Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Taliban Respond To Protests With Violence; U.S. To Offer COVID Booster Shots In September; little Help Following Double Disaster In Haiti. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 19, 2021 - 02:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:07]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. And I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead a violent crackdown. Despite its pledge to be different, the Taliban's actions speak louder than words. Then the United States moves forward with COVID booster shots despite a vaccine deficit in other nations.
And little help upgrade double disaster in Haiti. CNN is on the scene. Thanks for joining us. Well, increasingly violent confrontations, heavy gunfire and guarded gates are creating a dangerous and desperate situation outside the Kabul airport as thousands frantically try to flee Afghanistan and the Taliban.
So that's what it's like outside. Inside the airport the U.S. is working to evacuate as many people as possible before the end of the month. But President Joe Biden now suggests U.S. troops may stay longer to ensure all Americans get out as he continues to defend his decisions on Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST: Was it a failure of intelligence, planning, execution or judgment?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I don't think it was a -- look. It was a simple choice, George.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, we will have more on that just ahead. Meanwhile, to the east of Kabul, violent clashes broke out in Jalalabad, between Taliban fighters and protesters who removed the group's flag from the city's main square. Sources say in the city of Khost a curfew is now in place after word of angry demonstrations there. Well, the U.S. estimates up to 65,000 Afghan nationals and their families may be eligible to be evacuated if they can get to the Kabul airport. Some 4500 U.S. troops have secured the airfield and evacuation flights
are ramping up. But Taliban fighters outside making it nearly impossible for Afghans to leave. CNN's Clarissa Ward takes us through the chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: America's last foothold in Afghanistan is now guarded by the Taliban.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See the Taliban all over and (INAUDIBLE)
WARD: We've come to Kabul's airport to see the gauntlet people must pass through to fly out.
(on camera): You can hear gunshots every couple of minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN, CNN, CNN, CNN.
WARD: Quickly, we are accosted by an angry Taliban fighter.
Can I ask you a question? Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She -- he says first.
WARD: Cover my face?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cover.
WARD: Cover my face. What is this? What is that?
He told me to cover my face. But he doesn't want to comment on that truncheon he's carrying.
(voice-over): The Fighter tells us these chaotic scenes are the fault of America. The cause of all this is America in Afghanistan. Look at these people he says. Americans really acting unfairly towards them. Why are they lying and telling them that they can go to America? Why don't they let them stay and help their country?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't to talk to you.
WARD: OK. He doesn't want to talk (INAUDIBLE)
We keep walking to avoid confrontation. A man follows us asking for advice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How we can enter the (INAUDIBLE)
WARD: How you can enter the base?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Because they send me e-mail also.
WARD: Do you have paperwork to enter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARD: Show me your paper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To enter? No. But we have e-mail -- they call me.
WARD: Was this an Italian company?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Italian company.
WARD: OK. Let's -- I don't want this guy to whip you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Thank you.
WARD: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
(voice-over): Others crowd around us to show their documents.
(INAUDIBLE) You work for (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's my job later.
WARD: Yes. You're a translator?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARD: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are doing.
WARD: So I'm saying they all work at American camps as translators for the Americans and they can't get into that airport. These Taliban fighters were a little upset with us.
(voice-over): We decide to leave and head for our car. The fighter takes the safety off his AK-47 and pushes through the crowd.
[02:05:01]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay behind him, stay behind him.
WARD: You can see that some of these Taliban fighters, they're just hopped up on adrenaline or I don't know what. It's a very dicey situation. Suddenly two other Taliban charge towards us. You can see their rifle butt raised to strike producer Brent Swails. When the fighters are told we have permission to report, they lower their weapons and let us pass. OK. Now we're going. Get in the car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: I should emphasize that while the airport has been exceptionally chaotic, most of the city has been relatively calm again. Today we saw people starting to come out onto the streets stores were open traffic was moving, traffic policemen route government workers. The Taliban understands that this is their moment that the world is watching and that they need to provide some semblance of law and order which makes those images from the airport all the more stark.
And of course, the real worry now is that the airport is becoming like a powder keg. And that's just one incident, one wrong move could risk everything exploding into a much more serious conflagration.
CHURCH: Clarissa Ward reporting there. Well, defiant and unapologetic, the U.S. President says he believes the withdrawal of American forces has not been a failure. During an interview with ABC News, Joe Biden even went as far to say the exit could not have been handled any better. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANOPOULOS: We've all seen the pictures. We've seen those hundreds of people packed into a C-17. We've seen Afghans falling.
