Some Afghan nationals said they have been told by the embassies that they will accept them as refugees in their countries and give them visas….reports Asian Lite News
Several Afghan nationals living in Delhi flocked to the Australian, US and Canadian embassies here on Thursday in the hope of getting visas. After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Afghan diaspora is desperate to migrate to some other country as their visas for India have either expired or are about to expire.
Some Afghan nationals said they have been told by the embassies that they will accept them as refugees in their countries and give them visas.
Muskan, an Afghan citizen, told IANS, “We got a message from them that you come to the embassy, you will get a form to fill, while we will cooperate with all the Afghan citizens in Delhi.”
Pic credit IANS
“Now they said that they will give a link to fill information,” she said.
Muskan has been living in Delhi for the last few years and has recently completed her studies.
Sahil, another Afghan national, told IANS, “We were told by the embassy that we will give visas, but nothing has been done so far. For us, it is very expensive to live in Delhi as house rent is too high.”
“If our landlord comes to know that we are Afghans, they will increase the rent. At present, I am working in a shop but I am paid only Rs 4,000 per month and I work 12 hours a day,” he said.
Meanwhile, embassy officials have spoken to some Afghan citizens and asked them to share information.
Pic credit IANS
Ruksar, an Afghan national, told IANS, “We are very saddened by the recent developments in Afghanistan. We have come to the US embassy for help. We are requesting all these embassies.”
“We are also human beings, we need help, I am heartbroken to see situation in Afghanistan. I have been living here for almost 10 years.”
He added, “We thank the Government of India, for letting us live here. But it will be difficult for us to continue in India. Here, it is also very difficult to find work.”
Some Afghan women were seen crying outside the embassy, they said their relatives are trapped back there and no information is coming to them about their whereabouts.
As per the process, Afghan nationals will first have to send an email to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) who will send them to the embassy for visas. But Afghan citizens allege that the UNHCR office does not respond.
Miley’s remarks is in sharp contrast with State Department’s statement on the matter….reports Asian Lite News
Pentagon on Wednesday said that the Taliban are not interfering with evacuation operations by US troops and said the terror group is guaranteeing safe passage to the airport for American citizens.
In a press briefing at the Pentagon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told reporters that, “the Taliban are in and around the Kabul right now but they are not interfering with our operations.”
“Through the State Department, the Taliban are guaranteeing safe passage to the airport for American citizens, that is, US passport holders,” Milley said.
US troops in Afghanistan.
When asked if the military had the capability to enter Kabul and extract people, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “We don’t have the capability to go out and collect the large numbers of people out.”
Miley’s remarks is in sharp contrast with State Department’s statement on the matter.
The US embassy in Kabul issued an advisory, saying that the US government cannot ensure safe passage to the Hamid Karzai international Airport.
A few hours later, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters at the State Department today that, “we have seen reports that the Taliban, contrary to their public statements and their commitments to our government are blocking Afghans who wish to leave the country from reaching the airport.”
US soldiers prepare to depart from Kunduz, Afghanistan. (Photo Brian Harris_Planet Pix_ZUMA_dpa_IANS)
Sherman said that the State Department’s team in Doha, Qatar, is meeting with Taliban officials, and “our military partners on the ground in Kabul are engaging directly with the Taliban to make clear that we expect them to allow all American citizens all third-country nationals and all Afghans who wish to leave to do so safely and without harassment.”
The US has so far evacuated “approximately 5,000 people” from Afghanistan and its military intends to increase the number of evacuees.
On Sunday, the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and his government collapsed.
Like many other countries, the US started evacuating its nationals and some Afghans with links to foreign governments and organisations. (ANI)
The results came amid criticism over his administration’s messy withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, after which the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country ensued…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden’s average approval ratinghas tumbled below 50 per cent for the first time since he took office in January this year, multiple polls have revealed.
The results came amid criticism over his administration’s messy withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, after which the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country ensued, as well as a resurgence of new Covid-19 cases and deaths across the US, reports Xinhua news agency.
