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US mission in Afghanistan failed: Russia

This remark comes amid stalled intra-Afghan negotiation and the Taliban’s growing grip over the war-torn country….reports Asian Lite News

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday said the mission of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan has failed and the situation in Afghanistan is not in control of the Ashraf Ghani government.

This remark comes amid stalled intra-Afghan negotiation and the Taliban’s growing grip over the war-torn country.

Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, Shoigu said the latest developments in Afghanistan’s border areas and “the massive exodus of Afghans” to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan prove that agreements between the US and the Taliban “are not being implemented”.

Sputnik quoted Shoigu as saying that the situation in Afghanistan “is rapidly deteriorating and is practically out of control of the authorities. Taliban already control most of the territory.”

An Afghan special force member attends a military operation against Taliban fighters in Kandak Anayat village of Kunduz city, Afghanistan, July 23, 2021. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

“Of particular concern is the strengthening of the positions of ISIS and other international terrorist organizations, which has led to an increase in the threat of their penetration into neighboring countries,” Shoigu added.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also at Dushanbe, met with his Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Dushanbe.

“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh met Minister of Defence of the Republic of Belarus Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Dushanbe, today,” said Bharat Bhushan Babu, Defence Ministry’s Principal Spokesperson.

Rajnath Singh is in Dushanbe to attend the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of member states. Singh’s address at the meeting is slated for today.

US will remain engaged

Even as the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan, they will remain engaged in Afghanistan, said Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State.

“We have not only a strong embassy there but also have important programmes that support the country economically through development and security assistance,” Blinken said at the end of talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in New Delhi.

The top US diplomat was responding to a question on Afghanistan as US troops pull out and the Taliban invade the cities amid concerns of deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan and fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

“We are very much engaged in the diplomacy of working to bring parties together at the table for the resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan,” added the US State Secretary.

“The Taliban says that it seeks international recognition, that it wants international support for Afghanistan, presumably, it wants its leaders to travel freely in the world and sanctions lifted, etc,” Blinken said, adding that violence is not the path to achieve their objective.

“Taking over the country by force and abusing the rights of the people is not the path to achieve those objectives. There is only one path and that is at the negotiation table to resolve the conflict peacefully,” he said.

Taliban have intensified their offensive against civilians, Afghan defence and security forces as foreign troops are withdrawing from the war-torn country. Over the last few weeks, they captured several districts in Afghanistan including Takhar, the country’s northeastern province. The extremist group issued diktats like ordering women to not leave home alone and men to grow their beards.

“The Taliban is making advances in district centres, there are reports of them committing atrocities in Afghanistan. It’s deeply troubling. It certainly doesn’t speak well about their intention for the country. We remain engaged in Afghanistan,” Blinken said.

Underlining the importance of peace negotiations in Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a joint press conference with Blinken, spoke against the unilateral “imposition of will” in the war-torn country while calling for preserving the gains made over the past two decades. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Afghanistan calls on Human Rights Council to probe Taliban’s atrocities

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Pashtuns gather in Pakistan for Afghan peace

Pakistan rally

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement has seen strong support of Pashtuns from neighbouring Afghanistan, which has an uneasy relationship with the government of Pakistan…reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

Social media is buzzing. A large gathering of Pashtun leaders is being held on July 27, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistans “wild west” on the issue of Afghanistan. Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a civil society group composed of ethnic Pashtuns living in Pakistan’s tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, and parts of Karachi, has organised the “jalsa” in support of the peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“MNA @mjdawar is inviting you all to attend the #PTM upcoming jalsa which will hold on 27th July in Makin S. Waziristan in order to show solidarity with the people of Afghanistan & to support the peace & stability in Afghanistan. #PTMMakinMarch4AfghanPeace”

The PTM has seen strong support of Pashtuns from neighbouring Afghanistan, which has an uneasy relationship with the government of Pakistan, amplified by a massive trust-deficit. The PTM leaders have criticized the Pakistani military establishment for terrorising Pashtuns.