BIDEN: That was four days ago, five days ago.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What did you think when you first saw those pictures?
BIDEN: Well, I thought was we have to gain control this. We have to move this more quickly. We have to move in a way in which we can take control that airport. And we did.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you don't think this could have been handled, this exit could have been handled better in any way. No mistakes?
BIDEN: No, I don't think it could have been handled in a way that there -- we -- we're going to go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing. I don't know how that happens. I don't know how that happened.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So for you that was always priced into the decision?
BIDEN: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The Biden administration may have discussed the potential for chaos. But a breakdown of this magnitude was clearly not expected. In the months leading up to with -- the withdrawal, President Biden indicated everything would be under control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We'll do it responsibly, deliberately and safely. And we will do it in full coordination with our allies and partners. Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31st. The drawdown is proceeding in a secure and orderly way, prioritizing the safety of our troops as they depart. There's going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy in the -- of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comfortable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So clearly, it did not go as planned. CNN's Arwa Damon is following developments. She joins me now live from Istanbul. Good to see you, Arwa. So what's been the reaction to President Biden's saying U.S. troops will stay until all Americans are evacuated out but nothing specific about the tens of thousands of Afghan allies still waiting to get out. Some not even able to get the airport? ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it is sadly, tragically and perhaps unforgivingly in line with the general tone that has been coming from the White House. One that is unapologetic, one that is basically saying, well, we knew it was going to be a big mess. We knew it was going to be chaos when we left. And so, we just decided to go ahead with it.
The issue, of course, is that if the White House is going to make that claim that they knew that it was chaotic, why wasn't more done to mitigate that situation? People looking at this, whether it's Afghans, or others are going to be asking the question of how is it possible that the most powerful army in the world, the most powerful country out there cannot make a plan to properly safely evacuated its own citizens and those that it has repeatedly, Rosemary, repeatedly promised to protect its Afghan allies.
And the issue right now with those statements is that it's yet another message of well, we're just going to take care of our own. We're just going to focus on getting the Americans out. But we're not going to make another promise to our Afghan allies.
[02:10:09]
DAMON: To those who risked their lives for our own mission inside Afghanistan. You may end up being on your own. Keeping in mind, Rosemary that a lot of them already feel like they are on their own. There is such a chaotic scene, as you've been seeing from courses reporting, and other imagery coming from the ground in Kabul right now. And that's only the chaos that exists right now brought on by people who were actually able to make it to the airport.
CHURCH: Exactly. And Arwa, days into this 15,000 Americans still there. 65,000 Afghan allies and their families, what were you learning about the evacuation effort underway at the airport in Kabul and of course, the situation on the streets?
DAMON: Well, Rosemary, you know, you just saw Clarissa's report there, showing the situation outside and the way that the Taliban is trying to manage crowd control. And that's another big challenge, because they're obviously, it would seem is not the space inside the airport complex itself to accommodate all of these people who are trying to evacuate. The U.S. is not up to what it says is its full -- daily full evacuation capacity.
So the system isn't moving quickly enough. And as it's not moving quickly enough, of course, the pressure on it is only increasing as more and more people are actually trying to leave. And now the Taliban which is basically never really governed before, most certainly not had to deal with this type of crowd control is trying to -- I guess trying to, you know, manage the situation. But as Clarissa was saying, it's a powder keg, a potential powder keg just waiting to explode.
And so again, it begs the question of, well, the U.S. military, could they have handled this differently? Should they be looking at trying to secure a bigger perimeter so that all of those who are waiting on the outside of the airport compound can be ferried into what they most certainly would consider to be a safer space or at least a space that isn't controlled by the Taliban.
CHURCH: Yes, that might be exactly what they'll need to consider. Arwa Damon bringing us the very latest on this situation, many thanks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: (INAUDIBLE) and Obama administration's spending time in Afghanistan. And she's the author of the book, How We Win which is about defeating the extremists threat. Thank you so much for being with us.
Thank you. It's a pleasure.
CHURCH: So the Taliban are telling the world they have evolved from being the brutal fighting force that we are witnessed in the 90s to a new more modern version that can govern and stabilize Afghanistan and maintain the rights of women. Do you think the international community buys any of this? And if they do, what's your message to them?
FARAH PANDITH, ADJUNCT SENIOR FELLOW COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, shame on us if we fall for their new promises that women are going to be equal to men, that girls can go to school, that they welcome women into government. Their ideology is embedded into who they are. And they are saying one thing to the external world, and they're doing something else inside.
