Image source, Reuters

Asked if the US miltary has the capability to rescue the thousands of Americans stranded in Afghanistan, the US secretary of defence says: "We don't have the capability to go out and collect large numbers of people."

The US secretary of defence goes on to say that the situation in Afghanistan is very personal for him.

"This is a war that I fought in and led.

"We have a moral obligation to help those who helped us, and I feel the urgency deeply."

Lloyd Austin added: "I know that these are difficult days for those who lost loved ones in Afghanistan and for those who carry the wounds of war."

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is giving an update at the Pentagon.

He said he had a "laser focus" on Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

There are now 4,500 US personnel on the ground at the airport, he said.

There have been no hostile interactions with the Taliban.

Communications are open with Taliban commanders - as they should be, he added.

It is a "tragedy" that the Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

"There are some very hard lessons to be learned" following the recent events in Afghanistan, he told BBC World News.

Stoltenberg blamed a lack of leadership and logistics from the Afghan government, rather than the soldiers themselves, who he said were brave and professional.

He said that Nato went into the country following an attack on the US, and once America decided to end its military presence in Afghanistan it was not a practical option for European allies to remain.

"Our plan was never to stay in Afghanistan forever," he said.

Image source, Ashraf Ghani/Facebook

We reported earlier on ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's live-streamed Facebook address. It's the first time the Afghan people have heard from their elected president since he left the country at the weekend.

We now have more details from what he told the Afghan people.

In his address, Ghani said he was "forced" to leave Afghanistan by his security team because "there was a real chance that I would be captured and killed".

He said that when the Taliban later entered the presidential palace in Kabul, "they started looking for me from room to room".

Denying the claims that he had taken about $169m (£123m) with him when he left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he said he was "not even allowed to take my sandals off and put my shoes on".

He said this was because of the speed with which the Taliban was advancing and the situation in the country was "deteriorating".

More now on the Western evacuations from Kabul airport.

Earlier this week the UK announced it was sending a further 200 troops to Kabul to assist the evacuation effort after the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital.

A total of about 900 UK troops are to be responsible for patrolling Kabul's airport following chaotic scenes on the runway.

Today, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) released footage showing British citizens and local allies - including women and children - boarding a military support plane in Kabul.

The UK government says 306 British nationals and 2,052 Afghans have been evacuated so far.

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

General Sir Nick Carter’s comments about the Taliban have caused anger among some veterans and serving soldiers.

He told the BBC that “it may be that this Taliban is a different Taliban to the one that people remember from the 1990’s”. He also warned against calling them “the enemy”.

On Sky News, he said the Taliban "want an Afghanistan that is inclusive for all".

There may well be reasons to explain what he said.

The West needs to co-operate with the Taliban to get their citizens and Afghans out. The Taliban control access to the airport.

But Charlie Herbert, a former British Army Major General who served in Afghanistan, questioned whether the Taliban had really changed. He said people should “not be seduced” by their words.

Alfie Usher, who did several tours of Afghanistan, and who now runs the military forum “Fill Your Boots”, said he’s been contacted by many soldiers and veterans who felt “betrayed” by General Carter’s words.

Usher said they added salt to the wounds many were now feeling.

James Glancy, a former Royal Marine who served in Afghanistan, acknowledged that many would find the General’s words difficult to stomach. But he believed they were designed to keep the Taliban on side in order to carry out the evacuation from Kabul.

Footage appearing to show a girl pleading with Western soldiers to help her escape the Taliban has been shared widely on social media on Wednesday.

The BBC has not independently verified the footage and it is not clear when it was filmed.

There have been chaotic scenes at Kabul airport for several days, as thousands try to flee the country after the Taliban seized control of the capital.

On Monday a number of people died and large crowds on the runway led to all flights being halted for several hours.

There are still large and panicked crowds at the airport - many with little chance of escaping Afghanistan.