The senior leader of the PTM and Member of Pakistani National Assembly says that the eminent jurists, lawyers, intellectuals are going to participate in the large gathering of all Pashtun leaders to discuss Afghanistan and consult for lasting peace in the country.

Mohsin Dawar has consistently spoken against the torture and killings of Pashtuns who are treated by the Pakistani authorities as “third-class citizens”. Dawar is an ardent critic of Pakistan and Taliban relations and their activities in Afghanistan.

About a fortnight ago, he tagged a video of Taliban leaders roaming freely in Quetta and posted on his twitter account.

ALSO READ: SPECIAL: World Must Stop Pak Proxy War in Afghanistan

“Taliban terrorists continue to roam freely in different parts of Pakistan including Quetta. Such brazenness is not possible without the state’s consent. Killers of Afghans and thousands of our people are being supported openly. We will continue to oppose such suicidal policies,” he said.

Dawar has been quite vocal against Pakistan’s policy towards the Taliban and Afghanistan.

“Despite losing thousands of Pakistanis, the State refuses to change its policies. Look at the way the Establishment controlled media is exaggerating Taliban achievements in Afghanistan. If Taliban are so dear to the Establishment, then why not select them for Pakistan as well,” in his speech in the National assembly earlier this month.

“Pakistan is once again repeating the mistakes that its military and political leaders of the past and present have lamented. Once again Pakistan is sowing the seeds in Afghanistan the fruits of which will be harvested here as well. #StopAfghanBloodshed before it’s too late,” he justified the allegations by the Afghan government on Pakistan fighting along with the Taliban inside Afghanistan.

“Taliban are exported to Afghanistan from here while the FM and President justify @AmrullahSaleh2’s claims about Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan with their statements. Dead bodies of Taliban fighters are brought back to Pakistan for burial. Taliban continue being supported openly.”

During a meeting with the Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, he raised the issue of “forced disappearances” in Balochistan and KP and the problem of Pashtuns but he was “threatened” by the military establishment and was told to “keep quiet.”

Over the last two years, PTM has been hitting the streets for the constitutional rights for Pashtuns living in Pakistani tribal areas. At 35 million, Pashtuns are the largest single ethnic group in Pakistan. The organisation has been organising peaceful protests demanding greater accountability from the Pakistani army, which has “waged” the war on terrorism as an excuse to kidnap, kill and intimidate citizens living in the northwest area.

“We demand an end to the Pakistani army’s support for the terrorists, who are now regrouping again,” he said in his last rally in January this year, “When the Pakistani regime recruits Pashtuns for war and terrorism, it considers us patriots. But when we ask for our rights, we are no longer even considered Pakistanis,” Dawar told the gathering.

Since Pakistani media have been ignoring them, the PTM has been extensively using social media to get messages out.

The PTM has been regarded by the Pashtuns, especially from the tribal belt, who have suffered a lot because of continued operations by the Pakistan Army in the pretext of fighting anti-state elements, as the true representative of their voice. They feel that as a social movement, PTM has been able to articulate their grievances well through peaceful sit-ins, protest marches, and enthusiastic use of all forms of media.

Over the years, Pakistan has carried out several military operations against armed groups, including the Taliban in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The region, which has been merged with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, has long been used as a base by the Taliban, the Haqqani network and other local and international armed terror groups, including al-Qaeda.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ: Afghanistan calls on Human Rights Council to probe Taliban’s atrocities

ALSO READ: Big blow to Pakistan as TTP eyes ‘Greater Afghanistan’

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Afghanistan calls on Human Rights Council to probe Taliban’s atrocities

Taliban

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan also called on the international community to prevent Taliban’s crimes against humanity…reports Sanjeev Sharma

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the recent Human Rights Watch and other verified independent sources’ report on documenting the Taliban’s violence and crimes, and “strongly condemns these reprehensible crimes”.

“The reports by verified independent resources and media indicate that the Taliban forces perpetrate in areas under their control unpardonable and prosecutable crimes, including illegal arrests, arbitral killings, torturing civilians, forced marriages, and violation of basic human rights, particularly women’s rights,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls on the international community, human rights agencies, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cooperate with the Afghan Government in preventing the Taliban’s organised atrocities and prosecution of the perpetrators to put an end to impunity in Afghanistan,” it added.

