The meeting took place on Monday at the army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and visiting US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad discussed the ongoing peace process for the war-torn country, the military here said.
The meeting took place on Monday at the army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Khalilzad arrived in Pakistan earlier in the day after stops in Afghanistan and Qatar.
In a statement, the military’s media wing, ISPR said: “Matters of mutual interest, regional security and ongoing Afghanistan Reconciliation Process were discussed during the meeting.”
The meeting came as the new US administration under President Joe Biden chalked out a four-point strategy for the Afghanistan government, with a vision to end the decades long war, warning of dangerous and dire consequences if the peace deal with the Taliban is scrapped.
In a letter written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, addressed to the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Head of the Afghan peace council Abdullah Abdullah, it was warned and intimated that if the peace deal with the Taliban is negated, it would result in an opportunity for the terror outfit to make “rapid territorial gains”, which may lead to toppling of the Kabul administration.
The US and the Taliban signed an agreement in February 2020, which called for a full withdrawal of American military forces from the conflict-ridden country by May 2021 if the militant group meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with other terrorist organisations.
The administration of President Joe Biden had noted that the Taliban had not met its commitment under the US-Taliban deal.
The war in Afghanistan, which has caused about 2,400 US military deaths, is the longest one in American history.
Three female employees of a local TV channel Enikass were shot dead and one other staffer was injured in the attack that took place in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital…reports Asian Lite News
The Islamic State (IS) terror group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a shooting attack that killed three female media workers in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Three female employees of a local TV channel Enikass were shot dead and one other staffer was injured in the attack that took place in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital, on Tuesday evening.
The IS claimed in an online Arabic language statement that their fighters were behind the shooting in the province, where the group emerged in early 2015.
The mountainous province, 120 km east of Kabul, has been the scene of clashes between security forces and IS militants from time to time.
One female TV anchor of Enikass and her driver were killed in a similar incident in December 2020.
Seven media persons were killed in 2020 amid the deteriorating security situation, according to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), an independent media safety group.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said the international community has kept the country’s citizens away from their fundamental rights of peace during the last four decades, reiterating that the people now want permanent and dignified peace.
Addressing a ceremony on Armed Forces Day, Ghani said Afghan security forces have played a prominent role in fighting international terrorism and that they can protect the values the country has achieved over the last 20 years, Tolo news reported.
Referring to his recent address to the UN Security Council, Ghani said: “My main sentence was that for the last 40 years, the international community has kept a massive nation away from their fundamental right which is peace and this is unacceptable.”
“We want peace and we want dignified peace and a peace that is ensured by the power of our security and defense forces and with the will of the people. This peace will come,” he said.
Ghani said the violence must end and that there should be no more bloodshed and no one should remain deprived of education anymore.
He added that Afghans will decide on the next president and the next government.
“The people of Afghanistan have elected their government and president and they will elect the next president of Afghanistan,” Ghani added.
Role Of Armed Forces
“It is the right of the nation and the security and defense forces will prove that change will be legal and based on the nation’s will; otherwise, the tenure of the Republic is clear.”
He said that the Afghan security and defense forces are conducting over 90 per cent of counterterrorism operations.
“Today’s Afghanistan is not the one it was in the past, the one that was protected by others. Today, you are safeguarding it. We are very close to self-reliance,” he said.
Ghani, Johnson discussed bilateral ties and Afghan peace process
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a telephonic conversation with the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during which the former reiterated his country’s continued support to the latter’s fight against the Taliban, according to a statement by the British government.
“Johnson on Friday reiterated the UK’s longstanding support for the Afghan government’s fight against the Taliban as part of the NATO coalition,” said the statement.
“They agreed on the importance of making progress in peace talks to secure a sovereign, democratic and united Afghanistan and to preserve the gains made by civil society and women and girls,” the statement added.
The Presidential Palace said in a statement that Ghani and Johnson discussed the bilateral ties and the Afghan peace process, Tolo news reported.
The British Prime Minister assured President Ghani of his country’s continued support to the Afghan peace process, strengthened regional diplomacy, and UK’s support to Afghan forces, the Palace said.
The statement further said that both of them also discussed the global efforts to tackle the pandemic and the roll out of vaccines in Afghanistan and the UK.
The war-ravaged Asian country is on the brink of collapse. But, it is fighting back with the help of neighbours like India. Afghan security force members, journalists and doctors received the jabs in the first round of vaccine drive….reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan officially kicked off its Covid-19 vaccination drive on Tuesday at an event held at the Presidential Palace.
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani took part in the event along with officials from the Health Ministry.
Afghan security force members, journalists and doctors received the jabs in the first round of vaccine drive.
President Ghani said at the event that the first stage of the vaccination in Afghanistan will start with 500,000 doses, adding that “efforts are underway to cover 40 per cent of the population in the second round.”
Recently, Afghanistan received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine from India. The vaccines were produced by the Serum Institute of India.
Afghanistan has had 55,646 reported Covid-19 cases and 2,435 deaths from the disease, according to the health ministry.
