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Hurricane Ida Heads Into Gulf Of Mexico, Takes Aim At New Orleans; U.S. Embassy Warns Americans At Kabul Airport Gates To "Leave Immediately"; CNN Speaks With ISIS-K Commander Ahead Of Taliban Takeover; U.S. Evacuation From Afghanistan Now In Final Phase; U.K. Ends Evacuation Operation In Afghanistan; China Administers Over Two Billion Vaccine Doses; Australia Reconsidering "Zero COVID" Strategy; U.N.: More Than 500,000 Afghan Refugees May Flee By End Of 2021; More Than 18,700 Evacuees Flown To Ramstein Airbase. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 28, 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]

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to CNN, I am Robyn Curnow. Coming up the U.S. retaliates for the Kabul airport incident with an airstrike.

Hurricane Ida is barreling through the Gulf, as you can see here. Where it is heading and how powerful and fearsome the storm can become, we have that.

Also, the Delta variant foils Australia's zero COVID strategy. How hospitals are now bracing for a surge.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.

CURNOW: Good to have you along this, hour thanks for joining. Me.

The U.S. is taking action against ISIS-K even as it begins what the White House calls the most dangerous period of its mission in Afghanistan. The U.S. military says it struck and killed a member of the terror group in a eastern province. ISIS-K is believed to be behind at the Kabul airport attack.

It killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 American troops and 2 British citizens. Meantime, France has just announced that it has ended its evacuation as of a few hours ago. This comes as new terror threats are complicating the final days of evacuations.

The U.S. embassy is warning that all Americans waiting outside the gates should leave immediately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: A national security team the president met with this morning advised the president and the vice president that another terror attack in Kabul is likely. And they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul airport and surrounding areas with our forces as a result.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: We have a team of reporters covering every angle, CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong and CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright is in Washington.

Ivan, I want to start with you. You have covered Afghanistan for decades.

What do you make of this latest warning?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the -- it is deadly, the horrific suicide bombing of Thursday and the death toll, which is more than 160 Afghan civilians, not to mention the 13 American service men, potentially women, is evident that when they warn about the threat that they fear that more people can get hurt.

As long as there are Western planes, U.S. military planes, flying in and out of Kabul airports and Western service personnel there, they will be a target. And as we saw in Thursday's deadly events, the ISIS- K, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, their modus operandi in the past has been to infiltrate groups of civilians with suicide bombers and then kill as many people as possible.

That is why they are trying to warn people to stay away from the gates of that airport. This, despite the fact, that there are still hundreds of Americans, the U.S. State Department, says, that they are in touch with, who want to leave and are having a difficult time getting to that airport.

Not to mention, all of the Afghans with special immigrant visas, who also still want to be evacuated. It is a terrible dilemma.

How do you try to safely continue this arguably unprecedented evacuation operation while, potentially, being the target of bloodthirsty suicide bombers?

CURNOW: Thanks for that, Ivan Watson there in Hong Kong.

Let's go straight to the White House. Jasmine Wright joins me now.

A White House official telling us that President Biden gave the go- ahead to carry out the strike against ISIS-K. We know it was a drone strike.

What else do we know?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Robyn, it is no coincidence that the strike came so soon after President Biden threatened it. He said -- it came just 36 after hours after Biden said, we will hunt you. Down as the administration is trying to send a message that they will actively take action to protect troops while they are in this drawdown process in Afghanistan and stop and retaliate against anyone who tries to come in the way of this.

Now there is still some details that we don't know, including whether or not the person killed in this strike is directly responsible for that Thursday attack that left 13 U.S. service members dead.

But we do know that if the strike is deemed successful, it will be used as a model by the Biden administration. The president has said for months now that one of the reasons why they feel comfortable about getting out of Afghanistan because of their over the horizon capabilities to keep their pulse on any bad actors in that region that threaten U.S. security here at home.

So now, with this over the horizon attack that came from abroad and was unmanned, done by a drone, this is something -- this is basically what President Biden has been talking about. But this does leave the troops on the ground in a kind of tenuous situation as it becomes more unstable.

