Afghanistan news – live: Biden not ruling out sending more troops to Kabul, as airport death toll hits 20

Follow the latest updates as thousands attempt to flee country

Tobias Ellwood says ‘special relationship’ between UK and US ‘is not what it was’

Joe Biden asks his defence chiefs “every single day” whether they need more troops or other resources to ensure safe evacuations of Americans and non-US citizens from Kabul airport, his national security chief said today.

Jake Sullivan told NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that “so far” that the US president’s top generals have not indicated a need for more forces beyond the 6,000 deployed to assist with evacuations and securing the perimeter at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

He left open the possibility that such an assessment could change.

Mr Sullivan’s comments came as a Nato official confirmed that at least 20 people had been killed near Kabul airport following chaotic scenes as large crowds gathered to escape from the country.

Meanwhile, a senior Tory MP has warned that the crisis in Afghanistan showed that there had been a “demise” in the so-called special relationship between the UK and US.

Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Commons Defence Committee, said on Sunday that the UK had “not been included in the conversations” around the withdrawal of US troops – which has led to the takeover of the country by the Taliban.

Key Points

• Afghan woman gives birth on US military aircraft
• Toddler was victim of stampede – report
• Security situation at Kabul Airport ‘acute'
• UK pushing for extension to Afghanistan evacuation deadline, minister says
• At least 20 people killed in Kabul airport chaos, Nato official says
• Johnson says G7 leaders will meet on Tuesday for ‘urgent talks’ on Afghanistan
• Abandonment of Afghanistan ‘dangerous and unnecessary’, Tony Blair says

[22 August 2021 09:50 · Conrad Duncan]

Afghanistan crisis shows “demise” of UK-US special relationship, senior Tory says

The crisis in Afghanistan shows that there has been a “demise” in the so-called special relationship between the UK and US, the Tory chairman of the Commons Defence Committee has said.

Tobias Ellwood, a former defence minister, told Times Radio: “Why is it that we didn't stand up and tell the United States, if you want to get Afghans out - you have a duty of care for these people who will be pursued by the Taliban - you don't get your military out first, you get the civilians out, then you retreat yourselves?”

Mr Ellwood added: “We've not been included in the conversations and the one thing we bring to the table - yes, we have a certain amount of hard power, we have effective soft power as well - but it is our 'thought leadership' that the Americans actually appreciated us for.

“Being able to look at things with an alternative perspective, to provide a different view, and we could have done that but the back channels have disappeared, the relationship is not what it was.”

[22 August 2021 10:04 · Conrad Duncan]

Former British Army interpreter says he feels ‘let down’ by UK repatriation scheme

A former senior interpreter for the British Army in Afghanistan has said he feels “let down” by the UK’s repatriation scheme as it has left his family unable to flee the Taliban.

Nazir Ayeen, who worked with the Prince of Wales, said the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy does not allow all of his family to be relocated to the UK despite fearing Taliban reprisals.

“It is not generous enough to include our family members,” Mr Ayeen told Times Radio.

“I really feel let down. I worked for the UK government, for the UK civilian mission in Afghanistan, and our service and work has direct links with the UK's national security.

“At the moment, our only request for the Home Office is to act quicker and sooner so that we don't lose our loved ones and our family members, and they don't face the Taliban's justice because of our service for this country.”

[22 August 2021 10:16 · Conrad Duncan]

Opinion: ‘The government’s gross negligence over Afghanistan is obvious’

The UK has an “obligation to show moral leadership” in Afghanistan by offering sanctuary to people in danger in the country, Labour’s shadow home secretary has said.

In a piece for The Independent, Nick Thomas-Symonds said that the government’s planning for the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan had been “shambolic” as he called on ministers to show leadership over the crisis.

He writes:

“In Labour, we have been clear that Britain has a duty to set up a rapid and comprehensive Afghanistan resettlement programme. Firstly, that must mean urgently providing safe passage for Afghans, like interpreters, who served alongside UK representatives.

“They have been our closest friends and allies, we must not turn our backs on them now.”

