Afghans flood passport offices in bid to leave country
As the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues to worsen in Afghanistan with freezing temperatures adding to the sufferings of the locals, hundreds of Afghans are flooding the passport office in Kabul in a bid to leave the country at the earliest…writes Hamza Ameer
A large number of people was seen standing outside the passport office in Kabul, a day after the Taliban led government announced resumption of issuance of travel documents.
Despite sub-zero temperatures, many people reached and waited throughout the night till the next morning patiently waiting in a single line. The people, who rushed to the passport office, included many who were desperate to leave the country for medical treatment, while many others wanted to flee the country to safety, away from the renewed Islamist rule of the Taliban.
Afghans flood passport offices in bid to leave country
The crowd was manhandled and charged by the Taliban repeatedly, who said that they did not want any terror attack or a suicide explosion to happen in the crowd.
“Our responsibility here is to protect people. But the people are not cooperating,” said Ajmal Toofan, a Taliban security personal on duty at the passport office.
It is pertinent to mention that Taliban’s principal enemy, the Islamic State (IS), has targeted such crowded gatherings and has claimed hundreds of innocent lives.
The biggest attack was outside the Kabul airport in August, when locals gathered in large number in a bid to leave the country with the foreign forces during their evacuation process.
Osman Akbari, a 60-year-old man was among the people desperately trying to reach Pakistan on medical grounds. Akbari said that wrecked hospitals in Afghanistan were not equipped enough to complete his heart surgery.
“Medica put stent in my heart. They need to be removed and its not possible here”, he said.
A number of ambulances were also present outside the passport office, carrying people who were too sick to queue with the others.
“The patient has a heart problem,” said the driver of the ambulance, adding that because the applicant has to appear in person to ensure passport is issued, the patient has been brought here.
Afghanistan is fast sinking deeper into financial, economical and humanitarian crises.
The worsening situation in the country, triggered through a complete blockage of foreign aid following the Taliban takeover which constituted at least 80 per cent of the country’s economy, locals are not only fearing the rigid Islamic rule of law of the Taliban regime, they are also fearful of the well being and upbringing of their families, who are now suffering to freezing sub-zero temperatures, lack of food, water and shelter; lack of medical facilitations at the hospitals is also forcing locals to leave the country on immediate basis.
The Taliban regime is also well aware of the support Pakistan extended to the US to carry out strikes against them in the past…writes Hamza Ameer
Pakistan’s successful hosting of the 17th extraordinary session of the OrganiZation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad in an effort to find ways to save the neighbouring Afghanistan from the ongoing humanitarian crisis, is certainly paving way towards generating a much needed momentum and restructuring of its foreign policy on Kabul, which could impel Islamabad out of the current difficult position it finds itself in.
The OIC Council for foreign ministers has predominantly helped Pakistan showcase itself as one of the driving force behind logical and workable headways for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan under the Taliban rule. The participation of not just the OIC member states, but also from P5 countries in the extraordinary session in Islamabad are being seen as a major achievement of the Imran Khan led-governmenty.
OIC MEET ON KABUL Pak Plot Fails To Gain Sympathy
The forum provided Pakistan an opportunity to put forward its foreign policy and priorities for Afghanistan. During the session, Pakistan highlighted the economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and the outflow of migrants, calling on the west and the European countries to not be under any illusion of the impact of migrants, being only on Pakistan.
The forum was also used efficiently to have the Taliban leadership sit patiently and listen to what the rest of the world thinks about them and vice versa. Important concerns and demands of the west which include, rights to jobs, employment and education for females, basic representation for minorities ethnic groups and an inclusive government, have also been expressed in the forum, which again would be beneficial in helping Pakistan be seen more as a progressive facilitator to Afghanistan’s stability rather then being an ally in war only.
The Taliban regime on the other hand, has not shown much flexibility in their stance of meeting the demands of the rest of the world. However, they do claim that all demands are being met, adding that it would implement decision as per the interpretations under the Islamic law.
Many Afghans, including some ministers sitting in the current ruling Taliban government, have seen Pakistan’s historical standing as per its policy on Afghanistan, seriously negatively.
Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, in a recent interview, called on Pakistan to stop what he called, propaganda on Afghanistan.
Another minister called Pakistan’s intelligence agencies as the enemy of Afghanistan.
It should be noted that anti-Pakistan sentiments prevail among many locals in Afghanistan, who accuse the country for not only supporting the Taliban, but also playing a double game by being an ally to Washington, and allowing them to carry out air strikes in the country, which has claimed thousands of innocent lives in the past two decades of the US-led war on terror in the country.
The Taliban regime is also well aware of the support Pakistan extended to the US to carry out strikes against them in the past.
Taliban, like previous the governments in the country, have a strong opposition to the Durand line, which demarks the long rugged, untapped border between the two countries.
But today, Pakistan looks towards the new Afghanistan as an opportunity to change the narrative and keep its relevance in and for Afghanistan with a renewed focus on becoming the gateway to handling of humanitarian aid, economic crisis and further development in the war-torn country.
UNHCR help thousands of needy people in Afghanistan
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Thursday announced that it has provided assistance to thousands of needy people across Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News News
On Wednesday, the UNHCR in collaboration with a number of aid agencies provided essential household items to a total of 4,506 people in Kabul, Kandahar, Kunduz and Balkh provinces, the UNHCR Afghanistan said in a Twitter post.
“In Herat (province) we provided cash grants to 665 persons to meet basic needs, and in Kabul and Herat 973 persons received cash for rent,” the agency said.
UNHCR help thousands of needy people in Afghanistan
The UN agencies together with aid agencies and a number of non-governmental organisations are racing against time to deliver life-saving aid and supplies to crisis-hit Afghans ahead of winter, reports Xinhua news agency.
The economic situation worsens in Afghanistan with higher unemployment rate and rising poverty.
Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations worldwide.
This development comes as news reports say that Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul could dive into darkness due to non-payment of dues of Central Asian electricity suppliers by new Taliban rulers….reports Asian Lite News
Electricity supply from Uzbekistan to several Afghan provinces and capital city Kabul has been stopped due to technical problems, Afghanistan’s state power company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), said on Wednesday.
This comes a few days after reports said that Afghanistan’s electricity body is set to sell the estates of its debtors in a bid to pay nearly USD 62 million worth of power bills to the central Asian countries.
The technical issues emerged in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan, Sputnik reported citing DABS. “The technical staff is working to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” the statement read.
This development comes as news reports say that Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul could dive into darkness due to non-payment of dues of Central Asian electricity suppliers by new Taliban rulers.
Electricity imports from neighbouring countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan account for 80 per cent of the country’s power consumption.
After the Taliban took over Kabul in August and the Afghan government fell. The outfit took power over the state energy utility, inheriting its debts, but have so far failed to pay off the creditors.
Earlier this month, the former head of DABS, Daud Noorzai, said that the supplies of electricity to the Afghan capital province of Kabul could be cut off by winter as the Taliban did not pay the bills to the Central Asian energy suppliers.
Meanwhile, Safiullah Ahamdzai, the acting head of DABAS, said that they will implement the plan and will pay off all the debts to prevent cutting electricity by exporting countries, The Khaama Press News Agency reported.
Afghan Taliban members patrol at a security checkpoint in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, on Sept. 15, 2021. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua/IANS)
Bush market renamed
Shopkeepers of the Bush Market in downtown Kabul named after the former US President changed its name to Mujahideen Bazar so that it attracts customers, especially the Mujahideen or the Taliban, Khaama Press reported.
It is still not clear whether the Taliban themselves ordered the shopkeepers to change the name but photos taken from the scene show that the shopkeepers of the market are hanging the new board.
Earlier, the Taliban changed the name of Hamid Karzai International Airport to Kabul International Airport, Burhanuddin Rabbani University to Kabul Educational University, and Masoud Square to Public Health Square in Kabul.