[03:05:00]

WRIGHT: Like you just, said President Biden and the vice president got that warning today in the national security meeting Friday morning that said that this was the most dangerous time of the mission, they are warning that another attack is likely in Kabul.

So as the president works through with the administration to draw down, on Friday the Pentagon says that there are about 5,000 troops there and they are still working with about 500 Americans, trying to get them out over the next few days before that August 31st deadline.

But President Biden said today that, while this is a dangerous mission, it is a worthy mission -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Thank you for that update there, Jasmine. Wright

So ISIS-K was quick to claim responsibility for Thursday's deadly attack and the U.S. warns that they could cause more violence in the days to come. Clarissa Ward spoke with the commander of the group days before the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban.

Here is her exclusive report and we warn you, again, the images that you are about to see here are graphic.

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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks before the attack, just days before Kabul fell to the Taliban, we were in touch with a senior ISIS-K commander who said the group was lying low and waiting for its moment to strike, words that turned out to be eerily prophetic.

(on-camera): So this commander has said that he'll do an interview with us at a hotel here in Kabul and he says it's no problem for him to get through checkpoints and come right into the capital.

(voice-over): To prove his point, he let us film his arrival into the city. Abdul Munir (ph), as he asked to be called, is an ISIS-K commander from Kunar, the heart of the terrorist groups operations. He agreed to talk on the condition that we disguise his identity.

In a Kabul hotel, he told us he's had up to 600 men under his command, among them Indians, Pakistanis and Central Asians. Like many of his foot soldiers, he used to fight with the Taliban but says they've fallen under the influence of foreign powers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We were operating intelligence ranks; however, these people were not aligned with us in terms of belief. So we went to ISIS.

WARD (on-camera): Do you think they're not strict enough with their implementation of sharia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): You see, they can't present one example where they have enforced fixed Islamic law punishments, where they have cut off a thief's hand, have stoned to death an adulterer, have stoned to death a murderer.

They cannot enforce fixed Islamic law punishments, because they are under other people's control and they implement their plans. So we do not want to implement someone else's plans and we only want to enforce sharia.

If anyone gets along with us on this, he is our brother. Otherwise, we declare war with him, whether he's Talib or anyone else.

WARD (on-camera): So have you carried out public executions, suicide bombings, things of this nature?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Yes, I have too many memories where I was present myself at the scene. One memory is that the Pakistani Taliban had come to the (INAUDIBLE) district. And during the fighting, we captured five people. Our fighters became overexcited and we struck them with excess.

WARD (voice-over): It's that chilling brutality that made ISIS-K a primary target for U.S. forces. In recent years, airstrikes and Special Forces operations have ruthlessly targeted the group in Kunar and Nangarhar.

(on-camera): Has your group engaged in any fighting with U.S. Special Forces?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Yes, we have faced them on many occasions. We had close combat with them, too. They used to land in ancient (ph) and Kunar they carried out airstrikes, we have faced them a lot in firefights.

WARD (on-camera): Are you interested ultimately in carrying out international attacks?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): This point is higher than my level, I can only give you information about Afghanistan. WARD (on-camera): With U.S. forces out of the country and the Taliban potentially in control, do you think that will make it easier for you to expand?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Yes, this exists in our plan. Instead of currently operating, we have turned to recruiting only to utilize the opportunity and to do our recruitment. But when the foreigners and people in the world leave Afghanistan, we can restart our operations.

WARD (voice-over): That moment has now come as the world saw all too clearly on Thursday, a brutal attack on an already battered country. And the threat that is not going away as U.S. forces complete their withdrawal.

WARD: He would not comment on whether the group was interested in pursuing transnational attacks but he said that he hopes that, with the withdrawal of U.S. forces, they potentially will be able to establish a caliphate like the one that was established in Syria and Iraq.

Now most terrorism analysts says that ISIS-K is about five years away from potentially being able to launch international attacks.

[03:10:00]

WARD: But this bloody attack on the airport certainly raises very real questions about the Taliban's ability to control groups like ISIS-K and whether Afghanistan could once again become a safe haven for terrorists -- Clarissa Ward, CNN, Doha.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: With us now is Peter Neumann, he is the director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence.

