abdullah Abdullah in which Ghani was declared president, one of his last acts before leaving Kabul Sunday, a security call to appeal for calm.

GHANI (through translator): I have guided the defense ministry to take full responsibility for the security of all residents. Secondly, those people that are making noise about rioting, looting and killing people, we'll deal with them with full force.

ROBERTSON: Ghani's critics who have long believed him to be too controlling, blasted his departure saying he abandoned his country to a dire future.

ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, CHAIRMAN, HIGH COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL RECONCILIATION (through translator): God will hold him accountable and the people of Afghanistan will also judge him.

ROBERTSON: Afghanistan's acting defense minister tweeting, they tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland. Damn the rich man and his gang.

Ghani always had a contentious relationship with the Taliban. They viewed him as a puppet of the Americans. On social media Ghani said he left to avoid further bloodshed. But in the end, he ran before the Taliban took control, potentially escaping the fate of a previously deposed Afghan president whose beaten lifeless body ended up hanging from a pole.

Nic Robertson, CNN.

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CHURCH: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

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