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US national security advisor holds phone talks with Ghani and Abdullah
President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, held a telephone discussion on Friday with US National Security Adviser, Robert O’Brien, where they debated security issues and the need to urgently start talks with the Taliban.
According to the Presidential Palace (ARG), O’Brien said that the United States supports a united, sovereign, and democratic Afghanistan that will not become a safe haven for terrorism.
Both sides discussed direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and stressed that talks need to start as soon as possible.
Joining HE @ashrafghani, I had the pleasure of exchanging views via telephone with @WHNSC HE Robert O’Brien on RiV, prisoner exchanges & imminent start of intra-Afghan talks. Stressing on counter terrorism, we are aiming for a united, democratic & peaceful Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/T5LrV6PDIT
— Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) July 17, 2020
ARG said that during this telephone conversation, both sides expressed their concerns about the escalation of violence by the Taliban, noting that this violence must be stopped in order to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan.
“I had an excellent phone call today with President @AshrafGhani & Chairman @DRAbdullahCE. The U.S. supports a sovereign, democratic, & unified #Afghanistan at peace with itself & its neighbors & that never again serves as a source of international terrorism.” NSA Robert O’Brien
— NSC (@WHNSC) July 17, 2020
In an interview with Al Arabiya, former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said international companies, including United States firms, are welcome to join the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
Berdymukhamedov noted that while the project enjoys U.S. support, it will need to navigate longstanding regional tensions, as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India have seen outbreaks of deadly fighting over the past year.
“This project, which enjoys international support, including from the United States, possesses immense potential in meeting the growing energy needs of South Asian nations. It also opens promising avenues for accessing the emerging markets of the Asia-Pacific region, the Near East, and the Middle East,” he said.
“The TAPI project is also of paramount importance for political stability and economic prosperity, maintaining high investment attractiveness,” Berdymukhamedov added.
Turkmenistan plans to complete the first section of the pipeline, reaching the Afghan city of Herat, by the end of 2026. No plans have yet been announced to extend the project further south.
The British political party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is set to impose a blanket visa ban on Afghanistan and five other countries — including Pakistan — as part of its proposed crackdown on illegal migration and states refusing to accept deported nationals.
In a speech set for Monday, the party’s newly appointed “shadow” home secretary, Zia Yusuf, will outline plans to halt all visas for diplomats, students, workers, VIPs and tourists from Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan. Reform says these governments fail to cooperate in accepting back deported migrants and convicted criminals.
Pakistan received more than 160,000 UK visas last year, making it one of the biggest visa recipients. However, British officials say Islamabad accepts back only a small fraction of rejected asylum seekers and has resisted pressure to take back individuals convicted in high-profile criminal cases.
The move – which mirrors US President Donald Trump’s visa ban on 75 countries – would be a key element in Reform’s strategy to deport up to 288,000 illegal migrants from the UK on five charter flights a day.
On legal migration, Yusuf will say a Reform government would terminate all welfare payments to foreign nationals, including the 1.3 million currently receiving UC, up from around 900,000 in 2022.
Yusuf is expected to say that years of weak immigration enforcement have undermined public trust and that a Reform government would secure Britain’s borders and make people feel safe.
Latest News
Ex-US envoy Khalilzad condemns Pakistan air attacks on Afghanistan
He described the situation as a tragedy for both Pakistan and its neighbors, urging the Pakistani leadership to reconsider its policies and change course.
Former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has strongly condemned Sunday’s airstrikes by Pakistan on Afghanistan. He stated that these attacks killed and wounded numerous innocent women, children, and elderly.
Khalilzad pointed to Pakistan’s long history of misgovernance, interference in minority rights, manipulation of democratic processes, and repeated military takeovers as the root causes.
He described the situation as a tragedy for both Pakistan and its neighbors, urging the Pakistani leadership to reconsider its policies and change course.
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