Category: Afghanistan

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303 Taliban militants killed in 24 hours

The Afghan Air Forces also targeted Taliban terrorists in the Dehdadi district of Balkh province on Thursday….reports Asian Lite News

At least 303 Taliban terrorists were killed and 125 others suffered injuries as a result of Afghan forces operation in several provinces in Afghanistan during the last 24 hours, the Afghan defense ministry said on Thursday.

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) carried out operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Ghazni, Paktika, Kandahar, Zabul, Herat, Jowzjan, Samangan, Faryab, Sar-e Pol, Helmand, Nimruz, Kunduz, Baghlan and Kapisa provinces during the last 24 hours.

Giving out the details of the operations conducted by the Afghan forces, the Defence Ministry said 16 Talibs terrorists were killed and 10 others wounded in airstrikes conducted by the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in Dand district and the outskirts of Kandahar provincial center.

The Afghan Air Forces also targeted Taliban terrorists in the Dehdadi district of Balkh province on Thursday.

“Tens of Talib terrorists were killed and wounded and their hideout was destroyed as a result of the airstrike,” the ministry tweeted.

The ministry also shared the videos of the two airstrikes.

In Baghlan province, the ministry said that the forces killed 23 Taliban terrorists, and 4 others suffered injuries. Some amount of their weapons and ammunition were destroyed.

Meanwhile, 60 Taliban terrorists were neutralized and 11 others wounded in operations conducted by the ANSF with support from the AAF at the outskirts of Zabul provincial center, yesterday.

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.

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.

Afghanistan

Thousands rally across Afghanistan

Thousands of Afghans came out on the streets in a show of support for Afghan forces fighting the Taliban and chanted ‘Allahu Akbar’ in unison.

The rallying cry, which first began in Herat, has now spread to other parts of the nation. It has become the symbol of support of security forces and protest of Taliban terrorists, TOLOnews reported.

In the latest waves of support, Afghans in Kapisa, Baghlan, Nuristan and Sar-e-Pul provinces chanted the slogan.

On Tuesday night, thousands of people rallied while chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ to oppose the Taliban offensive and support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) on the streets of Kabul.

With thousands were seen protesting on the streets of Kabul, scores of others including women and children were roaring the chants of Allahu Akbar from their rooftops and the remaining were raising slogans using the loudspeakers of mosques.

Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in eastern Afghanistan and Khost in southeastern Afghanistan also witnessed rallies raising ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogans in support of ANDSF and opposing the Taliban.

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

“The people of Balkhab are always ready, they will act against all aggressors including the Taliban,” said a resident in Sar-e-Pul province.

“We will defend the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Constitution,” said a resident in Samangan.

“It indicates that the people support ANDSDF and they are tired of the war, this is totally a people’s movement,” said Fawad Raiskhel, a resident in Kabul.

“The people, by chanting the slogan of ‘Allahu Akbar,’ want to show that they are tired of the war and they support their security forces,” said Idris Feda, a resident in Kabul.

The civilian’s support for security forces comes in the wake of the Taliban offensive. The Taliban has intensified attacks on security forces and civilians as they are making advances in the cities.

Several cities in Afghanistan including LaksharGah, Kandahar, and Herat city are witnessing intense fighting. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Russia cites India’s ‘lack of influence’ over Taliban for not inviting it for troika talks

ALSO READ: Veteran Diplomat’s Comments On Taliban Irks Pakistan

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Ankara cannot bank upon Islamabad for its interests in Afghanistan

A clash between the Taliban and Turkish forces will be inevitable should Erdogan keep his troops in Kabul and treat a potential Taliban regime as an occupation force….reports Asian Lite News

Turkey is likely to tap Pakistan as it has the most leverage over the Taliban after the terrorist group responded ferociously over Ankara’s decision to guard Kabul International Airport.

Erik Khzmalyan, writing in Asia Times said that Turkey’s move to secure the Kabul Airport is to mend Ankara’s deteriorated relationship with Washington by providing a security umbrella to the remaining American personnel.

The Taliban had earlier called on Turkey’s military presence at Kabul airport “reprehensible” and warned of dire “consequences” after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last month that his nation’s troops would continue to secure the airport in Afghanistan.

