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Thousands of Evacuees Wait to Depart U.S. Base in Germany; Airbnb to Host Up to 20,000 Afghan Refugees for Free; Rolling Stones' Drummer Charlie Watts Dies at 80. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired August 25, 2021 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:20]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause.

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM. The deadline stands. U.S. military flights from Kabul on track to end by next Tuesday's deadline while the Taliban effectively bans all Afghan nationals from reaching the airport.

All it took was just one infection and Australia and New Zealand saw their COVID defenses breached by the Delta variant. Now, concerns are growing along with a surge in the number of new daily cases.

And the quiet passing of a modest man whose legendary backbeat changed music forever and made the Rolling Stones the greatest Rock 'n' roll band of all time.

Despite pleas from coalition allies, despite growing political pressure at home, the U.S. president is standing firm on next Tuesday's deadline for an end to all U.S. operations in Kabul, that along with an announcement by the Taliban effectively banning all Afghans from the airport. Means, thousands of Afghans, many allies who assisted U.S. forces and their families are left behind, their fate now with the Taliban. About 5,000 people, mostly Afghans were waiting at the airport Tuesday for a flight out.

In recent days, the pace of what is one of the largest airlines in history has dramatically increased, with more than 21,000 people evacuated since the start of this week.

As for the Taliban, road blocks and checkpoints on the road to the airport are enforcing a ban on all Afghan citizens, so many wanted to flee their new militant Islamic leaders. The Taliban became concerned about a possible brain drain caused by the departure of so many professionals, doctors, academics, and others with years of experience and expertise.

President Biden cited the acute threat of a terror attack on U.S. troops as one of the main reasons for the hard exit. The longer U.S. troops stay, the greater the risk.

And so, this drawdown now begins with a few hundred American troops already pulling out. But Biden did have a caveat, plans are being prepared to the American forces need to stay longer. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are currently on pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.

But, the completion by August 31st depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who we're transported -- transporting out, and no disruptions to our operations.

In addition, I've asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Those two announcements in one day. One from the U.S. president, the other from the Taliban have been devastating for so many Afghans desperate to leave. And the reality is that Kabul's airport, families being torn apart in real time.

Here's CNN Sam Kiley.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Afghans have been banned from fleeing their country on evacuation flights. A Taliban spokesman said the road that ends at the Kabul airport has been blocked. Foreigners can go through it, but Afghans are not allowed to take the road.

This sudden announcement means that thousands of people who have worked for the international coalition and others who fear persecution under the extremist movement are now trapped.

And these evacuees may be among the last flown to safety. The Taliban insists that there's no need to fear them. The spokesman went on. Afghans are not allowed because the crowd in there would grow even bigger. And it increases the risk of Afghans losing their lives in stampedes, getting stuck in the crowd or being stepped on. The numbers of Afghans crowding here are down because the numbers getting out have been going up.

On this day, 9,000 people were put on flights by midday. In the day before, more than 21,000 were flown to multiple countries by an international coalition.

The pace accelerated through new efficiency and the need to meet the deadline for the end of the evacuation just a week away.

JOHN KIRBY, PRESS SECRETARY, PENTAGON: There's been no change to the timeline of the mission, which is to have this completed by the end of the month.

KILEY: The Taliban move to stop Afghan nationals from leaving would drastically reduce the level of evacuations and it makes it easier for the U.S. to meet the August 31st deadline set by the Taliban.

The State Department estimates that there are thousands of Americans still in Afghanistan to be evacuated. At the airport, military officers said that there had been a significant drop in the number of people trying to get into the airport gates already.

[00:05:06]

KILEY: There's no doubt in the success of the second biggest airlift in the history of mankind. Yes, there are thousands still to get on these planes. There are many people stuck in Kabul. But for most of these people, this is a moment of celebration in terms of their freedom, but also bittersweet because of what they're leaving behind.

