USA is finally out of Afghanistan
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Meengla
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I don't think unless some huge attack like 9/11 is launched against America from Afghanistan we will see many boots on the ground. Despite the inevitable chaos around the exit of American forces, there is broad support for the withdrawal. I think Graham meant sending some very limited boots on the ground but even that's not likely unless the threat is big.
ghazi52
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'He was prepared to fight to death': Blinken reveals last call with Ghani
US Secretary of State says America did not know of any plans of former Afghan president's departure from Afghanistan
News Desk
September 09, 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed his last call with former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, saying that he was prepared to fight till the death and the United States did not know of any plans of him fleeing the war-torn country with "tonnes of cash."
"We certainly did nothing to facilitate it [Ghani's departure from Kabul]," Blinken said in an interview with ToloNews. "What I do know, is that he left the country and again in a very short period of time the security forces and its institutions collapsed and so did the government."
To a question about recognising the Taliban government or working with them, the US top official said that if the future government of Afghanistan is able to uphold the basic rights of people, the basic human aspiration, then "that's a government that we can work with, if it doesn't, we won't".
Blinken said that the focus of the US right now is on working with the international community to set clear expectations for the government that emerges in Afghanistan, and to communicate those expectations to the government.
He put the blame on the Afghanistan government for what happened in the country in the 100 days preceding August 15, saying many soldiers fought bravely, but as an institution, the army collapsed.
"I have to say the so many Afghans in the security forces acted with incredible courage and bravery and tremendous sacrifice. So many lost. But as an institution, it collapsed. And the government, of course, the government fled ultimately. All of that happened in a very very short period of time," he said.
Earlier today, Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country last month as the Taliban entered Kabul, apologised to the Afghan people, as "he could not make it end differently".
In a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, Ghani said that he left at the urging of the palace security in order to avoid the risk of bloody street fighting and again denied stealing millions from the treasury.
Ghani expressed regret that his "own chapter" ended in a tragedy similar to his predecessors and that he had to leave Kabul without ensuring stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.
"Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed that it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens," the statement read.
In response to allegations made by the spokesperson of the Russian embassy in Kabul, Ashraf Ghani denied that he fled Afghanistan with "four cars and a chopper full of cash".
Terming the charges as "completely and categorically false", the former Afghan president said that corruption is a plague that has crippled the war-torn country for decades.
US Secretary of State says America did not know of any plans of former Afghan president's departure from Afghanistan
News Desk
September 09, 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed his last call with former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, saying that he was prepared to fight till the death and the United States did not know of any plans of him fleeing the war-torn country with "tonnes of cash."
"We certainly did nothing to facilitate it [Ghani's departure from Kabul]," Blinken said in an interview with ToloNews. "What I do know, is that he left the country and again in a very short period of time the security forces and its institutions collapsed and so did the government."
To a question about recognising the Taliban government or working with them, the US top official said that if the future government of Afghanistan is able to uphold the basic rights of people, the basic human aspiration, then "that's a government that we can work with, if it doesn't, we won't".
Blinken said that the focus of the US right now is on working with the international community to set clear expectations for the government that emerges in Afghanistan, and to communicate those expectations to the government.
He put the blame on the Afghanistan government for what happened in the country in the 100 days preceding August 15, saying many soldiers fought bravely, but as an institution, the army collapsed.
"I have to say the so many Afghans in the security forces acted with incredible courage and bravery and tremendous sacrifice. So many lost. But as an institution, it collapsed. And the government, of course, the government fled ultimately. All of that happened in a very very short period of time," he said.
Earlier today, Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country last month as the Taliban entered Kabul, apologised to the Afghan people, as "he could not make it end differently".
In a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, Ghani said that he left at the urging of the palace security in order to avoid the risk of bloody street fighting and again denied stealing millions from the treasury.
Ghani expressed regret that his "own chapter" ended in a tragedy similar to his predecessors and that he had to leave Kabul without ensuring stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.
"Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed that it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens," the statement read.
In response to allegations made by the spokesperson of the Russian embassy in Kabul, Ashraf Ghani denied that he fled Afghanistan with "four cars and a chopper full of cash".
Terming the charges as "completely and categorically false", the former Afghan president said that corruption is a plague that has crippled the war-torn country for decades.
ghazi52
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Afghanistan: First foreigners fly out of Kabul since US pull-out
The flight took more than 100 people from Kabul to Doha, the capital of Qatar
Dozens of international passengers - including UK citizens - have flown out of Kabul in the first such flight since US forces left the country.
The Qatar Airways charter flight landed in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday, with a second flight due on Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged help with evacuations during a recent visit to Qatar.
Hundreds of Afghan citizens who had helped the US military were unable to get out in last month's US airlift.
Reuters news agency reports that 113 people were on the plane.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said 13 British citizens had arrived in Doha, and thanked Qatar for facilitating the flight.
The flight took more than 100 people from Kabul to Doha, the capital of Qatar
Dozens of international passengers - including UK citizens - have flown out of Kabul in the first such flight since US forces left the country.
The Qatar Airways charter flight landed in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday, with a second flight due on Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged help with evacuations during a recent visit to Qatar.
Hundreds of Afghan citizens who had helped the US military were unable to get out in last month's US airlift.
Reuters news agency reports that 113 people were on the plane.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said 13 British citizens had arrived in Doha, and thanked Qatar for facilitating the flight.
Meengla
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CNN's Fareed Zakaria talking about the Afghanistan latest situation. Though he is talking to an Indian anchor and is generally not a friend of Pakistan anyway, the interview is worth watching. I did get confused by using 'our': Didn't know if he meant as an American or as an INDIAN-American!
A few points:
1) America has other interests such as containing China and Afghanistan was just a drain.
2) Biden could still win in 2024 if his domestic agenda succeeds.
3) India has been a 'passive' player in Afghanistan and needs a real foreign policy there.
4) Pakistan uses Jihadis for strategic goals [well, he's Fareed can't escape his Indian-ness]
5) Many disaffected groups in Afghanistan who could be used in an 'insurgency'
6) Taliban's reliance on China is as of now only a wish-list.
7) India should talk with the Taliban to get assurances about jihadis going to Kashmir.
8) Pakistan ISI and Taliban bonds unlikely to shake.
But the whole interview is worth watching. I have been a fan of Fareed despite sometimes not agreeing with him.
A few points:
1) America has other interests such as containing China and Afghanistan was just a drain.
2) Biden could still win in 2024 if his domestic agenda succeeds.
3) India has been a 'passive' player in Afghanistan and needs a real foreign policy there.
4) Pakistan uses Jihadis for strategic goals [well, he's Fareed can't escape his Indian-ness]
5) Many disaffected groups in Afghanistan who could be used in an 'insurgency'
6) Taliban's reliance on China is as of now only a wish-list.
7) India should talk with the Taliban to get assurances about jihadis going to Kashmir.
8) Pakistan ISI and Taliban bonds unlikely to shake.
But the whole interview is worth watching. I have been a fan of Fareed despite sometimes not agreeing with him.
ghazi52
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Afghanistan's flag carrier to resume international flights next week
https://nation.com.pk/NewsSource/haber
Anadolu
5:04 PM | September 09, 2021
Afghanistan’s national flag carrier is preparing to resume international flights next week, its new president said Wednesday, praising Qatari and Turkish technical experts for their assistance in getting Kabul airport operational in the shortest possible time.
Domestic flights to Herat, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif resumed Sept. 4, and negotiations are now underway to restart international flights between Kabul and New Delhi, Qari Rahmatullah Gulzad, who assumed charge following the Taliban’s recent takeover of the country said.
