Afghanistan crisis live updates: US troops surge evacuations out of Kabul but threats persist

The Taliban on Sunday blamed the United States for the chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans and foreigners from the capital, one week after the hardline Islamist group returned to power in a rapid victory that stunned the world. The United States has warned of security threats and the European Union admitted it was "impossible" to evacuate everyone at risk from the Taliban, who have vowed a softer version of their brutal rule from 1996-2001. But terrified Afghans continue to try to flee, deepening a tragedy at Kabul airport where the United States and its allies have been unable to cope with the huge numbers of people trying to get on evacuation flights.

Taliban commanders are set to meet former governors and bureaucrats in more than 20 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces over the next few days to ensure their safety and seek cooperation, an official of the Islamist movement said on Sunday. "We are not forcing any former government official to join or prove their allegiance to us, they have a right to leave the country if they would like," the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters. The Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan has sparked fear of reprisals and a return to the harsh version of Islamic law the Sunni Muslim group exercised when it was in power two decades ago.

Pakistan has temporarily suspended Kabul flight operations and is not evacuating anyone at the moment, according to media reports. The state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was the sole commercial airline that had been operating flights to and from Kabul during the past few days to help in the evacuation of diplomats and foreign nationals from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in the war-torn country last week. PIA on Saturday "temporarily suspended Kabul flight operations owing to lack of facilities and heaps of garbage at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport tarmac", Geo News reported on Saturday.