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Qureshi addresses Troika Plus meeting, calls for urgent aid to Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says the engagement with the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government Afghanistan must continue in order to help consolidate peace and stability.
Addressing a Troika Plus meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, on the crisis in Afghanistan, Qureshi said currently the group of four nations, US, China, Russia, and Pakistan, has assumed greater significance and has a critical role to play in the Afghanistan situation.
According to him, the Troika Plus is confident that their engagement with the IEA government will “help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development, and help constrict space for terrorist groups” operating in Afghanistan.
“No one wishes to see a relapse into civil war; no one wants an economic collapse that will spur instability; everyone wants terrorist elements that are operating inside Afghanistan to be tackled effectively. And we all want to prevent a new refugee crisis,” he said, adding that all regional countries have concerns and a shared interest in the country’s peace and stability.
He noted that the country’s economic situation was on the verge of collapse and that it is imperative that the international community provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Afghans.
He also said, “health, education and municipal services require urgent attention”.
Enabling Afghanistan to access its frozen funds will link in with the Troika Plus’ “efforts to regenerate economic activities and move the economy towards stability and sustainability”.
The group previously met in Qatar in August to discuss political solutions to the conflict during the IEA’s takeover of Afghanistan.
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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 conducted "badly handled." Russia, seeing this, 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," Trump added.
He emphasized that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was conducted "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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McCall claims Daesh has been revived in Afghanistan
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has however repeatedly said that Daesh has been eliminated in Afghanistan.
Michael McCall, the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee said over the weekend that the US is witnessing a resurgence of Daesh in the Afghanistan region.
In a discussion with America’s ABC television, McCall said one thing he was “worried about, is with the fall of Afghanistan and the debacle, ... we are seeing a resurgence of ISIS and ISIS-K (Daesh) in the Khorasan region between Afghanistan and Pakistan that concerns me greatly.”
McCall added that eight people with ties to Daesh recently entered the United States.
“We know that eight ISIS individuals have entered the United States. ... So you really have two types of threats.
“One is operational; the other one is inspired attacks, radicalized over the internet. They're both equally lethal, and they need to be focused on to stop it," he said.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has however repeatedly said that Daesh has been eliminated in Afghanistan.
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