And frankly, we've got to look not at what the cameras are capturing in Kabul, but we need to see what's actually taking place in rural Afghanistan.
CHURCH: So why do you think they're doing that?
PANDITH: Well, they've had 20 years to be able to study how countries respond to conflict, and what we -- what we do and how we act. And so they become extremely savvy. They have a very savvy communications team. They have lots of patience in what they're doing. And they know what buttons to press to get us to do what we're doing, which is reacting to the women and girls piece by saying exactly that.
They're new, look at what they're doing. They're letting women do X, Y or Z when in fact, we've got to remember that they are ideologically opposed to the things that they're saying out loud. So how is it that we should believe them today?
CHURCH: So what freedoms achieved by Afghan women over the last 20 years, will they likely have to give up under this new Taliban regime? And how do you think the future will look for them?
PANDITH: Well, I think it's important not to look back at the last 20 years and look at what we've lost because that era is over. The reality is the Taliban is calling the shots. What we have to do today is to create the plan and understand how serious we really are about women and girls and what we're going to do about it. CHURCH: And of course, in the end, how much do you think the international community cares about what happens to Afghan women? And should, the considerable Afghan government funds that are currently being held overseas be frozen, and perhaps used as leverage to ensure the rights of women are maintained in Afghanistan? Is that possible?
PANDITH: That's a very good point to raise. And it's one avenue, it's one option that nations can use. But frankly, there is little, you know, while the United States and other Western nations have talked a lot about women and girls, and how much they care, they have put a lot of aid money into their programs, and they've created a really new reality for these women. I mean, over 20 years, these girls are growing up believing different things, because of the way they've been educated and what they think about their country.
They have dreams that they didn't have before. So they are in a worse position today than they were before, you know, before the 9/11 attacks, actually, because they now have had hope for 20 years. So, what we have to do is we have to think about what we're prepared to put forward one. One component of that could be tied to the aid that you just described. And other things have to be considered as well, which is, what are the leverages that we can push forward, that will get the Taliban to do what we want to do.
And that's only going to take frankly, we're not going to be able to make a decision on that until we understand how this all plays out in the weeks ahead.
CHURCH: And why do you think it was so easy for the Taliban to move so rapidly across the country and take Kabul with hardly shot fired? And do you think they will ultimately pose a threat to anyone outside of Afghanistan?
PANDITH: What a tragic situation that after 20 years of training and commitment to build out a force, they put their guns down? And I think as we think about why that happened, a lot is going to come forward. But what we have to think about is this question that you have just asked which is how dangerous is Afghanistan going to be now because of the Taliban and the extremist threat.
And I have to say we have to be alert, we can't be naive to how appealing this ideology is around the world. The Taliban have fighters from several different countries that it is a global force that is not just its majority, that part of the world. But there are people from France and Jordan and Pakistan and China. Like ISIS, this is a global ideology. And what we have to be alert to is what it could mean in the -- in the months and years ahead, because it is now a safe haven for bad ideas because the Taliban is in control.
And we have, unfortunately had 20 years worth of experience on how important this ideology can be because it can recruit people from every part of the globe.
CHURCH: Farah Pandith, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.
PANDITH: Thank you.
CHURCH: And still to come. Countries criticizing the U.S. for a messy withdrawal from Afghanistan. Looking to capitalize on the chaos, we will have the latest on that. Plus, Afghanistan's former president arrives in the United Arab Emirates and explains why he fled. A live report from Dubai just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:20:53[
CHURCH: We're hearing from Afghanistan's former president for the first time since he fled the country. Ashraf Ghani now in the United Arab Emirates said he didn't want to be hanged or see more bloodshed. He also denied rumors he had fled with a lot of cash. CNN's Eleni Giokos has more now on this. She joins us live from Dubai. Good to see you, Eleni. So how is Ghani defending himself against accusations he abandoned his country and fled with Afghanistan's money?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And this is exactly what the message that he posted on his Facebook page. He basically details the circumstances which he says forced him to leave the country that he was in a predicament and here to make a decision between, as you say, being hand in -- hand in front of Afghans or leave to avoid bloodshed. I want you to take a listen to the violent and very risky situation he says he was in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHRAF GHANI, FORMER PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): If I had stayed the president of Afghanistan, I would have been hanged in front of the eyes of the people of Afghanistan. This would have been a dreadful disaster in our history. I am not fearful of an honorable death. But I don't want the dishonor in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And then he basically referred to a previous president that was tortured and killed 25 years ago when the Taliban took over in the 90s. And saying that bloodshed could have ensued, similar to what we've seen in Syria and Yemen as well. So he describes a very violent situation. Now the Taliban over the week were saying they were sitting on the sidelines wanted to have a peaceful transfer of power.