Previously, the Afghan health officials said that the government wants to vaccinate 20 per cent of the country’s population within the next six months, and donor countries and organisations have pledged $112 million.
So far, Covid-19 vaccines have been implemented in at least 50 countries.
Can you trust Taliban? They are like Lanka’s LTTE. They will continue peace talks by hiding their real intention to strike. The UN report said that for a seventh consecutive year, UNAMA documented more than 3,000 civilians killed in a single year, with Afghanistan remaining among the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian…..reports Asian Lite News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3cx1vqrvd0
The total number of afghan civilian casualties in 2020 of 8,820 (3,035 killed and 5,785 inured) fell below 10,000 for the first time since 2013 and was 15 per cent down on 2019, according to a UN report released Tuesday.
The Afghan civilian casualties on the rise since the beginning of peace negotiations, said report by UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office.
Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan said “2020 could have been the year of peace in Afghanistan. Instead, thousands of Afghan civilians perished due to the conflict.”
“This important report has the overriding objective of providing the parties responsible with the facts, and recommendations, so they take immediate and concrete steps to protect civilians. I urge them not to squander a single day in taking the urgent steps to avoid more suffering,” Deborah Lyons added.
“Ultimately, the best way to protect civilians is to establish a humanitarian ceasefire,” said Lyons, adding that “parties refusing to consider a ceasefire must recognize the devastating consequences of such a posture on the lives of Afghan civilians.”
The report said that for a seventh consecutive year, UNAMA documented more than 3,000 civilians killed in a single year, with Afghanistan remaining among the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian.
The report detailed the impact on Afghan women and children. “They make up 43 per cent of all casualties: 30 per cent were children and 13 per cent women,” according to the report.
Afghanistan’s killing fields: Taliban and its mentors have blood on their hands
Afghanistan peace negotiations, which began between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban in Qatar on September 12, “failed to alleviate the scale of civilian harm, a key indicator of violence levels. Instead, there was an escalation of violence with disturbing trends and consequences,” the report said.
In October, civilian casualties were the highest of any month in 2020, and in November UNAMA documented the highest number of civilian casualties of any November since it started systematic documentation in 2009.
The report said that the “anti-government elements (AGEs) in 2020 caused the majority of civilian casualties (62 per cent), totalling 5,459 casualties – 1,885 killed and 3,574 injured with the Taliban responsible for most of these casualties (45 per cent of the total) and Daesh responsible for 8 per cent.”
Pro-government forces (PGF) caused a quarter of all civilian casualties, totaling 2,231 (841 killed and 1,390 injured), a decrease of 24 per cent from 2019, with the Afghan national security forces causing most of these (22 per cent of the total).
The overall reduction in civilian casualties in 2020 was due to factors such as fewer suicide attacks by AGEs causing large numbers of civilian casualties, especially in urban areas, and a stark drop in casualties attributed to international military forces.
While there was an increase in the number of civilian casualties that were unclaimed by any party and for which UNAMA could not attribute responsibility, the report finds that the Taliban caused 19 per cent fewer civilian casualties than in 2019 and the Daesh 45 per cent fewer.
Strikingly, international military forces in 2020 were responsible for their lowest recorded number of civilian casualties since UNAMA began documentation in 2009.
In 2020, this figure was 120 civilian casualties, down from 786 in 2019, a decrease of 85 per cent.
A matter of “profound concern” remains the continuation of attacks “deliberately targeting civilians by AGEs. This includes attacks targeting members of the judiciary, media and civil society activists, as well as religious minorities, especially the Shia Muslim population, most of whom also belong to the Hazara ethnic group, and the Sikh population.”
“Indiscriminate attacks, such as the use of pressure-plate IEDs by the Taliban also remain of concern’,” said the report, “these devices are victim-activated and cannot be directed toward a specific target.”
Similarly, according to the UN, concerns remain about vehicle-borne IEDs that cause many civilian casualties due to the large explosive power used, even if they are not directed against civilians or civilian objects.
More than 3,000 civilians killed in #Afghanistan conflict
Also, of “grave concern” is the use of explosive weapons in civilian populated areas, especially the use of artillery shells, mortars and rockets during ground engagements, but also the use of airstrikes and IEDs in civilian populated areas, said the reports.
“Ground engagements were the leading cause of civilian casualties in 2020 (36 per cent), a slight increase compared with 2019. They were followed by AGE suicide and non-suicide attacks using improvised explosive devices (34.5 per cent), a 30 per cent decrease.”
“AGE targeted killings (14 per cent) increased by 45 per cent; and PGF airstrikes (8 per cent) were down 34 per cent,” said the report.
Members of parliament attend the inauguration of the new parliament in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan
The estimated Budget for the fiscal year 1400 is over 473 billion Afs (nearly $6 billion), including 311 billion Afs ($4 billion) for the regular Budget and 162 billion Afs ($2 billion) for the development Budget….reports Asian Lite News
The Afghan Parliament on Monday endorsed the current fiscal year’s Budget with a majority of votes amid tensions between the two state branches.
The Parliament rejected the Budget draft twice in the current fiscal year began on December 21, 2020.
