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FACES NATION OLYMPICS ‘The Mandalorian,’ Raging wildfires US climber has ‘The Crown’ lead wreaking havoc in had tough path Emmy nominations 10 Western states to top of the sport Page 18 Page 9 Page 24 Army policy gives retired warrant officers path back to service ›› Page 5 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 63 ©SS 2021 WEDNESDAY,JULY 14, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Families flee northern Afghanistan Thousands leave homes as Taliban surge continues BY KATHY GANNON Associated Press CAMP ISTIQLAL, Afghanistan — Sakina, who is 11, maybe 12, walked with her family for 10 days after the Taliban seized her vil- lage in northern Afghanistan and burned down the local school. They are now among around 50 families living in a makeshift camp on a rocky patch of land on the edge of the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. They roast in plastic tents under scorching heat that reaches 110 degrees Fahren- heit at midday. There are no trees, and the only bathroom for the en- tire camp is a tattered tent pitched over a foul-smelling hole. As the Taliban surge through northern Afghanistan — a tradi- tional stronghold of U.S.-allied warlords and an area dominated by the country’s ethnic minorities — thousands of families like Saki- na’s are fleeing their homes, fear- ful of living under the insurgents’ rule. In the past 15 days, Taliban ad- vances have driven more than 5,600 families from their homes, most of them in the northern reac- RAHMAT GUL/AP An internally displaced Afghan girl who fled her home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, peers from her SEE FAMILIES ON PAGE 6 makeshift tent at a camp on the outskirts of Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan, on July 8. Russia warns US against putting troops in Central Asian nations after withdrawal BY VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minis- equipment from Afghanistan is direct and straightforward way such steps, and we also have had a Associated Press ter Sergei Ryabkov said that Mos- complete. Biden said the U.S. mil- that it would change a lot of things frank talk on the subject with our MOSCOW — Russia has strong- cow conveyed the message to itary mission in Afghanistan will not only in our perceptions of Central Asian allies, neighbors ly warned the United States Washington during Russian Pres- conclude on Aug. 31. what’s going on in that important and friends and also other coun- against deploying its troops in the ident Vladimir Putin’s summit “I would emphasize that the re- region, but also in our relations tries in the region that would be di- former Soviet Central Asian na- with U.S. President Joe Biden in deployment of the American per- with the United States.” rectly affected,” Ryabkov said in tions following their withdrawal Geneva last month. manent military presence to the He added that Russia has also an interview published in the from Afghanistan, a senior diplo- The warning comes as the U.S. countries neighboring Afghanis- issued the warning to Central Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn maga- mat said in remarks published military said last week that 90% of tan is unacceptable,” Ryabkov Asian nations. Tuesday. the withdrawal of U.S. troops and said. “We told the Americans in a “We cautioned them against SEE RUSSIA ON PAGE 6 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Wednesday, July 14, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Google fined $592M in dispute with French media EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1,147.45 Associated Press by the decision, and that the fine had issued temporary orders to Switzerland (Franc) 0.9168 Euro costs (July 14) $1.16 Thailand (Baht) 32.63 PARIS — France’s competition “doesn’t reflect the efforts put in Google last year to hold talks with- Dollar buys (July 14) 0.8232 Turkey (NewLira) 8.6032 British pound (July 14) $1.35 regulator said Tuesday it fined place or the reality of the use of in three months with news pub- Japanese yen (July 14) 107.00 (Military exchange rates are those available Google $592 million for failing to news content on our platform.” It lishers, and fined the company South Korean won (July 14) 1,116.