But Ghani says that there were people that entered the presidential palace, they were moving from room to room, and he had to leave so quickly that he couldn't take your shoes, or his books and laptop which he says were his most prized assets. He has refuted claims and rumors that he lived with bags of money. He says that the UAE government can attest to that. Remember, the UAE yesterday confirmed that they say they welcomed him and his family based on humanitarian grounds.
Now, we've been hearing very different rhetoric from the Taliban saying they wanted a peaceful transfer of power. At the same time, Ghani was saying that while he was currently in negotiations with the Taliban, Saturday, Sunday, the situation changed very quickly. And this, of course, put into question, the intention of the Taliban. He also said the responsibility falls on the government.
It also falls on the international forces and the people brokering the peace deal, but also falls on the Taliban. Question here is, is he going to be negotiating from abroad? Is he still going to be involved in politics? I want you to take a look at his history. He was sworn in 2014, against sworn in 2020. He had a partial agreement with Abdullah Abdullah. And he also gave up his U.S. citizenship to run for Afghan presidency.
So, we also know the Taliban has been intimidating him in during live events over the past year. So he has had an interesting time as Afghan President and of course, it's now all fallen apart.
CHURCH: And of course, one thing we did not hear was any form of an apology for leaving and also talk to us about what his next steps may be.
GIOKOS: Absolutely, look, we didn't hear an apology. He said he remains committed to what he says peace, stability and development of Afghanistan. Perceptions and criticism towards him still remain. And the question -- I mean, the issue about him leaving so quickly, many say gives the impression that he just abandoned Afghanistan and that it took him so long to address people. Remember you also posted something on Facebook earlier this week saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed but not giving much detail, Rosemary.
I guess where to from here now. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him. But the fact that he's now in the UAE of course we're also trying to chase to see if we can track him down and see which city is in at the moment.
[02:25:05]
CHURCH: Yes. Exactly. Eleni Giokos, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that situation. Appreciate it.
Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing criticism in Parliament over intelligence failures on the strength of the Taliban's offensive and the chaotic evacuation that's followed. Salma Abdelaziz has our report.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced tough criticism in the House of Commons today during an emergency session. This is the first time M.P.s have been brought together since lockdown restrictions were fully lifted. So it was packed. It was boisterous. And yes, at times, it was an angry and passionate debate. Of course, the predominant question is, how did this happen?
How did Kabul fall so quickly and what does this mean for the U.K.'s role in Afghanistan and the sacrifices it has made in that country. More than 450 British troops have lost their lives during the Afghan war. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of course, defending his record, and saying that the government was prepared for the follow up. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think it'd be fair to say that the events in Afghanistan have unfolded and the collapse has been fast. I think even though the Taliban themselves predicted what is not true to say that the U.K. government was unprepared or did not foresee this because it was certainly part of our planning of pitting. The very difficult logistical operation for the withdrawal of U.K. nationals has been under preparation for many months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: One of the main concerns for the British government right now is evacuations for British Nationals, but also for Afghan staff who supported the British government and the British military over the last two decades. There's potentially thousands is still waiting to come out, to come to safety. The U.K. says that's absolutely a priority. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announcing a resettlement scheme that will see up to 20,000 Afghan settled here in the U.K. over the course of the next several years.
But in the first year, the government says it wants to see about 5000 Afghans resettled here in the U.K. priority, will of course be given to vulnerable populations, women and girls in terms of future strategy for Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson kicking the can down the road. There will be a G7 meeting next week to discuss that with other world leaders. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
CHURCH: Well, both Russia and China say they are looking forward to establishing peace in Afghanistan and are willing to work with the Taliban to achieve that. Something else they agree on, the U.S. is responsible for leaving the region in shambles. CNNs Fred Pleitgen has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As the Biden administration faces global criticism for its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Kremlin-controlled media tried to hide its belief. With the clear message, the U.S. can't be trusted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now the whole world saw American disgrace and failure and how U.S. diplomats and staff are rushing around Kabul airport while all U.S. allies saw pathetic excuses from Biden and Blinken.
