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Khalilzad reiterates urgency of ceasefire as talks teams take a break

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(Last Updated On: December 14, 2020)

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has urged the Afghan Republic’s peace talks team and the Taliban’s team to resume talks as promised on January 5.

In a post on Twitter, Khalilzad stated that the need for a political settlement and an end to violence was urgent.

The two negotiating teams announced in Doha on Saturday that they were taking 20 days off to “consult on the agenda items. Tragically, the war continues. The need for a political settlement, reduction in violence, and a ceasefire remain urgent,” Khalilzad tweeted.
He emphasized the importance of the resumption of the intra-Afghan talks and said: “Given how much is at stake, it is imperative that there is no delay in the resumption of talks and they must resume on Jan 5 as agreed.”
The surprise announcement on Saturday came three months after talks got underway. However, only last week did the two sides agree on the procedures and rules following a drawn out deadlock.

In the republic’s announcement, talks team member Nader Nadery said on Twitter on Saturday that “since the agenda items need further consultations, the two sides agreed for a recess & to resume the 2nd round of talks on January 5, 2021.”

Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani said Monday he wants the next round of intra-Afghan talks to be held in Afghanistan as the people have the right to be kept up-to-date on progress around negotiations and on topics being focused on.

Addressing a cabinet meeting, Ghani said the Taliban are also Afghans and should therefore agree to talks being conducted in the country.
He said, “wherever they (Taliban) want the talks in Afghanistan, the Afghan government is ready to negotiate [there] with them.”
“We would prefer to hold the second round of peace negotiations inside Afghanistan,” Ghani said.

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At least 1,500 families affected by recent floods: IRW

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(Last Updated On: April 23, 2024)

The Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) organization has reported that the rains and floods of the last week have claimed the lives of many Afghan and incurred huge financial losses.

According to the organization, a total of 1,500 families have suffered as a result of the recent floods and hundreds of livestock have also been lost.

IRW added that following the recent rains, 900 houses were partially or completely destroyed and 93,000 hectares of agricultural land was damaged.

This comes amid an ongoing economic crisis in Afghanistan which has left millions of people reliant on aid.

The disaster management ministry meanwhile confirmed earlier that 99 people died and 64 others were injured as a result of the heavy rains.

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Russia says US facing humiliation in Ukraine like in Vietnam and Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: April 22, 2024)

Russia said on Sunday U.S. lawmakers’ support for $60.84 billion more in aid for Ukraine showed that Washington was wading much deeper into a hybrid war against Moscow that would end in humiliation on a par with the Vietnam or Afghanistan conflicts.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was clear that the United States wanted Ukraine “to fight to the last Ukrainian” including with attacks on Russian sovereign territory and civilians, Reuters reported.

“Washington’s deeper and deeper immersion in the hybrid war against Russia will turn into a loud and humiliating fiasco for United States such as Vietnam and Afghanistan,” Zakharova said.

Russia, she said, will give “an unconditional and resolute response” to the U.S. move to get more involved in the Ukraine war.

The United States lost more than 58,000 military personnel in the 1955-75 Vietnam War, which ended with Communist North Vietnam’s victory and takeover of the South, while hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed.

In the 2001-2021 war in Afghanistan, the U.S. reported 2,459 dead and over 20,000 wounded in the conflict which ended with the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces and return to power of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

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Iran says water is an important factor in expansion of ties with Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: April 22, 2024)

Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, Hasan Kazemi Qomi, said on Sunday that water is an important factor in the expansion of bilateral relations, expressing hope that the flow of water to his country will continue.

Qomi said this in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, the ministry said in a statement.

The envoy expressed gratitude for removing obstacles to the flow of water from the Helmand River to Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.

Meanwhile, Muttaqi noted that there were good rains in the country this year, as a result of which, after several years of severe drought, Helmand River’s water flowed to Nimroz province of Afghanistan and into Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.

He assessed the relations between Afghanistan and Iran as “friendly and positive” and hoped relations will expand further in various fields.

During the meeting, Iran’s envoy also thanked the Islamic Emirate for its stance on Israel’s attacks on Gaza and for having condemned the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

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