You can find his full piece below:

[22 August 2021 10:36 · Conrad Duncan]

ICYMI: Senior Tories pile pressure on Johnson to launch rapid Afghanistan inquiry

Senior Conservatives have urged Boris Johnson to launch a rapid independent inquiry into the 20-year mission in Afghanistan, arguing that ministers must examine the mistakes of the military intervention.

Former cabinet minister David Davis told The Independent that there had been a “litany of disasters” over the past two decades in Afghanistan as he backed calls for an inquiry.

Our political correspondent, Ashley Cowburn, has the full story below:

[22 August 2021 10:46 · Conrad Duncan]

Dutch government to donate 10 million euros for Afghan aid

The Dutch government has said it is donating 10 million euros to fund aid such as food, clean drinking water and medical supplies for people in Afghanistan.

The country’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that the money would go to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund that can be tapped by United Nations organisations and NGOs working in Afghanistan.

“We want to support the Afghan population under these difficult circumstances,” Tom De Bruijn, the minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, said.

[22 August 2021 10:57 · Conrad Duncan]

Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell has hit out at Tony Blair over the former prime minister’s comments on the crisis in Afghanistan this month:

[22 August 2021 11:19 · Conrad Duncan]

Reports of Raab refusing to return from holiday ‘very surprising’, former official says

Former national security adviser Lord Ricketts has said it is “very surprising” that foreign secretary Dominic Raab reportedly remained on holiday for two days after being asked to return to deal with the crisis in Afghanistan.

The Sunday Times reported that Mr Raab was ordered home from his trip to Crete by Downing Street on 13 August but stayed for two more days at a five-star hotel because Boris Johnson told him he could.

The newspaper claimed that the minister only returned to the UK after Kabul had fallen to the Taliban.

“I think that since the prime minister was going on holiday, if the foreign secretary had been asked by No 10 to come back from holiday to be there to take over the government effectively while the prime minister was away, he should have done that,” Lord Ricketts told Times Radio.

“I think the way the news that he seems to have delayed his return by a couple of days is very surprising.

“But the important thing is, yes, we now manage this crisis well and let's hope ministers learn the lessons and we are more rapid in responding to unforeseen events in future - we have got the machinery in Whitehall, we've got the able civil servants, we need the political leadership.”

[22 August 2021 11:31 · Conrad Duncan]

At least 20 people killed in Kabul airport chaos, Nato official says

At least 20 people have died in the past seven days in and around Kabul airport during evacuation efforts following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a Nato official has said.

“The crisis outside the Kabul airport is unfortunate. Our focus is to evacuate all foreigners as soon as we can,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Crowds have grown at the airport every day over the past week, hindering operations as the US and other nations attempt to evacuate thousands of their diplomats and civilians as well as numerous Afghans.

“Our forces are maintaining strict distance from outer areas of the Kabul airport to prevent any clashes with the Taliban,” the Nato official added.

(AFP via Getty Images)

[22 August 2021 11:41 · Conrad Duncan]

Our reporter, Tom Batchelor, has more details below on the latest reported death toll from Kabul airport:

[22 August 2021 11:54 · Conrad Duncan]

Minister reports improvements in situation at Kabul hotel for repatriation

There have been improvements in the situation at a Kabul hotel where Britons and Afghans eligible for repatriation are being processed, the UK’s armed forces minister has said, following reports earlier this weekend that it had been blockaded by the Taliban.

James Heappey told broadcasters on Sunday: “I can tell you that in the last 24-hour period, 1,721 have been airlifted from Kabul by the Royal Air Force, and that's across eight Royal Air Force flights.

“I'm actually very grateful to the Royal Australian Air Force, who have also made some planes available and have been part of the effort over the past 24 hours as well.”

He added: “That reflects two things. Firstly, that there are ever more aircraft operating between Dubai and Kabul, which is increasing capacity, but also that the flow outside the Baron Hotel is now improving significantly.

“The Taliban have pushed their outer cordon away from the Baron Hotel and, more than that, they appear to now be marshalling people into separate queues for the US evacuation and the UK evacuation, and that is making a big difference to the size of the crowds outside of the UK gate and allowing us to process people much more quickly, and we think that is very encouraging.”