On Sunday, lawmakers and the Finance Ministry officials agreed on almost all the 19 disputed points, but they are yet to reach a consensus on the allocation of the Budget for the High Council for National Reconciliation as well as over the reduction in the number of development projects, MPs said.
Both sides have also disagreed on a 15 million Afs allocation for the Afghanistan Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, but the issue was solved when the fund was removed from the third Budget draft, according to the lawmakers.
The estimated Budget for the fiscal year 1400 is over 473 billion Afs (nearly $6 billion), including 311 billion Afs ($4 billion) for the regular Budget and 162 billion Afs ($2 billion) for the development Budget.
In the third and latest draft, 105 million Afs ($1.3 million) has been shifted to the regular Budget from the development Budget.
Meanwhile, the regular budget, as usual, is twice as large as the development budget.
According to the Budget draft, 46 per cent of the estimated amount is provided by internal sources
Peace won’t return to Afghanistan in a jiffy. The war torn country is heading for another phase of uncertainty. A survey says that 59 per cent of the population lives under the government…reports Asian Lite News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOk7sQ9dDsQ
A survey conducted by an Afghan media outlet has revealed the 52 per cent of the war-torn country is still under the control of the Taliban, while the Kabul government controls only 49 per cent of the territory.
In the survey conducted between November 2020 and February 2021, the Pajhwok Afghan News, the country’s largest independent news agency, said that 59 per cent of the population lives under the government, Khaama News reported.
According to the survey, the Taliban controls 337,000 square.km of Afghan land and about 297,000 square.km is under government control, while 18,000 square metre is reported to have no influence over by any of the parties.
The findings revealed that 27 districts are under Taliban control while 64 other districts are fully controlled by the government and the rest 297 districts are controlled by both of the parties.
A Taliban spokesman claimed that the group has control over 70 per cent of the country’s territories which was later rejected by the National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib at a weekly briefing on Saturday.
“The Taliban claims to have control over 70 per cent of the territory, but even today, they convene their meetings in Quetta (in Pakistan) where they make plans on how to kill the people of Afghanistan and destroy the gains that we have achieved and destroy our infrastructures,” TOLO News quoted Mohib as saying.
The survey comes as the peace talks between the Afghan government negotiating team and the Taliban representatives in Qatari capital Doha have come to a standstill.
The second round of intra-Afghan talks, which resumed on January 5 in Doha, has stalled.
According to local media reports, no meeting has been held over the past 25 days.
Afghan security force members are seen at the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
Security sources have said that the victims worked for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) in Maidan Wardak province….reports Asian Lite News
Four Afghan government employees were killed in Kabul on Tuesday after unidentified gunman opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in, police said.
The incident took place at around 9.20 a.m. in Bagh-e-Daud area in the city’s Police District 5, reports TOLO News.
Security sources have said that the victims worked for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) in Maidan Wardak province.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
This was the second violent incident in Kabul on Tuesday.
An IED exploded in Police District 16, injuring one person.
The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report released on January 30 that the Taliban and IS Islamic State terror group have increased targeted assassinations in the country, with increasing killings of government officials, civil society leaders and journalists.
Backing decision by President Joe Biden’s administration to review the US-Taliban agreement which was signed on February 29, 2020, the South Carolina Senator said the militant group has “been cheating… They haven’t been complying”….reports Asian Lite News
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said that US troops will not leave Afghanistan by May as mentioned in the landmark peace deal inked between Washington and the Taliban, saying “we’re going to leave when the conditions are right”.
Graham made the remarks in a CBS News interview on Sunday night when he was asked about the proposed withdrawal of American troops from the war-torn country.
Backing decision by President Joe Biden’s administration to review the US-Taliban agreement which was signed on February 29, 2020, the South Carolina Senator said the militant group has “been cheating… They haven’t been complying”.
“I like what (Secretary of State Antonny) Tony Blinken and the Biden administration is doing. They’re re-evaluating our presence in Afghanistan to keep the footprint low, but not to walk away and lose all the gains we’ve achieved.
“If we leave too soon without a conditions-based withdrawal, IS (Islamic State) and Al Qaeda will come roaring back. Women will suffer greatly,” Graham told CBS News.
The Senator’s remarks come as no meeting has been held between the Afghan Republic and the Taliban negotiators in Doha over the last 19 days after the peace talks resumed between the two sides on January 5 following a break.
The peace talks had started on September 12, 2020, following the US-Taliban peace deal to end the war, paving the way for the withdrawal of thousands of US forces in Afghanistan and facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue.
Late last month in his first media address after taking office, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby claimed that the Taliban was jeopardising the landmark agreement.
US troops
In response, a Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem told an Afghan media outlet that the group remained committed to the agreement “and we call on the other side to stay firm on its commitments”.
The war in Afghanistan, which has caused about 2,400 US military deaths, is the longest one in American history.
Former President Donald Trump had sought a full withdrawal of forces from the country, but some of his senior aides from the military and the Pentagon suggested a more cautious approach.
Currently there are about 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan.
