WASHINGTON — The Taliban has freed two Western hostages, American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks, after holding them in captivity for more than three years, an American official and the prime minister of neighboring Pakistan said Tuesday.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the release said the American University of Kabul professors, who were kidnapped at gunpoint in August 2016, were now in U.S. hands. Their health was being evaluated and the two were being debriefed, added the official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the subject.
"We appreciate steps taken by all involved to make it possible," Prime Minister Imran Khan said via Twitter. "As part of the international community working to bring peace and end the suffering of the Afghan people, Pakistan has fully supported and facilitated this release as part of its policy of supporting initiatives for a negotiated political settlement of the Afghan conflict."
Australian professor Timothy Weeks pictured making a statement on camera in 2017.AP
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Taliban sources said the two hostages had been handed over in Zabul province, on the border with Pakistan.
According to the Taliban, Anas Haqqani, Haji Maali Khan and Hafiz Rasheed Ahamd Omari have also been released.
The release of the two comes weeks after President Donald Trump pulled the plug on a potential deal with the Taliban to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from the country and end America's longest war. Negotiations broke down on Sept. 7 and it remains unclear if and when they will start again.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed the professors' release.
“Tim’s family has asked for privacy. They have asked the Australian Government to convey their relief that their long ordeal is over, and their gratitude to all those who have contributed to Tim’s safe return,” he added on Twitter.
The American University of Afghanistan welcomed the news.
“The AUAF community shares the relief of the families of Kevin and Timothy, and we look forward to providing all the support we can to Kevin and Tim and their families,” the statement said.
Abigail Williams reported from Washington; Ahmed Mengli reported from Kabul; Mushtaq Yusufzai from Peshawar, Pakistan; and Saphora Smith from London.
Abigail Williams
Mushtaq Yusufzai
Mushtaq Yusufzai is a journalist based in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Ahmed Mengli
Ahmed Mengli is a journalist based in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Saphora Smith
Saphora Smith is a London-based reporter for NBC News Digital.
Palestinians have condemned a decision by the US to abandon its four-decades-old position that Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are inconsistent with international law.
Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said it threatened to replace international law with the "law of the jungle".
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US move, saying it "rights a historical wrong".
The UN regards the settlements as being illegal under international law.
Settlements are communities established by Israel on land occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. They have long been a source of dispute between Israel and the international community, and the Palestinians.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements is not, per se, inconsistent with international law". The status of the West Bank, he added, was "for the Israelis and the Palestinians to negotiate".
The move was seen as a victory for Mr Netanyahu, who has pledged to apply Israeli sovereignty over all the settlements, as well as the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea.
What are the Palestinians saying?
The Palestinians have long called for the removal of the settlements, where about 600,000 Jews live, arguing that their presence on land they claim for a future independent Palestinian state makes it almost impossible to make such a state a reality.
"Israeli colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are not only illegal under international law, they are war crimes," said Mr Erekat. "Once the Trump administration decides to undermine international law... this constitutes a major threat to international peace and security."
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Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said: "The United States is neither qualified nor is authorised to negate international legitimacy resolutions, and it has no right to give any legitimacy to Israeli settlement."
Palestinian militant groups also weighed in, calling it the official funeral of the Oslo peace process and urging stepped-up resistance to the Israeli occupation.
In 2017, US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered the relocation of the US embassy to the city from Tel Aviv. The decision was condemned by Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state, and the UN General Assembly demanded its cancellation.
And earlier this year, Mr Trump recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, which were seized from Syria in the 1967 war.
Mr Pompeo's announcement was made two days ahead of a deadline for Benny Gantz, Mr Netanyahu's political rival, to form a coalition government following an inconclusive general election in September. Mr Gantz was given the opportunity after Mr Netanyahu himself failed to form a ruling coalition.
Hours later, the US state department alerted Americans planning to visit Jerusalem, West Bank or Gaza that "those opposed to the secretary of state's announcement may target US [government] facilities, interests, and citizens".