Bush Market was known for selling the military clothes, shoes, electronics, jumpers, protein, and drinks of the US soldiers based in Afghanistan so it was named after then President of the US. (ANI/IANS)
The airport was damaged with its many facilities destroyed during the withdrawal of US-led forces and American nationals that concluded on August 31…reports Asian Lite News.
Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority has announced that the Kabul airport is completely operational for international flights for the first time since the country’s takeover by the Taliban after technical issues were resolved, the media reported on Sunday.
The TOLO News reported cited aviation authority officials as saying that domestic flights were already operational and the airport received some special flights from Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, most of them carrying humanitarian aid.
The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority, Mohammad Naeem Salehi, said the department has written to neighbouring countries and the international community asking them to resume flights at the airport.
“Technically, there is no problem ahead of international flights. We are looking to find answers from neighbouring countries about whether they will start flights to Kabul airport or not. Currently, domestic flights are continuing,” TOLO News quoted Salehi as saying.
The airport was damaged with its many facilities destroyed during the withdrawal of US-led forces and American nationals that concluded on August 31.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghans used fake documents to prove their association with a particular media outlet in Afghanistan to flee the country, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
The trend of fake documentation to show a particular individual worked in a designated media outlet in Afghanistan accelerated after the US launched evacuation process of Afghans.
After the fall of Ashraf Ghani government on August 15, thousands of Afghans stormed the Kabul Airport in a quest to flee to a foreign country.
It is worth mentioning that so far over 110,000 people have been evacuated and the process is underway, the report said.
Insecurity, poverty, loss of job, uncertain future for girls and women and some other reasons prompted a number of Afghans to flee the country in the US-led evacuation process, the report said.
Some media outlets and civil society organizations in Afghanistan have started offering fake documents — employment card, HR letter, experience letter, recommendation letter and other relevant documents and even they are campaigning to provide fake documents in social media pages, the report added.
An employee of an embassy who wished to go unnamed, said, “I know a large number of journalists who stay in Afghanistan; but hundreds of other people traveled abroad in the name of journalists using fake documents, one of my relative is an example who did not study journalism and did not work with media; but former defence ministry spokesman, Fawad Aman, made cards for two shopkeepers who are now in the US.”
He said that a lot of fakery was involved in making documents for people trying to go abroad. Associations of journalists are also involved in this, he added.
“Many people used their relations, even local radio stations which broadcast on the rural area are misused for this. These media outlets provided HR letters as well as ID cards for their relatives and friends to help them escape. Most of government officials who had relations with media referred to media such as journalists associations, including Nai office, for HR letter,” the source said, as per the report.
True, a jailbreak cannot be compared with the reconquest of a country but that is not the way Palestinians see it…writes Saeed Naqvi
What could possibly be common between the Taliban brandishing their weapons in Kabul and Palestinians twirling their spoons (yes, teaspoons) with a flourish? Well, the latter were celebrating because six Palestinian prisoners had pulled off a seemingly impossible escape from the high security Gilboa prison in Northern Israel. Clearly an embarrassment for a state which flaunts national security as a marketable commodity. The spoon has become an emblem because the six used it as an implement to dig a hole in the toilet attached to their cell.
Israeli-Prime-Minister-Benjamin-Netanyahu-
The prisoners, according to Israeli authorities, were affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. According to the Times of Israel, the leader of the group, Zakaria Zubeidi, was “a former commander in Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.” That Zubeidi and three others (at the time of writing) have been arrested is a separate chapter. Kabul and Gilboa establish without any shadow of a doubt a reality all too common in history: limits to power. In this instance, the US globally and its ally Israel, regionally — particularly considering its stalemate with Arab militias like Hezbollah.
Massive intelligence failure attended both the events. True, a jailbreak cannot be compared with the reconquest of a country but that is not the way Palestinians see it. The Times of Israel reports: “The escape is considered a highly symbolic success for the terror groups. It is being celebrated with ‘euphoria’ among Palestinians.”
