Category: Afghanistan

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan PAKISTAN

‘Pakistan prefers ‘debilitated’ Afghanistan’

Fabien Baussart, the President of Center of Political and Foreign Affairs blamed Pakistan for supporting Taliban groups and allowing them to operate from its soil…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan has taken no concrete action to prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Afghanistan as it wants to keep the war-torn country “feeble, debilitated and divided”, said Fabien Baussart, the President of Center of Political and Foreign Affairs.

In an opinion piece in Times of Israel, Baussart writes that Pakistan intended to use the suppressed and subjugated Afghanistan for geopolitical gains, which echoes views from the conflict-ridden country.

Baussart said Afghanistan is worried that Pakistan is still supporting Taliban groups and allowing terror groups to operate from its soil.

Afghan Ambassador to the UN Ghulam Isaczai said on Friday said the Afghan government is prepared to provide the United Nations Security Council with material evidence in support of its claim that Pakistan is ensuring a supply chain to the Taliban.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpurvBk1_Zk

Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

Over the last few weeks, the Taliban have captured several districts in Afghanistan including Takhar, the country’s northeastern province.

Afghan officials accused Pakistan of providing air support to the Taliban.

ALSO READ: Pakistan continues to aid Taliban war machine: Afghanistan

Last month, the Afghan Foreign Ministry accused Pakistani notorious spy agency — ISI of abetting Taliban and training terrorists.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani too lambasted Pakistan for not severing its ties with terrorist organisations groups and said that according to intelligence reports over 10,000 ‘jihadi’ fighters had entered Afghanistan in the last month.

He added that the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government had failed to convince the Taliban to “negotiate seriously” in the ongoing peace talks.

A UN report said that terrorists from a variety of countries including Pakistan continue to operate in Afghanistan.

The 28th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said that Pakistan-based terror group TTP has maintained ties with the Taliban as about 6,000 of its terrorists are on the Afghan side of the border.

Despite ample evidence that suggests the contrary, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his country was neither “responsible” for the actions of the Taliban. “What the Taliban are doing or are not doing has nothing to do with us. We are neither responsible nor the spokesperson for the Taliban.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan Draws Flak For Funding Taliban

ALSO READ: ‘Taliban eyes looting in Nimroz, not governance’

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

‘Taliban eye looting in Nimroz, not governance’

Many videos were released following the fall of Zaranj to the Taliban showing people carrying equipment as they took them out of government institutions…reports Asian Lite News

After the Taliban took over the city of Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province, it started the “policy of looting’ showing the world that it has no plan for governance.”

Some people flocked to loot public property from government institutions in the city of Zaranj after it fell on Friday, sparking a strong reaction from residents of other provinces, as well as, religious scholars, reported Tolo News.

“This shows the Taliban has no plan for governance or for providing service to the people,” presidential adviser Shahussain Murtazawi said. “This time, Talibs are following the policy of looting.”

“I have already mentioned that if the Taliban had the will to build, they should first come up with peace, sit with Afghans and build this country together,” Zabul provincial council’s chairman Ata Jan Haq Bayan said.

Many videos were released following the fall of Zaranj to the Taliban showing people carrying equipment as they took them out of government institutions, including the governor’s compound.

Another footage from Zaranj shows prisoners escaping the main provincial prison. A similar scenario happened in Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan in northern Afghanistan, after it fell to the Taliban on Saturday, reported Tolo News.

ALSO READ: Pakistan continues to aid Taliban war machine: Afghanistan

Religious scholars also condemned indifference to the protection of public property by the people.

“Wasting public property is forbidden. Anyone who takes over public property must protect it and must prevent its waste,” said Mawlawi Abdul Wadood, a religious scholar.

Ordinary Afghans asked the warring parties to protect public property in areas under their control.

“Looting public property is a war crime. It is inhuman,” said Kamran, a Kabul resident.

“Public property such as government buildings and bridges should be protected,” said Rashid Farhang, a Takhar resident.

According to government findings, the Taliban either torched or destroyed 260 government buildings and assets in 116 districts.

In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan Draws Flak For Funding Taliban
ALSO READ: Afghan civilian casualties up by 80% amid Taliban surge
Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Afghan civilian casualties up by 80% amid Taliban surge

Afghanistan Pic credit ANI

According to the local press reports, last week was the deadliest so far this year as far as 101 civilians were killed and 516 others injured in 29 attacks in 12 provinces…reports Asian Lite News

Amid the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan post US drawdown, there has been 80 per cent spike in civilian casualties as compared to last year.