Peter, hi. You heard Clarissa's report there, her interview.

What do you make of what that ISIS-K fighter said?

PETER NEUMANN, INTL. CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF RADICALISATION AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE: It's very interesting and it is consistent with everything that we know about the group, which is that it is following the ideology of ISIS, of ISIS in Iraq.

It is as harsh, in its punishments. It is consisting, predominantly, out of people who have become frustrated by seeing the Taliban as too soft and being too moderate.

Importantly, it also contains a significant number of so-called foreign fighters, people who are not from Afghanistan but are from predominantly neighboring countries, including central Asian countries. So there is already an international component within ISIS. CURNOW: Which is also so bizarre on many levels but what we are seeing

here, the Taliban trying to protect civilians, essentially joining a coalition against ISIS.

What is your assessment of what is actually going on when it comes to the security situation in Afghanistan right now?

NEUMANN: So it is a huge turnaround from last week; last week, we were all worried about the Taliban taking over power. This week, we are concerned that the Taliban are not sufficiently taking over power and leaving space for groups like ISIS.

And this morning, we are even talking about intelligence cooperation with the Taliban, supporting the Taliban in fighting ISIS.

It is -- if you had told me this about a couple of months ago, I would've said, this is mad. This is inconceivable.

But it is happening now. And I think the bigger risk, policy makers believe now, is the situation of constant turmoil in Afghanistan, where you have a civil war-like situation -- anarchy, constant chaos -- and big parts of the country which are breeding grounds for groups that are even worse than the Taliban, including ISIS, that have an international orientation that may become a threat to the United States.

So the picture, the strategic picture, has completely shifted within the matter of just one week.

CURNOW: And in many ways, like you, said potentially fragmented.

How will these tribal divisions, these internal divisions within the Taliban play out?

Because as we heard from reports on the ground in Kabul in the last hour, the Taliban still hasn't really consolidated its power or its rule within Kabul just yet.

So what does that mean?

Are we in a strange interregnum here and what is dangerous about that in ways that is almost inconceivable for terror experts like you?

NEUMANN: Yes, that is the other surprise, a week ago we were all stunned by the Taliban's victory and people were talking about how powerful they were, how quickly it defeated Western powers and how, kind, of united they were compared to the last time they were in power 20 years ago.

Now every day we are realizing that is maybe not the case after all. Maybe the Taliban have expanded too quickly. They have taken on a lot of factions that don't actually agree with them. There are internal conflicts with the Taliban between pragmatists and hardliners, different networks with different interests.

So basically the picture today is very gloomy and people are saying that the Taliban may not be able to control the country; the country may fragment. And in the places where Taliban are not able to assert their power, there are vacuums of power that are being filled by militias that are opposed to the Taliban or by internationally oriented terrorist groups.

That could indeed, in the end, produce a breeding ground for terrorism, not because the Taliban facilitated it but quite the opposite, because the Taliban are not capable of asserting their power.

CURNOW: So President Joe Biden is still very adamant that he was correct in the withdrawal, that this was a foreign policy decision that he still sticks by; the execution, obviously, notwithstanding, many people agree with that.

The American -- the White House took this decision because they said Afghan security issue is not in the U.S. national interest, that Afghan security is not a threat essentially to the U.S. as it was potentially 20 years ago.

Do you still agree with that?

Or does this create another whole threat assessment that really, the U.S. President and his security team, did not really conceive of?

[03:15:00]

NEUMANN: It's very difficult, because you are dealing with counterfactuals. What would've happened hand the U.S. withdrawn, et cetera, et cetera. But there is no doubt that the security situation, for the West and for the United States, has worsened over the past 7 or 8 days.

There are almost unpredictable outcomes for the future and, even today, as we are talking about this strike against ISIS-K, these were the kinds of strikes that were happening on a weekly basis, until the West withdrew.

The West was, in Afghanistan, until recently, not in order to fight the Taliban but also and predominantly, in order to fight international terrorism, to fight groups like ISIS. That's been much more difficult, now that the West is out.