That bitterness is immediate to Hazna (PH), her brother Hayda (PH), who has a visa for the U.S. has been trapped outside the airport. She's moments from flying.

Marines do their best to help as he's close to a gate still controlled by the Taliban. But her plane is due to take off, and she's swept away with her younger sisters to a new life. Not knowing if her brother will ever join her there.

Sam Kiley, CNN, Kabul International Airport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN's Anna Coren has covered Afghanistan for years and recently returned from Kabul. She's live for us this hour in Hong Kong.

I guess the moment is fast approaching when the true intentions of the Taliban will be revealed, and that will most likely be after Tuesday. And it seems there are some concerns among Taliban leadership about their own fighters when it comes to the treatment of women.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, we're getting mixed messages from the Taliban and have been, you know, ever since they really emerged as the governing force that they have now become.

When I was there last month, they had a delegation in Russia talking about how girls will go to school, how women will work, how they want them to be part of the society. And certainly, we are hearing that from the Taliban leadership as well, since Kabul fell to the Taliban.

But what we're seeing on the ground is very different. The women, John, that I am in touch with have not left their homes since Kabul fell on August 15th. They are terrified of what will happen to them.

And those that I am in touch with are ones who are professionals. They have worked for a project funded by the U.S. Embassy, funded by the U.S. government. And they think that once the Taliban realizes who they are, that they will then become targets.

We heard from Zabihullah Mujahid the Taliban spokesperson yesterday, and this is what he had to say about women, which I think is very telling. He said we are worried our forces who are new and have not yet been

trained very well may mistreat women. Until we have a new procedure, they should stay home. They won't be counted as absent and their salaries will be paid in their homes.

I mean, John, the fact that he's saying his fighters may mistreat women is just startling. You know, this is the same organization that when it ruled 25 years ago, you know, kept women as prisoners in their own home. Women were flogged in public if they stepped outside the confines of Sharia law if they did something against the morality laws that were imposed by the Taliban.

I mean, they were stoned to death. We saw those images. The Taliban says it's changed, that it's modernized, that it has evolved, but the fact that he is saying stay at home until our fighters are trained, people are very concerned.

One of the women that I was speaking to, John, she said, you know, we've been to school, we've been to university, we have careers. We thought we were part of a country that was going to modernize. She said that was taken away in a moment.

VAUSE: Anna, thank you. Anna Coren live for us there in Hong Kong with the latest. We appreciate it.

Well, the U.S. President may be sticking to that August 31st deadline, but other G7 leaders have not made a similar commitment.

They're now calling on the Taliban to allow safe passage for all those wishing to leave Afghanistan after the end of the month.

The European Council President added that it's too early to decide what kind of relationship the E.U. will have with the new Afghan authorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: This will be subject to strict conditions, regarding the deeds and attitude of the new regime. Both in preserving the political, economic and social achievements for the Afghan citizens, and their human rights, notably of women, girls and minorities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: David Sanger is a CNN Political and National Security Analyst. He's White House National Security Correspondent as well for the New York Times. He's author of the perfect weapon.

David is with us now this hour. Sir David, it is good to see you.

[00:10:02]

VAUSE: Again, President Joe Biden said on -- said the U.S. is now on a pace to finish by next Tuesday's deadline. The crucial part of that statement seems to be missing, is on a pace to finish what? DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's a great question because he was really caught in a terrible bind here. On the one hand, he had set August 31st as the deadline. And then the Taliban came along and said they would not cooperate with U.S. forces beyond that date and might well make it more dangerous for them.

On the other hand, there's no way he's going to get out of the country, all of -- he may get most of the American citizens who want to go but he's not going to get all of the Afghans who have worked for the U.S. who have applications in for visas and so forth. Many of them are not in Kabul, so they have to make their way through Taliban territory to make it to the airport, you've seen the scenes at the airport.

So, the big question is what happens after August 31st? If you are stuck there after August 31st, are you truly stuck? Do you have a chance to get on a commercial flight if those open up? Does the U.S. have a way of helping you even get to the airport once the military has left?

