
一 | On the one-year anniversary of US forces’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after a 20-year deployment, there is renewed focus on the decision-making made by the Joe Biden administration that resulted in the swift fall of the Afghan government and the eventual return to power of the Taliban* Islamist group.,With the Democratic POTUS’ approval rating hitting historic lows and eating away at his party’s November midterm prospects, it is commonly believed that his handling of the Afghan crisis at the time of the pull-out created the momentum that began to drag down Americans’ confidence in Biden’s leadership.,The United States-led military offensive "Operation Enduring Freedom" was originally launched by former US President George W. Bush in pursuit of terrorists from Al Qaeda** - including leader Osama bin Laden - for masterminding the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.,At the time, a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Al Qaeda killed 2,996 people in the US as hijackers crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, hijacking another that failed to reach its target, crashing in Shanksville, Pa., and a third that struck the west side of the Pentagon.,© AP Photo / AMY SANCETTASmoke billows from the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center before they collapsed on September 11, 2001 in New York, NYSmoke billows from the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center before they collapsed on September 11, 2001 in New York, NY© AP Photo / AMY SANCETTA,After suspicion fell onto Al Qaeda, the United States responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan under the pretext that the Taliban had failed to comply with Washington’s demands to expel Al Qaeda from the country and extradite the terrorist group’s leader, Osama bin Laden. American-led forces overthrew the Kabul-based Taliban government, which had been in control of large parts of the country since 1996.,Bin Laden was eventually killed nearly a decade later, in 2011, by a group of Navy SEALs who raided his compound in Pakistan. As Washington's attempt to impose Western ideas and forms of government on the country increasingly failed and the situation deteriorated for the Western-backed government in Kabul, the Donald Trump administration opened peace talks with the Taliban.,In February 2020, the Donald Trump administration signed an agreement in Doha, Qatar, between the US and the Taliban on drawing down US involvement based on a "reduction in violence." The "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan" set out a series of commitments from the US and the Taliban regarding troop levels, counterterrorism, and intra-Afghan dialogue seeking to bring about "a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.",The deal stipulated a deadline of May 1 the next year for all US troops to leave the country.,However, in April 2021, President Joe Biden, just seven months into his presidency, unilaterally deviated from the peace deal by extending the timeframe to September 11 and ordered all troops to withdraw from the country by an end of August 2021 deadline, with his decision triggering chaos and bloodshed.,‘Failed Intel’,As the US military began their pull-out, sending home troops and equipment, the emboldened Taliban proceeded with a lightening-swift onslaught. They took over huge swathes of the country, facing little resistance and picking up weapons and vehicles paid for by the US government which Afghan government troops left behind.,US 'Lost Track' of Afghan War Aims, Says Retired Marine General12 August, 17:00 GMT,Afghan officials, including the country’s president, Ashraf Ghani, fled, as the country’s capital, Kabul, was taken over by the militants on August 15, 2021 in a matter of hours.,None of the US intelligence assessments had predicted such a swift collapse, with American officials insisting in June that Kabul could capitulate within six to 12 months after the start of the withdrawal. Amid reports of failed intel forecasts, then-Pentagon spokesman John Kirby acknowledged that security in some parts of Afghanistan was “certainly deteriorating, and that’s of concern.” Washington continued to emphasize “commitment to the people of Afghanistan” and the goal of “ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland.”,Amid the developments, the Biden administration debated whether to delay the American departure from Bagram Air Base, 35 miles north of Kabul, but eventually opted to go ahead. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had told the House Armed Services Committee that “it is not necessary for the United States to stay at Bagram for what we’re going to try to do here with Afghanistan.”,Civilians Caught in Crossfire,As the Taliban regained full control, more than 120,000 people, including Afghans and foreigners, were frantically evacuated in a vast airlift operation from Kabul International airport. Thousands of Afghan citizens desperately sought to flee the country in fear of the Islamist group’s return to rule.,Exclusive- A clear video (from other angle) of men falling from C-17. They were Clinging to some parts of the plane that took off from Kabul airport today. #Talibans #Afghanistan #Afghanishtan pic.twitter.com/CMNW5ngqrK— Aśvaka - آسواکا News Agency (@AsvakaNews) August 16, 2021,Searing images from the capital’s airport showed desperate people trying to cling to the wings of planes that were taking off amid the huge airlift operation. Many Afghans who collaborated with the occupying US forces and feared retribution from the Islamist group were left behind in the hasty evacuation. Between 100 and 200 Americans remained in Afghanistan, despite wanting to get out.,© AP Photo / Wali SabawoonSmoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. © AP Photo / Wali Sabawoon,Furthermore, 13 US troops were killed on August 26 in a suicide bomb attack blamed on an Afghan offshoot of Daesh***.,The explosive device detonated by a single bomber who was able to approach Kabul International Airport's Abbey Gate killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US service members. The bomber was not stopped as Afghans had begun using alternate routes to the gate due to the difficulty of getting through Taliban checkpoints.,In another deadly incident that marred the withdrawal, a botched US drone strike killed 10 civilians - seven of them children - on August 29.,WorldCIA Reportedly Warned US Military of Likely Presence of Children Near Afghan Drone Strike Target 19 September 2021, 08:56 GMT,The US claimed it had been targeting a Daesh operative with a car full of explosives linked to the terrorist group’s affiliate, planning an imminent attack on American forces during the final days of the evacuation. However, the man turned out to be a longtime Afghan aid worker, Zamarai Ahmadi, employed by Nutrition and Education International, a nongovernmental organization focused on food security.,Approximately three weeks after the strike, the military acknowledged its "tragic mistake," yet a subsequent Air Force review around the strike found "no violation of law, including the law of war.",The last US aircraft left Kabul on August 30, 2021.,AfghanistanKirby Under Fire After He 'Takes Issue With Premise' US Handed Afghanistan to 'Terrorist Group'3 August, 09:54 GMT,Joe Biden’s administration faced bipartisan criticism for the Afghan withdrawal.,On August 17, just two days after the fall of Kabul, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan promised the White House would “conduct an extensive hot wash” and “look at every aspect of this from top to bottom.” But it remains unclear when any progress will be made by the congressionally-ordered bipartisan 16-member commission on the 20-year Afghan war, US media reported.,NBC News: Biden Admin Prepping Unified Message on Anniversary of Botched Afghan Withdrawal11 July, 16:09 GMT,The White House is believed to have geared up for congressional investigations into the Afghanistan withdrawal if Republicans win the House or the Senate in November’s midterm elections, according to sources cited in US media reports.,* The Taliban is an organization under UN sanctions over terrorist activities.,**Al-Qaeda is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.,*** Daesh, also known as ISIS/IS/Islamic State, is a terrorist group banned in Russia.。