PLEITGEN: Russia is still angry at the U.S. for Washington support of the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Now Moscow cynically saying, at least the Soviet retreat was orderly. Apparently we overestimated talents of our American colleagues this army gave up without a fight he says. The unraveling in Afghanistan comes only two months after President Biden on his tour of Europe assured allies that on his watch, the U.S. would once again be a global leader. BIDEN: We're going to make it clear that the United States is back. And democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges.
PLEITGEN: But so far, Biden hasn't done much to signal coordination with NATO or allied countries since the Taliban overran Kabul. As leaders voiced disappointment in the failed U.S.-led mission.
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Developments in Afghanistan are obviously also better for Germany and other allied nations, which for 20 years following the 9/11 terror attacks fought against terrorism and for freedom in Afghanistan under the leadership of the United States and NATO.
PLEITGEN: Meanwhile, Russia is not the only adversary looking to capitalize on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Top Chinese officials recently met senior Taliban leaders to extract security guarantees and revive China's business projects in Afghanistan. Beijing's message don't count on the U.S.
HUA CHUNYING, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): As United States foreign policy failed, well its allies think it's untrustworthy. I think the United States and the relevant countries will have their own thoughts and conclusions.
[02:30:00]
PLEITGEN (voiceover): With the U.S. looking to wrap up evacuation flights from Kabul soon, and allies in shock, China and Russia seem to be savoring this moment of American failure while preparing to deal with Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The U.S. is putting the squeeze on Afghanistan's funds, but the country may have a path to economic independence. Plus, the U.S. military scrambles to evacuate Americans and others from Kabul, but the deadline for a military pullout from Afghanistan maybe pushed back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: President Joe Biden says U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan until all Americans are out, even if it's after the self- imposed August 31st deadline. For thousands of Afghans eager to flee the country, the Kabul Airport remains their best hope. The Taliban fighters on the streets outside are making it almost impossible for anyone to leave, even as the situation grows more chaotic, President Biden says he doesn't think the turmoil could have been avoided. Here's what he told ABC News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Look, I don't think it was a failure. Look, it was a simple choice, George. I don't think it could have been handled in a way that -- we are going to go back in hindsight and look. But the idea that somehow, there was a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But critics say the withdrawal has indeed been a failure, and on multiple fronts. Here is American political scientist, Ian Bremmer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT, EURASIA GROUP: It's a failure of intelligence in terms of a lack of understanding, of the capabilities and willingness of the political leadership and military in Afghanistan to stand up. It's a lack of planning for what happens if your scenarios go wrong. And it's a lack of communications, of honesty with the American people and with allies around the world, who are deeply disappointed with a Biden administration that they felt would be much more multilateral, especially on an issue where the allies have been fighting with Americans for 20 years now. But the decision on how and when to leave was made unilaterally by the Americans, and that's not the way you treat your allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: President Biden also vowed to keep a U.S. presence in Afghanistan until all Americans who want to leave the country are gone. Mr. Biden had previously set a deadline to have that finished by the end of August. But things are not going as smoothly as planned.
CNN's Oren Liebermann has more.
[02:35:00]
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For the first-time, President Joe Biden suggested U.S. troops may stay past August 31st, longer than the end of the month, as part of the withdrawal efforts, if evacuation efforts aren't complete. That comes just a few hours after the Pentagon said it was still focused on that August 31st date, and that that's where efforts are.
But just a short term later, on Wednesday afternoon, neither the Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin nor Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley made any reference to August 31st or imposed that as a deadline for withdrawal suggesting it is flexible here, and it isn't a fixed date by which the U.S. has to be out. It depends on situation on the ground and how fast the process of withdrawal is moving. Right now, it's not moving fast enough right now.
Meanwhile, another heartbreaking image from the withdrawal, a young child aboard a U.S. C-17 sleeping under the jacket of a U.S. air force airman. That picture, like so many others, speak to the desperation and the panic, the need so many Afghans, civilians fear to get out, her lucky enough to get out on that C-17 flight.
But as I said, the pace itself not moving fast enough and that was acknowledged by Secretary Austin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We are really working hard to get as many people through as possible. And quite frankly, we are not -- it's obviously, we're not close to where we want to be in terms of getting the numbers through. So, we are going to work that 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And we are going to get everyone that we can possibly evacuate evacuated. And I will do that as long as we possibly can, until the clock runs out or we run out of capability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: It's not just the challenge at the airport where there have been security incidents and U.S. troops have fired warning shots to try to control a delicate situation with troops at the air post and Taliban nearby. The U.S. embassy has warned American citizens that it cannot guarantee safe passage to the Kabul Airport. It's a critical statement because the airport is really the only way in and out of the country.
