WHO: Afghan Medical Facilities Functioning; Concerns About COVID Spread

The Taliban swept through Afghanistan, taking most of the country's 34 provincial capitals in about nine days. The insurgent group reached Kabul on Sunday. 

Here is the latest: Aug.21 - The World Health Organization reports that most of Afghanistan’s major health facilities are functioning.  However, there has been a jump in the reporting of various diseases and illnesses in places where people have fled, including Kabul. The international organization says it is working to ensure that women have access to female health workers.  WHO says concerns about COVID-19 spreading during Afghanistan’s political upheaval are growing.   Aug. 20 - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press that watching the scenes coming out of Afghanistan is “very personal for me.”  He said, “This is a war that I fought in and led. I know the country, I know the people, and I know those who fought alongside me.”  The retired four-star Army general said, “We have a moral obligation to help those who helped us. And I feel the urgency deeply.”