Image source, Ashraf Ghani/Facebook

Afghanistan's ousted President Ashraf Ghani has denied fleeing the country just hours after it was confirmed that he has taken refuge in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a live address on Facebook, Ghani reiterated that he had to leave Afghanistan in order to prevent bloodshed and to avoid what he called a "huge disaster".

He said he was in contact with officials in order to "continue my efforts for justice for Afghans". But he did not elaborate.

He also rejected rumours that he had taken a large amount of money out of the country with him - saying the reports were baseless.

The Afghan ambassador to Tajikistan had claimed he took around $169m (£123m) when he left.

Earlier, the UAE said it had welcomed Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds.

For those of you just joining us, here's the latest news about Afghanistan and its rapid fall to the Taliban:

• Flag-waving protesters have defied the Taliban, prompting shots in the city of Jalalabad where one person was killed
• The United Arab Emirates has announced that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has taken refuge there. He fled the country at the weekend as the Taliban advanced on the capital Kabul
• Evacuation flights are continuing to take place
• Reports say Afghans have been beaten by Taliban guards on their way to the airport

• The UK's House of Commons has held a debate over the crisis in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a barrage of criticism from MPs over the UK's role in Afghanistan

Image source, Getty Images

Any central bank assets the Afghan government has in the US will not be made available to the Taliban, a Biden administration official has told the BBC.

DA Afghanistan Bank (DAB) has reserves of roughly $9bn (£6.5bn), most of which is held in America.

Shipments of dollars, international loans and aid are also in doubt after the militants took control.

As we reported earlier, the DAB's former governor has warned the Afghan economy could nosedive.

Ajmal Ahmady was talking to the BBC from exile after leaving Afghanistan on Sunday.

Read more from our Business team here.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, an emergency debate on the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has been taking place in the UK's House of Commons after MPs were recalled from their summer break to discuss the crisis.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK had "succeeded" in its "core mission" to stabilise Afghanistan
• He said that the UK has an "enduring commitment to all the Afghan people" and he would convene a meeting of the G7 in the coming days, adding that national security is a concern for all Nato allies
• Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of "appalling judgement" and underestimating the strength of the militants
• He called the government's refugee repatriation target too small and claimed the 20,000 figure had been "plucked out of the air"
• The prime minister also faced a barrage of criticism from his own backbench MPs, including former PM Theresa May
• Lisa Nandy - Labour's shadow foreign secretary - said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had "hours, not days, to make this right with so many Afghan people and repair our reputation around the world"
• Raab said there would be eight more evacuation flights on Wednesday from Kabul airport. He added that the government was "providing a lifeline for the most vulnerable"

You can read a full report on events in a packed Commons from our politics team here.

Image source, Kitty Chevallier

People who have fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover have spoken of their relief to have escaped the country.

UK troops are continuing to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans after the insurgents seized control of the capital Kabul.

No 10 says 306 UK nationals and 2,052 Afghans have been evacuated so far.

One British aid worker said she felt "lucky" to escape, but that we "must not forget Afghanistan".

Kitty Chevallier, a 24-year-old charity worker from Basingstoke in Hampshire, left Kabul via a UK evacuation flight on Monday morning.

She said she was aware of how "immensely lucky" she was to have been helped out of Afghanistan, when others, including friends and colleagues, remained stranded.

"As we drove there at 04:00, the runways were crowded with hundreds of Afghan families hoping to get out somehow," she told the PA Media news agency.

"One of the strangest moments was getting on the plane, not knowing when we'd be able to come back or what the city would look and feel like when we did."

Read more here.

The United Nations has started moving up to 100 international staff out of Afghanistan to work from Kazakhstan, spokesman Stephane Durjarric said.

However, he stressed the UN is "committed to staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people in their hour of need."

"This is a temporary measure intended to enable the UN to keep delivering assistance to the people of Afghanistan with a minimum disruption, while at the same time reducing the risk to UN personnel," Mr Durjarric said.

