However, he said that 311 people were left behind who are eligible for the country’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy…reports Asian Lite News.
The UK has said that it would put all its efforts to rescue nearly 300 Afghans who assisted the country’s forces earlier and are now stuck under the Taliban regime.
Britain has announced to do its utmost to rescue more than 300 Afghans who helped its armed forces and are now in Afghanistan, reported Al Jazeera.
While addressing parliament, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson could not give details on the numbers of British-Afghans who remained in Afghanistan after the UK’s airlift was over.
However, he said that 311 people were left behind who are eligible for the country’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Last month, the UK’s Royal Air Force evacuated thousands of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country.
In August, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel had said that the country would accept nearly 20,000 Afghan refugees fleeing from Afghanistan and priority will be given to women and girls.
Our Armed Forces kept us and our people safe throughout their service in Afghanistan, and we will do right by them.
“Our new Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme will welcome up to 20,000 people who have been forced to flee Afghanistan, with the first 5,000 arriving in the next year,” Patel said in a statement issued by British High Commission.
The United Kingdom will offer shelter primarily to women and girls, who are “facing a chilling future” under the Taliban’s rule as well as Afghan interpreters, teachers and community workers, who worked alongside the UK mission. (ANI)
The statement comes as the EU Ministers of Home Affairs met for an extraordinary Council meeting to discuss developments in Afghanistan on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News.
The European Commission will organise a special high-level forum in September to discuss the resettlement of needy Afghans, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said on Tuesday.
“As part of the follow up to the #JHA @EUCouncil today, I will convene, in September, a High-Level Resettlement Forum to discuss concrete priorities with the Member States and provide sustainable solutions to those Afghans who are most vulnerable, particularly women and children, but also human rights activists, journalists, lawyers. We will cooperate together with the other global leaders on a coordinated approach to safe and legal routes for resettlement,” Johansson said on Twitter.
The EU also said that it will continue to coordinate with the UN and its agencies on the stabilisation of Afghanistan, ensure that humanitarian aid reaches vulnerable populations and for this purpose, will also step up financial support.
“As an immediate priority, the EU will continue to coordinate with international partners, in particular the UN and its agencies, on the stabilization of the region and to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the vulnerable populations, in particular women and children, in Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries. To this end, the EU and its Member States will step up financial support to relevant international organisations,” EU said in a statement.
The statement comes as the EU Ministers of Home Affairs met for an extraordinary Council meeting to discuss developments in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
EU also said that it will engage and strengthen its support to third countries, in particular the neighbouring and transit countries, hosting large numbers of migrants and refugees, to reinforce their capacities to provide protection, dignified and safe reception conditions and sustainable livelihood for refugees and host communities.
The EU and its Member States stand determined to act jointly to prevent the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal migration movements faced in the past, by preparing a coordinated and orderly response, the sattement said.
Stepping up cooperation with Iran, Pakistan
The EU intends to increase cooperation with Afghanistan’s neighbours to help them cope better with the consequences of the Afghan crisis, a top official said.
“They are at the forefront, on the firing line, in terms of the consequences of this crisis: the humanitarian consequences, the migration consequences, regarding stability or the lack thereof, and also terrorist threats,” Peter Stano, the European Commission’s lead spokesperson for external affairs, said in a statement.
Stepping up cooperation with countries such as Iran and Pakistan, which are the most likely to bear the burden of the crisis, was the first decision made by the EU when the Afghan crisis began, Stano said.
Top EU officials have already opened a dialogue with officials of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries on ways to expand cooperation.
The United States forces left Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, marking the end of chaotic and messy exit from America’s longest war.
Taliban terrorists celebrated the “full independence” of Afghanistan. Celebratory gunfire broke out across the city in Kabul.
“The last American soldiers departed from Kabul airport, and our country has achieved a full independence, thanks to God,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said on Twitter.
Moreover, the control of the airport was left in the hands of the Taliban, who said they were still working on the shape of their new government. (ANI)
Ending their20-year presence, the United States forces pulled out from Afghanistan on Monday, leaving the Taliban in control of the country, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said the international community will “push as one voice” for the safe passage of Afghans who want to leave.
Johnson’s comments came after the UN Security Council urged the Taliban to allow people to leave the country, the BBC reported.
Ending their20-year presence, the United States forces pulled out from Afghanistan on Monday, leaving the Taliban in control of the country. The British troops also left over the weekend.
