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Regional powers urge US to engage with Islamic Emirate
Russia, China, Pakistan and other regional states called on the United States on Friday to engage with the Islamic Emirate and fund aid to Afghanistan, though they also urged the Afghan government to yield power to a more inclusive government.
The fate of Afghanistan dominated a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, formed 20 years ago by Russia, China and ex-Soviet central Asian states. It has since expanded into a bloc with wider regional ambitions. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, and Iran joined on Friday.
Leaders of the group said it was the responsibility of the West in general and the United States in particular to help avert a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, where Western aid propped up the former Ashraf Ghani government, Reuters reported.
"The main part of the expenses related to Afghanistan's post-conflict rebuilding should be borne by the United States and NATO countries who are directly responsible for the grave consequences of their prolonged presence in the country," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Putin also called on Washington to unfreeze assets of the Afghan central bank, which have been blocked since the Islamic Emirate takeover, saying without access to the funds, Afghanistan's new rulers would be tempted to turn to the drugs and arms trades.
China's President Xi Jinping, without mentioning the United States by name, said "certain countries" should assume their due responsibilities for Afghanistan's future development, having been "instigators" of the situation.
Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan which has the closest ties to the Islamic Emirate of any neighbour, said the priority was to "prevent a humanitarian crisis and an economic meltdown. We must remember that the previous government depended heavily on foreign aid and its removal could lead to economic collapse."
Pakistan's Khan also said the Islamic Emirate should create an "inclusive political structure" representing all ethnic groups, and prevent Afghan soil from being used for international militancy.
Putin noted that the new government was only provisional. "One cannot call it representative or inclusive, as we do not see representatives of other ethnic groups there. But we believe we need to work with it."
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Trump criticizes abandoning of equipment in Afghanistan, vows to rebuild military
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday criticized Biden administration leaving behind military equipment in Afghanistan, and vowed that he will rebuild the military.
“I rebuilt our entire military at a level that it had never been. Unfortunately, we gave a big chunk of it to Afghanistan. You believe that one. What a terrible thing. We will again rebuild our sections of our military that have been so badly hurt,” Trump said at a conference of the conservative group Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona.
He also mentioned the Kabul airport attack in 2021 in which 13 American soldiers were killed.
“We want to get out of some of these wars that would have never happened like Russia-Ukraine would have never happened, Israel would have never been attacked, we wouldn’t have inflation, we wouldn’t have that Afghanistan horror show, that horrible, the way we left leaving billions of dollars of equipment behind and 13 soldiers.”
“Nobody ever mentions and I mention because I love them and they are all watching right now. 48 soldiers that were horrifically injured," he added.
Last month, Trump pledged to demand mass resignations of top military officials behind the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal should he return to the White House in January.
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IOM appeals for nearly $500 million to support Afghans in 2025
Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, says that the displacement of Afghans in the world is painful and they want practical and real help for Afghan immigrants.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has appealed for nearly $500 million to assist Afghans in 2025.
It is part of IOM’s $8.2 billion appeal to support 100 million individuals across the globe.
“IOM will empower actors to provide multisectoral assistance to crisis-affected and displaced populations, including people fleeing from Ukraine, Syrians in Türkiye and Afghans in Central Asia, and along migration routes, such as in the Western Balkans,” IOM said in its appeal. “IOM will ensure that vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, older persons and those with specific needs, have access or are referred to tailored protection services, including health, MHPSS (Mental health and psychosocial support), shelter, food and non-food items.”
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Afghan refugees are the third largest displaced population in the world after Syrian and Ukrainian refugees. Nearly 10.9 million Afghans are displaced worldwide due to conflict, violence and poverty.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, says that the displacement of Afghans in the world is painful and they want practical and real help for Afghan immigrants.
According to experts, the youth and people of Afghanistan want a situation where they are not forced to migrate. They believe suitable working conditions, improvement of the economic situation and inclusive governance can reduce migrations.
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Weakened Iran could pursue nuclear weapon, White House’s Sullivan says
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran’s conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN.
The Biden administration is concerned that a weakened Iran could build a nuclear weapon, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, adding that he was briefing President-elect Donald Trump's team on the risk, Reuters reported.
Iran has suffered setbacks to its regional influence after Israel's assaults on its allies, Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah, followed by the fall of Iran-aligned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran's conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN.
"It's no wonder there are voices (in Iran) saying, 'Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now ... Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine'," Sullivan said.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has expanded uranium enrichment since Trump, in his 2017-2021 presidential term, pulled out of a deal between Tehran and world powers that put restrictions on Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief, read the report.
Sullivan said that there was a risk that Iran might abandon its promise not to build nuclear weapons.
"It's a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. It's a risk that I'm personally briefing the incoming team on," Sullivan said, adding that he had also consulted with U.S. ally Israel.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, could return to his hardline Iran policy by stepping up sanctions on Iran's oil industry.
Sullivan said Trump would have an opportunity to pursue diplomacy with Tehran, given Iran's "weakened state."
"Maybe he can come around this time, with the situation Iran finds itself in, and actually deliver a nuclear deal that curbs Iran's nuclear ambitions for the long term," he said.
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