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USA’s support of corrupt warlords ‘unintentionally’ strengthened Taliban: SIGAR
The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) underlines that the US government has unwantedly reinforced the Taliban by backing up the corrupt warlords in Afghanistan.
John Sopko, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said that to bring security, the US and its allies supported some warlords who were governing some provinces and districts of Afghanistan.
Sopko added that the US had thought that if the warlords had the US support, they would become more responsible, but it turned in a way that compelled Afghans to join the Taliban forces.
The US has spent billions of dollars in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and building the infrastructure since 2001. A portion of the money was devoted to fighting against corruption. However, some of the Afghan people still refer to the Taliban ‘desert courts’ instead of the Afghan Judiciary, because of the corruption in government administrations.
Sopko clearly stated that the ‘Afghan people going to the ‘desert courts’ instead of the Afghan Judiciary, after all the money spent, was a shocking fact for him.
Some US Members of Parliament have also expressed their concerns regarding the rising violence in Afghanistan.
McCaul, a US MP has underlined that the US strategy to form security forces for Afghanistan did not improve the security situation in Afghanistan. Poor coordination and insufficient training have added to the level of violence. He says this is not acceptable for the USA.
SIGAR admits that the US efforts were inconclusive due to lack of historical, cultural, social, and political understanding. The US deployed its forces into Afghanistan to suppress terrorism. However, two decades past, there still is war in Afghanistan.
Rana Sanaullah, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Affairs, says Islamabad does not seek to impose war on Afghanistan or occupy any part of its territory.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he stated that Pakistan’s primary expectation is for Afghanistan to prevent militant groups from using its soil to launch attacks against Pakistan. He warned that failure to address this concern could lead to the continuation of Pakistani operations targeting such groups.
Pakistani officials have long maintained that militant attacks in Pakistan are planned from Afghan territory. However, the Islamic Emirate has rejected the claim, insisting that Afghanistan is not responsible for what it describes as Pakistan’s “security failures.”
Afghanistan has once again been ranked the least happy country in the world, according to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report.
The report, which measures people’s overall life satisfaction across 147 countries, placed Afghanistan at the bottom of the global ranking for another year, with a score 1.4 out of 10. Researchers assess factors such as income levels, social support, freedom to make life choices, perceptions of corruption, and overall quality of life.
For the ninth consecutive year, Finland ranked as the world’s happiest country, with a score of 7.7. Iceland and Denmark followed it, as Nordic nations continued to dominate the top of the index.
A notable development came from Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place — the highest ranking ever recorded for a Latin American country.
Other countries with low rankings included Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has welcomed the temporary ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan announced in connection with the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, calling for continued efforts to reduce tensions and achieve lasting peace.
Anwar shared the message during a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif. In a Facebook post, Anwar emphasized the importance of dialogue and de-escalation, while also expressing concern over rising tensions in the Middle East, particularly involving Iran, and urging all parties to prioritize peaceful solutions.
Pakistan said it had temporarily suspended military operations in Afghanistan at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. Afghan authorities likewise announced a halt to operations during Eid, citing goodwill and similar requests from regional partners.
The ceasefire follows weeks of heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including Durand Line clashes and airstrikes.
Separately, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call discussed regional developments with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reaffirming Turkey’s commitment to peace and stability and stressing continued cooperation for long-term security.
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