In a draft resolution adopted on Monday evening, the UN Security Council also urged the Taliban not to allow Afghanistan to become a base for terrorism.
And it called on all parties to allow “full, safe and unhindered access” for the UN and charities to deliver humanitarian aid.
The resolution, drafted by the UK and France, was passed with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions, from China and Russia.
Prime Minister Johnson said the passing of the resolution “makes clear that the international community stands with Afghans”.
“There can be no return to repression or terror. We will push as one voice for safe passage, humanitarian access and respect for human rights,” he wrote on Twitter.
But Dame Barbara Woodward, the UK’s ambassador to the UN, said the militants would be judged “on the basis of their actions on the ground, not their words”.
She said the immediate priority is ensuring that all those who wish to leave Afghanistan can do so safely. “We have been clear that the Taliban must adhere to their own stated commitments to ensure safe passage, beyond 31 August,” she said.
She also said that the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country requires urgent attention.
“We are coordinating closely with partners to strengthen efforts to support humanitarian assistance and ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian workers and organisations,” the ambassador added.
“The gains of the last 20 years must be protected, and human rights, including those of women and children and minorities, safeguarded. This resolution lays down a marker that the international community will be watching closely.”
Taliban celebrate US withdrawal
Taliban on Tuesday fired their guns in the air in celebration as the United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, after 20 years of military presence.
“Parts of Kabul erupted in celebratory gunfire after the last US C-17 aircraft lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport right before midnight shortly after the last aircraft departed,” CNN reported.
General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the US Central Command, made the withdrawal announcement at a Pentagon news briefing.
“I announce the completion of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens and Afghans… The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai Airport on August 30 this afternoon at 3:29 pm (local time), he said.
Following US troops withdrawal, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also said the last American soldier left Kabul airport at 9 pm Afghan time.
Gunfire in dark skies of Kabul #Afghanistan as Taliban militants celebrate the withdrawal of all US troops after 20 yrs.
US went in to overthrow Qaeda / Taliban in 2001, leaves with Taliban back in power in 2021: pic.twitter.com/D2paqBmWoy
Since 2001, research progressed, enrolment of female students as well as research burgeoned on topics from cancer to geology…reports Asian Lite News.
The withdrawal of US forces and return of the Taliban in Afghanistan has stoked much fear and dejection among research scientists who predict huge losses not only in terms of funding but also of science.
During their reign from 1996-2001, the fundamentalist group brutally enforced a conservative version of Islamic Sharia law, characterised by women’s-rights violations and suppression of freedom of expression, Nature reported.
But after they were overthrown in 2001 by a US-led coalition and a new government elected in 2004, international funding including from the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development and other organisations poured into Afghanistan and universities thrived.
Since 2001, research progressed, enrolment of female students as well as research burgeoned on topics from cancer to geology.
But with the regime now taking over again, scientists fear for their lives and the future of research. While many are fleeing out of the country, those who remain face lack of funding and the threat of persecution for being involved in international collaborations, or because of their fields of study or their ethnicity, the report said.
News reports claim that billions of dollars in overseas finance for Afghanistan’s government, such as assets held by the US Federal Reserve and credit from the International Monetary Fund, have been frozen.
“The future is very uncertain,” geologist Hamidullah Waizy, a researcher at Kabul Polytechnic University was quoted as saying.
“The achievements we had over the past 20 years are all at great risk,a added Attaullah Ahmadi, a public-health scientist at Kateb University in Kabul.
In the last 20 years, some three dozen public universities have been established or re-established since 2010, and tens more private universities have been set up.
Even the student population at public universities grew to 170,000 in 2018 from 8,000 in 2001, and one-quarter of these were women, the report said.
Further, the number of research papers also increased to 285 in 2019 from 71 in 2011, according to Scopus – a database of peer-reviewed literature.
But now “there will be a stagnation of science and research progress”, Shakardokht Jafari, a medical physicist at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, who is originally from Afghanistan.
While many researchers have gone into hiding, or plan to cross into neighbouring countries, some are also seeking asylum overseas. In August alone, humanitarian organization Scholars at Risk (SAR) in New York City received more than 500 applications from people in Afghanistan, the report said.
So far, 164 institutions globally have agreed to host scholars, and SAR has appealed to US and European governments to fast-track visas and continue evacuation flights, said Rose Anderson, director at SAR.