Meanwhile, the U.S. moved approximately 18 flights out with about 2,000 people at 24-hour span. That's only about 110 people on average per flight. That on pace not nearly enough to complete this withdrawal by the end of the month, especially as Biden said there may be up to 80,000 to move including 15,000 American citizens. The more people to move, the more flights you need, the faster you need to process people onto those flights. The Pentagon acknowledged the whole process simply isn't moving fast enough, especially not to hit that goal of 5,000, 9,000 people a day flying out of the country.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.
CHURCH: Well, bleak barely describes how many Afghans now see their country's future. With the U.S. pulling and Taliban back in control, they don't see much reason for hope. Although. there are still some signs of defiance, including in Jalalabad where the Taliban clashed with protesters who took down the Taliban flag and raised the Afghan flag on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My heart is here for this flag. My life is off also sacrificed on this flag. I will never leave this flag. I'm standing. Kill us. Fire at us.
MOHAMMAD EHSAN SAADAT, AFGHAN WHO FLED TO CANADA: It's a dark future for Afghanistan. When I listen to President Biden's announcement then I assess (ph) International Community didn't want to help us anymore.
SAFIR KHAN, AFGHAN ASYLUM SEEKER: There is no life in our country at the moment. Now, the Taliban come, I don't know what will happen. Because the Taliban never try to help people, they are always killing people.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: And many Afghans who live in the U.S. also don't have much faith in Afghanistan's future under the Taliban. Many are scrambling to get their families out of the country.
Well, as with so many things in Afghanistan, the future of its fragile economy is in question. The U.S. has moved quickly to prevent the Afghan government's cash reserves from getting into Taliban hands. The Biden administration also pressured the International Monetary Fund to block Afghanistan from receiving $450 million in emergency reserves.
Clare Sebastian has more.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: After decades of relying on foreign aid, Afghanistan already one of the poorest countries in the world is facing a potential funding crisis. As of now, U.S. officials say that Central Bank Reserves held in the U.S. are effectively frozen. The Central Bank governor has fled the country and is warning on Twitter that the bank has close to zero hard currency left.
On Monday, the International Monetary Fund was expected to transfer around $450 million in funds to Afghanistan as part of a previously scheduled global COVID relief program. The IMF now says that because of "lack of clarity" with International Community regarding recognition of a government, it will now not get access to the funding.
[02:40:00]
Well, all this has put the spotlight on a potential alternative revenue source for Afghanistan. It's vast untapped critical mineral resources. U.S. military officials and geological experts estimated Afghanistan has nearly attrition trade trillion dollars' worth of a valuable mineral from lithium to copper and gold to rare earth elements. Some of which to use in everything from electric cars to iPhone and deemed critical for the technology powering the clean energy transition.
So significant are these potential resources that one former Afghan diplomat told me it could be away for Afghanistan to gain economic independence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMAD SHAH KATAWAZAI, FORMER AFGHAN DIPLOMAT: I believe if we are able to exploit these resources in a good manner, this could turn the faith of the country dramatically. Economy wise, politically and also can bring peace into the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Well, the challenges are huge and security under Taliban rule is likely to discourage foreign investments, there's a lack of basic infrastructure, transportation, corruption and other major challenges. And of course, it takes years for a mine to become operational, not to mention profitable. But for some, it's a potential opportunity, even amid the chaos.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, New York.
CHURCH: Well, just one day after the Taliban promised to uphold women's rights, we are already seeing evidence that they are not keeping their word. A female anchor from the independent Afghan news organization told us as the Taliban is now refusing to let her work. This was Shabnam Dawran on Tuesday interviewing a Taliban official, but she says she was barred from entering the office Wednesday despite having proper credentials. In a video posted to Twitter, she says the Taliban told her, "The regime has changed, go home."
Well, still to come, what the W.H.O. is saying about Americas plan to offer COVID booster shots to all eligible Americans beginning in just weeks. Plus, aid is slow to arrive in the parts of Haiti that took a one to punch from an earthquake and storm.
CNN is on the scene when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: You are looking at what's left of Corail, one of the towns hard hit by an earthquake in Haiti. The nationwide death toll now stands at more than 2,100 with thousands more injured. Haiti's prime minister is calling on the nation to unite and start rebuilding. But just three days after the quake, Haiti was pummeled by a storm as Matt Rivers reports, many survivors are having to face the aftermath of these dual disasters alone.