The Afghanistan government, while appreciating the independent verified international agencies’ efforts in confirming the Taliban’s non-compliance to their international commitments and the Doha Peace Agreement, stresses the need to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Human Rights Council and dispatching a fact-finding delegation to assess and follow up on the Taliban’s violations and crimes against humanity, it added.

An Afghan special force member attends a military operation against Taliban fighters in Kandak Anayat village of Kunduz city, Afghanistan, July 23, 2021. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

ALSO READ: Afghanistan to be key issue during Blinken’s India visit

IANS had reported that Taliban forces that have taken control of districts in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province have detained hundreds of residents whom they accuse of association with the government.

Human Rights Watch said the Taliban have reportedly killed some detainees, including relatives of provincial government officials and members of the police and army.

The watchdog said that after Taliban forces took control of Kandahar’s Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan on July 8, and the Spin Boldak district centre on July 16, they conducted searches to identify residents who have worked for the local government or security forces.

Taliban forces that control areas around Kandahar city have carried out similar searches and have evicted some residents.

Taliban have taken more than 300 people into custody and have detained them in unidentified locations.

“There are grave concerns that Taliban forces in Kandahar may commit further atrocities to retaliate against the government and security forces,” said Patricia Gossman, Associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Taliban leaders have denied responsibility for any abuses, but growing evidence of expulsions, arbitrary detentions, and killings in areas under their control are raising fears among the population.”

ALSO READ: Big blow to Pakistan as TTP eyes ‘Greater Afghanistan’

ALSO READ: SPECIAL: World Must Stop Pak Proxy War in Afghanistan

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Big blow to Pakistan as TTP eyes ‘Greater Afghanistan’

Pak Taliban to fight for Greater Afghanistan after fall of Kabul

Most elusive chief of UN designated terror organisation TTP, Noor Wali Mehsud already has a plan in place after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul…reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

Pakistan’s ‘joy’ over Taliban victories in Afghanistan maybe short-lived. Pakistani establishment’s situation can easily turn into a nightmare for the Afghan Taliban’s consolidation can unleash the deadly Tehreek e Taliban (TTP), Islamabad’s arch-foe. The TTP wants to establish Greater Afghanistan, which includes tribal areas of Pakistan.

“According to the teachings of Islam, victory of one Muslim necessarily helpful to another Muslim. How Taliban control of Afghanistan will help Pakistani Taliban, time will tell,” said the most elusive chief of UN designated terror organisation TTP Noor Wali Mehsud to CNN in an interview.

The dreaded militant leader has a plan in place after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. He told the channel that the TTP is fighting along with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but the group’s main “goal” is to have its “own” independent country.

“Our fight is only in Pakistan and we are at war with the Pakistani forces. We are firmly hoping to take control of Pakistani border regions and make them independent,” declared Mehsud from his unclosed hideout in Waziristan near the Durand Line, the disputed border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

TTP’s stated objectives are the expulsion of Islamabad’s influence in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan. Besides, the implementation of a strict interpretation of sharia throughout Pakistan, and the expulsion of Coalition troops from Afghanistan is part of the TTP’s playbook. TTP leaders also publicly say that the group seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Pakistan that would require the overthrow of the Pakistani Government. TTP has historically maintained close ties to senior al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama Bin Laden.

Noor Wali Mehsud seems eager to make TTP’s presence felt. Under his leadership, the group has already launched numerous provocative attacks. Shortly after the deaths of Mullah Fazlullah and his son in separate drone strikes in Afghanistan in March and June of 2018, respectively, TTP unleashed attacks against Pakistani politicians in July 2018.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan sees surge in atrocities, rights abuses as Taliban capture new areas

TTP rose to prominence in 2007, when Taliban factions fighting the state of Pakistan united under a single umbrella. In the 14 years since, TTP has carried out hundreds of attacks which have killed thousands of people in Pakistan. Despite sustained operations by Pakistani security forces, TTP remains intact and is still a potent security threat.

