Chaos persists at Kabul Airport as Taliban discuss new government

As lethal mayhem persisted outside Kabul airport, with thousands of terrified Afghans trying to flee, the Taliban have reached out to a former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and to Russia in an attempt to fulfill their pledge to form an “inclusive” government and defeat holdouts against their rule. Little in the Taliban’s history suggests readiness to compromise on their harsh Islamist principles or to share power, but the United States has warned the militant group that going it alone will result in continuous conflict and isolation. In this context, Karzai, who led the county between 2001 and 2014, appears to have emerged as a possible mediator. Karzai, 63, a wily maneuverer who as president fell out with the United States over American drone attacks, corruption allegations and other issues, has stepped into the void left by the flight a week ago of President Ashraf Ghani. Chaos still engulfed the nation’s capital, a fiasco whose political fallout President Biden is struggling to contain. In an afternoon news conference at the White House, Biden defended the administration’s widely criticized evacuation effort. “Altogether, we lifted approximately 11,000 people out of Kabul in less than 36 hours,” he said. “It’s an incredible operation.” The president seemed to suggest that the US forces defending the Kabul airport were extending the security perimeter, saying that the military has made “tactical changes” to increase security. Biden also said that the Aug. 31 deadline for removing all American troops could be extended if necessary.<br/>