The Taliban, likewise, in the initial flush are folk heroes in Afghanistan and beyond having done a David on Goliath. To bring out the irony in sharp focus on the US debacle in Afghanistan, recall the January 29, 2002, State of the Union address by President George W Bush. The President sketched in bold colours the ‘Axis of Evil.’ Ironies upon ironies attend that speech. Bush welcomes Hamid Karzai as “leader of liberated Afghanistan.” Karzai is now under house arrest. Bush gloats “Terrorists who once occupied Afghanistan now occupy cells at Guantanamo Bay.” There is a disconcerting update on this too. Not only have the Taliban returned to power in Kabul, at least five in the new Kabul power structure were released from Guantanamo Bay in 2015.
What does all this portend? Is a phase of Imperialism coming full circle? One cannot expect US President Joe Biden to say it in quite that language, but what else does one make of his promise to end “never ending” wars. American youth, who are now 20 years of age, have never seen “America at peace.” Suicide rate among military veterans as high as 18 per day? Biden clearly abhors this data.
The problem, of course is, that Biden is only the President, not the system. Even so he is proceeding with some sense of the consensus he has forged around him. For him to declassify the secret FBI report which reveals the connection of Saudi Nationals to 9/11, indicates a sharp departure from past practice. Remember the days of George W Bush and his buddy Saudi Ambassador Bandar bin Sultan, or Bandar Bush as he was called because of his chumminess with the President? Those days seem like ancient history, days when Israel and Saudi Arabia were equally sacrosanct. Both had to be protected from bad copy.
And now even military protection is being withdrawn. In recent weeks the US removed its most advanced missile defense system, and Patriot batteries from the Kingdom which faces attacks from, say, Houthis in Yemen. Troop reductions from Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan have also been confirmed by the Pentagon. Departure from Afghanistan will remain vivid in our minds for years. Despite these stories every American strategist will tell you “the Middle East is not being abandoned.” There is that ‘over the horizon’ capability which includes updated drones. British premier Boris Johnson calls it “outside-in” ability.
Israel, which is busy adjusting to limits on its power as a concept, must place in its calculus the US distancing itself from the Arab theatre. Yes, support for Israel in the US remains durable — Jewish control of banks, media, institutes of learning, election, finance. What is not so well known is what Noam Chomsky describes as much the most powerful support for Israel — Christian Zionism. Former Israeli Ambassador in the US, Ron Dermer, has urged Israel to prioritise maintaining the support of the American evangelical Christian. It must be assiduously wooed. “People must understand that the backbone of support for Israel in the US is the evangelical Christian.” The quote is from The Palestinian Policy Network, Al-Shabaka. Israel can breathe easy because there is no indication of Biden distancing himself from this line of thinking.
US thinning out from the region will accentuate popular perception of Israel’s exclusive support base inside the US. As Israel rolls its eyes around to size up the neighbourhood for subtle adjustments, it will find to its chagrin, Iran undiminished. Houthis in Yemen, Hashd al Shaabi in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, groups supportive of President Assad in Syria and increasing reports of Iranian role in Afghanistan, initiated by the late Quds Commander, Qasem Soleimani — all of these enhance Iran’s position in the region. The cookie in Afghanistan having crumbled the way it has, Iran’s role in this theatre may in the future be of interest to the US.
The launch of AUKUS (Australia, UK and US), an idea borrowed conceptually from ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand and US) against the Soviet Union, shows the urgency Biden accords to what Barack Obama called ‘pivot to Asia’. The pivot was of much greater saliency. West Asia, though still important, had placed a disproportionate demand on Washington’s attention. The nuclear deal conferred on Tehran the kind of legitimacy that was to have enabled it to balance power in the region. This would be in concert with Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Turkey. The regional balance of power would then require less day-to-day attention, freeing Washington to pay greater attention to the pivot. That appears to be the route on Biden’s GPS.”
The MEA Spokesperson said during operation ‘Devi Shakti’, the majority of the Indians were evacuated except some who were left due to the closure of Kabul Airport…reports Asian Lite News.
India is closely monitoring a probe by Afghan authorities into the case of Indian national Bansuri Lal Arinde who reportedly went missing in Kabul, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
“We are in touch with all concerned. We have seen reports of local authorities undertaking investigation in this matter and we will continue to monitor the situation and will keep you updated on the matter,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly press briefing.
