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US mulls possibility of airstrikes if Afghan forces face crisis
The Pentagon is reportedly considering seeking authorization to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan security forces if Kabul or any other major Afghan city is in danger of falling to the Taliban, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
According to senior officials, this could potentially introduce flexibility into President Joe Biden’s plan to end the United States military presence in the conflict.
Initially, Biden and his top national security aides suggested that once U.S. troops left Afghanistan, air support would end as well, with the exception of strikes aimed at terrorist groups that could harm American interests.
But, according to the Times, military officials are actively discussing how they might respond if the rapid withdrawal produces consequences with substantial national security implications.
No decisions have been made yet, officials said. But they added that one option under consideration would be to recommend that U.S. warplanes or armed drones intervene in an extraordinary crisis, such as the potential fall of Kabul or a siege that puts American and allied embassies and citizens at risk, the Times reported.
A potential fall of Kabul is the crisis most likely to lead to military intervention after U.S. troops leave, officials said.
Intervening to protect Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, would be far less certain, one official told the Times.
According to the Times, the discussion suggests the degree of concern in Washington about the ability of Afghanistan’s military to hold off the Taliban and maintain control of Kabul and other population centers.
And it is the latest indication of the scramble by the United States to address the ramifications of Biden’s decision in April to order a full withdrawal.
Whether to provide air support to Afghan security forces after U.S. troops pull out is one of several major questions about Afghanistan policy that the administration is grappling with as Biden prepares to meet NATO allies in Europe next week, the Times reported.
Mawlawi Hebatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has issued a decree to establish special courts to address pensions, Bakhtar news agency reported on Saturday.
According to the decree, the courts must confirm and process pensions in accordance with Sharia and law.
Pensioners have repeatedly voiced concern over delay in payment, saying that their financial challenges are growing.
Earlier this year, IEA's supreme leader banned money being deducted from salaries of government employees for pensions.
He also requested information on the tenure of employees and the total amount deducted from salaries for pensions.
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Blinken urges immediate lifting of restrictions on women’s education and work in Afghanistan
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to immediately lift restrictions on women's education and work.
Marking two years of the ban on women's education in universities and women's work in NGOs, Blinken said on X that women and girls are the lynchpin to a more stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
“It’s been two years since Taliban (IEA) banned women and girls from universities and Afghan women from working in NGOs. Afghan women and girls are the lynchpin to a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan. We call on the Taliban (IEA) to immediately reverse these edicts,” he said.
The Ministry of Higher Education announced in December 2022 that women and girls could not attend public and private universities "until further notice".
Previously, girls' education above the sixth grade was also suspended.
Former US envoy for Afghanistan peace, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Saturday that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) can learn from Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, on how to join the mainstream international system.
He noted on X that the US bounty for the arrest of Ahmad al-Sharaa is being removed.
“Others in similar circumstances can learn from Ahmad al Shara how to join the mainstream international system. Are the Taliban paying attention?” he said.
Ahmad al-Sharaa has said that there are many differences between them and the Islamic Emirate.
He has said that he will not prevent the education of women and girls, respect the rights of minorities and will launch an inclusive political process.
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