VAUSE: Well, yes, there's still a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of questions about, you know, who will eventually be taken out by Tuesday.

Biden is standing firm on this deadline despite pressure from allies like Britain, France and Germany, despite political pressure at home. And the reason why he says is because of this acute risk of a terror attack from ISIS-K. Are there other factors here at play or is it just this -- the risk of a terror attack?

SANGER: Well, I think the terror attack thing is real. And clearly, they have some very specific intelligence. And for ISIS-K, a local ISIS group, it would have the double effect of being a blow to the Taliban and to the United States.

But I think there is an additional reason here, and that is that the president has always believed back to the debates in 2009 over the Obama surge, and then efforts to withdraw, that there's always a reason to stay in Afghanistan. And that they would never get to the point where somebody would say, OK, we've gotten everybody we can get, we can leave now.

So, I think he decided in the end he's got to stick with the deadline, because if not, he will get dragged into a continued presence at a low level, where sooner or later, he's going to begin taking American casualties.

And what's truly remarkable about the past 10 days is we haven't seen any American casualties at this point. He's betting that if he can hold on to that record, then people will remember the withdrawal and not the messy nature of the exit.

VAUSE: Essentially, is there a reluctance for the president just to simply commit any more significant numbers of troops on the ground, even for a short period of time? Which is why this plan to maybe retake control of the nearby Bagram Air Base (INAUDIBLE) a total non- starter for Biden?

SANGER: You know, we've seen it time and time again, he had proposals from the Pentagon back in March and April for keeping a force of 3,500 to 4,000 troops, he rejected that. He rejected the idea of keeping a smaller force.

He basically said you can't go for 10 years and say you're going to leave and then not actually leave.

The problem now is he's leaving with others to whom the American government has made a commitment still stuck there. And as those stories begin to come out, that's potentially quite damaging and raises a question about the degree to which the United States can be trusted as an ally, if it's made a guarantee, and then doesn't perform on it.

VAUSE: Yes, that seems to be one of the biggest potential consequences here for the United States moving forward. But I guess all this will be written by the historians in the years ahead.

But David, it's good to see you. Thank you very much.

SANGER: Good to see you. Thanks very much.

VAUSE: The U.N. Human Rights Council wants an investigation into reports of abuses in Afghanistan citing grave concerns for women, journalists and other groups.

The Taliban says this time women's rights will be respected and within the context of Sharia law, and also promised a blanket amnesty for their old rivals.

(INAUDIBLE) they made similar promises when they first rose to power in 1996. The U.N. says there our report violations are already taking place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE BACHELET, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: We have also received credible reports of serious violation of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses taking place in many areas under effective Taliban control.

They include, among others, summary executions of civilians, and all the combat members of the Afghan National Security Forces. Restrictions on the right of women, including the right to move around freely and girls right to attend school, recruitment of child soldiers and repression of peaceful protest and expression of dissent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:15:19]

VAUSE: And the U.N. Human Rights Chief adds that the Taliban's treatment of women will make a fundamental red line. Well, the World Bank financial support for Afghanistan is now on hold

until it becomes clear just how the Taliban plans to rule. It's another financial blow to a country which relies totally on foreign aid.

A World Bank spokeswoman says we are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country's development prospects especially for women.

This follows last week's move by the International Monetary Fund which froze the release of $450 million to Afghanistan under pressure from the Biden administration.

Well, a mysterious incident in Hanoi delays Kamala Harris's flight to Vietnam. We'll explain what happened and discuss the purpose of her visit there.

Also, growing outbreaks of the Delta variant are putting the zero COVID strategy to test in both New Zealand and Australia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: After nearly two months of rising COVID cases globally, the WHO says the number of new infections appears to be leveling off. More than 4.5 million cases were reported in the past week about the same as a week earlier.

Almost a quarter of those new cases were in the U.S. where the infection rate is back to where it was in January. Hospitals are feeling the strain especially in areas where vaccinations are low.