Post-US drawdown from Afghanistan, Taliban brutal offensives has led the country to the brink of civil war. The fighting in major Afghan cities including Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat is ongoing, the group control much of the rural area including the strategically important regions near Pakistan and Iran.

A clash between the Taliban and Turkish forces will be inevitable should Erdogan keep his troops in Kabul and treat a potential Taliban regime as an occupation force.

To avoid a major escalation and pressure the Taliban to tolerate the Turkish presence, Ankara will likely tap Pakistan, which has the most leverage over the terrorist organization, says Khzmalyan.

Pakistan has close relations with Turkey, and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is believed to be courting the Taliban and other terrorist groups.

While it is plausible that Islamabad is ready to back Ankara with intelligence and troop transportation, it is unlikely to throw its full weight behind Erdogan, says Khzmalyan.

For Pakistan, it is essential to maintain a delicate balance vis-a-vis the Taliban. To be sure, a political victory by the Taliban would mean that mostly pro-Pakistan Pashtuns once again control Kabul.

However, the Pakistani authorities cannot be ignorant of the dangers that such a victory might produce.

For instance, emboldened Afghan Taliban could galvanize their radical affiliates within Pakistan and push for greater influence in the country, causing a headache for the Pakistani military, reported Asia Times.

As the Wilson Center’s Michael Kugelman attests, the Taliban enjoy much popularity in Pakistan and are seen as a viable alternative to the current government in Kabul.

Rise of Taliban in Afghanistan

Alternatively, by antagonizing the Taliban and openly siding with Turkey, Pakistan would lose its much-cherished position as a middleman between the militant organization and the West.

Furthermore, to have a say in the future of post-American Afghanistan, Islamabad cannot afford to alienate the Taliban terrorists that are currently on the offensive.

No less important are the prevalent impressions within the Pakistani establishment regarding the US involvement in Afghanistan, says Khzmalyan.

Traditionally Islamabad has been quite suspicious of Washington’s intentions and often refused to share useful intelligence to assist the coalition forces.

The deep-seated fear in Islamabad is that Washington might take advantage of the shared intelligence and use it against Pakistan in future negotiations. This fear has been exacerbated by Washington’s improved relations with India, reported Asia Times.

For example, the US played a central role in providing New Delhi with intelligence after the devastating Mumbai attacks in 2008. The terrorist plot originated in Pakistan and was orchestrated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, another terrorist group with links to Pakistani intelligence.

Additionally, the covert operation led by US Special Forces that eliminated Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad was another embarrassing episode for Pakistani intelligence.

The Taliban are determined to push all foreign forces out and will only negotiate once they fully control Afghanistan. Pakistan knows that the Taliban are a tough nut to crack and for all the aforementioned reasons will refrain from investing much in the US-Turkish project.

If Erdogan backtracks, he will hand the terrorists a tactical victory. Should Ankara and Washington fail to reach an agreement, it will create another layer of tension between the NATO allies, opined Khzmalyan. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Protest Against Pakistan’s Proxy War in Afghanistan
ALSO READ: ‘Taliban takeover will turn Afghanistan into pariah’
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Veteran Diplomat’s Comments On Taliban Irks Pakistan

Christopher Alexander Pic @Wikipedia

CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER: “The quickest, most cost-effective way to bring peace to Afghanistan would not take more fighting or more troops: it requires only the political will to sanction this proxy war’s sponsors.”

As Taliban’s military advances into Afghanistan cause widespread alarm, a prominent Canadian diplomat-turned-politician with deep knowledge of the Afghanistan scene has spoken up on Pakistan’s “proxy war”, enough to anger Islamabad.

“After 20 years of hard effort, the path to a ceasefire and enduring peace in Afghanistan requires collective action, by the U.S. and its allies, to end Pakistan’s proxy war,” Christopher (Chris) Alexander, Canada’s first envoy to Kabul who later became a lawmaker and minister, has said, inviting Islamabad’s wrathful rejection of his comments.

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 quickest, most cost-effective way to bring peace to Afghanistan would not take more fighting or more troops: it requires only the political will to sanction this proxy war’s sponsors.

To meet the current challenge, Alexander urges the world community to act unitedly to stop the Pakistan-sponsored Taliban campaign.

“Pakistan should be on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) black list. Afghanistan can only be portrayed as an “endless war” – a Vietnam-like sinkhole for lives and billions – by those who ignore this last major obstacle to peace. The only “forever war” has been ISI’s decades of aggression in Afghanistan.”