Before leaving the war-torn country on Aug. 31 after 20 years of operations, US forces severely damaged terminals at Hamid Karzai International Airport and Ariana Afghan Airlines' planes, workshop, hangar and offices.
“The Qatari and Turkish technical teams enabled us to resume flight operations,” Gulzad said, thanking the countries for their prompt support.
The Qatari and Turkish teams are still working on Kabul airport, and he believes they will stay for another month to ensure that it meets international standards.
https://nation.com.pk/NewsSource/haber
Anadolu
5:04 PM | September 09, 2021
Afghanistan’s national flag carrier is preparing to resume international flights next week, its new president said Wednesday, praising Qatari and Turkish technical experts for their assistance in getting Kabul airport operational in the shortest possible time.
Domestic flights to Herat, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif resumed Sept. 4, and negotiations are now underway to restart international flights between Kabul and New Delhi, Qari Rahmatullah Gulzad, who assumed charge following the Taliban’s recent takeover of the country said.
Before leaving the war-torn country on Aug. 31 after 20 years of operations, US forces severely damaged terminals at Hamid Karzai International Airport and Ariana Afghan Airlines' planes, workshop, hangar and offices.
“The Qatari and Turkish technical teams enabled us to resume flight operations,” Gulzad said, thanking the countries for their prompt support.
The Qatari and Turkish teams are still working on Kabul airport, and he believes they will stay for another month to ensure that it meets international standards.
Meengla
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There could be a dedicated thread about life in Afghanistan from on the ground like reporting but until then.. here is one relevant post. It's in Urdu but has English captions. TCM Original is quickly becoming a great channel: Journalism without (too much) bias. Something which is lacking in most modern media; I won't even mention pathetic Indian media (with few exceptions), most of the Western media now looks like agenda-driven, appealing to the 'in-crowd' like journalism.
Anyway, if you are curious about a good account of the level of freedoms in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule--about freedom of expression, women's rights, freedom of association, then this video is a good one:
Anyway, if you are curious about a good account of the level of freedoms in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule--about freedom of expression, women's rights, freedom of association, then this video is a good one:
Hakikat ve Hikmet
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Trust a snake before any NA pedophile thuggish slave of the Hindutva scums...'He was prepared to fight to death': Blinken reveals last call with Ghani
US Secretary of State says America did not know of any plans of former Afghan president's departure from Afghanistan
News Desk
September 09, 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed his last call with former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, saying that he was prepared to fight till the death and the United States did not know of any plans of him fleeing the war-torn country with "tonnes of cash."
"We certainly did nothing to facilitate it [Ghani's departure from Kabul]," Blinken said in an interview with ToloNews. "What I do know, is that he left the country and again in a very short period of time the security forces and its institutions collapsed and so did the government."
To a question about recognising the Taliban government or working with them, the US top official said that if the future government of Afghanistan is able to uphold the basic rights of people, the basic human aspiration, then "that's a government that we can work with, if it doesn't, we won't".
Blinken said that the focus of the US right now is on working with the international community to set clear expectations for the government that emerges in Afghanistan, and to communicate those expectations to the government.
He put the blame on the Afghanistan government for what happened in the country in the 100 days preceding August 15, saying many soldiers fought bravely, but as an institution, the army collapsed.
"I have to say the so many Afghans in the security forces acted with incredible courage and bravery and tremendous sacrifice. So many lost. But as an institution, it collapsed. And the government, of course, the government fled ultimately. All of that happened in a very very short period of time," he said.
Earlier today, Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country last month as the Taliban entered Kabul, apologised to the Afghan people, as "he could not make it end differently".
In a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, Ghani said that he left at the urging of the palace security in order to avoid the risk of bloody street fighting and again denied stealing millions from the treasury.
Ghani expressed regret that his "own chapter" ended in a tragedy similar to his predecessors and that he had to leave Kabul without ensuring stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.
"Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed that it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens," the statement read.