We have to do that with drone strikes and sometimes Special Forces. But we don't have the intelligence from the ground anymore. If we get any intelligence, it'll be from the Taliban, which creates another whole series of moral dilemmas. So fighting international terrorism has, actually, become more difficult as a result of the withdrawal.

CURNOW: Peter Neumann, always really good to get your expertise, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN. Thank you, Peter.

So right now, hurricane Ida is in the Gulf of Mexico. It has already hit Cuba and you can see some of the damage here left behind from one of the 2 places that it made landfall there in Cuba. First, it hit the Isle of Youth on Friday afternoon and later on, it

slammed into the province of Pinar del Rio, where it roared in with 130 kilometers per hour winds. Right now, it is heading towards Louisiana and getting stronger and stronger.

The latest from our CNN Weather Center, after a quick break.

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CURNOW: Hurricane Ida now gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters saying that it will likely slam into Louisiana, on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It hit Cuba Friday as a category one storm but it's expected to become a category 3 or 4, before it hits the U.S. later on in the weekend.

Hurricane warnings posted for much of coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and New Orleans. Emergency officials already preparing by prepositioning crews and supplies, in the region.

We'll continue to monitor the story and bring you the latest as soon as we get it and as the weather changes on the ground.

Meanwhile, still ahead, the U.S. is just days away from ending its evacuations from Afghanistan where thousands of people desperate to flee the country. We'll speak to a journalist with the "L.A. Times" about that coming up.

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CURNOW: Hurricane Ida now gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters saying that it will likely slam into Louisiana, on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It hit Cuba Friday as a category one storm but it's expected to become a category 3 or 4, before it hits the U.S. later on in the weekend.

Hurricane warnings are posted for much of coastal Louisiana, Mississippi and New Orleans. Emergency officials are already preparing by prepositioning crews and supplies, in the region.

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CURNOW: We will return to our top story, the situation in Afghanistan and a swift response by the U.S., to Thursday's deadly attack at Kabul's airport. Just a few hours ago, the U.N. announced that it conducted an

airstrike against ISIS-K, in an area east of Kabul. The terror group claimed responsibility for the horrific bombing, that killed at least 170 Afghans, as well as 13 U.S. service members. Central Command spokesperson Captain Bill Urban issued this statement.

"U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties."

That comes as the U.S. embassy in Kabul, once again, warning its citizens to stay away from airports and its gates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: We are joined now Nabih Bulos, the Middle East bureau chief for the "Los Angeles Times." He's on the phone from Kabul.

[03:30:00]

CURNOW: Nabih, hi, good to speak to you. I know you've been to some funerals of the people who were killed in that terror bombing.

What did you see?

What was it like?

NABIH BULOS, "L.A. TIMES": Well, this was yesterday. We went over to an area that is outside of Kabul. And, over there, there were quite a few funerals. Just all of the victims from the blast.

It was heartbreaking. You talk about people who were about to leave or were trying to leave and they just felt like they had to escape. And, even then, they were caught in this wave of violence.

To be clear, the area there was so full of people and the bomb was so devastating. You had people pulling out family members from the canal, et cetera. It was really horrific and really very sad.

Yesterday, we shared with one family -- I won't say the last name -- but the first name of the person, (INAUDIBLE), who had died. (INAUDIBLE) was just completely dazed, completely disoriented from the blast at that point.

But he was still determined to leave. He was desperate to find some way to get out and even more so after his brother's death.

CURNOW: In many ways, many Afghan not only mourning for their lost family members and friends but also, for their country.

BULOS: Well, of course. I mean the fact that the Afghanistan they've known over the last 20 years, of course, is mostly gone. It is unclear to say what they can salvage from that and, of course, it depends on a lot of factors.

But you are right. I think we are seeing a slow failure of what has been built over the last 20 years.

CURNOW: What is it like it at the ground at the moment, with this hard deadline, this hard out for the U.S. military and also, because there are these warnings of more possible attacks?

BULOS: It is worth noting, the city has been divided into 2 parts, if you want. The areas around the airport that are quite chaotic with people there just waiting and trying to get in.

And, of course, since the blast, there is been a wider perimeter, around the airport, so it's quite a bit harder to get close at this point.