As of Wednesday, Biden’s approval rating fell to 49.3 per cent in the FiveThirtyEight average of polls, with those disapproving of his job performance hitting a new high of 44.2 per cent, up from a little over 34 per cent at the end of January when he just entered the White House.
Meanwhile, RealClearPolitics gave him a 49.6 per cent approval rating on average during the 10-day period from August 7 to 17, while the disapproval rating stood at 47.2 per cent.
Even worse, data from a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Biden’s approval rating dropped from 53 per cent on August 13 to 46 per cent on Tuesday, a dip that seemed directly tied to the chaos happening in Afghanistan, for which the President, while defending the drawdown of US troops, admitted he would be criticised.
On the pandemic front, the end of presidential honeymoon for Biden was also backed by numbers.
New coronavirus cases are up 52 per cent nationally compared to two weeks ago, according to The New York Times.
Deaths and hospitalisations increased 87 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively, during that same period, the data showed.
President pins blame on Afghanistan for the collapse of the government and meltdown of Afghan forces as he defended himself amid the backlash, reports Asian Lite News
United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday responded to the criticism that the hasty pullout of forces from Afghanistan was a glaring intelligence failure, saying it was “a simple choice”. Biden also said that the fallout in Afghanistan following the pullout could not have been handled in a way without “chaos ensuing”.
In an interview with an American television ABC, Biden was asked whether the situation over the past one week was a result of intelligence, planning, execution, or judgement failure. To this Biden responded by saying that he “doesn’t think it was a failure” and it was a simple choice.
Biden also pinned the blame on the South Asian nation for the collapse of the Afghan government and meltdown of Afghan forces as he defended himself amid the backlash. “When you had the government of Afghanistan, the leader of that government getting in a plane and taking off and going to another country, when you saw the significant collapse of the Afghan troops we had trained, 300,000 of them, just leaving their equipment and taking off… that’s what happened, that’s simply what happened,” he said during the interview.
“No, I don’t think it could have been handled in a way that, we’re going to go back in hindsight and look, but the idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” Biden also said.
Afghanistan fell into turmoil after the Taliban seized power in the country by capturing a city by city in just 10 days. Since the fall of Kabul over the weekend, scenes of chaos have unfolded as thousands tried to flee, fearing a return to the brutal regime of the Taliban that ended 20 years ago.
After the military takeover, the group has also seized huge amounts of weaponry, equipment and munitions from the Afghan armed forces, most of it supplied over the past two decades by the US.
Critics say that the US could have prevented the chaos in the country by handling the situation better or delaying the troop pullout. The Biden administration had long promised an “orderly drawdown” of America’s longest war, with the president saying US forces no longer have any national interest in fighting in a protracted conflict.
Earlier Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said that their mission in Afghanistan has been completed. “We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago, with one mission in mind, and that was to deal with the people who attacked us on 9/11 and that mission has been successful,” Blinken said.
The US entered Afghanistan in 2001 and ousted the Taliban who were ruling the country since 1996.
US troops in Afghanistan. (File Photo DoD_IANS)
Troops to stay till all Americans out, says Biden
Biden has committed to keeping US troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means maintaining a military presence there beyond his August 31 deadline for withdrawal.
“US is committed to getting every American out of Afghanistan — even if it means potentially extending the mission beyond his August 31 deadline for a total withdrawal,” Biden said in an exclusive interview with American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
Biden’s pledge came as 5,000 people were evacuated from Kabul’s airport and armed members of the Taliban kept some Afghans desperate to leave the country from reaching the airfield.
On Sunday, the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and his government collapsed.
Like many other countries, the US started evacuating its nationals and some Afghans with links to foreign governments and organisations.
The US government has said that thousands of American citizens, locals embassy staff and their families, as well as other “vulnerable Afghan nationals” will be airlifted in the coming days.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley outlined the dangerous situation on the ground in Afghanistan, saying US troops are “at-risk” and that they need to be the nation’s main focus.
