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Ghani suggests US troops might not be withdrawn by May as planned

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(Last Updated On: January 30, 2021)

President Ashraf Ghani implied on Friday that he expects the Biden administration to keep US troops in Afghanistan for longer than anticipated under the US-Taliban deal, signed by the Trump administration, saying the Taliban aren’t meeting their obligations to reduce violence.

This comes after a dramatic surge in violence since the signing of the deal in Doha in February last year.

On Thursday Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Taliban’s refusal to reduce the violence is raising questions over whether the 2,500 US troops remaining will leave by May as planned.

In an interview on Friday with the Aspen Institute, Ghani said such statements send “a signal to the Taliban that the US is here to secure peace and not to retreat and leave the field open.”

Ghani said during the virtual event that the new Biden administration’s review of the peace deal should take weeks, not months, which is a sign of a “very predictable” new phase in the US-Afghanistan relationship.

Ghani said he hopes to speak soon with President Joe Biden and that the US is planning to send a team to Kabul to discuss how to “energize the peace talks.”

He also said Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy who brokered the agreement with the Taliban will now be reporting to a “very organized decision-making process,” this being in reference to the new Biden administration.

He also stated that “NATO will play a bridging role” as the US draws down, but “NATO without US enablers cannot continue its mission.”

On the high level of violence in the country, he said Afghanistan must hold the Taliban responsible for the surge in killings.

“If the Taliban realize they can prevail through violence they will not let go,” he said adding “we must hold the Taliban responsible for this environment of violence…This is not the way to get attention. It is the way to get condemnation for truly inhuman violence.”On the issue of a possible interim government, Ghani was adamant that this was not a good idea.

He pointed out that Afghanistan has had interim governments in the past that have been unsuccessful.

“We’ve had interim governments. They have led to bloodshed,” he said adding that such a move would be detrimental to Afghanistan.

“The citizens of Afghanistan must be empowered…Where would I get the authority to dissolve the Republic? I have sworn to uphold the constitution,” he said.

Ghani also pointed out that the ethos of peace talks has not been passed down to the Taliban’s fighters on the ground.

“Peace has not been socialized to the Taliban commanders or rank and file,” he said implying that just recently the group’s leaders were seen visiting wounded fighters in a hospital in Pakistan and giving them words of encouragement.

Encouraged by the Biden administration’s approach to Afghanistan, Ghani said Washington is working with the government, and “the focus is on ending 40 years of violence.”

“The process has begun and we couldn’t be more pleased with the early focus, systematic attention, and a dialogue between two partners,” he said.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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