The MEA Spokesperson said during operation ‘Devi Shakti’, the majority of the Indians were evacuated except some who were left due to the closure of Kabul Airport.
In response to a question how India will evacuate those Indian nationals who have been left stranded in Afghanistan, he said: ““Till the time operations resume at the Kabul airport, it is difficult to say how we will evacuate the people wishing to return.”
“Our focus right now is to ensure that the Kabul airport is operational soon, so that we are able to evacuate people,” he emphasized. The MEA Spokesperson said Indian authorities are in touch with those in Afghanistan who could not manage to get a flight to India.
“We are in contact with those who had remained there but couldn’t due to the stoppage of operations at Kabul airport,” the MEA Spokesperson stated.
He argued that India has raised the matter of safe and secure passage for Afghans with the international community on numerous occasions.
The UNSC Resolution 2593 also calls for safety and security of minorities in Afghanistan and their safe passage out from that country without any impediments. (India New Network)
Ghani also apologised, saying he regretted “how it ended”…reports Asian Lite News
Former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country in the wake of the Taliban takeover of the war-torn nation, has again denied stealing millions from the treasury.
“My wife and I have been scrupulous in our personal finances. I have publicly declared all of my assets. My wife’s family inheritance has also been disclosed and remains listed in her home country of Lebanon. I welcome an official audit or financial investigation under UN auspices or any other appropriate independent body to prove the veracity of my statements here,” Ghani said, as reported by Al Arabiya.
During his statement released on Wednesday, Ghani said he had left at the urging of the palace security in order to avoid the risk of bloody street fighting, the report said.
Ghani also apologised, saying he regretted “how it ended”, according to a statement.
“Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens. I have devoted 20 years of my life to helping the Afghan people work toward building a democratic, prosperous, and sovereign state – it was never my intent to abandon the people of that vision,” Ghani said in a long statement posted on his official Twitter handle.
It is not clear what Pakistan means by “border management” – one of the agenda items on Hameed’s Kabul visit. Afghanistan and Pakistan have almost an open border which has existed for decades…reports Asian Lite News.
Pakistan is campaigning passionately for an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan. From Prime Minister Imran Khan to the garrulous Foreign Minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi and the ever-reticent Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, every Pakistani leader of some consequence is making the pitch for a broad-based government under the aegis of Taliban, which has taken over the war-ravaged country in what was no more than a bloodless fight.
Yet, the Pakistani chorus is met with as much scepticism as disbelief. This is largely because the world has come to see the Taliban and its allies in the splintered militant landscape as the proxies of Paksitan Army’s eyes and ears – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The way the ISI chief has air dashed to Kabul to broker peace amongst the Taliban groups jockeying for positions in the new dispensation has dented Taliban’s carefully crafted image. It has deprived it of the room it cherished to deny linkages with Pakistan.
Moreover, within and outside Pakistan, the clamour for an inclusive government is seen as a ploy to ensure key slots for the ISI proxies, like the Haqqanis. But the delay in constituting the new Kabul power structure has invited barbs from stalwarts like Farhatullah Babar.
“Conquerors of Afghanistan haven’t yet formed government despite declaring to make it on Friday last. Internal power tussle between Haqqanis, Mullah Baradar the likely cause. Haqqanis must be happy with some visitors visiting Kabul,” the veteran politician from Peshawar, which is the gateway to the Talibanised tribal belt of Pakistan, tweeted on September 4. The visitor to Kabul, he was referring to, was Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the ISI chief.
An Afghan activist, and human rights campaigner, Zarifa Ghafari took a dig at Mullah Baradar himself in a tongue in cheek tweet. “Does Mullah Brother remember (know); he was in a Pakistani prison? And this man (ISI Chief) who he welcomed in Kabul today, was mainly responsible for it? Does he remember that Pakistani soldiers were taking him like an animal with all those chains (from) place to place?”