According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission report in the first six months of 2021, 1,677 civilians were killed and 3,644 others injured. This casualty figure is 80 per cent higher compared to civilian casualties that happened in the corresponding period last year, reported Pajhwok Afghan News.

Last week, 101 civilians were killed and 516 others injured in 29 attacks in 12 provinces — Helmand, Kandahar, Herat, Kabul, Maidan Wardak, Balkh, Kapisa, Zabul, Nangarhar, Takhar, Badakhshan and Uruzgan.

According to Pajhwok Afghan News, weekly casualties’ reports, last week was the deadliest so far this year as far as civilian casualties are concerned.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has demanded a halt to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and the resumption of peace talks amid escalating violence and increasing civilian casualties.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative Deborah Lyons said: “Ahead lies either a genuine peace negotiation or a tragically intertwined set of crises: an increasingly brutal conflict combined with an acute humanitarian situation and multiplying human rights abuses.”

ALSO READ: Pakistan continues to aid Taliban war machine: Afghanistan

Lyons, who also heads UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), urged the UN Security Council to work to prevent Afghanistan from descending into a catastrophic situation.

She believed the Security Council and the broader international community could help prevent the direst scenarios. But quick and unified action would be required, she explained.

She demanded sanctions on Taliban leadership should be linked with genuine progress in peace talks.

The UNSC said the council will not support political structure in the name of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban rule) in Afghanistan again. The UN body also expressed its concern over reports of growing human rights violations in Afghanistan, reported Pajhwok Afghan News.

International efforts for peace and ceasefire are underway at a time when the conflict has intensified in Afghanistan.

Besides scattered fighting nationwide, the Taliban and Afghan forces fought heavily in the capitals of Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Jawzjan and Herat provinces.

According to the latest reports, Zaranj, the capital city of Nimroz province, and Shiberghan, the provincial capital of Jawzjan, had fallen to the Taliban while fighting is underway currently in Helmand’s capital Lashkargah, Kandahar City and Sar-e-Pul City. (ANI)

ALSO READ: US urges citizens to immediately leave Afghanistan
ALSO READ: India urges UN to decide actions in Afghanistan
Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Pakistan Draws Flak For Funding Taliban

Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping

Pakistan-based terror outfits have extended their support to the Taliban in Afghanistan. About 6,000 militants of Tehreek-i- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are fighting along with the Taliban in Afghanistan … writes Fabien Baussart

People in Afghanistan had celebrated and danced on the roads after they heard that Hamid Gul, former head of the Pakistani spy agency- Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was dead. Gul was responsible for not allowing any government to succeed after 1980’s Afghan War and helped emerge Taliban movement, which threw the country in perpetual war and caused a great misery.

Despite sharing many religious and cultural heritage, majority of Afghani population loathe Pakistan and its people. Even today Pakistan has found to be still supporting Taliban groups and allowing terror groups to operate from its soil. It has worried every Afghanistan about possible damages it can do to the security forces’ ongoing fight against the Talibani militants.

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

The withdrawal of the US troops has put the Afghanistan government under tremendous pressure as the Taliban, which intends to rule the country again, is pushing the frontline deep into the urban areas. To make it worse, Pakistan-based terror outfits have extended their support to the Taliban in Afghanistan. About 6,000 militants of Tehreek-i- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are fighting along with the Taliban in Afghanistan, revealed a report by United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The report said the TTP supports the Afghan Taliban militarily inside Afghanistan against Afghan Army. “The total number of Pakistani foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, posing a threat to both countries, is estimated at between 6,000 and 6,500, most of them with TTP,” the report said. The TTP has taken support of Islam to join the Taliban to defeat the current Afghan government. If the Taliban succeeds, the democratic setup will be gone and human rights will take a backseat.

Now the Afghanistan government has blamed Pakistan’s ISI for helping terrorist groups to set up training camps in Eastern provinces of Afghanistan and also in recruitment. According to reports, besides the TTP, other Pakistan- based terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar Islam, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Jamaat ul Ahrar, Tanzim ul Badr and Lashkar Jangawi have joined hands with the radical Islamist forces. Their presence was reported from the provinces of Kunar, Nooristan and Nangarhar, Ghazani, Logar, Khost, Paktia, Kandahar, Zabul and Helmand. Highlighting the Pakistani establishment’s role, Afghanistan’s first Vice President Amrullah Saleh openly called Pakistan’s army “architect and strategic master” of the ongoing terror invasion of Afghanistan. “The propaganda stunts will not change the reality and improve Pakistan’s image in my country. The reality is that Pakistan Army is the architect, strategic master and low profile supplier of the ongoing full-scale terror invasion in my country,” he said.