And other than that airport environment, Kabul, it is continuing quite normally. Traffic is back to its horrific situation in Kabul, as it's always been terrible here. Now it's all back to that. People are waiting in front of banks, which are still closed because there's not enough dollars (ph) in the country right now.

But you can still see people lining up, trying to get money. And, the markets are full, et cetera so life is quite normal, outside of the airport environment.

CURNOW: What are people telling you, particularly women?

BULOS: Women are afraid. A woman I was speaking to the other day, she was waiting at the bank and she didn't want to speak too freely in front of the Taliban guards, who were close by.

But she was saying, she didn't know what to do. This was someone who had worked as a cashier. She had a degree in business from her university and she didn't know if she could go back.

Her sister is a teacher, and she too didn't know if she could go back. The fact is, at that point, they've been waiting for 10 days to get money, because of, course the banks were closed. But more importantly, they didn't know if they could get a salary in the future.

It's all very unclear. It's worth noting, the Taliban themselves are just, now, trying to get to grips with what they control. The fact is, they were surprised that they were able to take Kabul so quickly.

They rushed, in and took over the ministries. So right now I'm on the to the mayor's office, to try to meet him and see what they've done. Because, still, it is quite new for them. too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: The United Kingdom's evacuation operation, in Afghanistan, has ended. Defense secretary Ben Wallace means that, quote, "not every single one will get out."

A sad fact, yes, but prime minister Boris Johnson vows to help those who are eligible for resettlement and stranded in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: As we come down to the final hours, of the operation, there will,, sadly, be people who haven't got through and people who might qualify. And what I would say to them is I that we will shift heaven and Earth to help them get out. We will do whatever we can in the second phase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Salma Abdelaziz joins me with more on Boris Johnson's comments.

What exactly does he mean, practically, here?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now the evacuations are wrapped up, the main processing center for the U.K. closed, there are still troops, weapons, left behind, those should be pulled down in a matter of days.

The defense secretary did not provide a timeline, says that is for the security of these British troops but does say is will be before August 31st deadline set by the United States.

[03:35:00]

ABDELAZIZ: And the prime minister says there are people left behind. He has vowed to move heaven and Earth deeply regretting that those have been left behind and those families that have been left behind.

And what the prime minister is referring to, is a resettlement scheme. This is something that was announced a few days ago and they way the government is showing their dedication, their willingness to continue to support and provide safe haven for those who worked for the U.K. and in the 20 years of war.

And it is a very long and complicated process, seeking asylum, it is paperwork and bureaucracy, that could take months, that could take years.

In this resettlement scheme, there are thousands of Afghans potentially resettling here in the U.K. over the course of the next several years. And it does in the first year provide for 5000 Afghans to resettle in the U.K.

But already we're seeing how bureaucratic this process is and those who are left behind, are struggling, outside of the airport. They can't even access the airport. The United States warning, the coming days will only be more dangerous.

We have had, of course, that horrific bombing at the airport. British nationals died in that bombing. That's why you see the U.K. pulling out so quickly, trying to get those to safety they can get to safety and promising those left behind.

But Robyn, I am sure but they are full of doubt, these families left behind, because of this very long and bureaucratic process. But they're alone in this, Germany and France, as well, wrapping up their operations ongoing and pulling out before the U.S. deadline Robyn.

CURNOW: Live in London, Salma Abdelaziz, thank you.

Coronavirus cases, continue to grow in Australia, despite very strict lockdowns. Now the nation is having second thoughts about its zero COVID strategy. That is coming up.

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CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow and let's look at the global coronavirus headlines.

Vaccine and mitigation efforts have given authorities some measure of control. But the Delta variant continues to drive record cases and hospitalizations, around the world.

This is important news, Denmark will drop all of its COVID restrictions, starting on September 10th. That includes the mask mandate, COVID passports and limits on public gatherings. The Danish health minister says, 80 percent of the eligible population has now been fully vaccinated.

China is reporting a staggering achievement in its vaccination drive. The national health commission there, says more than 2 billion doses have been administered.