However, several researchers report that the Taliban is in discussion with university heads about restarting classes. There are also suggestions that women might be allowed to continue their studies, although the Taliban has ordered that women and men be taught separately, and some universities have proposed introducing partitions in classrooms, the report said.
Over the last 20 years, more than 2,400 US service members have been killed in Afghanistan alone, reports Asian Lite News
The US Central Command announced that the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan has been completed, ending 20 years of Washington-led invasion of the war-torn nation.
“I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the mission to evacuate American citizens, third country nationals and vulnerable Afghans,” Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, announced during a news conference held by the Department of Defense on Monday midnight.
“The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30, this afternoon, at 3.29 p.m. East coast time, and the last manned aircraft is now clearing the space above Afghanistan,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie said while the completion of withdrawal drew an end to US military presence in the war-torn nation that Washington accused of harbouring Al Qaeda, the mastermind behind the 9/11 terror attack on American soil in 2001, “the diplomatic mission to ensure additional US citizens and eligible Afghans, who want to leave, continues”.
While paying tribute to the 2,461 fallen US service members, including the 13 troops who were killed during the August 27 Kabul bombings, and the over 20,000 personnel injured during the longest war Washington has engaged in throughout history, McKenzie also told reporters that no American citizens managed to embark on the final five evacuation flights leaving Kabul, meaning there were still Americans wishing to depart the country that were left on ground.
“We maintained the ability to bring them in up until immediately before departure,” McKenzie said.
“We would have been prepared to bring them on until the very last minute, but none of them made it to the airport and were able to be accommodated,” he added.
The General said the number of US citizens currently still stranded in Afghanistan is “in the very low hundreds”, stressing that the Department of State is now in charge of assisting those evacuees.
“The military’s phase of this operation has ended… The diplomatic sequel to that will now begin,” he said.
The General added that the US will continue trying to extract the remaining American citizens and “negotiate very hard and aggressively” to get eligible Afghans to come to Washington.
US media cited a State Department official as saying earlier on Monday that it was believed that there were fewer than 250 American citizens still in Afghanistan.
Taliban welcomes completion of US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Shortly after the US Central Command announced that the drawdown of American troops from Afghanistan has been completed, a Taliban spokesman on Tuesday welcomed the development.
The last US soldiers were evacuated from the Kabul airport at midnight on Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter.
“In this way, our country became completely free and independent,” he said.
Shortly after Mujahid’s comments on social media, Taliban members took to celebratory gun firing in Kabul, which lasted for about an hour, causing panic among residents of the capital city.
Following the firing, Mujahid said in a separate tweet that “the gunshots heard in Kabul are as a result of celebratory firing, the Kabul residents should not worry, we are trying to control it”.
The formal stance of the Taliban about the US withdrawal is yet to be made amid the absence of any statement.
Experts observed that US-led Quad, including Pakistan and Uzbekistan, has been created to counter India’s ambitious Chabahar project…reports Asian Lite News.
Afghanistan will not be able to join the meeting proposed by India, Iran, and Uzbekistan on the use of Iran’s Chabahar port in absence of any recognised or elected government there, sources said on Monday.
The new grouping’s meeting was due this month but has been delayed due to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, and is now scheduled to take place later this year.
These three nations had, in July, invited Afghanistan to form a Quad to discuss the India-sponsored International North South Transit Corridor (INSTC) project and the joint use of Chabahar port and the then Ashraf Ghani government agreed to join the meeting.
“In July, India had invited Afghanistan to join the group. But due to the changed political situation in the country, Afghanistan will not be participating in the three nations talks on INSTC and the Chabahar port,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
The INSTC is a 7,200 km-long multimodal transportation network encompassing sea, road, and rail routes, linking the Indian Ocean to the Caspian Sea via the Persian Gulf, onwards into Russia and northern Europe and offers the shortest connectivity route between them.
This port is the only gateway for India to Afghanistan and Central Asia after Pakistan blocking its transit trade route via Afghanistan, whereas the INSTC and the Chabahar port together give an alternate to China’s “Belt and Road initiative”.
India, Iran, and Uzbekistan had held their first ever meeting on joint use of Chabahar Port but later Uzbekistan also agreed to join US-led Quad grouping which also included Afghanistan and Pakistan, and would be focusing on enhancing regional connectivity.
Experts observed that US-led Quad, including Pakistan and Uzbekistan, has been created to counter India’s ambitious Chabahar project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYMIxcglnxs
“India has proposed to include the port in the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor and has welcomed the formation of the India-Uzbekistan-Iran-Afghanistan quadrilateral working group on the joint use of Chabahar port. The meeting is likely to take place in the later half of this year,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said recently.