He, however, said that the security situation at the airport is currently stable, but there are threats and they are being monitored.
Members of the Taliban opened fire on people rallying in support of the Afghan national flag in the eastern Nangarhar province…reports Asian Lite News
Several people have been shot dead in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan by the Taliban during rallies supporting the Afghan national flag, as per reports.
Members of the Taliban opened fire on people rallying in support of the Afghan national flag in the eastern Nangarhar province, Sputnik reported. At least two people were killed and 12 others were injured after the Taliban opened fire on the protesters.
Al Jazeera reported that at least two people were killed and 12 were injured in the Jalalabad clashes. The report said that clashes erupted after hundreds of Afghan people took to the streets to show support for the national flag.
There is a big campaign underway in Afghanistan seeking retention of the Afghan national flag.
Earlier, a number of youngsters had gathered in Kunar province of Afghanistan demanding the Taliban to let the Afghan government flag fly over the country.
Afghan media reported that there is a vast campaign on social media demanding the Afghanistan Islamic Emirate to maintain the Afghan flag while others suggest a joint flag of both.
Meanwhile, a number of women gathered in Kabul demanding a share in the upcoming government. The women asked the power holders not to forget them in the upcoming regime.
The women though did not name the Taliban directly; this is apparently a rare move in Afghanistan where the Taliban have grappled control of nearly the entire country, reports said.
Meanwhile, Taliban have captured the US military’s biometric devices compromising crucial data of the US army and the local Afghans who played crucial roles during the war, a media report said on Wednesday.
The devices, known as HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, were seized last week during the Taliban’s offensive, according to a Joint Special Operations Command official and three former US military personnel, all of whom worried that sensitive data they contain could be used by the Taliban, America’s The Intercept reported.
These devices contain iris scans, fingerprints, and biological information. These data are used to access larger databases. However, it remains unclear that how much data has been compromised.
These devices also contain biometric data of those Afghans who helped the US during the war. Now, the Taliban might use these data to identify and target innocent Afghans.
“We processed thousands of locals a day, had to ID, sweep for suicide vests, weapons, intel gathering, etc.” a U.S. military contractor explained. “(HIIDE) was used as a biometric ID tool to help ID locals working for the coalition,” The Intercept quoted an unnamed US official as saying.
Afghanistan flag(Pic credit wikipedia)
White House believes that the Taliban won’t return US weapons that it captured from Afghan forces, National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.
Sullivan added that the Biden administration believes that a “fair amount” of the weapons that the US gave to Afghanistan are in the possession of the Taliban, and they don’t expect they will be returned to the US.
“We don’t have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defence materials has gone but certainly, a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban, and obviously, we don’t have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport,” he added.
The terror group took control over Afghanistan on Sunday after entering the presidential palace in Kabul. The Taliban leaders are discussing future government plans in Doha and are in touch with the international community and intra-Afghan parties to make government in Afghanistan.
The world is closely watching the unfolding situation in Afghanistan as the countries have scrambled to evacuate its citizen from Afghanistan in an attempt to secure their people. (IANS/ANI)
Earlier on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said that the international deployment in Afghanistan was “disappointing,” urging countries to learn lessons from the failure in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News
“Scenes of despair at Kabul airport are shameful for the political West,” Steinmeier said in a statement.
World leaders, political commentators and foreign affairs experts have joined the international chorus denouncing the US policy in Afghanistan, under which a 20-year military deployment suddenly came to a chaotic end on Sunday.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said that the sudden downfall of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s swift takeover has cast a “long shadow” over the West’s efforts to build a stable and lasting community, the Xinhua news agency reported.
“Scenes of despair at Kabul airport are shameful for the political West,” Steinmeier said in a statement.
The “failure” of the West’s years-long efforts in Afghanistan “raises questions about the past and future of our foreign policy and military engagement”, he said.