What has Israel said?
In praising the US move, Mr Netanyahu said Israeli courts were the "appropriate place" to decide the legality of the settlements, "not biased international forums that pay no attention to history or facts".
"Israel remains ready and willing to conduct peace negotiations with the Palestinians regarding all final status issues in an effort to achieve a durable peace," he said, "but will continue to reject all arguments regarding the illegality of the settlements."
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Meanwhile, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said the bloc's position was that "all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace".
Ayman Safadi, Foreign Minister of Jordan - the custodian of a holy site in Jerusalem known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as the Temple Mount - said the change would "kill" a two-state solution, calling the settlements "a blatant violation of international law".
Boost for Israel, dismay for Palestinians
Mike Pompeo said the decision would create the political space for a more likely resolution of the conflict. But that resolution is now more likely to be on Israel's terms, since it is by far the stronger party.
Dismissing the international legal prohibitions on Jewish settlements undermines the legal framework for the peace process, including the notion of Palestinian national rights and the principle of self-determination.
It will almost certainly boost the movement to expand and annex the Jewish settlements. There has already been a sharp increase in settlement planning and construction since Mr Trump took office.
Palestinians will be dismayed, although not surprised. Palestinian analysts I have spoken with say the growth of Jewish settlements has essentially killed the potential for a viable two-state solution. They speak in terms of a war of position, saying that staying on the land and simply continuing their lives is a kind of non-violent resistance.
What was the previous US position?
In 1978, the Carter administration concluded that the establishment of civilian settlements was inconsistent with international law. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan disagreed with that conclusion, saying he did not believe the settlements were inherently illegal.
Since then, the US has adopted a position of describing the settlements as "illegitimate" - though not "illegal" - and sheltering Israel from condemnatory resolutions on the issue at the United Nations.
However, one of the last acts of the Obama administration, at the end of 2016, was to break with US practice by not vetoing a UN resolution that urged an end to illegal Israeli settlements.
President Trump's administration has displayed a much more tolerant attitude towards settlement activity than President Obama's. Mr Pompeo said the Trump administration had studied all sides of the debate and agreed with Mr Reagan.
Are settlements illegal under international law?
Most of the international community, including the UN and the International Court of Justice, say the settlements are illegal. The basis for this is the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention which forbids the transfer by an occupying power of its people to occupied territory.
However, Israel says the Fourth Geneva Convention does not apply de jure to the West Bank because, it says, the territory is not technically occupied.
Israel says it is legally there as a result of a defensive war, and did not take control of the West Bank from a legitimate sovereign power. It says the legal right of Jewish settlement there, as recognised by the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, was preserved under the UN's charter.
The White House released a statement from Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. on Monday that said the president’s visit there over the weekend was a “routine” checkup.
The statement, written by Navy Commander Sean Conley, was released by White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham amid rumors about Trump’s medical condition.
“Despite some of the speculation, the President has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues,” Conley wrote in the letter.
“Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurological evaluations.”
The letter added that the visit was kept “off the record” due to uncertainties about the president’s schedule.
On Saturday, Grisham said the visit was part of his annual checkup, which he was getting out of the way early, but then revealed that he didn’t stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for very long.
“Anticipating a very busy 2020, the President is taking advantage of a free weekend here in Washington, D.C., to begin portions of his routine annual physical exam at Walter Reed,” Grisham said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
Trump in February spent more than four hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a checkup supervised by his physician and involving a panel of 11 specialists.
The university has been occupied by hundreds of protesters, including many high school students, since last week. On Sunday it was the scene of some of the most intense fighting since anti-government demonstrations began five months ago, as protesters fought-back police attempts to enter the campus using a variety of improvised weaponry, including crude homemade napalm, bows and arrows and at least one large slingshot.
The university remains sealed-off by police, who have installed a tight security cordon and issued instructions to those inside to "drop their weapons" and turn themselves in.