The Afghan government had been a major stakeholder in the talks since the multi-nation trade route had been developed by India along with Iran to provide a trade route for Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. Its absence is set to effectively stop plans of goods from Chabahar port reaching land-locked Afghanistan, which was earlier set to come up as an important node of the INSTC, experts noted.
Citing the threats from China and Pakistan, he said that India has got challenges in legacy since Independence…reports Asian Lite News.
The ongoing situation in Afghanistan has forced the entire world to rethink their strategies, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
With the fundamentalist Islamist group Taliban taking over Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan has plunged into a humanitarian crisis. Pakistan is seen as having played a major role in bringing Taliban back to power.
In an address at the Defence Service Staff College, Rajnath Singh said: “With the change in the global order and national security paradigm, we have not only made immediate change in our policies but also taken decision on our futuristic reforms.”
He noted that looking at the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, every country is forced to rethink its strategy. “Quad was established keeping in mind these situations,” he said. Quad, or officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, brings together the US, Australia, India, and Japan.
Citing the threats from China and Pakistan, he said that India has got challenges in legacy since Independence.
About Pakistan, without naming it, he said: “The foreign enemies have tried to destabilise the country since it got Independence. If we look at 75 years of history, it seems like we have got challenges in legacy. One of our neighbouring countries initiated proxy war and made terrorism as an integral part of state policy. The country started providing arms, money and training to the terrorists to target India.”
About China, he said that that in the northern sector, there was an effort to change the status quo unilaterally, but India changed its previous response and faced the adversary with new dynamism.
“Even after lots of challenges on our borders, the common man has faith in the government that it would never compromise on national security issue. They know that India will counter terror activities on its land and if needed, it can also cross the boundary,” he said.
Amid change in the global order necessitating futuristic reforms, Rajnath Singh said that the objective is to enhance the Army’s teeth to tail ratio, bring decentralisation in decision-making process, and make a future-oriented leaner force.
About Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), he said that his ministry is seriously considering it. “You all are aware, quick decision-making is an important factor during wartime. There would be more lethal, brigade-size and self-reliant fighters formation.”
He also lauded ‘Tour of Duty’ proposal and termed it as a game-changing reform. “With this, the average age could be reduced and be made more agile.”
On theatre commands, the Defence Minister said the discussions on its implementation have been fast tracked.
The Department of Military Affairs under Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat is working towards the creation of Joint Military Commands for better synergy and utilisation of resources.
The minister also talked about increasing women’s role in the defence forces. “History tells us that our women warriors have always played an important role when faced with any challenges,” he said.
India was trying to bring out as many people as possible from Afghanistan, the minister said and evacuating Indian personnel was a “top priority”, the EAM said…reports Asian Lite News.
At an all-party meeting, convened by the Centre to discuss the prevailing situation in Afghanistan was held on Thursday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said the crisis in Afghanistan was “extremely critical” and India’s top priority was to evacuate “as many as possible”.
“Thirty-five people have been brought back today,” he said. Further, the EAM reportedly said the Taliban “have not kept their word given in Doha” while finalising on the peace treaty, adding India, at the moment, had adopted a “wait and watch” policy over the chaos in Afghanistan.
Among other things, the Doha pact, signed between Taliban leaders and the US in February 2020, envisaged religious freedom and democracy, with a government in Kabul that represented all sections of Afghan society.
India was trying to bring out as many people as possible from Afghanistan, the minister said and evacuating Indian personnel was a “top priority”, the EAM said.
Jaishankar spoke to leaders of several political parties, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress, on the latest situation in the war-ravaged nation after the Taliban seized power last week.
PM should brief opposition on Afghanistan: Congress
During the all-party meet held on Thursday, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should brief the opposition about the situation in Afghanistan and the government’s stand with regard to the war-torn nation.
The Congress leaders also asked about the reports of ‘secret’ talks being held in Doha, Qatar, with the Taliban to discuss the Afghanistan crisis, but sources said the government did not comment on the matter.
The Congress leaders also demanded to know about the government’s evacuation strategy and how many Indians are still stranded in Afghanistan.
The Congress leaders asked the government to expresses solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and uphold the principles of fundamental right and freedom.
What steps for humanitarian assistance are being taken by the government of India, they demanded to konw.
