Latest News
Afghan crisis a ‘culmination of poor decision-making’ by 3 administrations: Menendez
US Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Wednesday the “tragic events of this past summer (in Afghanistan) were the culmination of poor decision-making by both Republican and Democratic administrations, going back to 2001”.
In a full Committee hearing entitled “Afghanistan 2001-2021: U.S. Policy Lessons Learned,” Menendez said only a full accounting of the situation will help the US avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
“We owe it to the American people. We owe it to our troops. We owe it to those in the public and non-profit sectors who dedicated years of their lives to improve Afghan democracy and governance. And we owe it to the people of Afghanistan – women and girls, religious and ethnic minorities – who are most affected by our departure,” he said.
According to Menendez, the United States struggled to enact a coherent strategy that would secure Afghan democracy and build strong governing institutions.
He said in his view a number of mistakes had been made.
First, the Bush Administration took its eye off the ball when it invaded Iraq, diverting desperately needed troops, equipment, and humanitarian assistance away from Afghanistan, he said.
“Those resources could have made a difference in preventing the resurgence of the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and building up Afghan governing institutions in their infancy.”
Second, the Obama Administration adopted a failed counterinsurgency strategy after taking office, he said.
“More than 33,000 troops were surged into Afghanistan but given an extremely short time frame, just 18 months, to prepare the Afghan government to take full control. That withdrawal date was repeatedly delayed as the weaknesses of Afghan institutions and security forces became all too clear” he said.
“Throughout the war, every administration also unfortunately bought into the fiction that Pakistan would be a partner in peace in Afghanistan. Instead, Islamabad played a double game, continuing to provide shelter to the Taliban (IEA) even as militants targeted and killed US troops,”
Third, the Trump Administration signed a surrender deal with the IEA “that set the stage for our precipitous withdrawal”.
“That deal was built on a set of lies, chief among them that the Taliban (IEA) would sever their connection with al-Qaeda,” he said adding that throughout the negotiations, the Trump administration excluded the Afghan government and kept secret the details of its agreement from the US’ closest allies.
“And finally, throughout the entire war, the executive branch failed to keep Congress adequately informed, particularly when the war was going poorly. Officials of both parties either misled or misrepresented the facts to Congress,” Menendez said.
According to him the executive branch told Congress that Afghan security forces could assume full responsibility for Afghanistan’s security; that the Afghan government was taking corruption seriously and gaining legitimacy in the provinces; and that regional actors like Pakistan were playing a helpful role with respect to the IEA.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) says over 1,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan on Tuesday through Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar province, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that based on information provided by the Spin Boldak Kandahar border command, these returnees comprised 191 families, totalling 998 people.
In addition, three migrants released from Pakistani prisons were also returned, according to the statement.
The statement added that after registering the returnees, the refugees were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Each family received 10,000 afghanis – paid to them by the Islamic Emirate.
In another statement, the ministry said that 2,783 migrants living in Iran voluntarily and forcibly returned to the country during this week.
Hamidullah Akhundzadeh, acting Minister of Transport and Aviation, headed a delegation to Uzbekistan for a ‘Six-Party Corridor’ meeting that included representatives from Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
On the sidelines of this meeting the Afghanistan delegation discussed trade through the corridor with the other five relevant countries.
According to the ministry of transport and aviation, Akhundzadeh met with the deputy ministers of transport of Russia and Belarus.
He also discussed ways to expand transit between Afghanistan and Russia; and Afghanistan and Belarus, and provide the necessary facilities to achieve this.
The ministry added that the acting minister had a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Transport and the Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on Afghanistan and discussed the expansion of road transport between the two countries.
Representatives of Malaysia’s ministries of foreign affairs, defense and interior and advisors of the Malaysian Prime Minister and the Special Representative of Malaysia for Afghanistan arrived in Kabul this week for meetings with a number of high-ranking officials.
The Islamic Emirate’s foreign minister Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the delegation and thanked Malaysia for assistance it has provided over the past few years, including aid for the victims of the deadly Herat earthquake.
Muttaqi said in the meeting that existing diplomatic, religious, cultural and economic relations between the people and governments of Afghanistan and Malaysia were expanding.
“There are business and investment opportunities in various fields,” Muttaqi told the delegation.
“Afghanistan follows a balanced and economy-oriented foreign policy in the political and economic field. Afghanistan’s relations with the international community are expanding and it has established good relations with neighboring and regional countries,” said Muttaqi.
Afghanistan is keen to expand its relations with the countries of Southeast Asia, he added.
Muttaqi further said: “The Afghan government wants the Malaysian government to provide health and education facilities for the 3,000 Afghans currently living in Malaysia.”
At the same time, members of the Malaysian delegation said that the Malaysian government wants to expand relations with Afghanistan in various fields.
The delegation positively evaluated the political situation in Afghanistan and said they hoped a Malaysian trade delegation would visit Afghanistan in the near future.
One delegate, Dato Shazlina said: “Malaysia is determined to organize short-term training programs for Afghan diplomats, training programs in the field of information technology, accounting and development for Afghan civil service employees and in this regard cooperate with Afghanistan in organizing professional programs.”
The political deputy prime minister, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, also met with the delegation and said the Islamic Emirate has achieved much in the economic and political sectors, and that the world, including the region, has no need to be concerned about Afghanistan.
Over 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
Malaysian delegation trip to Kabul discussed
Afghanistan’s minister of transport and aviation attends regional meeting in Uzbekistan
Azizi calls on Malaysian investors to invest in Afghanistan
Abu Muslim Farah FC thrashes Khurasan Faryab 6-0 in ACL match
Dead body of Quran-burner found in Norway
ATN secures rights to produce, broadcast second season of KPL
UN expert says Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, calls for arms embargo
IPL: RCB register first win against Punjab Kings
Attackers target Pakistani naval airbase in Baluchistan
Malaysian delegation trip to Kabul discussed
Tahawol: US State Dept’s criticism of human rights violations in Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Afghanistan’s economic situation and WFP’s concerns discussed
Tahawol: Muttaqi Meets Iran Envoy Qomi
Saar: Role of science in development of society discussed
-
Sport4 days agoAfghanistan Champions League kicks off with grand opening ceremony
-
Latest News3 days agoPakistan’s frontiers minister stresses ‘dignified’ return of Afghan refugees
-
Regional5 days agoIran’s foreign minister downplays drone attack, says Tehran investigating
-
Business4 days agoAfghanistan’s economic prospects are bleak: World Bank
-
Latest News4 days agoMore than 800 Afghan refugees deported from Pakistan in two days
-
Regional2 days agoIranian president lands in Pakistan for three-day visit to mend ties
-
Climate Change3 days agoMassive river flooding expected in China, threatening millions
-
Latest News4 days agoChinese keen to invest in Panjshir-Kabul water conduit project