Afghanistan often criticises Pakistan for reportedly assisting the Taliban. Earlier in July, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani too slammed Islamabad for supporting terrorist organisations when Pakistan Prime Minister was listening to him at an international conference in Tashkent. He said Pakistan had failed to take action against forces supporting the Taliban, which “are openly celebrating the destruction of the assets and capabilities of the Afghan people and State.” Over 10,000 jihadi militants crossed over to Afghanistan from Pakistan in just a month, he added.

The deaths of civilians due to offensive attacks by Taliban and Pakistan-supported militants has seen an unprecedented surge. According to a UN body, as many as 5,183 civilian casualties (1,659 killed and 3,524 injured) were reported in the first half of 2021, which registered 47 percent increase compared with the same period in the previous year. However, the rise has been acute since the US began pulling out its troops. “Of serious concern is the acute rise in the number of civilians killed and injured in the period from 1 May, with almost as many civilian casualties in the May-June period as recorded in the entire preceding four months,” reads a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Enraged over Pakistan’s role in the deterioration situation in their country, Afghani people have been holding protests inside Afghanistan as well as abroad. Expressing anger over the infiltration of terrorists from across Pakistan, scores of Afghani people staged agitations in front of the Pakistan Embassy in London. They carried banners and raised anti-Pakistan slogans. Afghanistan has been asking Pakistan for years to stop the infiltration of jihadi. However, Pakistan has taken no concrete action. There is a general feeling that Pakistan wants to keep Afghanistan feeble, debilitated and divided. Pakistan intended to use the suppressed and subjugated Afghanistan for geopolitical gains, echoes views from the conflict-ridden country.

 (Fabien Baussart is the President of CPFA (Center of Political and Foreign Affairs)

READ MORE: India urges UN to decide actions in Afghanistan

READ MORE: Taliban threat looms over Afghan resources worth USD 1 trillion

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan India News

India urges UN to decide actions in Afghanistan

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador T S Tirumurti says the international community cannot afford to set the clock back, reports Asian Lite News

India will continue to “stand with Afghanistan in ensuring peace and stability is restored” there, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador T S Tirumurti said at a Security Council meeting.

He stressed that the future of Afghanistan can’t be its past and that terrorist safe havens in the region must be dismantled immediately and terrorist supply chains disrupted. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN said in a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan.

He emphasized that it is time for the UN Security Council to decide on actions to ensure immediate cessation of violence in that country.

“As a neighbour of Afghanistan, the current situation prevailing in the country is of great concern to us. The violence shows no sign of abating,” Ambasador T S Tirumurti said.

Such statements came before the UNSC, under the current presidency of India. The UNSC held a meeting to discuss the Afghan situation amid increasing military offensives by the Taliban as the US forces withdrew from the war-ravaged country.

He said the international community cannot afford to set the clock back. “The future of Afghanistan cannot be its past.”

“It needs to be ensured that Afghanistan’s neighbours and the region are not threatened by terrorism, separatism and extremism. There needs to be zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Tirumurti said.

“It is equally important to ensure that the territory of Afghanistan is not used by terrorist groups to threaten or attack any other country. Those providing material and financial support to terrorist entities must be held accountable.”

Tirumurti said it is “time for the international community and, in particular, this Council to take stock of the situation, and decide on actions” that would help bring a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and ensure an immediate cessation of violence.

“Anything short of this will constitute a serious threat to regional peace and security,” he said.

“Necessary to ensure that the Taliban engage in negotiations in good faith, eschew the path of violence, sever ties with al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, and fully commit itself towards reaching a political settlement,” Tirumurti said

Afghanistan says Pakistan aiding ‘Taliban war machine’

Meanwhile, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of assisting the “Taliban war machine” which has launched an all-out attack on the Afghanistan government as the US is pulling out of the country and warned about the activities of organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operating in conjunction with the Taliban.

Addressing a Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, that country’s Permanent Representative Ghulam Isaczai said: “The Taliban continues to enjoy a safe haven and supply and logistic line extended to their war machine from Pakistan” in defiance of the Council’s 1988 demand.