It seems any friend of the Pakistani government appears to be an enemy of the terrorist group.

Given China’s ambitious $62 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the TTP sees Beijing as a natural opponent and has waged war against Chinese interests in Pakistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. (File Photo: IANS)

“The TTP is targeting Pakistani Army personnel and CPEC and they are being bolstered by the Afghan Taliban, who want to show their power in territories on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to assert its power and influence,” says one Pakistani analyst.

Meanwhile, the growing popularity of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement PTM) is a matter of concern for the TTP and the Pakistani rulers.

PTM is a secular, democratic movement of young Pashtuns demanding restoration of peace and tranquillity in the tribal areas of restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. PTM holds Pakistan Army responsible for gross human rights violations in the garb of successive counter terrorist operations in the tribal areas.

On Tuesday, the PTM, which has strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, and parts of Karachi, organised the “jalsa” in support of the peace and stability in Afghanistan.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ: Taliban Meet ‘Friend China’

ALSO READ: Taliban attack on Afghan city thwarted

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Taliban Meet ‘Friend China’

Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Taliban’s chief negotiator and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar

The Taliban has said it sees China as a “friend” of Afghanistan and assured Beijing that it would not host Uyghur Islamic militants from the volatile Xinjiang province, which is a major worry for the Chinese government … reports Asian Lite News

China has been eying big scale investments in Afghanistan as the country has the world’s largest unexploited reserves of copper, coal, iron, gas, cobalt, mercury, gold, lithium and thorium, valued at over USD one trillion

When the whole world is in shock over the human rights abuses in Taliban controlled areas in Afghanistan, Communist China offers crucial support to the Taliban. Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets a high-level delegation led by Taliban’s chief negotiator and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in the northern city of Tianjin on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi with a high level delegation led by Taliban’s chief negotiator and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar at Tianjin.

Taliban spokesman says meeting in Tianjin covered political, economic and security issues as well as the peace process.

The Communist regime has pledged support for the Taliban’s role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction while demanding that it cuts ties with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement – blamed by Beijing for attacks in its Xinjiang region.

This was the first time a senior member of the Taliban had visited China since the capture of several key districts in Badakhshan and Kandahar provinces. Taliban fighters have taken control of around half the country up to its border with the Chinese region of Xinjiang, and US airstrikes continue to support Afghan security forces.

China has been eying big scale investments in Afghanistan as the country has the world’s largest unexploited reserves of copper, coal, iron, gas, cobalt, mercury, gold, lithium and thorium, valued at over USD one trillion.

In 2011, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) won a USD 400 million bid to drill three oil fields for 25 years, containing roughly 87 million barrels of oil. Chinese firms have also gained rights to mine copper at Mes Aynak in Logar province, according to the Post report.

China’s crackdown in Xinjiang, observers say, has exasperated the resentment among native Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The US, the EU and international human rights organisations have accused Beijing of committing genocide in the province.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Taliban’s chief negotiator and co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar

The 12th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN last month confirmed the presence of ETIM militants in Afghanistan.

”Politics, economy and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan and the peace process were discussed in the meetings,” Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem tweeted.

Baradar, who heads the Taliban’s political office in Qatar and has been the lead negotiator with the US, met Wang in the northern city of Tianjin, the South China Morning Post reported citing sources familiar with the arrangements.

The Taliban has said it sees China as a “friend” of Afghanistan and assured Beijing that it would not host Uyghur Islamic militants from the volatile Xinjiang province, which is a major worry for the Chinese government, according to a media report.

Beijing is concerned that under Taliban rule, Afghanistan will become a hub for the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a separatist outfit aligned to Al-Qaeda which is waging an insurgency in Xinjiang. The resource-rich Xinjiang shares about 80-km-long border with Afghanistan.

Playing down China’s concerns, the Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said they see China as a friend to Afghanistan and is hoping to talk to Beijing about investing in reconstruction work as soon as possible.

Suhail also said the Taliban would no longer allow China’s Uyghur separatist fighters from Xinjiang, some of whom had previously sought refuge in Afghanistan, to enter the country.