Health experts say the U.S. can stem the tide of new infections, but it means more Americans must get vaccinated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I would like to appeal to this country, to the people in the country who are not vaccinated to realize that we have the capability among ourselves to essentially cut down the timeframe to getting the end of this pandemic very, very clearly, by just listening to everything you've heard on this press conference. Get vaccinated and the time frame will be truncated dramatically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Meantime, the Australian state of New South Wales has recorded its worst day of the pandemic so far. More than 900 new cases and two fatalities in the past 24 hours.

CNN's Will Ripley is monitoring the outbreak for us live from Hong Kong. Yet these numbers, you know, when you look at them, they seem kind of small, especially compared to the U.S. where there's, you know, 100,000 new infections.

But the reality is, before they hit 900, they're only coughing up, you know, dozens of infections every day and no deaths.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's because Australia like New Zealand, and like here in Hong Kong have this zero COVID strategy that was the darling of the pandemic when countries like the U.S. were not only locked down, but cases were surging. And in places like this would sealed off their borders, quarantine everybody who's arriving, life continued relatively normally.

[00:20:11]

RIPLEY: But now, when you travel to the U.S. or other countries that have opened back up, and they just accept that as long as enough people are vaccinated, they're going to have COVID in the community, especially with the Delta variant, but they focus on the number of hospitalizations and the number of deaths.

If they accept that there will be the existence of COVID, people can actually do things like travel, they can actually go see their families that don't live in their country. They don't have to deal with massive lockdowns like what's happening in Australia, in New Zealand right now, where people are back to where they were a year ago, unable to leave their homes except for essential travel.

I'm sitting here in quarantine because I'm still not Nicole Kidman, who got a quarantine exemption here in Hong Kong. I spent nine hours yesterday reorganizing my room. I just got tested for COVID about five minutes ago for the third time since I've arrived.

But with the Delta variant, is that a realistic strategy moving forward, John? That is the big question and there's a lot of pressure, growing pressure in places like this, like Australia, like New Zealand to get more people vaccinated, so that life cannot continue to feel as if you're on this island a secret garden locked away from the rest of the world, Rapunzel up in the tower desperate to lower down your hair because they're just obsessed with having no COVID in the community, which might not be realistic given the Delta variant.

So, in New South Wales, you know, they reached a milestone. Yes, they had their highest number of cases, but they also reached one-third of their population fully vaccinated and Australia now saying they're going to start to shift away from this zero COVID strategy as public frustration grows.

There's certainly a lot of frustration here in Hong Kong and in New Zealand as well, which has lower vaccination numbers right now.

But John, at some point, these countries have to reopen, they have to reopen their economies and with these new variants, it is all about vaccinations. The big number to remember in New South Wales, of all the people who are in ICU right now with COVID just over hundred people, 98 percent of them are unvaccinated.

VAUSE: Nicole Kidman and Rapunzel in the one live shot on COVID pandemic restrictions and zero policy, well done.

RIPLEY: I have a lot of time on my hands, John. VAUSE: I can tell.

RIPLEY: You know, I'm trying to be creative. I'm living my best COVID zero life here.

VAUSE: Back to the (INAUDIBLE). We'll talk to you next hour. Thanks.

Well, the 16th summer Paralympic Games are underway in Tokyo that's despite surging COVID cases across Japan.

Just like the Olympics, Tuesday night's opening ceremony took place in an empty stadium because of the pandemic. Japan currently is battling its worst COVID outbreak so far.

Daily cases in Tokyo are now about three times higher than they were when the Olympics began last month. Still, Paralympics officials insist the games can be held safely.

Tuesday's ceremony pay tribute to several Afghan athletes who could not be there because of the conflict back home with a Paralympic volunteer carrying Afghanistan's flag from the old government into the stadium.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's flight is in Hanoi at this hour, but her trip there was delayed several hours because of possible Havana syndrome. Harris is meeting right now with Vietnam's president at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, a delegation also speaking with other top officials within the Vietnamese government.