Isaczai said: “Graphic reports and videos of Taliban fighters congregating close to the Durand Line (marking the boundary between the two countries) to enter Afghanistan, fundraising events, transfer of dead bodies for mass burial, and treatment of injured Taliban in Pakistan hospitals are emerging and are widely available.”

“This is not only a naked violation of the 1988 UN Security Council resolution with sanction regime, but also leads to further erosion of trust and confidence towards establishing a collaborative relationship with Pakistan to work to end the war in Afghanistan,” he added.

“We urge Pakistan to help with removing and dismantling of Taliban sanctuaries and supply lines and establish with us, a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to make the fight against terrorism and international efforts for peace effective,” he said.

ALSO READ-US urges citizens to immediately leave Afghanistan

READ MORE-Pakistan continues to aid Taliban war machine: Afghanistan

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan USA

US urges citizens to immediately leave Afghanistan

Afghan security force members set on a military vehicle during a military operation in Jawzjan province. (Xinhua/Mohammad Jan Aria/IANS)

Heavy fighting between Afghanistan security forces and the Taliban in the city of Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province, continued for a second consecutive day on Saturday, reports Asian Lite News

The US on Saturday asked its citizens to leave war-torn Afghanistan as the Taliban intensified its attacks in recent days.

“The US urges its citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul,” the US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement.

Earlier at a media briefing on Friday, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the US is “closely tracking” and is “concerned about” retaliatory killings of civilians in Afghanistan.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua/IANS)

“If the Taliban claim to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek. They do not have to stay on this trajectory. They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they are to their military campaign,” Afghanistan’s TOLO News quoted Psaki as saying.

Since the foreign troops started leaving Afghanistan, the Taliban had been extensively fighting with the Afghan government in an attempt to gain control of key areas.

Heavy fighting in Sheberghan

Heavy fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in the city of Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province, continued for a second consecutive day on Saturday.

Since the fighting started on Thursday, the Taliban has so far captured some key areas, including the provincial prison, said a TOLO News report.

Afghanistan

Some key areas in the city remained contested for the last 24 hours.

The Taliban took over the provincial Governor’s compound on Friday, but it was re-taken by Afghan forces.

However, sources have said that Taliban recaptured the compound and a municipality building.

The security forces are being supported by public forces loyal to Junbish-e-Milli or the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan led by former Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum.

At least 150 members of the public uprising forces loyal to Junbish and led by Commander Ali Sarwar have arrived in Sheberghan to help other forces on the ground, TOLO News quoted a senior official as saying.

Afghan security force members take part in a military operation against Taliban in Khwaja Khar district of Takhar province, Afghanistan

Dostum’s son Yar Mohammad is leading the public uprising forces.

This latest development comes as the UN chief in Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons on Friday asked the Taliban to stop attacking Afghanistan’s provincial capitals.

The group took over Zaranj city, the capital of Nimroz province, on Friday that was the first province to fall to the Taliban since the announcement of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. (ANI/IANS)

ALSO READ – Pakistan continues to aid Taliban war machine: Afghanistan

ALSO READ – Britons in Afghanistan advised to leave immediately

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Pakistan continues to aid Taliban war machine: Afghanistan

Permanent Representative Ghulam Isaczai said: “The Taliban continues to enjoy a safe haven and supply and logistic line extended to their war machine from Pakistan”, reports Arul Louis

Afghanistan on Friday accused Pakistan of assisting the “Taliban war machine” which has launched an all-out attack on the Afghanistan government as the US is pulling out of the country and warned about the activities of organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operating in conjunction with the Taliban.

Addressing a Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, that country’s Permanent Representative Ghulam Isaczai said: “The Taliban continues to enjoy a safe haven and supply and logistic line extended to their war machine from Pakistan” in defiance of the Council’s 1988 demand.

India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti, who presided over the meeting, said: “Those providing material and financial support to terrorist entities must be held accountable.”

Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative Ghulam Isaczai speaks to reporters outside the United Nations Security Council on Friday, August 6, 2021. (Photo: Arul Louis/IANS)

Speaking in his national capacity, he expressed support for Afghanistan’s position. Without naming Pakistan, he said: “For enduring peace in Afghanistan, terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries in the region must be dismantled immediately and terrorist supply chains disrupted.”

Isaczai said: “Graphic reports and videos of Taliban fighters congregating close to the Durand Line (marking the boundary between the two countries) to enter Afghanistan, fundraising events, transfer of dead bodies for mass burial, and treatment of injured Taliban in Pakistan hospitals are emerging and are widely available.”