Earlier on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said that the international deployment in Afghanistan was “disappointing,” urging countries to learn lessons from the failure in Afghanistan.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “a responsible and united response” within the United Nations Security Council on Afghanistan where the Taliban has regained power, warning against the risk of irregular migration flows to Europe caused by the destabilization of Afghanistan.
In an interview with Parlamentni Listy newspaper on Tuesday, Czech President described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as cowardice and a dramatic failure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), warning of intensifying mistrust within NATO of the legitimacy of the US existence as a so-called world leader.
“It has been rather catastrophic. It has been a long-term commitment for 20 years to make a better Afghanistan,” former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt told Swedish Television.
Describing the US withdrawal as “unforgivable,” Bildt questioned the move, saying that he was surprised by “the lack of preparation, the fact that one or the other knew what was going to happen.”
French President Emmanuel Macron
In an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, David Criekemans, professor of international politics at the University of Antwerp in Belgium accused US President Joe Biden of making a monumental mistake in withdrawing all US military troops from Afghanistan.
“President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all military forces is simply the West’s biggest strategic mistake since the turn of the century,” he said.
French national daily Le Monde has listed “the painful questions after the mistakes in Afghanistan”.
“US President Joe Biden, by decreeing a military withdrawal from Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, put an end to a double error. On one hand, the West had no reason to deploy in Afghanistan in 2002, the year following the victory of the anti-Taliban forces — one does not occupy militarily a country where there is no longer an enemy to fight,” it wrote.
“On the other hand, their very presence served as a magnet for the Taliban to resume the fight, fueling an Afghan civil war that did not exist at the end of 2001,” said Le Monde.
“Now that the Taliban have reconquered Kabul and will exercise power, there are only painful questions left,” it said.
Newspaper Le Figaro quoted congressmen who criticized Biden for his failure to plan the withdrawal, now a humiliating failure being played out in front of cameras around the world.
“This is an absolute disaster, of epic proportions;” “Joe Biden has blood on his hands;” “The very fact that we did not even succeed in securing the civilian area of Kabul airport speaks volumes about our moral and operational shortcomings,” the congressmen was quoted as saying.
Peter Neumann, a German political scientist at King’s College London, told state broadcaster ARD that the Taliban was often presented as a terrorist organization but neglected as a Pashto militant deeply rooted in the local religious and social establishment, whose support has been always there.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there was a need for “an honest, clear-eyed assessment of NATO’s own engagement in Afghanistan”, adding that the collapse was “swift and sudden.”
“Despite our considerable investment and sacrifice over two decades, the collapse was swift and sudden. There are many lessons to be learned,” said Stoltenberg.
The Ummat goes on to mention that “The Taliban will have to gradually introduce Sharia Law in Afghanistan and a government based on true Islamic teachings of Fair practices and Justice”….reports Asian Lite News
The developments in Afghanistan continue to receive favourable comments from various religious leaders and Islamic organisations in Pakistan in support of the Taliban.
The daily Ummat (an Urdu daily) reported that “Afghan Taliban’s victory is undoubtedly a victory of the entire Muslim Ummah which is overwhelmed by the success of Taliban over infidels”. Interestingly the paper goes on to mention that “Muslims from Kashmir to Gaza are celebrating Taliban’s victory by distributing sweets and greeting each other to express their happiness”. The daily further mentions “There is no doubt that defeating superpowers and their forty allies besides compelling them to kneel down and beg for negotiations was not possible without the support of Almighty and his angels. Taliban have made it clear that they do not want to hurt anyone and are urging everyone to stay calm and continue with their daily routine”.
The Ummat goes on to mention that “The Taliban will have to gradually introduce Sharia Law in Afghanistan and a government based on true Islamic teachings of Fair practices and Justice”.
Meanwhile, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in his greetings to the Afghan Taliban on their victory in Afghanistan, has assured every kind of cooperation. He said that the “Afghan people and Muslim Ummah in particular deserve big kudos for the way Taliban have got their country freed from global forces with Almighty’s help and after putting in colossal sacrifices in the process”.