“By avoiding this issue, we have prolonged Afghanistan’s agony and emboldened the delusive few eager to notch another superpower defeat on their belts” he writes in The Hill journal.

“There will be no peace in Afghanistan unless and until Pakistan stops its covert proxy war in Afghanistan. This link needs to be broken,” Alexander said.

“Taliban as a fighting force are not welcome in Afghanistan. They are illegitimate, what they are doing is illegal, it is terrorism, they target civilians, it is tragic. But, we do need the Taliban to be sincere about the peace process, to lay down their arms and to turn over a new leaf,” he said.

Alexander has been calling the Afghan Taliban as ‘proxies’ of Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). “Why, almost two decades after 9/11, is the ISI still waging this proxy war? For one, they are obsessed with India: for Rawalpindi’s zero-sum military planners, a Taliban-free Afghanistan would be a dangerous playground for their arch-rival,” he writes.

Alexander is not with the Justin Trudeau Government, his voice is heard with respect, and may have Ottawa’s nod. A liberal, Trudeau has been pursuing an inclusive policy at home towards religious minorities. However, Islamabad is incensed with Ottawa for some recent violence targeting Pakistan-origin Muslim Canadians and accuses Canadians of ‘Islamophobia.’

Christopher Alexander Pic @Wikipedia

The real peeve that remains unstated, is the investigation into the role Tahawwur Husain Rana, a Pakistan-born doctor-businessman, who facilitated funds and travels of David Coleman Hadley who paved the path for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Canada is cooperating with the US into the probe.

Canada was active in fighting the “war on terror” in the region along with the NATO allies from end-2001 to 2014.

As for Alexander, he should know the Afghanistan-Pakistan scene. He spent 18 years in the Canadian Foreign Service, and served as Canada’s first resident Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. Following this he served as a Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan till 2009.

His comments that have riled Islamabad are not new in that they appeared in an article in The Hill in March this year. He has since been since giving interviews and is airing his views on the social media.

He traces the ISI’s role in Afghanistan 1970s onwards, through the anti-Soviet Jihad, support to the Mujahideen, then to the Taliban and all through the “war on terror” campaign and the hosting of Al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. “Even after the al Qaeda kingpin was killed in 2011 on Pakistani soil, ISI proxies moved aggressively to re-take territory lost in Afghanistan during the Obama surge. Pakistan’s proxy war has been an open secret ever since.”  

Of the ISI’s role in the region, Alexander writes: “In Afghanistan alone, ISI’s proxy war since 2001 has killed over 124,000 people.”

The angry rejection of Alexander’s views by the Pakistan Foreign Office has been ridiculed by sections of the Pakistani media who say the government is trying to hide its support to the Taliban, which is an open secret.

In an opinion piece in Dawn (July 31, 20210), titled “Who Messed Up Afghanistan?” Pakistani analyst Pervez Hoodbhoy writes that right from the 1970s, “Pakistan’s Afghan policy single-mindedly centred on the quest for strategic depth against India. And so for decades the Taliban leadership, fighters and their families were provided residence, healthcare, and protection by Pakistan. No one believes us when we claim otherwise.”

Pakistan’s security analysts also have expressed views that do not support the government line. Ahmed Rashid, a prominent Afghanistan expert, told DW, the German media outlet in an interview that the chaotic situation in Afghanistan “can suck in the neighbouring countries.”

 “If that happens, that will be the end of Afghanistan,” he said. He also said the Taliban would not engage in a dialogue with Ghani’s government “as long as the Pakistani military and intelligence continue to give them sanctuary.”

“Why should they when their leaders and their families are safe? If Pakistan wants to show its sincerity, it needs to immediately force the Taliban leaders to either compromise or leave their sanctuaries in Quetta or in Peshawar,” Rashid said.

Ayesha Siddiqa, a prominent Pakistani security analyst and strategic affairs expert, told DW that Pakistan’s military generals “are confused and divided between their hope that they will manage the Taliban and a realization that not everything will be under their control.”