Harris was still in Singapore when the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam's capital told her there may have been a recent occurrence.

The Intelligence Committee still has no official explanation for the syndrome, which has sickened hundreds of U.S. diplomats, as well as U.S. troops around the world.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now following all of this for us from Hong Kong.

OK, so let's just explain what exactly is this Havana syndrome? How serious is it because it's all kind of mysterious right now?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is all very mysterious. Look, there's still no definitive cause. We don't know what it is. But it's something that as you said has afflicted hundreds of U.S. officials, servicemen and women over the years in places like Cuba, Russia, China, and now we're recording according to U.S. government, a suspected case, a reported case in Vietnam.

But the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her team are forging ahead with their visit in Southeast Asia today. They are meeting with the leadership in Vietnam but yesterday, there was that three-hour delay in Singapore after the U.S. government came across reports that someone in Hanoi may have been targeted with this mysterious Havana syndrome. Again, this was a reported case, not a confirmed case. So, it was

decided for Kamala Harris and her team to continue with their trip, but the Chinese managed to swoop in.

During that delay, Vietnam's Prime Minister met with the Chinese ambassador and China presented Vietnam with a gift and announcement of an additional donation of two million Chinese made COVID-19 vaccines.

And during that meeting, Vietnam's Prime Minister said that Vietnam does not take any sides. Let's bring up the Vietnamese government statement for you.

[00:25:00]

STOUT: It reads as follows, "The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam adheres to an independent, self-reliant, multilateral and diverse foreign policy and is a responsible member of the international community. Vietnam does not align itself with one country against another."

But right now, Harris is holding bilateral meetings. She's meeting first with the Vice President, the president later on with the Prime Minister on the agenda. They'll be discussing -- they are discussing climate change, economic cooperation, security cooperation.

We just learned that in her meetings that she had with the president of Vietnam that Harris said that with regards to the South China Sea, that the United States will challenge Beijing's bullying and excessive maritime claims there.

But also top of mind is the coronavirus pandemic. Listen to this from Risk Consultant and Analyst, Angela Mancini.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MANCINI, PARTNER, CONTROL RISKS: I think where the interests align and have some good opportunities for concrete solutions is number one, heath. U.S., you know, is already producing very effective vaccines and presenting those as donations free and clear, no strings attached to Vietnam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, later today, the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will be launching the regional office of the U.S. CDC, the Centers for Disease Control in Vietnam. We know that the United States has already donated some five million doses of the desperately needed Moderna vaccine.

Vietnam was once a pandemic success story. It's now dealing with spiraling deaths and cases because of the highly infectious Delta variant and also the fact that it desperately needs vaccines.

Right now, only 1.8 percent of the total population has been fully inoculated. That's one of the lowest rates in the entire region, John.

VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us there in Hong Kong.

When we come back, the number of evacuation flights from Kabul have dramatically increased in recent days on Afghanistan. But after the Taliban banned Afghans from leaving the country, they could now be a lot fewer passengers actually trying to leave. The latest on that situation when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

The number of Afghans waiting at Kabul's airport for a flight out has fallen to below 5,000 and is likely to continue to fall now that the Taliban will no longer allow Afghan nationals access to the airport.

And with the pace of evacuations ramping up, U.S. President Joe Biden standing firm on this Tuesday's deadline for full withdrawal of U.S. troops, but he is also requesting contingency plans if the Taliban do not cooperate and the deadline needs to be pushed back.

[00:30:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The longer we stay, starting with the acutely growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, which is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, as well. Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For thousands of Afghan evacuees getting out of Kabul is just the start. Thousands are now at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, staying in tents as they wait for another flight, usually to the United States.

Journalist Atika Shubert reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ramstein Air Base has rapidly transformed into a temporary refuge for Afghan evacuees.