The Taliban would also prevent al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group from operating there, he said.

“We have been to China many times and we have good relations with them,” Suhail told Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, recalling the few meetings hosted by China in the past for Taliban delegations.

“China is a friendly country and we welcome it for reconstruction and developing Afghanistan, he said adding that “If (the Chinese) have investments, of course, we will ensure their safety,” Shaheen added.

Sharply critical of the US move to pull out its troops without stabilising the peace process in Afghanistan, China this week has asked its close ally Pakistan to step up cooperation to contain the security risks in the war-torn country following the withdrawal of the foreign forces.

“(China and Pakistan) need to defend regional peace together. Problems in Afghanistan are practical challenges that China and Pakistan both face,” especially the expansion of both international and regional terrorism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday addressing a meeting of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Pakistan.

The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) consists of several hundred members, located primarily in Badakhshan and neighbouring Afghan provinces,” the report submitted to the UN Security Council said.

The report said that large numbers of Al-Qaeda fighters and other foreign extremist elements aligned with the Taliban are located in various parts of Afghanistan.

READ MORE: Thousands displaced in Kandahar amid surge in violence

READ MORE: Anti-Pak sentiment growing among Afghan diaspora

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Thousands displaced in Kandahar amid surge in violence

The developments came soon after the Taliban toppled two Police Districts of Kandahar city…reports Asian Lite News

An average of over one hundred thousand people from 22,000 families has been displaced to secure areas of Kandahar city in Afghanistan according to survey cited by local journalists.

Tens of families have been settled in two local camps while many others are forced to live on the roads, The Khaama Press reported. In temperature now soaring above 40 centigrade, people in Kandahar are devoid of electricity, fuel price has been nearly doubled, academic institutions are shut and there are no mobile signals available, it reported citing local journalists.

“Residential areas and homes have been transformed into military bastions and are being used by both sides,” report said.

The developments came soon after the Taliban toppled two Police Districts of Kandahar city, people also warned that if the conflict continues with its current momentum, more people will displace which will lead to a humanitarian disaster in the strategic province of Kandahar, The Khaama Press reported.

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

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch informed that Taliban forces that have taken control of districts in Kandahar have detained hundreds of residents whom they accuse of association with the government. The Taliban have reportedly killed some detainees, including relatives of provincial government officials and members of the police and army.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of 2021 reached record levels with over 1,659 people killed and 3,254 others wounded, according to a UN agency.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan to be key issue during Blinken’s India visit

The rise is mainly due to a spike in violence in May that corresponded with the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

The UNAMA’s Afghanistan Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Midyear Update 2021 documents 5,183 civilian casualties, a 47 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2020.

The Taliban in a statement reacted to the number and dubbed it one-sided.

Key Taliban leader killed

Key member of Taliban Mullah Shafiq was killed in a clash with security forces in Afghanistan’s Jawzjan province, TOLO News reported citing an official.

A spokesperson for provincial governor Mohammad Reza Ghafoori said on Sunday that Mullah Shafiq was killed after he and his terrorists attacked security outposts at the Shebrghan-Mazar highway.

“Mullah Shafiq was involved in insurgency activities against government forces in Faizabad district in the province and he was trying to destabilise the district,” Ghafoori said.

However, the Taliban so far has not commented on the clash, reported TOLO News further. (ANI)

ALSO READ: SPECIAL: World Must Stop Pak Proxy War in Afghanistan

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Anti-Pak sentiment growing among Afghan diaspora

Taliban has intensified its offensive against civilians, Afghan defence and security forces as foreign forces are withdrawing from the war-torn country….reports Asian Lite News

Anti-Pakistan sentiments has been growing among the Afghan diaspora amid advances by Taliban in Afghanistan.

A Pakistan social media activist Akhunzada Mahmood Sayed was beaten by Afghan nationals in Riyadh on July 16 for posting pro-Pakistani material on social media.

The victim had lodged an FIR against Afghan individuals in the local police station.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Embassy in Saudi Arabia has approached the aggrieved party seeking an out of court settlement.