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

READ MORE: ‘Taliban takeover will turn Afghanistan into pariah’

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Russia cites India’s ‘lack of influence’ over Taliban for not inviting it for troika talks

India has not been invited to the extended troika talks on Afghanistan convened by Russia set to be held on August 11…reports Sanjeev Sharma

The giveaway came on July 20. Only the aftermath is evident now. Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, had made it clear on July 20 in Moscow that India cannot participate in the format of the expanded group of three because it did not have any influence on the Taliban.

India has not been invited to the extended troika talks on Afghanistan convened by Russia set to be held on August 11.

“The format of the ‘Extended Troika’ with the participation of Russia, along with the US, China and Pakistan is convened exclusively to facilitate the launch of the intra-Afghan talks leading to national accord. Only countries that have an unequivocal influence on both sides [of the conflict] participate,” the envoy explained, Tass reported.

Additionally, the contradictions of India and Pakistan are being projected on the situation in Afghanistan.

“The Indians suspect the Pakistanis of striving to use Afghanistan as a strategic rear. The Pakistanis suspect India of wanting to use Afghan territories to harm Pakistan’s interests. This is their affair. As they say, a plague on both your houses,” Kabulov said.

“India’s future efforts, in a more expanded format, will only be welcomed. This expanded format will involve Afghanistan’s post-conflict development. Here, India’s clout and its role are rather significant,” he specified at an online discussion of the international Valdai discussion club.

Russian Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman, Alexander Bikantov, announced the new troika meeting on August 11 in Doha.

“Against this background, we continue to seek from all parties in Afghanistan the launch of substantive peace talks. With this aim, the participation of Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department, Zamir Kabulov, is planned in a new meeting of the expanded trio (Russia, the US, China and Pakistan) in Doha, scheduled for August 11,” he added.

In March, Andrey Serenko, Russian political expert on Afghanistan, had criticised Russia for not inviting India to the meeting, stressing that India is a very influential stakeholder and the meeting will not be “inclusive” without it.

ALSO READ: Regional terror outfits join Taliban war

A report by The Atlantic Council said the US withdrawal and potential power vacuum that results in the region will allow Russia to establish a geopolitical foothold in Afghanistan.

For this purpose, it has already started building relationships with Afghan political factions. Russia still sees itself as a regional hegemon and views the US departure as an opportunity to revitalise its role and expand its power by building alliances in the region, particularly with China.

It added that Beijing’s major interest of securing economic gains can be achieved by using Afghanistan’s position as a regional connector in either the Belt and Road Initiative or the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Afghanistan

In addition, since 2007, China has been seeking ways to extract Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth, which requires security and transportation infrastructure.

None of this is possible without a stable Afghanistan, so China is still assessing the political landscape in Afghanistan, looking at what it can gain from a peace deal.

Following the rule of “enemy of my enemy is my friend”, both Beijing and Moscow are eager to undermine Washington. China and Russia are now more aligned than they’ve been since the mid-1950s.

These countries will expand their political outreach to the region through bilateral and trilateral agreements, well aware that historically, romances among global powers do not last for long.

For now, both Beijing and Moscow will maintain a presence in Afghanistan to prevent the potential threats that instability in the country could pose to their security.

In March, Russian observers, such as Serenko and Sergey Strokan and Elena Chernenko, writing for Kommersant daily, had criticised Moscow for jeopardising its traditional good relations with India by not inviting it to the extended troika meeting, pushing India closer to the US, which plans to invite India to the Istanbul conference.

ALSO READ: ‘Taliban takeover will turn Afghanistan into pariah’

ALSO READ: Taliban shoots 21-year old for not wearing veil

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UK PM urged to grant special visas to Afghan staff at risk

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

A coalition of UK news organisations on Wednesday wrote a letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, demanding to provide special visas to “Afghan staff who have worked for the British media so that they and their families can leave Afghanistan.”

The letter, jointly sent by twenty prominent media outlets, urged to provide special visas to Afghan staff who helped British media in covering the on-ground reality of Afghanistan and are now at risk of persecution by the Taliban, Sputnik news reported.

“With that in mind, we write to you to highlight the urgent need for a special Afghan visa programme for Afghan staff who have worked for the British media so that they and their families can leave Afghanistan and find safety in the United Kingdom,” the letter said.

A week earlier, the US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to allot eight thousand more Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) to interpreters, contractors, and other vulnerable Afghans who have worked with the US army in the war-torn country.

