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Afghanistan updates: US, Taliban hold first direct talks since withdrawal
State Dept. spokesperson Ned Price called the talks "candid and professional."
It's been more than a month since the U.S. withdrew all U.S. troops from Afghanistan on President Joe Biden's order to leave by Aug. 31, ending a chaotic evacuation operation after the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized control of the country.
In testimony to Congress last month, their first since the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, candidly admitted that they had recommended to Biden that the U.S. should keep a troop presence there, appearing to contradict his assertions to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
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Afghan contractor details his family's escape from Kabul
Just 10 days ago, Ahmad and his family were living at home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Now, they're starting a new life in the U.S.
"It's quite different and I like it. It is something that I have never imagined before," Ahmad told ABC News. In this report, he will only be referred to by his first name to protect his family.
"The peace. The calm. ... You're free, you can go anywhere, you can do anything, you enjoy your life. And the most important thing (is) that we have a better future for children."
For years, Ahmad worked in logistics, supplying equipment for the U.S. and Afghan forces in Kabul. But his association with the West made him a target for the Taliban, despite its assurances that those who worked with the U.S. would not be harmed.
"I just missed … what's happening in Afghanistan. This week, I came here, and then next Friday it was under the Taliban control," he said. "I am very lucky and I'm happy for that."
Ahmad said it took him a year and a half to get out of the country, and now it's "impossible" for the thousands of other Afghans trying to escape.
-ABC News' Allie Yang, Annie Pong and John Kapetaneas
Marine's uphill battle to rescue Afghan translator from Kabul
Marine Corps Maj. Thomas Schueman's quiet street in Rhode Island is a world away from Afghanistan, but he remains steadfast in his mission: Find a way out of the country for his friend and former interpreter Zak, one of the many still trapped as the government collapsed around them.
"He wasn't just a translator, he was my brother, basically one of my Marines," Schueman told ABC's Nightline." "I have a lifelong commitment to the people I serve and lead."
He hopes to get Zak, who will only be identified as such in this report to protect his identity, and his young family to the airport and to safety.
-ABC News' Deborah Kim, Allie Yang, Ashley Louszko and Jake Lefferman
Biden’s retreat to Camp David leaves unanswered questions on Afghanistan
At 4:19 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, President Joe Biden concluded a speech defending his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, tapping his binder on a podium in the East Room of the White House for emphasis.
By 4:57 p.m., the presidential helicopter, Marine One, was in the air, headed for the presidential retreat, Camp David. For Biden, there was no looking back.
As Biden withdrew to Camp David, his administration officials were left in Washington to field the lingering questions the president did not address: What exactly will be the fate of endangered Afghans struggling to leave the country? And why was the administration so surprised by the speed of the Taliban’s takeover?
Even members of Biden’s own party are raising questions about the intelligence on Afghanistan. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.,chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, proposed investigating what led to the government’s underestimation of the Taliban advance.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
US Embassy personnel evacuated from Kabul: State Department
The State Department confirmed Tuesday that all U.S. Embassy personnel have been evacuated from Kabul -- leaving a small core group based at the airport -- and the priority has shifted to evacuating U.S. citizens and Afghans who helped the U.S.
To that end, the embassy has notified the first group of U.S. citizens to travel to the airport for evacuation flights.
While the Taliban have provided assurances that they will allow safe passage of civilians to the airport, it has been reported that people have been beaten or blocked by Taliban fighters.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing Tuesday that officials don't take the Taliban at their word and will monitor the situation, but the U.S. is not providing safe passage for those leaving the country.
A U.S. official confirmed that an email went out to Americans who have been notified that says: "the United States government cannot guarantee your security as you make this trip."
While most embassy personnel have left, the State Department is sending some diplomats into the country, including consular affairs personnel, to help with evacuation efforts. Among those is Ambassador John Bass, who was the most recent Senate-confirmed U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, serving from 2017 to 2020. He is there to coordinate the evacuation effort, while Ambassador Ross Wilson, technically the charge d'affaires at the embassy, remains in charge of the U.S. mission.