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60 planeloads of US military gear leaves Afghanistan as drawdown begins
Following Saturday’s official launch of the US troops withdrawal process, military officials have said 60 planeloads of equipment has already been moved out of Afghanistan and a further 1,300 pieces of equipment had been identified for destruction by Tuesday.
The drawdown effort to remove US forces and the equipment spread across Afghanistan was roughly 2% to 6% completed by Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
Stars and Stripes reported the formal retrograde process began Saturday as the Pentagon works to remove more than 3,000 troops, thousands of US contractors and their equipment by September 11, the date that President Joe Biden decided he wanted all American forces to be out of the country.
Stripes reported that Air Force C-17 cargo jets, which the service said can carry about 17,900 pounds of cargo, are running near around-the-clock missions to move military equipment out of Afghanistan in the Pentagon’s largest drawdown effort since it left Iraq in 2011, officials said.
The CENTCOM statement on Tuesday indicated officials intended to provide regular updates on retrograde progress but would give only an estimated range of the completion for security reasons.
CENTCOM also confirmed it had turned over one base to the Afghan National Army — Camp New Antonik in southern Helmand province.
While U.S. forces will leave some gear behind for the Afghan troops and government and destroy some of its gear, the equipment it removes from Afghanistan will largely be moved elsewhere to bolster other military operations around the globe, Stripes quoted officials as saying.
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Bennett reiterates call for Afghan migrants in Pakistan to be ‘protected’
Richard Bennet also called on UN member countries to increase financial assistance and other aid to help support migrants
Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights for Afghanistan, has emphasized the need to protect Afghan migrants in Pakistan and urged governments to treat them more humanely.
Responding to reports of an uptick in forced deportations of Afghan migrants in Pakistan, he reiterated his call for Afghan refugees not to return to the country and emphasized the need for host countries to support them.
He also called on UN member countries to increase financial assistance and other aid to help support migrants.
This comes amid reports of Pakistan’s ongoing campaign to forcibly deport Afghan migrants in the country.
This week the Afghanistan embassy expressed “deep concern over the recent detention of approximately 800 Afghan nationals in Islamabad, including individuals holding valid visas, PoR, and ACC cards”.
The embassy stated that the lack of clarity surrounding NOC (No Objection Certificate) requirements/issuance process has led to troubling cases of arbitrary detention and deportation.
“Among those deported are 137 Afghan nationals whose visas had expired but who had already applied for extensions, as well as holders of temporary SHARP/UNHCR registration,” the embassy said.
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Trump claims Russia invaded Ukraine due to U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
Trump claimed that he was in power during a time when “we had no wars,” but now he is “going into a world that’s burning.”
US President-elect Donald Trump believes the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan was "badly handled" and that seeing this, Russia decided to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump claimed that he was in power during a time when "we had no wars," but now he is "going into a world that's burning."
The US President-elect criticized how the American withdrawal from Afghanistan was carried out. According to Trump, he would have withdrawn the troops from Afghanistan earlier than President Joe Biden and done so "with dignity and strength."
"The way they got out was outrageous. Leaving billions of dollars of brand new military equipment that I bought in the hands of the Afghans. And specifically to the Taliban (Islamic Emirate)," Trump added.
He emphasized that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was "badly handled."
"And because of that, I think Russia went and attacked Ukraine when they saw that. They said, 'these guys are incompetent - they don't know what they're doing'. But we know what we're doing now," Trump added.
In April 2021, it was announced that the United States had begun withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, where they had been stationed since 2001. All American soldiers were fully withdrawn from the country by August 31, 2021.
US forces were initially deployed to Afghanistan to combat terrorism following the September 11 attacks.
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US congressman urges Trump to stop aid to Afghanistan
Congressman Tim Burchett has urged President-elect Donald Trump to halt financial aid to Afghanistan.
Burchett said in a letter that the US government should not fund its enemies abroad.
"I want to express my serious concern about sending foreign aid to the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) and my willingness to work with the Trump administration to prevent the transfer of US taxpayer dollars. The United States should not provide financial assistance to its enemies abroad,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy has expressed hope that international aid should not be stopped and that efforts are ongoing to strengthen Afghanistan's infrastructure and move the country towards self-sufficiency.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said: "We hope that international aid to the people of Afghanistan will not be halted. However, at the same time, our focus is on national capacities. We want to strengthen Afghanistan's infrastructure so that the country gradually moves towards self-sufficiency."
Experts, however, do not view international aid as a fundamental solution for Afghanistan's economy but stated that given the country's humanitarian and economic situation, the continuation of such aid remains essential.
Abdul Zuhoor Madaber, an economic expert, said: "Humanitarian aid is not a fundamental solution to the country's economy, but given the economic crisis we are facing, it can be impactful."
The US has provided over $2 billion in aid-to-aid organizations in Afghanistan over the past three years.
The US State Department has stated that this aid is solely for relief and charitable programs, intended to support ordinary Afghan people struggling with poverty, hunger, and food shortages.
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