The Congress delegation said that there is a perception that India appears to be isolated from its traditional allies in the region.
“The Prime Minister recently spoke to the Russian President and the German Chancellor. We would like to know what transpired during these discussions? Further, what diplomatic or other strategic steps are being planned to strengthen our position, both in the short term and in the long run,” the Congress delegation asked, as per sources.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will announce at today’s G7 meeting an increase in financial support for Afghans…reports Asian Lite News.
The European Union provided 57 million euros (USD 66 million) in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan in 2021 so far, in addition, neighbouring countries hosting Afghan refugees got 22 million euros, European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said on Tuesday.
We @G7 leaders all agree that it is our moral duty to help the Afghan people & provide as much support as conditions allow.
We discussed evacuations, immediate humanitarian aid, longer-term development aid and scenarios for refugees in need of protection. https://t.co/6K1IwDf6mG
“Only this year, we’ve provided 57 million euros already. If you look at the region broadly, we’ve provided money for Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries – Uzbekistan, Iran, they’ve reached collectively an allocation of 22 million euros from us until now,” Ujvari told a press briefing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will announce at today’s G7 meeting an increase in financial support for Afghans.
“At today’s @G7 Leaders call, I will announce an increase in the humanitarian support for Afghans, in and around the country, from #EU budget from over EUR50m [USD 58.7 million] to over EUR200m,” von der Leyen tweeted.
Humanitarian assistance will be the EU’s main contribution to help the people of the war-torn country, the official added.
Serious human rights violations
A UN top diplomat for human rights said she has received harrowing and credible reports of serious violations of and human rights abuses in Afghanistan under the Taliban, including executions of civilians.
Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said these abuses include among others, summary executions of civilians and ‘hors de combat members’ of the Afghan national security forces; restrictions on the rights of women – including their right to move around freely and girls’ right to attend schools; recruitment of child soldiers; and repression of peaceful protest and expression of dissent.
Bachelet, however, did not give details regarding these reports. She made these remarks during the 31st Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the serious human rights concerns and the situation in Afghanistan.
“In recent weeks, my Office has received harrowing and credible reports of the impact on civilians of violations of international humanitarian law, as well as violations and abuses of human rights, by the parties to the conflict,” she said.
Emphasizing that human rights violations undermine the legitimacy of the perpetrators, the envoy urged the Taliban to adopt norms of responsive governance and human rights and to work to re-establish social cohesion and reconciliation. She said Taliban treatment of women would mark a “fundamental red line”
“A fundamental red line will be the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, and respect for their rights to liberty, freedom of movement, education, self-expression and employment, guided by international human rights norms,” she said. (ANI/Sputnik)
London also decided to extend evacuation deadlines, with the last flight set to be conducted later this week, Sputnik reported quoting The Times’ sources…reports Asian Lite News.
Top UK military officials believe that the Islamic State (IS) can target British and US soldiers helping evacuations at the Kabul airport, Sputnik reported citing The Times’ sources on Monday.
“We know they would love to get a suicide bomb into the crowd and take out some Brits or Americans. There is a serious threat of an ISIS suicide bomber. The soldiers are having to keep their fingers on the trigger in one hand while holding a baby in the other. It’s very fragile,” The Times quoted a source as saying.
A Taliban member, in turn, told the newspaper that its members are instructed to ensure security at the airport and thwart possible attacks by Islamic State.
“There is a security risk and ISIS can attack anytime. Our men are checking every individual and vehicle. We don’t mean to create trouble for the Afghan people,” the commander said.
The British newspaper has learned that some 900 UK soldiers were sent to Afghanistan to help US troops airlift Afghans and other countries’ citizens from Kabul. London also decided to extend evacuation deadlines, with the last flight set to be conducted later this week, Sputnik reported quoting The Times’ sources.
This week, the UK is planning to evacuate nearly 6,000 people out of Afghanistan. So far, the UK has evacuated nearly 5,725 people from Kabul including 3,100 Afghan nationals, Sputnik reported.
On Saturday, in the wake of a possible security threat, the US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement, “Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a US government representative to do so.”
Afghanistan’s situation is deteriorating as people are in a rush to leave the nation after the Taliban seized control last week. On August 15, the country’s government fell soon after President Ashraf Ghani left the nation.
Countries have been evacuating their citizens from the war-torn nation speedily. The Kabul airport is witnessing nowadays a heavy chaos due to instability in the region. (ANI)
