donahue. he is pictured here boarding an american jet. when all was said and done, 122,000 people were evacuated in just the last few weeks. really an incredible number. the state department has suspended diplomatic operations in kabul and will now operate out of qatar. and that is where we find nick paton walsh at an air base used in evacuations. nick, good morning. overnight the taliban celebrating the u.s. withdrawal. tell us what is actually happening in afghanistan now and can the taliban hold this control? reporter: yeah, that will be the ultimate question for them in the weeks ahead frankly. they are already seeing a security threat from isis-k. the question is how that sustains once the american presence has gone, which it now has finished. and it is extraordinary after 20 years to think of the american presence in afghanistan in the past tense. so many of the final aircraft which were involved in yesterday s departure landed in the distance behind me over there a
i know everybody misses home, but it is no time to come back right now. in afghanistan, the withdrawal deadline is imminent as the final evacuation of americans and afghans winds down. isis-k claiming responsibility for a rocket attack on the kabul airport. this, after the u.s. conducted a drone strike against an isis-k target on sunday. a vehicle that posed an imminent threat to the airport. up to ten civilians were reportedly killed as a result of the strike. at dover airport sunday president biden and the first lady attending the dignified transfer for the fallen suicide members killed in the suicide bomb on thursday. we ll start with the latest on tropical storm ida with today s show cohost al roker in new orleans, and correspondent sam brock in louisiana. al, first to you. new orleans is in the dark. a rare sight. how are things looking? al roker, i think we have a problem reporter: thank you very much. thank you. reporter: yeah, andrea, we are here. this is
capitol hill. and so richard, there are six days left now. can you take us inside the situation there on the ground and is that going to be enough time to get everyone out? reporter: well, the question is what is everyone. and there has been a lot of confusion. what people are sometimes failing to realize is that this is one of the poorest countries on the planet. and this evacuation has also created an expectation, an opportunity, a hope for many afghans that if they can get to the airport and they can get in, they can get out of this country and start a new life. and according to diplomatic sources i ve been speaking to in the region, many are doing that. about half of the people i was told are not necessarily people who would qualify for special immigrant visa, they are just people seeking asylum. and that is creating a tremendous backlog at the holding centers, many people arrive without documents, they are unaccompanied minors. and there are still crowds rushing to get
keeps the fans away. the taliban say they re stopping afghan nationals from going to kabul airport because of the chaotic situation there and that they don t want to extend the deadline for the evacuation of foreigners. despite pressure on the united states to delay the end of the airlift beyond next tuesday, reuters news agency is reporting that president biden is going to stick to the deadline. borisjohnson has been hosting a virtual meeting of g7 leaders on the situation. this is what he has been feigning the last few minutes. you this is what he has been feigning the last few minutes. this is what he has been feigning the last few minutes. you have got to understand the last few minutes. you have got to understand quite the last few minutes. you have got to understand quite how the last few minutes. you have got to understand quite how much - the last few minutes. you have got to understand quite how much has| to understand quite how much has been achieved already s