In response to allegations made by the spokesperson of the Russian embassy in Kabul, Ashraf Ghani denied that he fled Afghanistan with "four cars and a chopper full of cash".
Terming the charges as "completely and categorically false", the former Afghan president said that corruption is a plague that has crippled the war-torn country for decades.
ghazi52
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Afghan police return to work alongside Taliban at airport
AFP
12 Sep 2021
KABUL: Afghan police at Kabul airport have returned to work manning checkpoints alongside Taliban security for the first time since the militants seized power, officers said Sunday.
When the Taliban swept into Kabul last month ousting the government, police abandoned their posts, fearful of what the militants would do.
But two officers said they had returned to work Saturday after receiving calls from Taliban commanders.
On Sunday, an AFP correspondent at the airport saw border police members deployed at several checkpoints outside the main buildings of the airport, including the domestic terminal.
"I came back to work yesterday more than two weeks after being sent home," one of the police force members told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"I received a call from a senior Taliban commander who asked me to come back," another officer said.
"Yesterday was great, so happy to serve again."
The Taliban say they have granted a general amnesty to everyone who worked for the former government -- including the army, police and other security branches.
Officials say they want to integrate the opposing forces, but have not spelled out how this will happen -- or how they will sustain a security apparatus made up of around 600,000 people.
Kabul airport was severely damaged during the chaotic evacuation of over 120,000 people that ended with the withdrawal of US forces on August 30.
The Taliban, who swept into Kabul after routing government forces on August 15, have been scrambling to get the capital's airport operating again with Qatari technical assistance.
The United Arab Emirates has set up an air bridge to deliver tons of aid to Afghanistan, with aircraft bringing in hundreds of tonnes of medical and food supplies.
An airport employee who handles security for a private company confirmed that the border police had been deployed around the airport since Saturday.
"They are sharing the security with the Taliban," he told AFP. Qatar Airways has operated charter flights out of Kabul in recent days, carrying mostly foreigners and Afghans who missed being taken out during the evacuation.
An Afghan airline resumed domestic flights last week, while Pakistan International Airlines is expected to begin flights from Islamabad to Kabul in coming days.
AFP
12 Sep 2021
KABUL: Afghan police at Kabul airport have returned to work manning checkpoints alongside Taliban security for the first time since the militants seized power, officers said Sunday.
When the Taliban swept into Kabul last month ousting the government, police abandoned their posts, fearful of what the militants would do.
But two officers said they had returned to work Saturday after receiving calls from Taliban commanders.
On Sunday, an AFP correspondent at the airport saw border police members deployed at several checkpoints outside the main buildings of the airport, including the domestic terminal.
"I came back to work yesterday more than two weeks after being sent home," one of the police force members told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"I received a call from a senior Taliban commander who asked me to come back," another officer said.
"Yesterday was great, so happy to serve again."
The Taliban say they have granted a general amnesty to everyone who worked for the former government -- including the army, police and other security branches.
Officials say they want to integrate the opposing forces, but have not spelled out how this will happen -- or how they will sustain a security apparatus made up of around 600,000 people.
Kabul airport was severely damaged during the chaotic evacuation of over 120,000 people that ended with the withdrawal of US forces on August 30.
The Taliban, who swept into Kabul after routing government forces on August 15, have been scrambling to get the capital's airport operating again with Qatari technical assistance.
The United Arab Emirates has set up an air bridge to deliver tons of aid to Afghanistan, with aircraft bringing in hundreds of tonnes of medical and food supplies.
An airport employee who handles security for a private company confirmed that the border police had been deployed around the airport since Saturday.
"They are sharing the security with the Taliban," he told AFP. Qatar Airways has operated charter flights out of Kabul in recent days, carrying mostly foreigners and Afghans who missed being taken out during the evacuation.
An Afghan airline resumed domestic flights last week, while Pakistan International Airlines is expected to begin flights from Islamabad to Kabul in coming days.
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