Over 1,000 Afghan soldiers flee into Tajikistan after Taliban offensive
05 July 2021
1,037 members of the Afghan security forces fled into Tajikistan and dozens more were taken captive on Sunday after Taliban fighters made advances in northern Afghanistan, according to Reuters.
Why it matters: The crossings, which were permitted by Tajikistan, came after the Taliban took over at least six key districts in the northern province of Badakhshan, which borders Tajikistan.
- Sunday's retreat was the largest confirmed by the Afghan government since the Taliban began its northern offensive, according to Reuters.
What they're saying: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke with Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon on Sunday to discuss the escalating conflict in northern Afghanistan and Rakhmon's concerns with the crossings.
The big picture: Tajikistan is looking into setting up camps for potential refugees from Afghanistan, according to Reuters.
- The Taliban has rapidly gained territory in Afghanistan since the United States began its military withdrawal, which is expected to be fully completed by Sept. 11.
- The U.S. military departed Bagram Airfield, which was the center of its war to oust the Taliban and search for the al-Qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, on Friday.
- U.S. intelligence community has warned that the Afghan government could collapse as soon as next year as the Taliban's battlefield offensive grows.
Go deeper:Biden cuts off questions about Afghanistan amid growing Taliban concerns
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.