UN says international community to 'work & act together' on Afghanistan

With the situation in Afghanistan changing minute by minute, the UN Security Council met to discuss how the international community can offer its assistance.

One of the main issues addressed was the withdrawal of US and allied armed forces from Afghanistan.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement on the matter, saying "We cannot & must not abandon the people of Afghanistan." He urged the "international community to stand, work & act together."

The American ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called for anyone in Afghanistan who wants to leave the country to be given the ability to do so. She also promised that the United States will do all it can to assist in these efforts.

"The United States," she said, "promises to be generous in resettling Afghans in our own country," adding that "The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security, and dignity."

Urging others to follow the US' lead, Thomas-Greenfield said "We need to all do more, and the time to step up is now."

Afghanistan's own representative at the UN, Ghulam M. Isaczai, gave a speech warning that the Taliban will be merciless in their takeover of his nation. "I'm speaking for millions of Afghan girls and women," he began, "who are about to lose their freedom to go to school, to work, and to participate in the political, and social life of the country."

Isaczai went on to say that in Afghanistan, defenders of human rights and democracy are at risk of losing their lives, as the Taliban clamps down on anything that goes against their vision for the country. He explained that Kabul residents had reportedly begun seeing the Taliban carry out "house-to-house searches ... registering names and looking for people in their target list."