“This is not only a naked violation of the 1988 UN Security Council resolution with sanction regime, but also leads to further erosion of trust and confidence towards establishing a collaborative relationship with Pakistan to work to end the war in Afghanistan,” he added.

“We urge Pakistan to help with removing and dismantling of Taliban sanctuaries and supply lines and establish with us, a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to make the fight against terrorism and international efforts for peace effective,” he said.

Taliban
Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Kunar province, Afghanistan. (Xinhua_Emran Waak_IANS)

Isaczai warned of a return to Afghanistan being overrun by foreign fighters threatening peace in the region and beyond.

He said that more than 10,000 foreign fighters belonging to 20 international terrorist organisations were active in the country under the auspices of the Taliban.

He named the LeT, a Pakistan-affiliated group that attacks India, as one of those terrorist outfits.

During the meeting all the Council members, including China, warned against the Afghanistan again turning into an international hub of terrorism.

The meeting took place on a day when Dawa Khan Menapal, the head of information for the Afghan government was killed in a Taliban attack and the group appeared to have scored a significant victory by taking over Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, warned at the start of the meeting that Aghanistan could descend “into a situation of catastrophe so serious that it would have few, if any, parallels this century”.

She said that the Council and the international community can prevent this from happening by acting quickly and with unity.

“In the past weeks, the war in Afghanistan has entered a new, deadlier, and more destructive phase. The Taliban campaign during June and July to capture rural areas has achieved significant territorial gains,” she said.

She said that situation similar to that prevailing in civil war-wracked Syria now or in Sarajevo earlier could develop in Afghanistan.

If urban warfare develops in Afghanistan, she said, it will “inflict daily miseries when basic infrastructure such as electricity and water networks are damaged”.

She warned that “These tactics may amount to serious violation of international humanitarian law for which individuals can be held accountable and may quickly amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

The agreement between Washington and the Taliban paving the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan had given optimism that violence would be reduced, but that has not happened.

“Instead, despite significant concessions for peace, we have seen a 50 per cent increase in civilian casualties with the certainty of many more as cities are attacked,” Lyons said.

ALSO READ – Britons in Afghanistan advised to leave immediately

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan UK News

Britons in Afghanistan advised to leave immediately

UK Foreign Office has warned that specific methods of terrorist attacks are evolving and there is a high threat of kidnapping throughout Afghanistan, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Amid a surge in violence by Taliban in Afghanistan post US drawdown, the United Kingdom on Friday (local time) advised its citizens to leave the country because of the “worsening security situation”.

The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) released Afghanistan travel advice and said, “all British nationals in Afghanistan are advised to leave now by commercial means because of the worsening security situation.”

It added that the UK citizens should contact the embassy to confirm their departure plans.

“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Specific methods of attack are evolving and increasing in sophistication. You should note an overall increased threat to Western interests in Kabul. There is a high threat of kidnapping throughout the country,” FCDO said in a statement.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

On Friday, the Taliban killed Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghanistan’s government media centre in the capital Kabul, just days after an assassination attempt on the country’s acting defence minister.

Earlier this week, a Taliban bombing attack targeted Afghanistan’s acting defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.

However, Afghanistan acting Defence Minister later informed that he and his family are safe following a “terrorist attack” on his residence in Kabul.

ALSO READ – Taliban threat looms over Afghan resources worth $1 trillion

The Taliban has increased their attacks against civilians, Afghan defence, and security forces.

In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

At risk journalists will be relocated

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Afghan journalists who work for the British media will be allowed to relocate to the UK if they are under “imminent threat” from the Taliban.

Afghanistan
Afghan soldiers patrol with their military vehicles during an operation in Almar district of Faryab province, northern Afghanistan. (Xinhua_Azorda) (zjy_IANS)

In a letter to UK media organisations, Dominic Raab said cases would be considered “on an exceptional basis”, the BBC reported.

The news outlets in UK had earlier urged No 10 to treat Afghan journalists the same as the British Army’s Afghan interpreters. It comes as top Afghan media officer was killed by the Taliban on Friday.

Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghanistan’s media and information centre, was shot dead as he was leaving a mosque in his car in the Afghan capital of Kabul. The Taliban said he had been “punished for his deeds”.

Meanwhile, the United States on Friday strongly condemned the assassination of Dawa Khan.

Speaking at the press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “On behalf of the government, I strongly condemn the assassination of Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghan govt media information centre. His murder follows the bombing attack in Kabul earlier this week that targeted the acting Afghan Defence minister.”