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ negotiate in good faith with said it is negotiating in good faith Tuesday for breaching those or- many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain (Dinar) 0.3769 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ French publishers in a dispute toward a solution, and that it’s on ders. Britain (Pound) 1.3836 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2527 your local military banking facility. Commercial over payments for their news. the verge of reaching an agree- The company was forced to ne- China(Yuan) 6.4697 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.2918 The agency also threatened ment with some publishers. gotiate with French publishers af- Egypt (Pound) 15.6887 when buying currency. All figures are foreign fines of around $1 million per day The dispute is part of a larger ef- ter a court last year upheld an or- Euro 0.8459 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.766 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ if Google doesn’t come up with fort by authorities in the European der saying such agreements were Hungary (Forint) 301.75 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2826 proposals within two months on Union and around the world to required by a 2019 European Japan (Yen) 110.42 INTEREST RATES how it will compensate publishers force Google and other tech com- Union copyright directive, which Kuwait (Dinar) 0.3008 Norway (Krone) 8.7511 Prime rate 3.25 news agencies. panies to compensate publishers lays out a way for publishers and Philippines (Peso) 50.02 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.87 Federal funds market rate 0.09 Google France said in a state- for content. news companies to strike licens- Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7503 3­month bill 0.05 ment it was “very disappointed” The French antitrust agency ing deals with online platforms. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3539 30­year bond 1.99 WEATHER OUTLOOK WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WEDNESDAY IN EUROPE THURSDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 69/64 Kabul Seoul 86/55 88/75 Baghdad 110/84 Drawsko Osan Tokyo Kandahar Mildenhall/ 87/75 78/70 Pomorskie Busan 106/84 Lakenheath 84/68 69/57 78/75 Iwakuni Kuwait City 76/73 Bahrain Zagan Sasebo Guam 109/92 94/89 Brussels Ramstein 82/68 62/57 62/59 83/75 88/81 Riyadh Lajes, Stuttgart 109/84 Doha Azores Pápa 70/67 65/59 102/86 Aviano/ 88/73 Vicenza 71/63 Naples 81/73 Okinawa Morón 83/80 96/62 Sigonella Rota 95/68 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 81/66 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 101/90 82/75 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Classified .................... 13 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 14 Sports .................... 19-24 Wednesday, July 14, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 PACIFIC Japan details ‘sense of crisis’ over Taiwan BY SETH ROBSON Force, established as a military AND HANA KUSUMOTO service branch in December 2019, Stars and Stripes stood up the four-member 16th TOKYO — Japanese military Expeditionary Space Flight-Al- planners are focused on Taiwan pha, 16th Space Control Squadron, “with a sense of crisis,” according at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, in Sep- to a Ministry of Defense report re- tember 2020. leased Tuesday. China is the primary challenge “Stabilizing the Taiwan situa- for U.S. forces preparing to fight tion is important for Japan’s na- and win in any future conflict in tional security and stability of the space, the chief of the U.S. Space international community,” states Command, Army Gen. James the annual white paper, which was Dickinson, said during a visit to adopted by the country’s cabinet Tokyo in May. that day. “We need to pay close at- tention with a sense of crisis more Boost to cyber warfare than ever before.” Japan’s military is also enhanc- The United States and Japan ing electronic warfare capability have been strengthening their alli- by strengthening its ability to neu- ance as China continues to expand tralize the radar and communica- its military with the stated goal of tions of adversaries who intend to occupying Taiwan, a U.S.-armed invade the country, the report democracy the communists re- states. gard as a rebellious province. Initiatives include researching The allies would have to defend a high-power microwave system Taiwan in the event of a major and high energy laser system, es- problem, Japan’s deputy prime tablishing a Japan Ground Self- minister, Taro Aso, said during a Defense Force electronic warfare political fundraising event July 5, unit and developing stand-off elec- according to Kyodo News. tronic warfare aircraft, according An invasion of the island by Chi- to the report. na could be seen as an existential PETER REFT/U.S. Air Force Japan’s military has taken com- threat, allowing Japan to exercise A member of the Japan Air Self­Defense Force inspects an F­15 Eagle during a past Red Flag drill out of prehensive measures to secure in- the right to collective self-defense, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. formation systems and deal with he said, according to the report.

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