[02:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Driving into rural Haiti is not easy. Miles and miles of tough unpaved roads. But it's at the end of those roads where some of the worst damage from this earthquake lies.
This is Corail, a fishing town of 30, 000, where hundreds of structures have been destroyed. Gilen Rishard (ph) lost everything when the ground shook. I lost my business and my home, she says, I have six kids to to school and I don't know what I'm going to do.
Hers was just the first home we saw. Up the street, we couldn't drive pass this home because, like so many others here, what remains could collapse at any moment.
RIVERS (on camera): So, these guys behind me aren't professionals. They're just locals with hammer, wood, and nails trying to figure out a safe way to bring that severely damaged building behind me down to the ground. They told us, in the nearly five days since this earthquake happened, they still have not one representative from the central government show up.
RIVERS (voiceover): It's a tough place to get to, but as some pointed out to us, we managed to do it. So, why hasn't the government? Anger, a persistent sentiment for many. This man's family was injured when their home collapsed.
RIVERS (on camera): Do you think that the government can come here and help you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think so.
RIVERS: So, you are not waiting for them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.
RIVERS: And are you frustrated with that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, I am. Very frustrated. I'm very frustrated.
RIVERS (voiceover): Some blame corruption and a lack of will for government inaction. There's also the recent assassination of Haiti's president, gang violence, and a lack of quality infrastructure possibly at fault. This bridge in the City of Jeremie, in rough shape before the earthquake, now so damage that heavy trucks like these, loaded down with aid, cannot cross. Supplies sometimes hand carried. No matter the reason, reality persists. People in need are growing increasingly desperate.
I need help, she says, and no one is helping me. So, far, it's only God who I think will help me. The place where she might pray for that, the church in the town center, also destroyed. Thankfully, fewer people died during this earthquake compared to previous similar quakes. Imagine, as one person told us, if it had happened on a Sunday morning when church was full.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS (on camera): And we did reach out to the Haitian central government asking, have you sent representatives to Corail to see the hundreds of structures that have been destroyed? What are you planning on doing to try and make the lives of people affected by this earthquake better? They did not respond to our request for comment.
Matt rivers, CNN, Jeremie, Haiti.
CHURCH: Global COVID cases have been on the rise for the past two months and the W.H.O. says almost 4 1/2 million new infections were reported in the past week alone. New Zealand, which was virus free, has reported 11 new cases, bringing the total from its recent outbreak to 21. And Mexico reported nearly 29,000 new cases, the country's highest daily increase since the pandemic began.
Meantime, the U.S. will offer COVID booster shots for all Americans starting about a month from now. Those who are eight months out from their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will be eligible. But President Joe Biden's decision is facing backlash from world health officials. The W.H.O. says there is not an updated showing boosters are needed. And that this will only widen the gap between the vaccine haves and have nots. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MICHAEL RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, W.H.O. HEALTH EMERGENCIES PROGRAMME: Regardless of what ultimately the science comes to an agreement regarding the length of protection or the increased benefits from marginal increased in benefits from having booster doses, the reality is, right now, today, if we think about this in terms of an analogy, we are planning to hand out extra life jackets to people who already have lifejackets, while we are leaving other people to drown without a single lifejacket. That's the reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But, as CNN's Athena Jones reports, the U.S. surgeon general believes COVID booster shots are a way to stay ahead of the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: The time to lay out a plan for COVID-19 boosters is now.
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): With new COVID cases and hospitalizations surging to where they were in November, before the first vaccinations began, the White House announced plans for a broad rollout of vaccine booster shots next month.
Starting September 20th, the administration recommending vaccinated adults receive a booster eight months after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Presenting data suggesting waning immunity overtime.
BIDEN: Well, this will boost your immune response, it will your increased protection from COVID-19. And it's the best way to protect ourselves from new variants that could arise.
JONES (voiceover): Booster doses still must be approved by the FDA, which is still reviewing the data. But experts warn --
[02:50:00]
DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. CDC: Boosters is not going to end this pandemic. What's going to end this pandemic is finding a way to motivate the 30, 40 percent of people in this country who haven't gotten any back scenes yet.
JONES (voiceover): It's the unvaccinated that have hospitals around the country stressed. In the five hardest hit states, intensive care units are more than 90 percent full. Alabama reporting it is out of ICU beds.
DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: It's really just a domino effect that then clogs up our ER's, clogs up. Everything else.
JONES (voiceover): With more than 121,000 new child COVID cases reported in the U.S. last week, Texas and Florida lead the nation in new pediatric cases. While in Mississippi, a 13-year-old died just one day after testing positive for COVID.
