The Latest: Pakistan asks hotels to prepare for evacuees
Pakistani authorities are asking hotels in the capital, Islamabad, to stop taking reservations in order to make room for foreigners who are passing through after being evacuated from Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — Pakistani authorities are asking hotels in the capital, Islamabad to stop taking reservations in order to make room for foreigners who are passing through after being evacuated from Afghanistan
The overnight request asked hoteliers to halt new reservations for 21 days, giving priority to foreign guests with flights transiting via Islamabad. No current guests were to be affected.
The arrangements come after two suicide bombers attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport, killing at least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops.
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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:
— Kabul airport attack kills 60 Afghans, 12 US troops
— Explainer: How dangerous is Afghanistan’s Islamic State?
— ‘ Was it worth it?’ A fallen Marine and a war’s crushing end
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— Female Afghan robotics team hopes to work for country
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— Afghanistan’s top high school graduate fears for her future
— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand says it was not able to get everybody it wanted out of Afghanistan in time before the deadly attacks near Kabul’s airport brought its rescue mission to an end.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday she is not yet sure how many people were left behind or whether they were New Zealand citizens, residents or visa holders. She said the New Zealand military had gone to great lengths to try and find people in recent days and had been able to fly several hundred people to safety.
“We went to extraordinary efforts to bring home as many as we could who were either New Zealanders or who had supported New Zealand. But the devastating thing is that we weren’t able to bring everyone,” Ardern said. “And now, we need to look to see what we can do for those who remain.”
Both Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison strongly condemned the attacks that took place Thursday. Morrison described them as “evil” and “inhuman.”