Canadian officials, now authorized the Moderna COVID vaccine in children aged 12, to 17. Previously, it was authorized only for adults over the age of 18. Officials say, the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in adolescents.

So to stamp out COVID or to mitigate it, that is the debate going on in Australia. The chart on your screen shows you why. New cases are being stubbornly surging 4 weeks, despite strict lockdowns on more than half of all Australians.

The country, sticking to its zero COVID strategy for much of the pandemic. The concept, initially, worked. Now that infections are increasing and lockdowns aren't preventing them, prime minister Scott Morrison is suggesting the zero case strategy is, no longer, viable.

I'm joined by Marylouise McLaws, an epidemiology professor from the University of New South Wales. She is speaking, of course, from Sydney.

And, you are in pretty tight lockdown where you are now, aren't you?

What do you make of what is happening where you are from an epidemiological perspective? MARYLOUISE MCLAWS, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES: Hello, Robyn. Well, I am in New South Wales and, in New South Wales, sadly, we have had a spectacular failure of outbreak management.

The whole country had done brilliantly, even Victoria, when they were into their second wave. But that was not with a variant of concern. But New South Wales made three fatal mistakes. One, it didn't take Delta seriously. They waited until we had 24 cases in the community, at least.

And then we went into lockdown and it was a light lockdown, not a tough lockdown. Initially, it was, wear a mask outside, in the hot spots. With the local government areas they put in lockdowns in these areas.

But the greater Sydney is hyperconnected through, work and socializing. So that was a failure to consider that interconnectivity.

Then, the other failure, of course, was that there was no internal border checking with rapid antigen tests. So, sadly, people moved Delta to every state and territory bar one and, of course, to our beloved neighbors in New Zealand.

And then, the final failure was the lack of availability of vaccine. So where we had that honeymoon period, of zero cases, we did not get vaccinated because there was not enough vaccine around. And the rollout program was very compassionate doing the elderly, rather than epidemiologically doing those that acquired and drive it.

And that is the under 40-year olds.

CURNOW: You list a number of failures. By having and adopting an island mentality at the beginning, barring Australians from coming home and not thinking that this would come inside the country's borders, has they've been a massive failure?

How frustrated and angry are Australians about what you have to go through right now?

In Sydney you've been on lockdown since June and it's been extended until September and you can barely leave your house.

MCLAWS: That's right. In New South Wales it hasn't been anything like the lockdown that happened in Melbourne, which was over 100 days. And they really, were suppressed to zero their non-variant of concern, very well.

But it was tough for, them but they basically saved the rest of Australia. But one of the very big frustrations is that we have had about 45,000 cases of COVID-19. And the majority of those, 877, have occurred because of the failures of the quarantine program.

So every single case, after the 20th of March, last year, has been because of the breaches in quarantine.

[03:45:00]

MCLAWS: And, this last breach was a limousine driver, through no fault of his own, who sadly didn't get vaccinated and wasn't offered the vaccine when he should have been. And didn't get tested regularly enough and he picked up a flight crew who had delivered to Australia and took them to a hotel in the back of his limousine.

And, we believe that he acquired it then. Then, of course, one man and now over nearly 18,000 cases, in just a short period, 2.5 months.

CURNOW: How realistic is it to expect political leaders to say, really, people will not be let out of their homes or be allowed to move around, until 70 percent of the population is vaccinated?

I mean, is that just a pipe dream?

The U.S., the U.K., Israel, they aren't at those levels. Denmark, a tiny country of 3 million, has only just hit that.

Is there a sense that Australians, Australian politicians are at a disconnect between what they would like and, really, what this vaccine and virus is capable of?

MCLAWS: You need to understand Australians. A couple of weekends ago, we had protests and they were very violent. And, it was a shock to most Australians. Australians are incredibly cooperative, when you tell them what you want.

CURNOW: Very law-abiding.

MCLAWS: Very law-abiding. We don't have guns, we don't care about them and when there is a sign for speeding, we, basically, do what we are supposed to do.

However, the 70 percent is 70 percent of 16-year-olds and over. And, of course, that 16-year-olds and over, they represent 80 percent of our population.

So 70 percent of 80 percent, is really only 56 percent. So really, it is only about one in 2 who will be fully protected.