He further mentioned that “We view Taliban’s new system in Afghanistan with high esteem”.
Former provincial Minister and Senior Vice President of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Mir Abdul Karim Nausherwani welcomed the establishment of the Taliban government in Afghanistan and said that “Victory of Taliban is the victory of Islam. At last, truth won the war which was started 200 years ago by the tyrant king of Afghanistan Abdul Rahman and now ended with the fall of Ashraf Ghani, who was an agent and friend of Modi”.
He added that “The Taliban brushed aside the conspiracies of both Modi and Ashraf Ghani. We hope that the Taliban will run the country according to Islamic rules and maintain good relations with Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Arab Emirates and China”.
Stay engaged with Taliban: PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who has publically endorsed the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan said that his country is reaching out to all “Afghan leaders” and urged other countries to “stay engaged”, to economically support people in the war-ravaged country
Khan who on Tuesday received telephone calls from his British counterpart, Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted the positive role that Pakistan played in facilitating the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations and others from Afghanistan, Dawn reported.
He also underlined that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward, during his conversation, it further reported.
Apart from the Afghanistan issue, Khan also highlighted the extensive measures taken by Pakistan to contain COVID-19 and said relevant data had been shared with the UK and called for the removal of Pakistan from the red list of the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took a jibe at Khan over the current situation in Afghanistan and said that country could not afford any more U-turns regarding the neighbouring country.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that EU will cooperate with any future Afghan government only if it respects the fundamental rights of all Afghans and prevents the use of Afghanistan’s territory by “terrorist organisations”.
Pakistan has been globally accused of sheltering the Taliban in the country. (IANS/ANI)
The EAM also met Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets and as “UNSC members, discussed our working together on maritime and cyber security and other global issues….reports Asiajn Lite News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is currently visiting the UN on Tuesday discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan during his bilateral meetings with his counterparts from different countries and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Jaishankar arrived in New York on Monday as the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, the second time in just over the 10 days that the powerful UN body met under India’s Presidency for the month of August to discuss the unravelling situation in the war-torn country.
Following his meeting with Guterres in the UN headquarters on Tuesday, the minister tweeted, “Good to meet UN Secretary General @antonioguterres. Our discussions focused on Afghanistan, following upon the Security Council meeting yesterday.”
The EAM also met Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets and as “UNSC members, discussed our working together on maritime and cyber security and other global issues. Exchanged views on the developments in Afghanistan. Look forward to her presence at the Council meeting tomorrow.”
Liimets described her meeting with Jaishankar as “important” and said in a tweet that they talked about the “uncertain” situation in Afghanistan and India’s first UNSC Presidency.
“Good cooperation between Estonia and India, this year celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations,” she added.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar will chair two high-level signature events this week under India’s current Security Council Presidency. As India assumed the Presidency of the 15-nation Council for the month of August, it had outlined maritime security, counter-terrorism and peacekeeping as the focus areas.
The minister will chair an open debate Wednesday on technology and peacekeeping under the overarching theme of ‘Protecting the Protectors’.
He will lay a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial in a ceremony along with Guterres. India and the UN will exchange an MoU in support of partnership for technology in peacekeeping.
Jaishankar will also chair a high-level event on August 19 on counter-terrorism during which the Council will discuss the Secretary General’s six-monthly report on the threat posed by ISIL/Da’esh, under the agenda item ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts’. (India News Network)
There were reports that Ghani had fled the country to Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, while others indicated that he was in Oman, trying to escape to US, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in UAE has confirmed that the Arab nation has welcomed Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds.
“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
There were reports that Ghani had fled the country to Tajikistan or Uzbekistan, while others indicated that he was in Oman, trying to escape to US, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on Sunday.
Russia’s diplomatic mission in Kabul had alleged that Ghani had fled the country with vehicles full of cash.