ERICA EPTING, PARENT: I thought it was sick. I went to the hospital, what they said (INAUDIBLE) knowing she was sick, they should've sent her to a hospital to get her some help.
JONES (voiceover): The debate over masking in schools' rages on. Schools in Broward County, Florida instituting mask mandates as students return to class today in defiance of Governor Ron DeSantis. The state board of education voting to punish counties like Broward and Alachua for violating the governor's ban on such mandates.
In Hillsborough County, Florida where parents can opt out of the mask requirement, almost 10,000 students are quarantined due to COVID cases. One school district outside Dallas, Texas getting around the governor's ban on mask mandates by making masks part of the dress code. President Biden directing his education secretary to take additional steps to protect children.
BIDEN: This includes using all of his oversight authorities and legal action, if appropriate, against governors who are trying to block and intimidate local school officials and educators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (on camera): And the debate over masks in schools isn't just continuing, it's heating up in some places and it's not just shouting matches. In Austin, Texas, one parent reportedly ripped a mask off one teacher's face during a meet the teacher event on Tuesday night prompting the superintendent to call on everyone to treat each other with respectfully.
Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
CHURCH: And still to come, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has left some U.S. veterans wondering whether the last 20 years of war were even worth it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: As the world watches the chaotic collapse of Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover is striking a chord among U.S. veterans who spent years trying to stabilize the war-torn country. The chairman of the joint chiefs and U.S. equity area of defense attempted to remind veterans that their service was not in vain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. MARK MILLEY, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS' CHAIRMAN: I want you to know personally that your service mattered. As the secretary said, for both he and I, this is personal. And I know it's personal for each and every one of you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But as CNN's Tom Foreman reports, some can't help but wonder if it was all worth it. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid the turmoil, panic and the shattering in to 20 years of combat, U.S. veterans of the Afghan war are struggling. Some taking calls around the clock from Afghan allies, trying to find a way out. Mike Breen is a former army captain.
[02:55:00]
MIKE BREEN, FORMER U.S. ARMY CAPTAIN: We made promised to people because we were told to, we made promises to people that we would protect them and they stood with us. And the deepest, you know, most core belief that many of us carried around was, you know, that no one gets left behind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This feels like a personal thing for many veterans.
BREEN: Of course, it is. It's deeply personal.
FOREMAN (voiceover): The administration has acknowledged that impact.
AUSTIN: I know that these are difficult days for those who lost one of ones in Afghanistan, and those who carry the wounds of war.
FOREMAN (voiceover): But the truth goes far beyond bad feelings. Post 9/11 veterans have a significantly higher rate of suicide than other vets. And a study from Brown and Boston Universities estimates over 30,000 active duty and veterans in that age group have died that way, many more than the roughly 7,000 killed in combat.
Why? In part, the study suggests the length of the Afghan and Iraq wars took a terrible toll, subjecting troops to multiple deployments and repeated traumas. And now, this. Cherissa Jackson is a retired air force nurse who has dedicated her life to helping vets. She nearly died in Afghanistan.
CHERISSA JACKSON, RETIRED AIR FORCE NURSE AND CHIEF MEDICAL EXECUTIVE OF AMVETS: It was like, what was all of this for? Why did I work so hard? Why was I gone for six months away for my family?
FOREMAN (voiceover): Jason Kander, former Missouri secretary of state and previously a CNN contributor, works to help vets as well. And he served in Afghanistan as to.
JASON KANDER, PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL EXPANSION, VETERANS COMMUNITY PROJECT: A buddy of mine said to me (INAUDIBLE) said, you know, obviously, the Vietnam veterans and others had it really bad too, but at least they are wars ended.
FOREMAN (voiceover): And so, it is with so many who went there, who fought, who believed, who are still proud like former green beret and NFL player, Nate Boyer.
NATE BOYER, BRONZE STAR RECIPIENT AND FORMER NFL PLAYER: We did what we could, we fought for those who can't fight for themselves and we will still do that today and we're still going to do that in the future moving forward.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Now, they are all watching and wondering, after all the years, the victories and losses, the fighting and grieving, what will the legacy be and how will we all live it?
BREEN: This is a question. This is the last act of an American soldier in Afghanistan going to be pushing a refugee, pushing an American ally, pushing a former interpreter away from an airplane while they get on or pulling them aboard?
FOREMAN (voiceover): Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (on camera): And that does it for this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