The White House also plans to evacuate 750 SIV applicants and their family members who have completed security vetting to Fort Lee military base in Virginia while another four thousand applicants will be relocated to a safe third country where their paperwork will be reviewed.

Taliban (Pic credits ANI)

This comes in wake of the drawdown by foreign troops from the war-torn country.

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

The Taliban seized over 193 district centres and 19 border districts, according to the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

The Taliban have also taken control of 10 border crossing points across the country in Takhar, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Herat, and Farah provinces leading to the complete shutdown of cross-border movements and trade in these areas. (ANI)

ALSO READ-‘Taliban takeover will turn Afghanistan into pariah’

READ MORE-Protest Against Pakistan’s Proxy War in Afghanistan

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Protest Against Pakistan’s Proxy War in Afghanistan

“Pakistan’s diplomatic community is working hard painting & decorating a fictional image for Talibs. On the ground however Talibs 2.0 is nothing but an Afghan replica of IS-K & Al Qaeda, providing bases to foreign ‘good & bad terrorists’. The ‘good’ LeT is their buddies in allegiance”

Afghans across the world stage protest rallies against Pakistan’s proxy war in Afghanistan. Rallies held in Toronto, Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin, London.

Afghanistan’s First Vice President, Amrullah Saleh is clearly the pre-eminent face of the country’s leadership who is not mincing words against Pakistan and its leadership in fomenting trouble.

In a latest tweet, Saleh blamed Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for “once again speaking on behalf of Taliban”.

“Once again speaking on behalf of Taliban terrorists, the strategic proxy of his country in Afghanistan & the region, Foreign Minister Qureshi is louder. But can he explain where does he gets his confidence? When was the latest meeting of GHQ with Quetta Shura & HQN?” Saleh queried in a tweet on Sunday.

The tweet comes after Qureshi said that the Taliban would not allow the Islamic State (IS) militants to penetrate into their country.

All of Saleh’s messaging over the last few days and weeks is directly attacking Pakistan, the ISI, Pakistan Army and the Taliban.

In an earlier tweet he said: “Afghanistan is under a full scale invasion of Taliban terrorists who have an organised backing & sponsorship in Pakistan. It has to be tackled. Talibs use Doha office for deception. They have no intention to engage in meaningful negotiations.”

There have been calls to shut down the Taliban’s Doha office which is being used to garner legitimacy for its terrorism.

After a huge rally by Pashtuns in Waziristan which slammed Pakistan’s role in the proxy war in Afghnaistan, Saleh again attacked Pakistan for extortion.

“Pak used to portray Waziristan as a lawless tribal land sending fighters & terrorists to Afg. Give us 10 digit $$ & we will fix it, GHQ/ISI used to demand frm the West. Now an awakened Waziristan has crushed that falsehood & openly echoes Afghan voices. Higher lies fall harder,” he said in an earlier tweet.

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 First Vice President has also accused Pakistan of full scale invasion of Afghanistan.

“The propaganda stunts won’t change the reality & improve Pakistan’s image in my country. The reality is that Pakistan Army is the architect, strategic master & low profile supplier of the ongoing full scale terror invasion in my country. Forty second twitter clip won’t change the reality,” he tweeted.

Saleh also said that Taliban is a replica of the IS and Al Qaeda with links to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

“Pakistan’s diplomatic community is working hard painting & decorating a fictional image for Talibs. On the ground however Talibs 2.0 is nothing but an Afghan replica of IS-K & Al Qaeda, providing bases to foreign ‘good & bad terrorists’. The ‘good’ LeT is their buddies in allegiance.

“To this date no member of the Afghan intelligentsia, no business person other than opium sellers, former or current diplomat, no Afghan of reputation and dignity has joined the Talibs. None. The reason is simple. People are united against a Rawalpindi’s GHQ backed clerical dictatorship,” Saleh said while implying that Afghans are revisiting Rawalpindi’s dictatorship.

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Taliban shoots 21-year old for not wearing veil

21-year old Nazaneen, who was dragged out by the Taliban from a car while she was on her way to Balkh district centre in Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News

The Taliban terrorists shot a young girl while blaming her for not wearing a veil, an official said on Wednesday.

21-year old Nazaneen, who was dragged out by the Taliban from a car while she was on her way to Balkh district centre in Afghanistan, Afghanistan Times reported.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has denied these claims.