So it's really from this vantage point that you can see just how much this operation has grown. When we got here on Saturday morning to see those first few flights arriving, there were only a few tents over there. Now, as you can see, it's grown.

And it really just goes to show what a massive operation this is to bring in thousands of evacuees.

(voice-over): The number now waiting here has swelled to 7,000, all of them desperate to get to the U.S. Donia Laali says she fought her way into Kabul Airport to get all the

woman in her family out.

DONIA LAALI, EVACUEE: We saw lots of problems here, and I just try and my family tried to come out. Because we are all women. There's no men with us. Because we are just women, and my two brothers, they're in the U.S. So we try to go and reach them.

SHUBERT: The quick transit is now taking much longer. Evacuees are tired and frustrated. U.S. citizens, green card holders, and those with approved visas are being given priority, according to the State Department.

But Nazif Maywand told us he has a visa and has been waiting for more than two days to board a flight.

MOHAMMED NAZIF MAYWAND, EVACUEE: We need showers. We need Internet. The Internet is not available here. Somehow, we need to have contact with our family members that are worried about us. We're -- we're not so relaxed over here. Things are not that good over here. I know that they're trying their best.

SHUBERT: To speed up mobilization, the Pentagon has activated the civil reserve air fleet with commercial carriers such as Delta to bring evacuees to the U.S. But as of Tuesday night, only a handful of flights have flown out of Ramstein, and with a total of just several hundred on board.

In the meantime, singalongs and football keep the little ones occupied, while their parents worry and wait.

Atika Shubert, for CNN, at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Marianne O'Grady is the deputy director of cares operations in Afghanistan. A week ago, she was airlifted out of Kabul on a U.S. military flight. She is with us this hour now from Washington.

Marianne, thank you for being with us.

MARIANNE O'GRADY, DEPUTY COUNTRY DIRECTOR, CARE's OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN: Thank you for having me this evening.

VAUSE: One of the major headlines that you've heard from Afghanistan in the last few hours. The Taliban, not preventing all Afghans from actually reaching the airport in Kabul. It's essentially a ban on leaving the country. What does that now mean for your Afghan colleagues at CARE and, your Afghan friends of 20 years who now are trapped, if you like?

O'GRADY: Yes. You know, there's a lot of people, a large majority of people that actually want to stay in Afghanistan. They love their country. They're very proud of it. They are there to do work for their very own people in the communities that CARE and other INGOs are serving. So some people would like to get out, and some people actually would

like to stay.

VAUSE: It just seems that the door is now well and truly shut, at least you know, for the time being on getting out, if someone wanted to. Right?

O'GRADY: It probably could be that way. It's unclear when U.S. flights -- sorry, U.N. flights and commercial flights will start back up again. I know that the U.N. is working really, really hard right now, and some in-house flights coming and going from the country.

So, you know, each day the situation changes, and this is not going to be a permanent close, you know, of the airport at all. There's lots of goods that need to come and go to have a functioning country so that people have the food and the needs that they have to, you know, just their general everyday needs to be met.

VAUSE: Yes. I imagine for you, there is a feeling of relief being out of Afghanistan, at least for the time being, out of the reach of the Taliban. At the same time, though, you've left 20 years of your life behind, including colleagues who are now facing an uncertain future.

I guess you've been dealing with a whole lot a very different and very tense emotions over the last few days. What's that been like?

O'GRADY: I would say that there's -- I don't have relief, actually. I have quite emotional, very strong feelings about sadness and abandonment.

[00:35:12]

There's a lot of work to be done in the country. There are 11 million people in severe hunger crisis. There's a very serious drought going on right now.

The effect -- effects of COVID over the last, you know, 15, 18 months in the country has created an already bad economic situation which is now even worse.

So food, hunger, livelihood issues, economic problems are underlying. And there are millions of people that are suffering right now. The humanitarian needs there are so absolutely great that there isn't relief. And in my -- in my feelings, the dedication we need to make sure that citizens are getting basic needs met. Healthcare, food, water, livelihoods, shelter, places to raise their children and take care of them. That's what, to me, is the most important.