The mood on the campus was somber Tuesday, but far less tense, as a sense of defeat spread among those remaining. Throughout the morning, dozens of protesters surrendered to police, several in tears, as others vowed to fight on but with little idea of how to do so.
Throughout the campus were scenes of destruction, the aftermath of huge fires set by protesters to block police advances on Sunday and Monday, and the effects of hundreds of people camping out in a place not built for it.
Large amounts of weapons could be seen ready for the final fight -- though few had the energy to carry it out -- with boxes, crates and trolleys filled with petrol bombs, as well as flammable chemicals apparently looted from a university lab, including methanol, ethanol, lighter fluid and various unidentified gas canisters.
Government seeking 'peaceful solution'
One protester who remained on campus told CNN that they were "trying to seek the best possible outcome for the worst possible situation," as others expressed anger at those who had already surrendered, and called on people to do more to try and break them out.
Multiple attempts to do so were carried out Monday, with varying success. Some protesters managed to break past police lines in daring escapes, even as others were tackled and in several cases violently detained. Sympathy protests involving thousands of people and intended to distract police attention took place in multiple parts of the city, but did not succeed in alleviating pressure on the campus.
Speaking Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that more than 600 people had surrendered at the Polytechnic University, which is known locally as PolyU, and blamed protesters for exacerbating the situation.
"Universities have become weapons factories now ... they look like military training grounds," Lam said, adding that police were working for a "peaceful solution" to the crisis.
There were multiple questions raised over police tactics Monday, with protesters trying to leave greeted with heavy force. Police said they feared those apparently surrendering were armed and posed a threat, but video of tear gas being fired and protesters beaten spread wildly on Hong Kong social media, prompting more protests elsewhere.
This month has seen a major uptick in violence and disruption after almost half a year of unrest. Protesters launched what they described as a general strike last week in response to the death of a Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), after he fell near a protest, and began attempting to shut down major roads, disrupt subway transit and otherwise ramp up the pressure on the government.
The unrest soon spread to universities, with occupations on many campuses, a new development in a movement that had previously been fluid -- with activists using the term "be water" to describe protest tactics. From the campuses, protesters -- many of whom were not actually students at those schools -- launched wildcat demonstrations and blockades of neighboring roads and tunnels.
Both PolyU and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) were strategically located near major thoroughfares, the blockage of which caused disruption and travel chaos. When police attempted to clear the campuses, particularly CUHK, they were met with fierce resistance and outrage, with many protesters claiming it was a blow against academic freedom.
Some protesters escape siege
The occupations which began on campuses last week involved many non-frontline protesters, and when police began cracking down some felt trapped, suddenly in a much more dangerous and impactful situation than they signed up for.
Violent clashes between police and protesters on Sunday and Monday, in which one officer was shot by a bow and arrow and police threatened to use live rounds, served only to heighten the sense of volatility.
There was widespread fear among those inside PolyU that they could face serious injury if they went outside, and even those that were able to surrender peacefully may face serious legal repercussions.
"You will never prepare for being arrested until you have to face it. Early in the revolution, everyone said we had to be prepared for being arrested, but you never think about it properly until it nearly happens to you," a 23-year-old protester who had been inside PolyU told CNN.
He later escaped with his girlfriend, after hiding under a bridge and sprinting to safety. He knows about 50 people who also got out, some of whom escaped by abseiling down a rope to waiting motorbikes or running along train tracks.
There were attempts Tuesday to persuade most protesters still on the campus to surrender peacefully. The government and police said that those under 18 would not be immediately arrested, and that all injured protesters could be taken to hospital. Adults on the campus are being arrested, though much more sedately than on Monday.
Tang Ping-keung, Hong Kong's newly appointed commissioner of police, defended the force against accusations it had made the situation worse with its hardline tactics Monday. Many had pointed out that were police willing to allow protesters to leave without insisting on making arrests, they could have defused the situation much faster and avoided the further disruption that sprung up around the city.
