Trump Says U.S. and NATO Will Reach Agreement on Greenland’s Future 
Russian Drone and Missile Attack Disrupts Power and Water in Kyiv 
Trump Threatens 200% Tariff on French Wine Over Macron’s Refusal to Join Peace Board 
Russian Air Attacks Plunge Kyiv Into Darkness, Raise Nuclear Safety Fears 
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Proposal Sparks Global Debate Over U.N. Role 
France Nears 2026 Budget Deal as Government Offers Concessions to Avoid No-Confidence Vote 
Minnesota U.S. Citizen Detained by ICE in Armed Raid Sparks Outrage and Civil Rights Concerns 
Japan Government Bond Rout Deepens as Election Spending Fears Shake Markets 
Trump Says U.S. Will Soon Target Land Routes for Drug Trafficking 
Trump Says $2,000 Tariff Dividend Possible Without Congress Approval 
Trump Criticizes NYSE Texas Expansion, Calls Dallas Exchange a Blow to New York 
Trump Revives Greenland Ownership Push Ahead of World Economic Forum in Davos 
Trump Rejects Talks With Maduro Amid Election Interference Allegations 
European Leaders Unite in Davos as Trump’s Greenland Threat Sparks Trade Tensions 
Russia Says Ukraine Peace Talks With U.S. Show Progress 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Limit Wall Street Investment in Single-Family Homes 
So far, over 100,000 Afghan refugees and American nationals have been flown out of Afghanistan as part of the evacuation efforts. A former Afghan diplomat recently pushed back on the narrative by the media that US President Joe Biden is responsible for the rapid takeover of the Taliban in the war-torn country.
Speaking on CNN, Omar Samad, who is a former Afghanistan ambassador to Canada, called out the narrative pushed by the network’s host Jim Sciutto that the Biden administration is responsible for the insurgent group’s rapid takeover of the country. During the interview, Samad called on the international community to continue engaging with Afghanistan diplomatically regardless of the withdrawal.
Samad then pushed back on Sciutto’s suggestion that the US has abandoned Afghanistan resulting in Washington having very little leverage on the country now as the insurgent group has overthrown the government hardly unopposed. “The US has been in the country for 20 years,” said the former diplomat.
“I have been witness to everything the US has done. $2 trillion, 2500 deaths, 200,000 Afghan deaths. We tried everything,” said Samad. “The Afghan leader fled at the last moment. So part of the responsibility is on the Afghans themselves. This is their country, right?”
Biden has received a lot of backlash from the media outlets but also from both Democrats and Republicans. A majority of US military veterans, including those who have served in Afghanistan, have voiced their support for Biden’s decision to withdraw. Other commentators have also called out the media’s narratives on Biden and the Afghanistan crisis.
In the midst of evacuation efforts, the head of the US Central Command announced that two suicide bombing attacks in Kabul took place Thursday, resulting in American casualties. 12 US military servicemen were killed from the attacks by the Islamic State militants, while 15 were injured. There were Afghan civilian casualties from the bombing as well, said General Kenneth McKenzie.
Among the servicemen that were killed from the suicide bombing attacks were four Marines. Two explosions occurred among the crowds that were trying to enter the Kabul airport. These attacks follow warnings from western governments that the Islamic State extremists may stage an attack during the evacuations.