On July 21 after an Afghan national was beaten by some Pakistani community members in Riyadh, elders of the Pashtun community were invited to Pakistan Embassy to de-escalate the tension between the Pashtun community members and Afghan nationals residing in Saudi Arabia.

Taliban has intensified its offensive against civilians, Afghan defence and security forces as foreign forces are withdrawing from the war-torn country.

Moreover, the ties between the two sides have deteriorated since the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan was briefly kidnapped on her way home in Islamabad on July 16.

Thereafter, Kabul recalled its ambassador from Islamabad, demanding punishment for those responsible.

Since May, the Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan’s crucial border crossings with Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

The Taliban now claim to control about half of the country’s roughly 400 districts. However, verifying such claims is difficult.

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

Friendly parties turn foes

The Awami National Party and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, which were friendly earlier, have now turned foes with the former blaming the latter’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, for the killing of millions of Pakhtuns and bringing about anarchy.

The confrontation between the nationalist and religious parties started after Fazl, during a public meeting in South Waziristan tribal district on Sunday, felicitated the Afghan Taliban over their military gains in the country, Dawn reported.

“Why not congratulate [Afghan] Taliban as they have defeated the US in Afghanistan after 20 years of war? America and its allies (Nato) called them (Taliban) terrorists, but I always called them Mujahid and will do so in future as well,” the JUI-F chief told his supporters, including students of seminaries, in Makeen area of South Waziristan tribal district, reported Dawn.

He asked his critics to understand the JUI-F’s stand about the Afghan situation and said his party had been calling for dialogue among warring factions.

Fazl said he had urged the Afghan Taliban to come to the negotiating table despite the recent military gains.

Without naming the ANP, Fazl said some people were blindly following America’s policies in the region.

An Afghan special force member attends a military operation against Taliban fighters in Kandak Anayat village of Kunduz city, Afghanistan, July 23, 2021. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

“Don’t expect this from Fazlur Rehman,” he said, adding that nationalists should not teach him how to do politics.

Reacting to the statement of the JUI-F chief, ANP central secretary general Main Iftikhar Hussain said Fazl had the blood of hundreds of thousands of Afghanistan’s Pakhtuns on his hands.

In a statement issued in Peshawar on Monday, Hussain said history couldn’t be distorted as the JUI-F chief and his allies supported Haqqanis and Osama bin Laden to continue turmoil in Afghanistan.

“Your (Fazl’s) hands are soaked in the blood of millions of Pakhtuns and you took financial benefits in the name of jihad in Afghanistan,” he alleged.

The ANP leader said the JUI-F leader was supporting the Afghan Taliban at the behest of the establishment.

He added that former interior minister Naseerullah Babar and a former director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence had revealed in their books that Fazl was the supporter of the Afghan Taliban.

“When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman declared it jihad, while the ANP leaders called it anarchy,” he said.

Meanwhile, ANP central secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain addressed a gathering in Durmai Top area of Buner district and said peaceful Afghanistan was vital for peace in Pakistan and rest of region.

He asked the governments of Pakistan, US, China, Iran, Turkey and Russia to play their due role to resolve the Afghan issue. (ANI)

ALSO READ: SPECIAL: World Must Stop Pak Proxy War in Afghanistan

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Taliban attack on Afghan city thwarted

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

The Taliban is reportedly controls all the 16 districts’ of Takhar province and have been fighting over the past one month to capture Taluqan city…reports Asian Lite News

 Afghan security forces have foiled a Taliban attack on the city of Taluqan city, the capital of Takhar province, and killed 28 militants, an official said on Tuesday.

The Taliban militants, according to the official, were planning to storm Taluqan city from different directions but the ground troops backed by fighter planes targeted the militants, forcing them to retreat, reports Xinhua news agency.

Besides the 28 victims, 17 Taliban militants were also injured.

The Taliban is reportedly controls all the 16 districts’ of Takhar province and have been fighting over the past one month to capture Taluqan city, 245 km north of Kabul.

A number of Takhar residents have staged a sit-in in Kabul over the past one week, calling on the central government to send more troops to the province, fearing a total takeover by the Taliban.

