CityLab Daily: Who is Welcoming Afghan Refugees?
Also today: Disability advocates and architects push for accessible and inclusive design, and a surge in activism to fight gerrymandering.
Taliban fighters patrol in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country.
Photographer: Rahmat Gul/APWith the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul on Sunday, thousands of citizens are attempting to flee the country — prompting leaders around the world to prepare for a potential influx of refugees.
European countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain are rushing to evacuate journalists, activists, and Afghan allies as the Taliban set up checkpoints around the country’s international airport, raising concerns that the group is preventing citizens from leaving. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed to resettling 20,000 refugees while also calling for international cooperation to prevent a humanitarian disaster. The mayors of Liverpool, Manchester, Rome and Florence have said they would welcome refugees in their cities.