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15-08-2021
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies
WASHINGTON/ KABUL/ NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD: India has played a constructive role in Afghanistan in the past, the Pentagon acknowledged on Monday. ”India has played a constructive role in Afghanistan in the past in terms of training and other infrastructure improvements,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference. ”That kind of work, that kind of effort to help Afghanistan maintain stability and good governances is always welcome,” he said when asked about India-US cooperation on Afghanistan.
Responding to a question, Kirby said the United States continues to have conversations with Pakistani leadership about the safe havens that exist along that border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. ”We are mindful that those safe havens are only providing a source of more insecurity and more instability inside Afghanistan. We are not bashful about having that discussion with Pakistani leaders,” he said. ”We are also mindful that Pakistan and the Pakistani people also fall victim to terrorist activities that emanate from that region. So, we all have a shared sense of the importance of closing down those safe havens and not allowing them to be used by the Taliban or other terrorist networks to sew discord,” Kirby said. ”And again, we’re having that conversation with the Pakistanis all the time,” he added.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, he said, shares the concern of the international community about the security situation in Afghanistan which is clearly not going in the right direction. ”The secretary continues to believe that the Afghan Forces have the capability, they have the capacity to make a big difference on the battlefield,” he asserted. ”He has maintained that we will continue to support them with the authority where and when feasible, understanding that it is not always going to be feasible but where and when feasible will continue to support them with airstrikes, for instance,” he said.
”The other thing is we’re focused as we should be given the President’s direction, we’re focused on completing the drawdown by the end of the month and by transitioning to a different bilateral relationship with Afghan Forces that will be one of support, financial and logistical maintenance support from outside the country. That’s the focus, that’s what we’re driving at,” he added. Kirby said the Taliban have been making advances. ”No question. The Afghans have capacity. They have the capability. They have a capable air force,” he said.
Meanwhile, fierce battles were reported between Afghan forces and the Taliban near Mazar-e-Sharif city in northern Balkh province.
Balkh governor Farhad Azimi said that the Taliban on Saturday morning launched attacks on the city from various directions, but the security forces “bravely resisted” the group.
He said that initially the Taliban made some advances but the security forces repelled their attacks after getting reinforcement.
Taliban also said they have attacked Mazar-e-Sharif from various directions and made some advances.
“We succeeded to curb enemies’ advance. Our air force units also conducted some successful strikes. Currently, the situation is normal,” said Balkh governor.
“Our frontlines remain stable. The people are determined to fight. The security forces are firm to fight,” Atta Mohammad Noor said.
Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor are leading the fight against the Taliban.
“You will see major changes in Balkh province in the near future,” said Zabihullah Mohmand, the commander of 209 Shaheen Corps.
“We will remain on the frontline until we are alive and we will defend this people and the system,” Dostum said.
Five provincial capitals in the north, including Mazar-e-Sharif, the center of Balkh and Maimana, are still under government control.
Fighting between the security forces and Taliban were reported in Maimana city on Friday night.
Shortly after his pre-recorded message to the nation, President Ashraf Ghani held a consultative meeting with political and jihadi leaders who supported his notion for preventing further instability in the country, the Presidential Palace said.
The participants of the meeting agreed to assign an authoritative team for negotiations to represent the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Palace said.
The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the responsibility that will be assigned to the team, but analysts said it might push further plans for overcoming the current situation by pushing plans of ceasefire and an interim setup.
Ahead of this meeting, a group of influential Afghan political leaders met behind closed doors for many hours in a meeting led by Chairman Abdullah Abdullah to discuss the country’s situation, ceasefire and a possible plan to establish an interim government, sources familiar with the matter said.
Abdullah’s last week’s visit to Doha was also discussed in the meeting, the sources said.
Former president Hamid Karzai, former vice president and head of Hizb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami party Mohammad Karim Khalili, head of Jamiat-e-Islami Salahuddin Rabbani, presidential adviser Mohammad Mohaqiq, Parliament Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani, former vice president Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, Sayed Mansour Naderi, Haji Din Mohammad, Babur Farahmand and Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar. The efforts come as the Taliban is rapidly advancing on the battlefields as it captured three provincial capitals and at least 10 districts in the last 24 hours.
Many Kabul residents interviewed by TOLOnews on Saturday had mixed views on the country’s future. Some of them were optimistic about a better future while others said they have lost their hope.
“Life is normal in Kabul when I see crowds everywhere. They should focus on provinces too. People are not in a good situation there,” said Enayat, a Kabul resident.
“Our youth want to have a comfortable life and a safe future. They want to study and have a peace of mind,” said Najiba, resident of Kabul.
“There are huge crowds, there are no problems. We are here to serve our people,” said Zakaria Ahmadzai, a traffic police.
Other Afghans said there is a need for an active role by political leaders to play to take the country out of the current situation.
“I think political leaders have a role in all these events, but at the moment, they are silent,” said Zabihullah, a Kabul resident.
“We pursued education and will never get disappointed. I will never leave the country because we want to see the result of our hard work,” university lecturer Yalda Naseri.
“We want to see what will be the situation and what plans will be there,” said Zia-ud-din, a Kabul resident.
