Today's D Brief: Tensions in Kabul; US activates Civil Reserve Air Fleet; The ISIS effect; Taliban government TBD; FDA approves Pfizer BioNTech’s vaccine; And a bit more.
By Ben Watson
August 23, 2021 10:20 AM ET
The D Brief
United States and allied evacuations continue out of Kabul—although one Afghan soldier has died after gunfire broke out near the Hamid Karzai International Airport, local Khaama Press reports. Three others (nationalities unknown) were also wounded when “An unknown gunman reportedly opened fire at Afghan guards, which prompted responsive fires both by Afghan forces and U.S. troops,” Khaama writes.
The soldier’s death comes a day after at least seven other Afghans died amid “a panicked stampede of thousands of people” on Sunday, the Associated Press reports from the capital.
In evacuations news: The U.S. is about to significantly ramp up its evacuation flights, committing “more than 230 cargo planes, tankers, and other aircraft” to the effort, Defense One’s Tara Copp reports today.
And America just activated its Civil Reserve Air Fleet, marking just the third time in history the military has mobilized the U.S. airlines to help with a military evacuation, Copp and her colleague Marcus Weisgerber reported Sunday.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/the-d-brief-august-23-2021/184746/
