Critics quickly lambasted Sullivan for suggesting the collapse wasn't predictable and dumping the blame on Afghan troops. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) called the statement "a bunch of crap." "This administration was specifically told Afghan forces would surrender faster than our ability to exit," he added. "They decided to ignore these warnings and smugly tell everyone how smart and brilliant they are."

...

Sullivan's comments mark the latest finger-pointing as the Afghanistan crisis becomes a political train wreck for the president. On Saturday, Biden essentially blamed his predecessor, Donald Trump, saying the deal negotiated with the Taliban by the previous administration had strengthened the Islamist group and left him no choice but to withdraw or ramp up US forces in the country.

Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo excoriated Biden on Sunday, accusing him of "pathetic blame-shifting." He said Trump had established a strong deterrent to ensure the Taliban would fear threatening US interests, but Biden's weakness had emboldened the militant group.

The commanding general of the Afghan army, Sami Sadat, said in July that his forces felt abandoned by the US. American troops left the Bagram Airfield, formerly the largest base for the Western war effort, without even notifying the installation's new Afghan commander.

Three Luftwaffe Airbus A440M transport planes took off from Wunstorf, in Germany, on Monday, bound for Kabul. Carrying paratroopers for security, the aircraft were set to evacuate German diplomats and citizens stranded in Afghanistan following the Taliban's swift takeover of the country.

However, Kabul airport was overrun with crowds of Afghans desperately attempting to hitch a ride out of the country on American military aircraft, or one of the few grounded commercial planes remaining on the tarmac. As a result, the first of the German planes was unable to land, Lieutenant General Markus Laubenthal told broadcaster ZDF.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a rare Western leader in that she has been in power for nearly the entire duration of the war in Afghanistan, having taken office in 2005. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Merkel celebrated the fact that her country's military intervened to stop Al-Qaeda from repeating its September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, but remarked that "everything else that has followed has not been as successful and has not been achieved in the way that we had planned."

The Pentagon on Monday can't say if it has plans to keep US weapons and munitions out of the Taliban's hands.

A reporter asked US Army Major General Hank Taylor, a logistics specialist on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if the US is taking action to destroy weapons, vehicles and munitions left behind so the Taliban doesn't use or sell the war material.

"So there's no US actions being taken to prevent equipment from falling into the hands of the Taliban by destroying it or anything else?" a reporter asked.

"I don't have the answer to that question." General Hank Taylor said.

Meanwhile the Taliban is amassing a huge cache of weapons and taking helicopter rides over Afghanistan.

Joe Biden said the Taliban had no air force.

Now they do.

• A new Great Game is afoot in Afghanistan as China hosts the Taliban and eyes a key role in the country's future
• Pepe Escobar: Say hello to the diplo-Taliban

• Evacuation of US Embassy in Kabul is complete, State Department says
• Watch; Traffic jams, chaos at Kabul airport as thousands try to flee Taliban takeover

This temporarily blocks the Dallas County mask mandate issued by Judge Clay Jenkins. It stops mask mandates in Dallas County and Bexar County until the cases can be heard at a later date.

The hearing for the Dallas County mask mandate is set for August 24.

Judge Jenkins tweeted out after the ruling that "we won't stop working with parents, doctors, schools, business + others to protect you and intend to win that hearing."

Dallas County school districts, Garland and Irving, said they will not have mask mandates in place, and will instead encourage everyone to wear masks in their schools.

• Texas Gov. Abbott says those who defy order barring mask mandates will 'be taken to court'
• Big Texas cities are in open revolt over Gov. Abbott's ban on mask requirements
• Texas Gov. Abbott threatens fines again against local officials and businesses that enforce mask mandates, vaccine requirements
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bans COVID-19 vaccine passports: 'Don't tread on our personal freedoms'
• Texas governor bans local governments, public schools from enforcing mask mandates

• Trump: It's 'possible' Taliban could seize power after US pullout
• India evacuates consulate personnel from Kandahar, Afghanistan, as Taliban claims to have control over 85% of country
• US embassy: American citizens to leave Afghanistan IMMEDIATELY, right after Taliban claims to capture 2nd largest city
• Taliban spokesman says "war is over in Afghanistan"
• Taliban take Kabul, Ghani flees country

China is ready to deepen "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.

Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan, which spurred an advance by the Islamist hardliners across the country that saw them capture the capital Kabul on Sunday.

China shares a rugged 76-kilometre (47-mile) border with Afghanistan.

Beijing has long feared Afghanistan could become a staging point for minority Uyghur separatists in the sensitive border region of Xinjiang.

But a top-level Taliban delegation met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin last month, promising that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militants. In exchange, China offered economic support and investment for Afghanistan's reconstruction.

On Monday, China said it "welcomed" the chance to deepen ties with Afghanistan, a country that has for generations been coveted for its geo-strategic importance by bigger powers.

"The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China, and that they look forward to China's participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.

"We welcome this. China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop... friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan."

Hua called on the Taliban to "ensure a smooth transition" of power and keep its promises to negotiate the establishment of an "open and inclusive Islamic government" and ensure the safety of Afghans and foreign citizens.

China's embassy in Kabul remains operational, Hua said, although Beijing began evacuating Chinese citizens from the country months ago amid the deteriorating security situation.

In a statement Monday, the embassy told Chinese citizens remaining in Afghanistan to "pay close attention to the security situation" and stay indoors.

US President Joe Biden promised a complete withdrawal of US troops by September 11, marking an end to two decades of war. But Washington was left shocked by the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's sweeping advance.

China has repeatedly criticised what it sees as the US' hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan as a failure of leadership.

Stability and business

The Taliban's takeover opens a strategic door to China laden with both risk and opportunity.

Maintaining stability after decades of war in its western neighbour will be Beijing's main consideration, as it seeks to secure its borders and strategic infrastructure investments in neighbouring Pakistan, home to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

For Beijing, a stable and cooperative administration in Kabul would pave the way for an expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan and through the Central Asian republics, analysts say.

The Taliban meanwhile may consider China a crucial source of investment and economic support, either directly or via Pakistan -- the insurgents' chief regional patron and a close Beijing ally.

China has so far stopped short of officially recognising the Taliban as the new leaders of Afghanistan, but Wang Yi called them a "decisive military and political force" during last month's meeting in Tianjin.