Dawa Khan had served as head of the Afghan government’s media wing in Kandahar in 2015 and worked as deputy presidential spokesman from 2016 to 2020.

“If Tabilan claims to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek. They don’t have to stay on this trajectory. They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they’re to their military campaign,” Psaki said.

“We strongly urge them to do so. This is what Afghan people so urgently need, deserve after decades of war. It is very much in Afghanistan’s neighbours interest to invest renewed energy into a peace process that promotes a peaceful Afghanistan and stable region,” she added. (ANI)

ALSO READ – Protest Against Pakistan’s Proxy War in Afghanistan

ALSO READ – Ankara cannot bank upon Islamabad for its interests in Afghanistan

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan

Taliban’s strategy switch is in response to US strikes

Experts have said the loss of Kandahar and Herat, Afghanistan’s second- and third-largest cities by population, would be a major blow to the government…reports Asian Lite news

The Taliban is stepping up its attack on provincial cities in response to the increasing airstrikes by the US as fighting has escalated in Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, according to a report on Friday.

Experts have said the loss of Kandahar and Herat, Afghanistan’s second- and third-largest cities by population, would be a major blow to the government. According to them, it could potentially trigger major realignments in favour of the Taliban.

“Mullah Yaqoob argued that when the US didn’t fulfil their commitment why should Taliban be made to follow the accord?” one of the commanders, based in Kandahar, told Reuters on the condition of anonymity. The commander was referring to the Taliban’s military chief.

“Mullah Yaqoob has decided to capture Kandahar and Herat and now Helmand and then it could be Kunduz, Khost or any other province,” the commander said.

The commander also said that Yaqoob’s arguments had won over the group’s political office. “The operations in Kandahar and Herat are very much important to us and our priority is to capture the two crucial airports or airbases in Kandahar and Herat,” the Taliban commander in Kandahar said.

However, Taliban negotiator Suhail Shaheen told Reuters the group was continuing its policy of seizing control of rural areas in Afghanistan and implementing Islamic Sharia there, rather than focusing on cities.

Officials and experts said the signs of a change in strategy was seen in July. “The main evidence is the extent of their breach of these cities. Fighting is not limited to the peripheries anymore,” Asfandyar Mir, a South Asia analyst from Stanford University, told Reuters. “This switch in Taliban strategy has been formalised after Eid, though Taliban forces were putting serious pressure on Kandahar even before Eid,” Mir added.

The Taliban’s offensive has gone up since April when US President Joe Biden announced troops would withdraw by September. Herat, Kandahar and Lashkar Gar have seen sustained attacks by the Taliban and scores of civilians have been killed in these areas.

The violence by the Taliban continues unabated in Afghanistan as several videos and images on social media showed those injured, including children. A girl is seen in a video on Twitter with injuries on her forehead and blood on her blouse after a roadside blast triggered by the Taliban. Her father was killed when they were on their way to a pharmacy, the user claimed.

ALSO READ: Taliban threat looms over Afghan resources worth USD 1 trillion

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Taliban threat looms over Afghan resources worth USD 1 trillion

These natural resources of Afghanistan are the biggest hope for the country to flourish its economy…reports Asian Lite News

Afghanistan possesses a vast amount of intact mines and natural resources that amount to nearly USD1trillion and the Taliban could take unfavourable advantage of these resources, The Khaama Press reported.

Based on a geological investigation conducted ten years ago in the US, it has been estimated that the total worth of Afghanistan’s mines and natural resources is USD1000 billion.

The Taliban have been benefiting from the illegal excavation of mines in Badakhshan province. The group is currently mining silver and gold, which are some of the most important natural resources of Afghanistan, it said.

As per the local residents of Badakhshan province, the Taliban have been excavating one ounce of gold in 180 different areas every day which is worth 18 thousand AFN.

Mine

Meanwhile, several mines including Baghlan mines, Helmand mines Herat mines and Badghis mines are under the Taliban’s control.

These natural resources of Afghanistan are the biggest hope for the country to flourish its economy,

Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

Nationwide, the Taliban controls 223 districts, with 116 contested and the government holding 68, according to the Long War Journal, whose calculations tally with CNN’s estimates. It says 17 of 34 provincial capitals are directly threatened by the Taliban. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Ankara cannot bank upon Islamabad for its interests in Afghanistan

ALSO READ: Protest Against Pakistan’s Proxy War in Afghanistan