The UN has about 300 international staff and 3,000 Afghan employees in Afghanistan.

Image source, PA Media

The UK Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Sir Nick Carter has caused controversy with comments he made about the Taliban this morning.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast he said "we have to be patient" and must "give them the space to form a government", adding that the Taliban "are behaving in a reasonable fashion".

On Sky News, he told presenter Kay Burley: "I think you have to be very careful using the word enemy" when referring to the Taliban.

The Taliban "want an Afghanistan that is inclusive for all," he added.

But his choice of words led to backlack on social media.

"Generally, in my modest military experience, the people you have spent the last 20 years or so shooting at is your 'enemy'," one person tweeted.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said he was coming across "a lot of angry reaction from veterans" over the comments.

Secunder Kermani
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

I'm here in the centre of Kabul, and this is a city that's gradually returning to some sort of normality as its residents process the dramatic events of the past few weeks.

More restaurants and shops are open than in previous days. There is more traffic in the streets, and more people, though not quite as many as usual.

In particular there are fewer women around the city, though I have seen some and they are not necessarily wearing the all-encompassing burka. The fear is, of course, that in the coming days and months the Taliban will impose more of their strict restrictions on women.

There is also a strong presence of heavily armed fighters patrolling the city in captured police and army vehicles. They say they are here to prevent looting and unrest.

Despite the assurances of an amnesty for those who are linked to the government, many in Afghanistan are still deeply fearful for their future.

There are still large, chaotic, and panicked crowds at the airport and residents are really crucially waiting to find out what kind of government emerges from all this.

BBC Radio 5 Live

A former Royal Marine living in Kabul has spoken about the current situation in the Afghan capital.

Pen Farthing runs an animal charity in the city.

“The Taliban have actually moved into the house next door,” he said.

Pen’s wife as well as a pregnant woman who works for the charity were both almost crushed at the airport on Sunday as they tried to get a flight.

“They [the Taliban] are standing back and allowing thousands of desperate people to converge into a place where they can’t go any further,” he said.

Pen also told Rajini Vaidyanathan, on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, that the shops and banks in Kabul have been closed since the Taliban took over.

Listen to 5 Live on the free BBC Sounds app.

Afghanistan will not be a democracy under the Taliban, a senior member of the militant movement has told the Reuters news agency.

Waheedullah Hashimi, who has access to the group's decision-making, said: "There will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in our country.

"We will not discuss what type of political system should we apply in Afghanistan because it is clear. It is sharia law and that is it."

The movement's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, would likely remain in overall charge of the country, Hashimi said.

The Taliban would also reach out to former pilots and soldiers from the Afghan armed forces to join its ranks, he added.

Image source, Getty Images

The number of US troops at Kabul airport has reached about 4,500, with a further 700 expected to arrive in the coming hours, the Pentagon says.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby earlier said the US planned for about 6,000 military personnel to be at the airport to help evacuate American and allied personnel.

The troops are there to help secure the perimeter and take over air traffic control after the US moved all of its embassy staff to the airport.

In an incident overnight, US troops fired shots in the air to control large crowds, Kirby said.

"Some shots were fired, largely around the gate areas. And it's our understanding that at least some of these... were fired by US personnel on the airport side of the perimeter, as non-lethal warnings."

He added that there had been no reports of casualties or injuries.

As discussions continue over resettlement plans for those hoping to leave Afghanistan following the takeover by the Taliban, we look at the most popular destinations for Afghan refugees in 2020.

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Turkey offered refuge to the majority of those seeking asylum last year by some margin, followed by Germany, then Greece and France.

A number of journalists near Kabul airport and in the eastern city of Jalalabad - where protests have taken place today - are reported to have been "mistreated", a Taliban official says.

"We are looking into the matter and trying to find out why it happened," said Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the group's Cultural Affairs Commission.

"We believe in freedom of speech and journalists should show people the truth... we are sorry about the incident," he added.

He did not provide further details about the reported incidents or the journalists involved.