"We understand that citizens have different opinions in police's law enforcement," Tang said Tuesday. "But citizens need to understand that it is police's responsibility to maintain Hong Kong's law and order and to do law enforcement -- there is a massive scale of illegal acts and some citizens indulge those illegal acts."
Fear of military intervention
The demonstrations began in June over a controversial China extradition bill, which sparked huge marches across the city.
The government suspended but did not immediately withdraw the bill. By the time the bill was withdrawn -- three months later -- the movement's focus had already expanded to focus on complaints of police brutality and wider calls for democracy.
After multiple points in the last six months when the protests appeared to be dying down or reaching some kind of stability, this month's escalation has thrown everything into even greater uncertainty.
During clashes last week, one protester was shot by a traffic police officer, a man was set on fire after a dispute with protesters, and a 70-year-old man died after being struck by a brick during attempted road clearances. Many people were also injured by both police and protester action during the attempted clearances of the CUHK and PolyU campuses.
The presence of the troops on the streets, despite being unarmed and wearing workout gear -- unnerved many Hong Kong residents and pro-democracy legislators, even as it was cheered by pro-Beijing newspapers and on Chinese social media.
Analysts agree that a military intervention could severely damage Hong Kong's economy and might spark an exodus from the city. Speaking Tuesday, Lam said it was "not uncommon" for PLA troops to engage in voluntary activities.
When asked by CNN what level of violence needs to be reached for her to consider calling for China's reinforcement, Lam said the government remains "very confident that we are able to deal with the situation."
But she added that situations like the one unfolding at PolyU were very complicated, and if protesters continue "damaging Hong Kong from one place to another" and continue "manufacturing more and more offensive weapons," Hong Kong's government might decide it needs external help.
Lam did conclude, however, that "right now, we are still displaying that confidence to handle that situation ourselves."
CNN's Sandi Sidhu, Rebecca Wright and Isaac Yee contributed reporting.
Protesters throw paper to fuel a fire at the main entrance to Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the site of a standoff with police.
Photo:
anthony wallace/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
HONG KONG—A standoff between protesters and police at a university here extended into a second evening, with police keeping the area on lockdown while refraining from using the lethal force they had threatened, as increasingly militant antigovernment activists battled back.
When dozens of black-clad protesters jumped railings on Monday afternoon and tried to flee the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus where the standoff is taking place, police fired tear gas, pepper bullets and water cannon at them, driving many back in. Scuffles broke out as protesters hurled bricks while holding umbrellas for cover. Later Monday, police and government officials urged protesters to give themselves up peacefully.
Police in riot gear, including members of an elite squad known as the Raptors, made some arrests in close combat, including wrestling to the ground several demonstrators who had fought back, causing some bloody scenes. Live video feeds showed a few protesters evading police and running up alleyways and into greenery at the university as they tried to avoid arrest. It was unclear how many successfully fled.
At a police blockade line near the university, a woman who said her daughter was trapped inside the campus burst into tears in front of a couple of police officers. “Please let my daughter go,” said the woman, who knelt down to beg. “Or I would jump from a building in front of you.” Shortly afterward, others joined her for an impromptu sit-in.
The university confrontation, which began a week ago and intensified Sunday morning, has marked an escalation in the tactics underlying the protesters’ strategy. What started as a largely peaceful movement more than five months ago before turning violent has recently taken a yet more combative turn.
Last week, protesters at universities—who include college- and high-school-aged activists as well as older demonstrators—began driving the action more. They began stockpiling makeshift weapons and adopting more aggressive tactics in an effort to maintain the movement’s momentum, fighting with police in several districts near campuses. Protesters began using bows and arrows and adopting the sustained use of slingshots as well as more Molotov cocktails.
Late Sunday, police had threatened to use lethal force if necessary to combat attacks from protesters, who at several times during the day were hurling Molotov cocktails almost continuously. Protesters had gathered at PolyU after a week of clashes at universities, and caused disruptions at the Cross-Harbor Tunnel—a key artery that connects two main parts of the city.
