welcome to all you watching us here in the united states, canada, and around the world. i m kim brunhuber. this is cnn newsroom. we begin in afghanistan where taliban fighters are trying to seize the panjeer valley north of kabul, home to anti-taliban forces, the only territory not under taliban control. fresh fighting was reported on saturday with both sides claiming successes. now cnn can t independently verify the accuracy of those reports. in the capital where ordinary afghans have been starved for cash, the largest currency exchange market reopened saturday for the first time in nearly three weeks. even banks that are open are limiting withdrawals. and there s word the kabul airport has resumed some operations. qatar s ambassador said he witnessed the first domestic flight taking off on saturday. journalist ben farmer is in kabul and joins us by phone with the latest from there. ben, let s start with the fighting in the pancheer valley. what s the latest on the confl
take a listen. we are engaging with the tal began, consulting with the taliban on every aspect in kabul right now. on what s happening at the airport, on how we need to ensure there is facilitated passage to the airport for american citizens, sivs, third country nationals and so forth. we ll continue those conversations with them. ultimately it will be the president s decision how this proceeds, no one else s. yes? you said we have the wherewithal to get americans out, but you didn t forgive me if i didn t get the quote right in your statement you didn t say we have the ability to get them out, didn t set a time frame by august 31st. as i ve said before, as the president has said before, we believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any american who wants to get out. a steady stream of americans and afghan refugees are making their way across the world, some arriving here in the united states. nearly 6,000 have flown to ramstein air base in germ
we will get you home. he says he s making the same commitment to evacuate afghan allies of the united states. in his most extensive comments yet, the president seemed less defensive as he addressed the danger and the chaos since the taliban takeover. tonight there is new confirmation that americans in afghanistan have been beaten by the taliban. the defense secretary lloyd austin sharing that information with u.s. lawmakers. cnn crews have also witnessed taliban violence escalating in the afghan capital, making a desperate situation worse by the hour. our correspondents and analysts are standing by covering every angle of this breaking story. first, let s go to jeremy diamond over at the white house. je jeremy, the president made very specific promises today about the evacuation. that s right, wolf. five days after the taliban took control of kabul, president biden clearly trying to show he is getting the situation under control, also showing some more of his trademark empa
get out. if you re outside, odds are you never will. i m neil cavuto. this is your world. who to make of the situation at the airport that seems to go from bad to outright confusing and where all of those thousands will descend. we re told among many places in the united states, texas. the border. but the crowd, knee deep trying to get out, remains a big worry as we re getting indications from the taliban that anyone that wants to go can. but that is proving easier said than done. jennifer griffin now has the very latest from the pentagon. jennifer? neil, general frank mackenzie flew into kabul to inspect the security today after meeting the taliban in qatar sunday. the pentagon says the 82nd air bon has landed in kabul and haas been put in charge of securing the airport. 1,000 troops arrived last night and the airport resumed military and some civilian flights overnight. thought the night, nine c-17s arrived, delivering equipment and approximately 1,000 troops. additio
government collapsing swiftly after insurgents overranke provincial capitals over the span of the last week and this morning, commercial flights in and out of kabul s airport have been cancelled. the panic among afghans visible at the airport. people flooding the tarmac, desperate to flee the country. embassy officials warning americans not to travel to kabul s airport because it is unsafe. the u.s. rushing an additional 1,000 combat troops to secure the perimeter for evacuation sites. france, new zealand are evacuating their embassy as the taliban claiming to control 90% of the government buildings in kabul after afghan president fled the country. president biden is at camp david and is still there and was briefed over the weekend. now, whether or not one agrees with the president s decision to withdraw all u.s. troops, there s no question the white house was wrong about the length of time they had. wrong about the strength of the afghan military. wrong about the reach of