In another development, nine militants, including four foreigners, were confirmed dead after Afghan soldiers ambushed a group of Taliban fighters in Kuran-wo-Munjan district of the Badakhshan province on Tuesday.

Taliban militants reportedly control of 19 out of 27 districts in Badakhshan province.

ALSO READ: SPECIAL: World Must Stop Pak Proxy War in Afghanistan

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SPECIAL: World Must Stop Pak Proxy War in Afghanistan

Image Credit - www.voanews.com

While publicly espousing peace and arguing “no military solution was possible in Afghanistan,” Pakistan has covertly marshalled proxy forces for the all-out offensive now under way. In other words, Pakistan has abused the trust of the whole world … writes Chris Alexander, former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was ending the “forever war in Afghanistan” when he announced U.S. forces would leave the country this summer. Almost immediately, the Taliban went on a vicious spree: taking districts, banning women from work, attacking girls’ schools and reportedly forcing unmarried women to wed Taliban fighters.

These terrorist foot soldiers are merely the latest recruits, fresh cannon fodder, for Pakistan’s forever war in Afghanistan, which started with General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq’s coup in 1977 and isn’t ending now. With U.S. and Saudi support, Zia fought the Soviet occupation. His successors set up al-Qaeda at Peshawar in 1988 as a recruiting sergeant and piggy bank for terrorists.

Even after the attacks on Sept. 11, Pakistan’s military sheltered Osama bin Laden, while relaunching the Taliban as a fighting force.

Since 2001, Pakistan’s proxy war has killed at least 120,000 Afghans and 3,500 U.S. and allied soldiers. They have ignored the UN sanctions on al-Qaeda and the Taliban, while remaining (along with Iran) the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. While publicly espousing peace and arguing “no military solution was possible in Afghanistan,” Pakistan has covertly marshalled proxy forces for the all-out offensive now under way. In other words, Pakistan has abused the trust of the whole world.

So far, Mr. Biden has put off any reckoning with Pakistan, which he knows to be a crucial arena in the contest between democracy and authoritarianism. A decade ago, failure to enforce “red lines” or prevent genocide in Syria emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to occupy eastern regions of Ukraine – a country whose independence and identity he now seeks to erase.

Ukraine and Afghanistan – two countries facing invasion by larger neighbours with imperial delusions – may decide the future of democracy today. General Zia-ul-Haq’s successor as Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff, General Javed Qamar Bajwa, is still obsessed with “strategic depth” – proxy war in Afghanistan leading to influence in Central Asia to assuage the loss of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971.

And so, with the American withdrawal, Afghanistan appears poised to face this “endless war” alone. But for a number of reasons, General Bajwa is unlikely to succeed. First, to wreck Syria, Mr. Putin only had to prop up Mr. Assad – to conquer Afghanistan, Pakistan’s protégés have to go through 33 Taliban-loathing provincial capitals, plus Kabul.

Second, with the Taliban still a sanctioned terrorist entity and Pakistan already committing an “act of aggression” under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the machinery of international law and international peace and security can swing quickly into action against them.

Third, the strongest voices opposing this new round of proxy war are in Pakistan itself. They include member of the National Assembly Mohsin Dawar, respected elder statesmen Afrasiab Khattak and Farhatullah Babar, and Pashtun Tahafuz (Protection) Movement leader Manzoor Pashteen.

Taliban Spokesman Suhail Shaheen

Fourth, as the Afghanistan issue is reframed in terms of Pakistan’s proxy war, it will be up to democracies to break the logjam in the peace process, especially with its “Troika Plus” (China, Iran, Pakistan and Russia) compromised by genocide, proxy wars and invasion.

Fifth, after 20 years of co-operation under UN, NATO and development umbrellas, the world is unlikely to turn its back on Afghanistan.

Sixth, with Mr. Putin’s coterie facing severe sanctions, and Pakistan’s invasion exposed, the case for parity is hard to escape: Pakistan’s proxy warriors should also face sanctions.

