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US commission opens inquiry of Afghanistan war
The 16-member bipartisan panel has been tasked by Congress with determining what went wrong and what US leaders could do differently the next time the United States goes to war.
![](https://www.ariananews.af/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Afghanistan-War-Commission.jpg)
A coterie of former US government officials and academics on Friday opened what will be an extensive examination of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan, the nation’s longest conflict.
“Today we make history,” said Shamila N. Chaudhary, co-chair of the Afghanistan War Commission, the Washington Post reported. “Never before has the United States commissioned such a wide-ranging independent legislative assessment of its own decision-making in the aftermath of a conflict.”
The 16-member bipartisan panel has been tasked by Congress with determining what went wrong and what US leaders could do differently the next time the United States goes to war. Their mandate encompasses policies and actions taken by four presidential administrations, the US military, the State Department, US allies, and many other agencies, organizations and people.
The commission has 18 months to carry out its research and until August 2026 to deliver a final public report.
The chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan has repeatedly been criticized by some members of the Congress and the Republicans.
The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee is expected next month to deliver a final report detailing the findings of its investigation of the withdrawal.
The war commission’s 4½-hour discussion Friday, held in Washington, featured former ambassadors, military officers and CIA personnel as witnesses. It drew a small crowd of observers, many of whom were also connected to the war.
Colin F. Jackson, co-chair of the commission said it will endeavor to produce “a full, objective, rigorous, unvarnished and unflinching account of our performance as a government and a military,”
There were convoluted chains of command throughout the war; disruptive personality clashes between American decision-makers and agencies; and commanding officers served tours of duty that were so short as to represent “the institutional equivalent of a frontal lobotomy,” said another witness, Ronald Neumann, a former ambassador to Afghanistan.
There was a terribly devised system for parliamentary elections that invited fraud, said Noah Coburn, a political anthropologist who provided testimony Friday. There was too much public meddling in Afghan politics by US leaders, and too little policy input solicited from the Afghans. Poor US decisions when it came to security partners, development and investments fueled corruption, which spread mistrust of the government and support for the anti-government Islamic Emirate, said Coburn.
Among the obvious points of interest, Jackson said, will be the decision to invade Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The commissioners will examine the decision to surge US forces in Afghanistan in 2009. They will look at the decision-making that went into negotiations with the Islamic Emirate. And of course, they will look at decisions related to the withdrawal.
“For so many of us, the war still lingers in our minds. We carry the moral, physical and emotional injuries in our daily lives,” Chaudhary said. “Closure may not be possible for everyone.” But a space is needed for “civic discourse,” she added.
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Mirwais Azizi building world’s second-tallest tower in Dubai
![](https://www.ariananews.af/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Burj-Azizi.jpg)
Mirwais Azizi, the founder and chairman of Azizi Developments, has said that he will build the second tallest tower in the world with a height of 725 meters in Dubai.
In an interview with CNN, he said that the construction of the “Azizi Tower” started in January of this year, with the approval of the Dubai authorities.
“From the outset, we had plans for two designs — one for the initially approved height of 526 meters, and the other for the taller, now-approved 725 meters,” Aziz told CNN.
According to him, the preliminary works for the construction of this tower are well underway.
This tower is located on Sheikh Zayed Road, in Dubai’s World Trade Center.
Burj Azizi will still stand almost 340 feet shorter than the 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa, less than two miles away. But it will handily beat local competition for the city’s second-tallest title, exceeding the current holder, Marina 101 (1,394 feet).
The 131-story skyscraper will feature apartments, an all-suite “seven-star” luxury hotel and a seven-floor “vertical” shopping mall.
Azizi stated investment in the project has surpassed 6 billion dirhams ($1.6 billion).
“My vision for Burj Azizi is to create a lasting legacy, a tribute to Dubai as a destination of choice for both residents and visitors and a monumental achievement in engineering,” said Azizi.
Burj Azizi is slated for completion in 2028, with apartments expected to go on sale in February 2025.
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Kyrgyzstan expresses interest in developing relations with Afghanistan
The parties discussed and exchanged views on various areas of further bilateral cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan, 24.kg news agency reported.
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The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov met with the Chargé d’Affaires of Afghanistan in Kyrgyzstan Noorullah Amin.
The parties discussed and exchanged views on various areas of further bilateral cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan, 24.kg news agency reported.
Akylbek Japarov said that Kyrgyzstan was interested in development of trade and economic relations with Afghanistan, transport links, joint development of mineral deposits in Afghanistan, cooperation in the energy, industry and agriculture sectors, and active work on promising projects.
Noorullah Amin thanked for the meeting and expressed hope for further partnership.
Earlier on Thursday, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) announced that Kyrgyzstan removed its name from the list of banned groups.
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Japan to build 165 primary schools in 9 provinces of Afghanistan
The diplomat pointed out that his country respects the values of the Afghan society, Tokyo is monitoring the progress of the Islamic Emirate and seeks to establish relations between the G7 countries and the Islamic Emirate.
![](https://www.ariananews.af/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Japan-IEA.jpg)
Japan’s ambassador in Kabul, Takayoshi Kuromiya, said on Thursday that his country plans to build 165 primary schools in nine provinces of Afghanistan.
Speaking in a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, the envoy appreciated the serious and effective fight of the Islamic Emirate against drugs and assured of Japan’s continued assistance to Afghanistan, according to a statement released by Arg.
He said that Japan has already announced 10 million dollars for the fight against drugs.
Kuromiya added that the Japanese government wants to allocate $300,000 for the national museum in Kabul in order to protect Afghanistan’s heritage and historical artifacts and increase the capacity of the relevant departments.
The diplomat pointed out that his country respects the values of the Afghan society, Tokyo is monitoring the progress of the Islamic Emirate and seeks to establish relations between the G7 countries and the Islamic Emirate.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said that the relations between Kabul and Tokyo are very important and in the interest of both countries. He also said that Japan is an important part of the Islamic Emirate’s foreign policy.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir expressed his hope that the pledges made at the third Doha meeting will be implemented as soon as possible and reminded that the Islamic Emirate as a responsible government has fulfilled all its commitments alone and without anyone’s help.
He pointed out that the Islamic Emirate’s high commission for the fight against narcotics will soon start working.
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