The embassy had said that Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency had reported.
Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA: “Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac.”
Ischenko confirmed his comments to a global news wire, citing “witnesses” as the source of his information, Al Jazeera reported.
Afghanistan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi had in a tweet lamented in an apparent reference to Ghani and his associates that they “tied our hands behind our backs and sold the homeland, damn the rich man and his gang”.
Visa for Aid Workers
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, today announced that the UAE would offer Golden Visas to charity and humanitarian aid workers in recognition of their efforts and sacrifices.
The announcement made by Sheikh Mohammed to provide long-term residence visas to humanitarian workers was made on World Humanitarian Day, commemorated every year on 19th August to honour the work done by humanitarian workers and remember those who lost their lives working for humanitarian causes.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said, “On World Humanitarian Day, we pay tribute to the selfless heroes in the UAE, as one of the world’s largest humanitarian hubs, to support charity and aid professionals who have dedicated their lives to improving the welfare of underprivileged.”
He added, “Aid workers are ambassadors of the UAE and role models instilling pride in us all. Giving is embedded in the fabric of Emirati society and culture, and we aspire to be the most vibrant humanitarian destination in the next fifty years.”
“The UAE has always led impactful humanitarian initiatives and empowered those implementing them, and in the year of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, it aspires to become a world leader of humanitarian efforts in the next five decades.”
“Having always paid tribute to hope makers, the UAE extends its commitment to global cooperation to include the humanitarian sector’s pioneers, groups, specialists and workers, so that the UAE can become a second home to these individuals.”
The move to grant the Golden Visa to outstanding charity and humanitarian workers residing in the UAE provides them with a safe haven to continue their work. It will also enhance their ability to communicate with local, regional and global charity and humanitarian organisations, from the most digitally advanced and connected places on the planet.
The institutionalisation of humanitarian work is a significant addition to the UAE’s track record of charitable and humanitarian work and is represented by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), which was established in 2015 to form a support umbrella for a set of initiatives and institutions launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during the past decade.
During 2020, the MBRGI’s philanthropic work reach 83 million people in 82 countries, where a total of AED1.2 billion in aid was distributed to those in need. Today, it includes dozens of initiatives and institutions that carry out humanitarian work programs around the world.
They fall under five pillars: Humanitarian and Relief Aid, Health Care and Disease Control, Spreading Education and Knowledge, Future Innovation and Leadership, and Empowering Communities.
In 2020, the total humanitarian and relief aid provided by the MBRGI amounted to AED382 million, while the number of beneficiaries reached 34.8 million people.
Meanwhile, MBRGI’s Healthcare and Disease Control pillar allocated AED49.6 million in 2020 to implement therapeutic and preventive initiatives and campaigns, which helped 38,000 people.
The work of MBRGI’s Spreading Education and Knowledge pillar reached 45.5 million people in 2020, with spending on various initiatives, projects and programs amounting to AED265 million.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ pillar for Future Innovation and Leadership allocated AED440 million, with 1.3 million people benefitting from its activities.
The Community Empowerment pillar allocated AED79.5 million to various projects, initiatives and programs, benefiting 1.1 million people in 2020.
The country’s humanitarian operations, through the Emirates Red Crescent, reach more than 100 countries annually to provide messages of love, peace, relief and help to those in need. The relief programmes and operations of the authority include vital areas such as health, education, social services, environment, water and infrastructure projects.
In order to consolidate the principle of human solidarity in times of crisis, the “100 Million Meals” campaign, the largest of its kind in the region, helped feed those in need in 30 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.
The campaign was implemented by MBRGI in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the Food Banking Regional Network, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, in addition to a number of charity and relief institutions and groups in the countries covered by the campaign. Over the Holy Month of Ramadan, the campaign collected contributions equivalent to 216 million meals, through multiple donation channels from more than 385,000 donors from the business community, as well as many government and private institutions.