After capturing new areas in Afghanistan, the Taliban has re-imposed repressive laws and retrograde policies on Afghan women that defined its 1996-2001 rule when they enforced their version of Islamic Sharia law.

The Taliban is forcing women to cover themselves from head to toe, banned them from working outside the home, severely limited girls’ education, and required women to be accompanied by a male relative when they left their homes, wrote Bezhan and Sarwar.

In parts of Faryab, the Taliban has banned shops from selling goods to unaccompanied women. Residents said those who break the rules are often punished, including public beatings, another feature of the former rule of the Taliban, reported Gandhara. (ANI)

ALSO READ: ‘Taliban takeover will turn Afghanistan into pariah’
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‘Taliban takeover will turn Afghanistan into pariah’

Zalmay Khalilzad

US envoy reiterated that there is no military solution to the war and that there must be a “political solution for a lasting peace”….reports Asian Lite News.

The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has said that if the Taliban take over the country by force, they will not win international recognition and “they will become a pariah state”.

Speaking to VOA, Khalilzad said the United States remains committed to promoting a political settlement between warring Afghans, stressing that neither side to the conflict can win militarily.

As per media reports, according to him, the US-Taliban agreement, signed in Doha in February last year, provided the opportunity for Afghans to sit across the table — “a historic development” — to reach an agreement to agree on a formula that would have broad support in Afghanistan and international support as well.

Taliban creating havoc in Northern Afghanistan

“Unfortunately, the two sides have not taken advantage of that opportunity as quickly as we would have liked, as the Afghan people would have liked,” he said.

He reiterated that there is no military solution to the war and that there must be a “political solution, a political agreement for a lasting peace”.

ALSO READ: Public anger against Taliban grows in Afghanistan

He said in the US’ opinion, the Afghan government cannot get rid of the Taliban, “and the Taliban cannot conquer Afghanistan and have a government that has the support of the overwhelming majority of the Afghans and international support”.

He said while the Taliban tells the US they know there is no military solution, “may be some Taliban think there is a military solution to the conflict”.

Khalilzad said, “The wise thing is for both sides to engage seriously and quickly, urgently to respond to the wishes of the people of Afghanistan for a political agreement.”

He pointed out that history has shown, over the past 45 to 50 years, that attempts by one party to impose its will on the people only leads to war.

On Pakistan and its relations with the Taliban, he said: “Pakistan has a special role and responsibility, given also that many Taliban leaders are in Pakistan, located there, to do what it can to encourage peace and a political settlement as soon as possible, for it will be judged internationally also as to whether it has done all that it can or it could to promote a political settlement.”

He said peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest and that many Pakistani leaders have acknowledged this.

ALSO READ: Regional terror outfits join Taliban war
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UK Govt aims to relocate 2,500 Afghan translators, families

The pledge came after published criticism from senior defence figures, urging a review of the relocation scheme in the face of escalating violence in Afghanistan and threats to former local staff, reports Asian Lite News

The government said it aimed to resettle hundreds more Afghan translators and their families, after criticism from former military top brass it was not doing enough.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel said they were committed to relocating the families of 500 staff who supported British troops in Afghanistan “as soon as possible” – some 2,500 individuals in total.

The pledge came after published criticism from senior defence figures, urging a review of the relocation scheme in the face of escalating violence in Afghanistan and threats to former local staff.

“There has been considerable misreporting of the scheme in the media, feeding the impression the Government is not supporting our former and current Afghan staff,” Wallace and Patel wrote.

“This could not be further from the truth and since the US announced its withdrawal we have been at the forefront of nations relocating people,” they added.

In response to pressure following the announcement of a US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the UK accelerated its relocation scheme for Afghan local staff in May.

Since the expansion was announced, 1,400 Afghan staff and their families had been relocated, equalling the total number resettled in Britain since 2014.

Six former heads of the UK armed forces and other senior military figures voiced concern in a letter to The Times last week that Afghan staff had been rejected for relocation because of security concerns.

Often these individuals were deemed ineligible because they were dismissed from service.

The ministers asserted they needed to ensure a “balance between generosity and security” and would now offer relocation to 264 members of Afghan staff who were dismissed for a “relatively minor administrative offence”.

Of these, they said, 121 individuals in that category have already been offered relocation.