VAUSE: Because there are fears that simply in the coming weeks, millions of people in Afghanistan could be going hungry.

O'GRADY: Yes, they already are hungry, and even more will be hungry. That is absolutely true, both because of the droughts and the economic problems. It's unclear what's going to be happening in terms of the borders open or closed, and how that's going to affect the food situation and the food security in the country. VAUSE: The Taliban would like the world to believe that they are no

longer the misogynistic child-bride-marrying killers they once were. Chance are, they have not changed.

But 14 million Afghan women, many of them have. They've been educated. They've been empowered to a degree. Will the Taliban be able to run back the clock, take away their education, take away their sense of worth?

O'GRADY: Well, you know, you can't un-educate anybody, but you cannot un-educate a female. And the work that's been done over the last 20 years to not only educate women and boys, and the youth, not only are they educated, they have gone to university. They have not just jobs, they actually have careers.

And so it could be a couple steps you need to go back -- we go backwards, but actually, that's fuel for our launch forward to making sure that careers can happen, citizens are functioning in the country, and bringing the culture and the, you know, the everyday living forward. That's what we're really, really counting on.

It's very hard to know what the next couple of months are going to be like in terms of some of the ways of working and the ways of supporting citizens in the country will happen. And we look forward to knowing what those are so that we can support the citizens, no matter what government is in place.

VAUSE: Marianne O'Grady, we wish you the very best. I'm glad you're safe and sound.

O'GRADY: Thank you.

VAUSE: In the desperate scramble to leave, many Afghans left behind everything, boarding a flight to an uncertain future. Many have nowhere to go once they arrive in the United States or in other countries. But, Airbnb has stepped in, offering temporary housing for 20,000 refugees. CNN's Anna Stewart has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Airbnb has tried to connect those in need with those who could help in the past, as they have done in response to disasters, like Hurricane Sandy in 2012. But never at this scale.

It wants to put a temporary roof over the heads of 20,000 Afghan refugees, and Airbnb says it will be picking up the bill with help from its nonprofit AirBNB.org.

In one of its tweets, Airbnb Brian Chesky says, "The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up."

It has yet to be announced, for instance, just how long this scheme (ph) will run. Longer-term housing solutions will be needed. A huge challenge and a great responsibility for governments around the world, as tens of thousands of new Afghan evacuees are expected to be in search for shelter in the coming weeks.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

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VAUSE: And good for them.

Still to come here, tributes pouring in for a rock 'n' roll legend, the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts after news of his death from London. We'll hear from some of his top friends in music.

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VAUSE: Charlie Watts, the strong and steady drummer for the Rolling Stones, has died at the age of 80.

A statement from his publicist says he passed away peacefully in a London hospital surrounded by family. Watts played with the Stones from the very beginning, 58 years in all, and was regarded by many as the greatest drummer ever.

His backbeat anchored the Stones' blues rock sound. He was the quiet, modest one, in stark contrast to Mick, Keith, and Ronny. He was a humble rock 'n' roll legend who joked that he used his day job with the Stones to support his enduring love of jazz.

Charlie Watts is survived by his wife, Shirley Ann Shepherd, whom he has married -- he was married to, rather, for 56 years, as well as his daughter.

Celebrities and fans alike are reacting to Watts' death, paying tribute to the drummer's immense talent, unassuming style, as well as his kindness.

Here's Paul McCartney and what he had to say about his friend and fellow British rocker.

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PAUL MCCARTNEY, CHARLIE WATTS' FRIEND: Charlie was a rock. A fantastic drummer. Steady as a rock. Anyway, so, love -- love you, Charlie. I've always loved you. Beautiful man. And great condolences and sympathies to his family.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Sir Elton John posted a photograph of himself with Watts with this caption: "A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer, the most stylish of men, and such brilliant company."

On that sad note, thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. I'll see you at the top of the hour.

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