Does Mullah Brother remember, he was in a Pakistani prison? And this man who he welcomed in Kabul today, was mainly responsible for it? Does he remember that Pakistani soldiers were taking him like an animal with all those chains place to place? If NOT than, show him this: pic.twitter.com/W4n7l4OJPt
The tweet was loaded by all means. It shows the chasm between today and yesterday in Pakistan-Afghan relations. For the uninitiated in Afghan politics, Ghafari has survived three assassination attempts. She became the Mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital of the Wardak Province in 2019 at a time when there were not many women politicians around. Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State.
Going by the “news” making the rounds in the Afghan capital, the Pakistani embassy has been relaying instructions from Islamabad/Rawalpindi to Kabul on an “hourly basis”. In so many words, the Pakistani embassy has become the postman for the leaderships of Pakistan and Taliban.
Hameed’s air dash is a clear give away that the remote control has failed to deliver the desired result. Frankly, Gen Bajwa conceded that much in his closed-door security briefing to law makers who were keen to get a hang of the situation, according to a front-page report on the sedate Karachi daily Dawn.
Shorn of all shibboleths, the Pakistani motive is to have an effective control of Kabul airport and even perhaps the Afghan airspace. It has been reported that at present the Turks, friends of the Taliban, are managing the Kabul airport. But that is not considered good enough by Pakistan which wants to scrutinise the fleeing foreign nationals as that will open for it the possibility of harassing amongst others the Indian nationals still left in Afghanistan.
It is not clear what Pakistan means by “border management” – one of the agenda items on Hameed’s Kabul visit. Afghanistan and Pakistan have almost an open border which has existed for decades. But there is also a long-standing boundary dispute between the two Islamic “brothers”.
The Taliban 1.0 did not accept the British-drawn Durand Line border which is seen as a hindrance in the movement of Pushtuns on either side of the border. The Taliban 2.0 has stuck to the same refrain to the relief of Afghans. The Taliban are Pushtuns though they are not known to adhere to the Pushtun’s code of honour.
From media reports, it is clear that Pakistan is dictating to the Taliban as to how it should deal with “pending requests” for evacuation of foreign nationals. It is almost certain that these “requests” relate to nationals of countries in the West and perhaps Indians. Since Kabul airport is not fully operational, the evacuation will have to be through Pakistan.
This is what is enabling Pakistan to dream big on securing global recognition to its Kabul proxy. By becoming a key factor in the departure of foreign nationals stranded amidst chaos in Kabul, Islamabad can put pressure on, nay arm twist, the affected nations to give legitimacy to Taliban 2.0.
Frankly, the Western countries would not welcome the idea of granting recognition to the new Afghan regime solely on the recommendation of Pakistan. For Taliban 1.0 recognition came only from three countries. And now by letting their embassies to function in Kabul, Russia and China may have signaled their tacit recognition but the rest of the world is in a wait and watch mode. The wait is to see if Taliban 2.0 is opposed to being chained by a neighbour which had made such a hue and cry over the American “shackles” in Afghanistan!
The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh censured the attacks that took place in Kabul, Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News
The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh has strongly condemned the attacks that occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan recently.
“We grieve for the loss of Afghan and British civilians and American service members at the hands of Daesh/ISIS terrorists. The tragic loss of life is only compounded by the fact that those killed were endeavoring to evacuate or working to conduct that humanitarian mission,” the Coalition said in a statement.
Afghan security force members are seen at the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
“The Coalition and its partners continue to stand shoulder to shoulder, as we did when we fought to achieve the territorial defeat of Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Daesh/ISIS remains a determined enemy and we will continue to take necessary action to ensure its enduring defeat. To that end, we are focused on leveraging the Coalition’s expertise and the efforts of its working groups to counter Daesh/ISIS’ global branches, including Daesh/ISIS-Khorasan, and to identify and bring their members to justice.
“We will continue working closely together under the auspices of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS to effectively counter this dangerous threat. In that effort, we will draw on all elements of national power military, intelligence, diplomatic, economic, law enforcement to ensure the defeat of this brutal terrorist organization. We will continue to apply robust counterterrorism pressure against Daesh/ISIS wherever it operates,” added statement.