The only way to stop the assassination squads – all operatives of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – now terrorizing Afghan civilians, or to save villages from further brutal violence, is concerted international diplomatic and political action to shut down Pakistan’s proxy war. We need to take the same firm action now that leading democracies took after Ukraine was invaded seven years ago.

Russia’s Putin and Pakistan’s Bajwa are neocolonial bullies with post-Cold War hangovers and irredentist agendas. The heart of Asia deserves principled diplomacy to stop them just as much as the heart of Europe does.

Mr. Biden’s personal pique – he has been opposed to the Afghan mission for over a decade – need not define the world’s deeper commitment to peace and justice in Afghanistan, leaving ample scope for statesmanship.

As a charter member of the UN and NATO that has known invasion by neighbours, a champion of international law with a feminist foreign policy, and one of Afghanistan’s leading partners for two decades, Canada should take the diplomatic lead. Afghans must be spared another generation of violence, obscurantism and death.

(The article first appeared in The Globe And Mail. Chris Alexander was Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan, the UN deputy special representative of the secretary-general for Afghanistan, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the author of The Long Way Back: Afghanistan’s Quest for Peace. He also wrote a paper in March on Ending Pakistan’s Proxy War)

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Afghanistan to be key issue during Blinken’s India visit

Blinken is the third high-ranking official of the Biden administration to travel to India after defence secretary Lloyd Austin in March and special envoy for climate change John Kerry in April, reports Asian Lite News

The situation in Afghanistan and a coordinated Covid-19 response will be key issues on the agenda for US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s engagements with Indian interlocutors during his two-day visit beginning on Tuesday.

The Indian side has also indicated that it is prepared to engage with the US on issues such as human rights and democracy, which American officials have said Blinken intends to raise during his maiden visit to New Delhi after assuming office earlier this year.

Blinken is the third high-ranking official of the Biden administration to travel to India after defence secretary Lloyd Austin in March and special envoy for climate change John Kerry in April. He will meet external affairs minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday before travelling to Kuwait on the next leg of his tour.

People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity on Monday that the security situation in Afghanistan will be a key issue during Blinken’s visit as the Indian side believes US support for Afghan forces over the next few months will be crucial for retaining the gains made under the democratic system in Kabul over the past 20 years.

The Taliban stepped up its campaign to capture territory across Afghanistan once the US made it clear that it intended to complete the drawdown of its troops by next month. The US is keen on some sort of power-sharing arrangement in Kabul after facing criticism from some quarters for the nature of its withdrawal.

The Indian side, on the other hand, is expected to raise the implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan over terror financing and terrorist sanctuaries, the people cited above said.

A coordinated Covid-19 response, including open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for producing vaccines, will figure in the discussions in line with India’s plans to ramp up production for both domestic vaccination and subsequent global supplies, the people said.

Further engagements under the rubric of the Indo-Pacific, including a possible meeting of Quad foreign ministers, an in-person Quad Summit and the Quad vaccine partnership, and bilateral contacts such as the 2+2 meeting of defence and foreign ministers are also expected to figure in the discussions.

Blinken’s visit is an opportunity to “continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership”, the external affairs ministry said last week while announcing the visit. “Both sides will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relations, and potential for consolidating them further,” it added.

India, Pakistan ties

Just before the all-important visit of Secretary of State Antony Blinken to India and other destinations of South Asia and the Middle East, the US has issued a statement, encouraging arch-rivals India and Pakistan to work for a more stable relationship.

As per Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Affairs Dean Thompson, Blinken would be discussing different options for what he called a “negotiated settlement” in Afghanistan.

“We strongly believe that India and Pakistan’s issues are ones for them to work out between themselves. Washington would continue to encourage better ties between South Asia’s two nuclear-armed neighbours,” said Thompson.

India Pak Flags (ANI)

“We are pleased to see that ceasefire that went into place earlier this year has remained intact, and we certainly always encourage them to continue their efforts to find ways to build a more stable relationship going forward,” he added.

The US played an important role in engaging both Pakistan and India to come down to an agreement and abide by the 2003 ceasefire after backdoor meeting between top military leadership of both countries in the Middle East.

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