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U.S. Should Remain in Afghanistan: Dunford
General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the presence of American forces in Afghanistan has disrupted the “enemy’s ability to reconstitute and pose threat to the United States.
Addressing an event organized by the Washington Post, Gen. Dunford said that the U.S. should remain in Afghanistan to contain the insurgent groups that pose threats not only to South Asia but to also to the American people.
“..were we not to put the pressure on Al-Qaeda, ISIS (Daesh) and other groups in the region we are putting on today, it is our assessment that, in a period of time their capability would reconstitute, and they have today the intent, and in the future, they would have the capability to do what we saw on 9/11,” Dunford said.
“The presence that we have in Afghanistan has, in fact, disrupted the enemy’s ability to reconstitute and pose a threat to us,” he noted.
The top U.S. general stressed that they will continue to put “sufficient” political, social and military pressures on the Taliban so that they will reconcile in Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process.
“The recent elections were another element in terms of being positive in putting political pressure on the Taliban. Social pressure – I was encouraged by the fact that Imams in Indonesia, in Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia had issued fatwa that truly I think advanced the case of the Afghan government,” Dunford said.
He, meanwhile, noted that the pressures on the Taliban are moving in the right direction. “We were seeing for the first time in many many years, some opportunities to initiate that Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process.”
However, Dunford said there is plenty of work needs to be done regarding the Afghan peace process, adding that political, social and military pressures are necessary on the Taliban.
“I have not recommended that we leave Afghanistan because again in my judgment leaving Afghanistan not only would create instability in South Asia but in my judgment, it would give the terrorist groups the space within which they plan and conduct operations against the American people, homeland and our allies,” Dunford said.
Officials at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) say 7,000 incomplete projects of the World Bank are at risk of destruction in Afghanistan. They call on the World Bank to resume the work of these projects.
According to them, discussions have been held with the World Bank about these projects, but there has been no result yet.
“7,000 incomplete projects are being destroyed, and if the work is not started, these projects will be destroyed. We ask the World Bank to resume the work of these projects as soon as possible,” said Noorul Hadi Adel, the spokesperson of MRRD.
Meanwhile, members of the private sector also ask international institutions to resume their work in Afghanistan.
According to the officials of this sector, with the start of these projects, job opportunities will be provided for thousands of people in the country.
“These projects create employment for our people and the country will grow a lot,” said Mirwais Hajizadeh, a member of the private sector.
However, economic experts stated if the work of these projects does not start soon, they will be destroyed and the investments made in them will be wasted.
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues related to Afghanistan, it was announced on Thursday.
During the meeting, Otunbayeva thanked India for “its critical humanitarian support and longstanding friendship for the Afghan people” and discussed the importance of regional and international cooperation to address prevailing challenges in Afghanistan, UNAMA said on X.
Jaishankar also said on X that the sides exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Underlined that India has provided wheat, medicines, pesticides and school supplies. Appreciate the role of UN agencies as partners in these endeavors,” he said.
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