Connect with us

Latest News

Troika calls on Taliban to cancel Spring offensive after Moscow summit

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 18, 2021)

Russia, China, the US and Pakistan, also known as the Troika, on Thursday called on the Taliban to not pursue a Spring offensive and said they do not support the restoration of an Islamic Emirate.

Following a day of discussions in Moscow on accelerating the peace process in Afghanistan, the Troika stated they had agreed on a number of points.

In a joint statement issued by the four countries, they stated they acknowledge the widespread and sincere demand of the Afghan people for a lasting and just peace and an end to the war and “confirm that a sustainable peace can only be achieved through a negotiated political settlement.”

“We call on all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan to reduce the level of violence in the country and on the Taliban not to pursue a Spring offensive, so as to avoid further casualties and to create an environment conducive to reaching a negotiated political settlement.

Citing the UN Security Council resolution 2513 (2020), the Troika said they do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate and called on the Afghan government and the High Council for National Reconciliation to engage openly with their Taliban counterparts regarding a negotiated settlement.

“We urge participants in the intra-Afghan negotiations to engage immediately in discussions on fundamental issues to resolve the conflict, including the foundations of the future peaceful and stable Afghan State, the content of a political roadmap leading to an inclusive government, and the modalities of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

“At this pivotal moment, our four states call on the parties to negotiate and conclude a peace agreement that will bring an end to over four decades of war in Afghanistan,” the statement read.

They also said they strongly advocate a durable and just political resolution with will result in an independent, sovereign, unified and peaceful Afghanistan “free of terrorism and an illicit drug industry”.

They also called on both the Afghan government and the Taliban to ensure no terrorist groups nor individuals use Afghan soil to threaten the security of any other country.

The Troika also stated: “We reaffirm that any peace agreement must include protections for the rights of all Afghans, including women, men, children, victims of war and minorities.”

All concerned countries were also encouraged to support the Afghan people and to contribute to a lasting peace.

“We reaffirm our commitment to mobilize international political and economic support for a post political settlement in Afghanistan,” the statement read.

The Troika also acknowledged Qatar for its support of the peace process and said they were in support of the continuation of discussions between the negotiating teams in Doha.

In conclusion, they stated they welcome all international efforts that are underway to facilitate and support a negotiated settlement as soon as possible.

“We note that the UN Secretary General Gutteres’ appointment of Mr. Jean Arnault as his personal envoy on Afghanistan and regional issues. We welcome the UN playing a positive and constructive role in the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.”

Thursday’s event was attended by representatives of the Afghan government, the Taliban, prominent Afghan political figures and Qatar and Turkey representatives, who were guests of honor.

The US Special Representative for National Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad also attended the meeting, which is the first of two such summits planned.

The next landmark meeting will be held in Turkey next month – which is in line with Washington’s push for a political settlement as soon as possible.

Latest News

ISIS-K leader reportedly living in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

Sanaullah Ghaffari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajar, is reportedly the ISIS-Khorasan (Daesh) branch leader and is holed up in Pakistan, Reuters reports.

The 29-year-old took over as leader in 2020 and under his leadership the group has carried out extreme attacks as a means of recruiting, Reuters reported.

Reuters noted that little was known about Ghafari before the deadly 2021 ISIS attack on Kabul Airport, which killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American soldiers.

But after Friday’s deadly attack in a concert hall in Moscow, which left 139 people dead, Ghaffari’s group has come under intense scrutiny.

Reuters reports that Ghaffari is said to have been involved in several attacks in Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Pakistani officials said months ago that Ghaffari had been killed in Kunar province in Afghanistan in June last year, but Reuters has reported that he did not die and instead fled to Pakistan and lives in the border province of Baluchistan.

Abdul Matin Qani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan, says that Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan for more than two years and has lost its operational capacity.

The last attack carried out by Daesh in Afghanistan was the attack on the Kabul Bank office in Kandahar last week which left three dead and 12 wounded.

Continue Reading

Latest News

IPL: Sunrisers thump MI in record breaking match

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

It was raining records at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday with the hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clinching a 31-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 8 of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Sunrisers’ batting rewrote the record books on a batting belter after the posted 277 for three.

SRH now have the highest team score in the history of the IPL – beating Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) 263 for five from the 2013 season.

In reply, MI made a spirited effort, and at one stage, were contenders to do the near impossible. In the slog overs, the enormity of the target proved a bit too much, and SRH clinched victory, but not without numerous nervous moments.

To put into perspective the carnage we witnessed – Heinrich Klaasen’s 23-ball half-century was the slowest fifty of the SRH innings.

Travis Head, playing his first match for SRH, raced to the milestone in 18 balls. Abhishek Sharma got there even faster – in 16 balls – to record the quickest fifty by an SRH batter in IPL history.

While Sunrisers notched up the highest total in the 16-year history of the IPL, just as incredibly, Mumbai Indians almost paid them back with the same coin, their batters coming out with a nothing-to-lose attitude.

The sixes kept rolling off the Mumbai bats too, helping them keep up with the asking rate for most of the chase, eventually however, they ran out of steam and finished on 246 for 5, the highest IPL total in a losing cause.

As ESPNcricinfo reported, never were more runs scored in a men’s T20 match (523). Never were most sixes hit in a men’s T20 (38). At the end of the close to four-hour six-fest, only two bowlers returned with an economy rate of under ten an over.

Thursday, March 28 : Match 9

Thursday’s match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur sees Rajasthan Royals go up against Delhi Capitals.

Fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television to watch the match live from 6.30pm. Alternatively the match can be screened live on arianatelevision.com

Continue Reading

Latest News

Magnitude 5.2 quake jolts Afghanistan

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

An earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan on Thursday afternoon, the National Center for Seismology reported.

The quake was at a depth of 70km and epicentered in the mountainous north-eastern area of Ashkāsham.

The jolt was felt across the region including in Kabul, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

In October last year, over 2,000 people were killed when four 6.3-magnitude earthquakes struck in Herat province.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2022 Ariana News. All rights reserved!