Home Secretary and The Defence Secretary visit Wretham Camp. Wretham Camp. Home Secretary Priti Patel and the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visit Eastmere Village a British Army training Village on Wretham Camp in Thetford, where the British Army train Afghan interpreters. Afghan interpreters who supported British Armed Forces on the frontline in Helmand Province will be able to move to the UK as part of an expanded relocation scheme announced by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

The Taliban on Wednesday claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s deadly bomb and gun attack on the capital, Kabul, amid a wider assault by the Islamist group on a string of provincial capitals.

Regular reprisals against Afghan and interpreters and their families have escalated as the Taliban have seized vast swathes of the countryside in the weeks following the withdrawal announcement.

As humanitarian displacement from the conflict increases, the UK also said it would make further changes to its rules to allow former Afghan staff and their families to make applications for relocation outside Afghanistan.

Taliban displeased with US visa offer to interpreters

Meanwhile, Taliban issued a statement condemning the United States government for offering visas to interpreters and other workers who previously allied with the US forces during their operations in the war-torn country.

“The offer of visas and encouragement to leave their home country by the US government to Afghans who worked with the American occupation as interpreters and in other sectors is plain interference in our country which the Islamic Emirate condemns,” the statement.

The group urged “the United States along with other countries to desist from such interventionist policies.” This comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced US refugee admissions for Afghan nationals on Monday.

As the US is merely weeks away from completing military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Blinken had said the State Department will resettle Afghans who assisted the United States, but who do not qualify for special immigrant visas.

Blinken had said that even as the US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the US will remain deeply engaged with the country. He had said Afghans who work with the US or the International Security Assistance Force at some point since 2001 are facing acute fears of persecution or retribution that will likely grow as coalition forces leave the country.

“We’ll continue to welcome Afghan immigrants and refugees as our neighbors in gratitude for helping us, despite the danger. We won’t forget it,” he had added. Earlier on Friday, the first group of 200 Afghans who helped US soldiers and diplomats in Afghanistan arrived in the US under Operation Allies Refuge. Friday’s arrival at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC, brought Afghan translators and close family members, including scores of children and infants to start a new life in the US.

ALSO READ-War in Afghanistan has sharpened challenges of terrorism: Jaishankar

READ MORE-Public anger against Taliban grows in Afghanistan

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Regional terror outfits join Taliban war

Afghan Foreign Minister reminded the global community that the danger of the ongoing war is not just limited to Afghanistan…reports Sanjeev Sharma

The Taliban attacks in Afghanistan were carried out in direct collusion with more than 10,000 regional terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other outfits.

Detailing the Taliban attacks in Afghanistan in recent months and their links to terrorist outfits, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said the terrorist organisations included Ansarullah, Jundallah, Al-Qaeda, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

In a meeting with the envoys of the neighbouring countries, United Nations, NATO and the European Union, Atmar said the Taliban’s war crimes were indescribable, referring to the massacre of more than 100 people in Spin Boldak, forced marriages, destruction of more than 300 public infrastructure, and suspension of services in the Taliban-controlled areas.

Atmar went on to say that the rise of Taliban’s bloody attacks in recent months had killed more than 3,000 people, displaced more than 300,000, and disrupted order and provision of services in half of the country’s districts. Currently, 18 million people face dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Atmar said press releases do not suffice, and the international community should give the Taliban a serious response in the upcoming Doha meetings.

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Atmar also reminded the global community that since international militants are busy fighting along with the Taliban, the danger of the ongoing war is not just limited to Afghanistan.

He said the Afghan government’s security plan would be charted out and implemented soon in coordination and support of all the political and social strata to strengthen the government’s positions at the strategic points and metropolitans.

He also highlighted the joint programme of the Afghan government and human rights organisations to document the Taliban’s crimes and hold them accountable worldwide.

Atmar elaborated on four areas of cooperation with the international community that included repelling Taliban’s attacks on metropolitan areas; preventing a human catastrophe and human rights abuses; accelerating the Afghan Peace Process; and lastly, implementing a six-month security programme.

During the meeting, the representatives of regional countries and the United Nations expressed their support for an immediate cessation of violence and strengthening the peace process.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said the attack on Herat and the UNAMA office showed that actions do not reflect commitments.

She added that this was not just Afghan’s struggle, but a struggle that all should pay serious attention to.

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