Now that is not near enough. But Australians are excellent at getting vaccinated. We just embrace vaccination. Of course, with a little help from the government, there is always a carrot and the stick but with the zero to 5-year-old vaccine requirement, we match about 95 percent of vaccinating our kids.

So we're very good at getting vaccinated. One of the big problems has been a lack of vaccines. We've only just got 1 million doses --

(CROSSTALK)

CURNOW: And that was bad planning on many levels. Again, by the government. Professor Marylouise McLaws, thank you very much, coming to us live from Sydney. I know you aren't going very far. So we'll have you on again but thank you very much, all our best. MCLAWS: Thank you, Robyn, stay well.

CURNOW: You, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Coming up, the refugee crisis that is fast approaching Afghanistan, why the U.N. is urging countries to keep their borders open.

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CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow, live in Atlanta.

The August 31st deadline for the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, is days away. It is also the end of U.S. evacuations. Thousands of Afghans, who want to, leave will have to look for other ways out.

The U.N., is asking the country's neighbors to keep their borders open, amid worries that more than half 1 million refugees may flee to, surrounding nations, by the end of this year. Michael Holmes, has this report. Michael?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carrying all they have left, weary Afghans walk across the border into neighboring Pakistan.

"We went to the Kabul airport," says one refugee, who had hoped to leave in the U.S.-led airlift out of the Afghan capital.

"We stayed there for 2, 3 days but the situation worsened," he says.

Finally, he left in search of another way out, before Thursday's twin bombings added to the panic, while evacuations draw to a close.

As the security situation deteriorates, more Afghan refugees are fleeing to the country's main border crossings since the Taliban takeover. Soon, their numbers may swell.

KELLY CLEMENTS, DEPUTY, U.N. HIGH COMMISIONER FOR REFUGEES: While we have not seen large outflows of Afghans, at this point, the situation inside of Afghanistan has evolved, more rapidly, than anyone expected.

In terms of numbers, we are preparing for 500,000 new refugees in the region. This is a worst-case scenario.

HOLMES (voice-over): So far, the U.S. and allies, have evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan, since August 14. But as they scramble to help those desperate to leave, an August 31 deadline is fast approaching.

In the months that follow, the UNHCR predicts that refugees will flow into neighboring Iran, Pakistan and other nations in central Asia. The refugee agency urging them to keep borders open.

But some may have little bandwidth for the influx, in particular Pakistan, where and estimated 2.4 million Afghan refugees, already, reside, according to the Center for Global Development. Thousands more may soon arrive, desperately, searching for safety as the crisis in Afghanistan continues to unfold -- Michael Holmes, CNN.

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CURNOW: Thanks to Michael.

I will go straight to Germany. Atika Shubert joining me from the Ramstein airbase.

A lot of refugees, having come through where you are, as well as some of the wounded service men, who were targeted in that bombing along with Afghan civilians.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The base, really, has transformed into a massive, temporary shelter, actually, for almost 20,000 refugees at this point, that have come through.

There are flights that fly in and out of here, nearly every hour. And, while the base is taking care, of those evacuees that are coming through, it has also received those, service men, who were wounded in Kabul airport.

[03:55:00]

SHUBERT: They were brought here yesterday and medevaced straight to the Landstuhl medical center. There, they have a level 2 trauma center, that will be able to perform any necessary surgeries. This means, they will have 24-hour, in-hospital coverage, by a trauma surgeon and anesthesiologist. Really, it is top-notch care.

And, the fact that they can airlift the service men out in these flying operating room, C-17 planes, complete with everything they need, is extraordinary. The fact that Ramstein is not only handing the evacuation of the wounded but evacuation of so many people from Afghanistan, is a massive logistical effort.

So what they're trying to do now is speed up the number of evacuees which are taking departing flights to the United States, so that they can get as small, transitory a stop as possible, here at the airbase -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Thank you for that update there. Atika Shubert in Germany.

That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I will be back same time, same place, tomorrow. Thanks for joining, me I'm Robyn Curnow, I will hand you over to my colleague, Kim Brunhuber.