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三 | 据法新社26日报道,巴黎奥组委在倒计时两周年之际公布了2024年巴黎奥运会和残奥会口号以及门票方案。法国总统马克龙也与国际奥委会主席巴赫会面,出席巴黎奥运会筹备工作会议并作出阶段性总结,对外界一直担忧的成本和安全问题进行部署。口号和门票在法国当地时间25日的新闻发布会上,伴随着一段动感视频,2024年巴黎奥运会和残奥会的口号“奥运更开放”正式对外宣布。

四 | 这个新口号不仅贯彻奥林匹克格言“更高、更快、更强、更团结”,还融入“更包容、更友爱、更美丽”的时代精神。

五 | 巴黎奥组委主席埃斯坦盖表示,奥运会还有两年就要举行,如今公布这个新口号就是要让人们领略奥运的魅力,也是奥组委的推动力。在票务方面,巴黎奥运会和残奥会共将售出1300万张门票。除了开闭幕式门票,其他比赛场次的门票价格从最低24欧元到最高950欧元不等。巴黎奥组委承诺一半的公共预售门票价格低于50欧元,1/3的决赛门票价格低于100欧元,九成门票价格不超过200欧元。此外还有包含3项比赛的套票,价格仅72欧元。巴黎奥运会门票抽签流程将于今年12月开启,明年一二月公布第一轮抽签结果并发售套票,单张售票要等到明年5月,残奥会售票则安排在明年秋季。

六 | 赛程和新规部分奥运比赛项目也有新进展:羽毛球赛程是从2024年7月27日至8月5日,其中8月2日混双产生首金;乒乓球混双金牌在当年7月30日产生,之后依次是女单、男单、男团和女团金牌——这是乒乓球项目自1988年进入奥运会以来,第一次以女子项目收官。本次赛程安排的一大亮点正是对女子比赛给予更多重视,多个项目的最后一枚金牌将在女子项目中诞生。在田径项目中,巴黎奥运会从200米至1500米所有个人径赛项目将首次引入“复活赛”赛制,预赛中未能直接晋级的运动员有一次通过复活赛晋级的机会。而新增项目霹雳舞将于2024年8月9日首次作为奥运体育项目在巴黎协和广场上亮相。“更高、更快,也更危险”对于巴黎奥运会的筹办和组织,法国当局从上到下相当重视。

七 | 法新社评论称,马克龙将其视为自己第二个总统任期内的重点业绩,力求向全世界展现“更开放的现代法国形象”。

八 | 25日在法国总统府举行的奥运工作会议中,马克龙召集包括总理、内政部长、体育部长、国防部长和教育部长等十几位阁员,对在塞纳河上举行开放式开幕式表示支持。然而法国审计法院在最新的一份报告中显示,巴黎奥运组织工作将面临“相当大的安全挑战”,尤其是在塞纳河上举办开幕式(创意方案如下图)——200艘船和60万现场观众太多,建议缩小规模。

九 | 法国《世界报》称,“想想塞纳河畔挤满观众争相目睹奥运会开幕式,这样的场面足以让奥组委冒冷汗。

十 | 还有巴黎摇摇欲坠的交通基础设施,包括两条新地铁线路,能否在奥运会开幕前建成还未知。”英国《卫报》也质疑,安保、财务和组织上的问题“足以让马克龙的承诺黯然失色”。“更高、更快,也更危险”,法国《费加罗报》调侃巴黎奥运会的前景称,面对质疑,马克龙要求法国内政部保证整个奥运会期间的安全,届时将建立11个机动警察分队,全程负责奥运会安全。此外还要雇用2万多名私营安保人员,在各种奥运相关活动以及埃菲尔铁塔、协和广场和爱丽舍宫附近加强警卫。而对于之前40亿欧元的奥运预算,法国政府也在与国际奥委会协商如何调整以节约成本。总之,马克龙已给相关部门打“预防针”,避免5月在巴黎的欧冠决赛骚乱重现,让作为体育重大赛事主办方的法国丢脸。
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