The standoff continued as a law banning people from wearing masks at protests was ruled unconstitutional Monday by Hong Kong’s High Court. The ruling marks a setback for the government, which had imposed the measure under emergency powers in an attempt to quell the unrest.
The entrance to the key Cross-Harbor Tunnel has been disrupted during continuing protests.
Photo:
dale de la rey/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
A commentary published Monday by the People’s Daily newspaper, a mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, said there should be no room for compromise with protesters, adding that Hong Kong’s future had reached a crisis point. It said there would be no toleration of radical, violent activities that challenged the “one country, two systems” principle that governs China’s relationship with semiautonomous Hong Kong.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Wu Qian, speaking to reporters at a regional conference of defense officials in Bangkok, cited a Nov. 14 speech by Chinese President
Xi Jinping
in which he said the president gave “the highest direction of the central government” to end violence and restore order in Hong Kong. He called it the army’s most pressing task in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Chief Executive
Carrie Lam
has stayed mostly out of the public eye during the standoff, though she did visit a police officer who was shot by an arrow during Sunday’s clashes at PolyU. In a
Facebook
post Monday she referred to the protesters as “rioters” and condemned the destruction of facilities in and around campus, as well as the use of Molotov cocktails and bricks.
“The police have made many appeals; whoever is inside the Polytechnic University campus should listen as soon as they can,” Mrs. Lam wrote.
Inside the campus, meanwhile, protesters were trapped inside facilities, according to a student there. The surrounding of the campus by police and their use of tear gas on those trying to leave allowed protesters no choice but to hide inside, he said. There were enough food and supplies to last for another day or two, he said. Those inside the university face arrest for rioting if they surrender, and if convicted could face up to a decade in prison.
Police said Monday that Red Cross volunteers had been allowed to enter PolyU to provide first aid. Previously, police had blocked access for many volunteers hoping to enter the campus to provide aid to the wounded, and photos circulating on social media showed a number of first-aid volunteers had been arrested when trying to leave the campus.
Hong Kong police try to storm Hong Kong Polytechnic University where hundreds of protesters have stockpiled Molotov cocktails and other improvised weapons. Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
“Since a large amount of weapons, including petrol bombs and explosives, remain on PolyU campus, and dangerous chemicals have been stolen from the laboratory, this poses a grave threat to public safety,” a police statement said. It added that police give “great importance to the injured people at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the rights of arrested persons.”
The city’s Hospital Authority said Monday that 38 people, ranging from 16 to 84 years old, had been taken to hospitals with injuries over the weekend. Five were in serious condition and the rest were either stable or had been discharged.
The police said 154 people had been arrested over the same period, including at least one as young as 13, bringing the total number of arrests to 4,491 since the protest movement began on June 9. Some of those arrested included self-identified medics and some who identified as journalists but couldn’t provide valid credentials.
Police also said they had used live bullets twice, on Sunday night and early Monday morning. In one skirmish, officers fired at a car that attempted to hit a police roadblock.
More skirmishes developed across Hong Kong on Monday and showed few signs of letting up. At 9 p.m., police were firing tear gas and rubber bullets in Jordan, an area in Kowloon near the university, while protesters countered with Molotov cocktails and fire bombs. Black-clad demonstrators as well as regularly dressed people filled the streets again at nighttime, many trying to get food, water and supplies to PolyU.
The umbrella has been a symbol of the continuing protests.
Photo:
fazry ismail/Shutterstock
Loud explosions occurred repeatedly, with big fires in the streets and heavy clouds of smoke hovering over the area. Fliers on social media suggested the roads had been doused with fuel, making the explosions even bigger. Roads were littered with bamboo barricades, umbrellas and garbage, which riot police attempted to clear.
Protesters also gathered again in Central, the bustling financial district, which last week was engulfed in tear gas.
Meanwhile, the city’s Education Bureau announced that primary and secondary schools would remain closed. Classes are expected to resume on Wednesday, almost a week after they were initially suspended, the bureau said. Kindergartens and special-needs schools are expected to remain suspended until Sunday.