Intl. Aid
Sheikh Mohammed pointed to the UAE having established Dubai International Humanitarian City (IHC) in 2011 as an example of its efforts to lead humanitarian causes. The largest humanitarian destination in the world, IHC is a non-profit, independent, humanitarian free zone authority that hosts over 80 members comprising of UN organisations, non-profits and non-government organisations, and commercial companies.
He concluded, “Not only is the UAE an economic hub, it is also a humanitarian one nowadays.”
The theme for this year’s United Nations World Humanitarian Day is “Race for Humanity” and “Supporting the Real Heroes”. It calls for the international community to support workers in the relief and humanitarian fields by providing them with a safe and supportive environment.
The Taliban is responsible for 2,978 civilian casualties (917 killed, and 2,061 injured) in the first six months of 2021. The war tactics by the Taliban include the use of IEDs, rocket fires, target killing, and ground battles
Today more than ever, there is an urgent need for volunteers, charity workers and humanitarian work. UN figures indicate that there will be 235 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection by the time 2021 is out, with the rate needing humanitarian assistance reaching one person in every 33 around the world.
The UAE has been supporting communities and countries across the globe through development projects and humanitarian response to disasters and crises, to sustain stability and prosperity in collaboration with regional and international partners and UN agencies working in the humanitarian and development fields, where the volume of UAE’s foreign aid amounted to AED320 billion across 201 countries since the UAE was founded.
In recent years, the UAE has consolidated its position as a world leader in immediate crisis and disaster response. The level of humanitarian aid provided by the UAE throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic amounted to 2,154 metric tonnes of medical aid, respiratory and examination devices and personal protection equipment.
Furthermore, aid was sent to 117 countries from the warehouses of international organisations located in the Dubai’s IHC, while the UAE organised 196 trips to transport medical aid, with six field hospitals established in Sudan, Guinea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Lebanon and Jordan, and a mobile clinic in Turkmenistan.
The Golden Visa system allows its beneficiaries in the UAE – including expatriates and their families who wish to come to work, live and study in the country – to enjoy long-term residency.
The UAE implemented the Golden Visa system in 2018. It included the granting of a long-term residence visa, for 5 or 10 years, which is automatically renewed for people who fall into any of certain categories including investors, doctors, entrepreneurs, scientists, creators, inventors, researchers in various branches of science, technology and innovation, and outstanding students.
US Treasury has taken steps to prevent cash reserves managed by the Federal Reserve and other US banks out of the hands of the Taliban…reports Asian Lite News
After Kabul fell into the hands of the Taliban, the US is taking steps to keep cash away from the Taliban.
US Treasury has taken steps to prevent cash reserves managed by the Federal Reserve and other US banks out of the hands of the Taliban, officials told CNN.
CNN reported earlier this week that the abrupt collapse of the Afghanistan government on Sunday had raised questions from several veterans of previous administrations about assets of the Afghan Central Bank and whether any of the money could end up in the hands of the Taliban.
The “vast majority” of the Afghan Central Bank assets are not held in Afghanistan, a US official familiar with the matter told CNN. The assets in the US have been essentially blocked by the reach of the Taliban.
Separately, a Biden administration official said on Sunday that any assets the Afghan government has in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban.
Meanwhile, the White House believes that the Taliban won’t return the US weapons that it captured from Afghan forces.
During a press conference in Washington, Sullivan said the Biden administration believes that a “fair amount” of the weapons that the US gave to Afghanistan are in the possession of the Taliban, and they don’t expect they will be returned to the US.
“We don’t have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defence materials has gone but certainly, a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban, and obviously, we don’t have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport,” he added.
The terror group took control over Afghanistan on Sunday after entering the presidential palace in Kabul.
The Taliban leaders are discussing future government plans in Doha and are in touch with the international community and intra-Afghan parties to form government in Afghanistan.
The world is closely watching the unfolding situation in Afghanistan as the countries have scrambled to evacuate its citizen from Afghanistan in an attempt to secure their people. (ANI)
