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Esper raised concern over early US drawdown from Afghanistan: report

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(Last Updated On: November 14, 2020)

US former Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, in a memo to the White House expressed his concerns about early withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan before he was fired by President Donald Trump, the Washington Post reports, quoting senior officials.

This comes as president Trump seeks withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by Christmas.

According to the Washington post after consulting with senior military officers, Esper has sent a classified memo to the White House expressing concerns about additional cuts.

The Washington Post reports that “conditions on the ground were not yet right, Esper wrote, citing the ongoing violence, possible dangers to the remaining troops in the event of a rapid pullout, potential damage to alliances and apprehension about undercutting the negotiations.”

Colin Jackson, a senior Pentagon official told Washington Post, that he has advocated against a withdrawal now.

“We don’t have a single example where pulling the plug has gone well — Vietnam, Iraq,” he said, as quoted in the report. “Not one.”

One former senior White House official said it is not possible for the United States to remove all troops “without crushing the coalition there.”

“We can get down to maybe 4,500,” the official said. “But we cannot be at zero.”

US Sen. Rand Paul also stepped into the debate Wednesday.

“Reminder to those saying withdrawing troops may cause a ‘clash’ with Generals/Pentagon: there is only one Commander in Chief, it is Donald Trump and when he orders the troops out of Afghanistan, the only proper answer is ‘Yes sir,’ ” he tweeted.

On the other hand, Afghan analysts reacted to the Esper’s concerns and said that early poll out of US troops will be dangerous for Afghanistan and the region.

“The US should understands that international community can’t tolerate such irresponsible act. This will be dangerious for Afghanistan and the region,” said Tajuddin Milatmal, a political analyst.

However, Rahimullah Sirat Zadran, international relation analyst, said that US seek its interests.

“The US said that we work for our own interests, they do not work for Afghanistan and Afghans,” said Zadran.

Meanwhile, in a memo to the Defense Department workforce, Christopher C. Miller, acting secretary of defense described at length the respect he has for the institution and the sacrifices made by thousands of men and women who have deployed to the Middle East since the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Ending wars requires compromise and partnership. We met the challenge; we gave it our all. Now, it’s time to come home.” according to a mcclatchydc report quoting Christopher C. Miller, acting secretary of defense,

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Cooperating with Islamic system people’s Sharia duty: Hanafi

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(Last Updated On: May 1, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate’s Miynister of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, says there is no gap between the current system and the people and that cooperation with the Islamic system is the people’s Sharia duty, the ministry said in a statement.

At a gathering in Kabul, Hanafi said: “This Islamic system is the people’s system, the people are considered part of this system, there is no gap between the system and the people. Therefore, cooperation with the Islamic system is the people’s Sharia duty.”

“It’s a very positive thing that we Afghan people do not have differences among ourselves as before, we live under the command of one leader and the flag of the Islamic system,” Hanafi stressed.

“The goal of Jihad was to end the occupation, gain independence and strengthen the Islamic system in the country,” he stated, adding that “all these goals have been achieved with the help of God and the cooperation of Afghans.”

“Now the time has come to serve and cooperate with the people to solve the problems and implement the Sharia rules of the Islamic system,” he added.

The ministry stated that in addition to providing and protecting women’s Sharia rights, thousands of complaints have been resolved so far.

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Washington sees interaction with IEA as opportunity to protect its national interests

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(Last Updated On: May 1, 2024)

The Deputy Spokesman of the US State Department says that when the interests of his country are involved, Washington will not hesitate to interact with the Islamic Emirate.

Vedant Patel said that interaction with the Islamic Emirate is not only the best way to protect the interests of America, but also to support the people of Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, he said interaction with the Islamic Emirate provides the basis for a direct dialogue with them.

According to Patel, this interaction is an opportunity to continue the pressure on the Islamic Emirate for the immediate and unconditional release of American citizens, including those who have been caught “unjustly”.

Patel added that the United States would also take advantage of these opportunities to talk directly with the Islamic Emirate about commitments to counter terrorism. He emphasized that Washington human rights issues are also on the agenda.

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World Bank donates $84 million to Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: May 1, 2024)

The World Bank announced Tuesday it has approved $84 million in aid to Afghanistan in order to fight the economic crisis and implement livelihood projects in the country.

According to a statement, this “complements $70 million in additional financing from the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF).”

The project was started in 2022 with a grant of $265 million from the ARTF to provide livelihoods support and services in rural and urban areas, support social grants for women and the most vulnerable, and strengthen community institutions for inclusive service delivery.

With this additional financing, the project will scale up activities in more rural and urban areas, provide more livelihood opportunities for women, expand activities focused on building climate resilience, and provide employment and services to returning Afghan migrants, the World Bank stated.

Melinda Good, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan, said: “In the past 18 months, the project has laid the foundation for an effective service delivery platform and operational model at scale for delivering jobs, providing essential services and assets, and, importantly, reaching women.

“With the additional financing, the project will continue its essential works in all six regions of the country, 26 of the 34 provinces, 67 rural districts, 6,200 rural communities, and eight major cities,” she said.

To date, the project has provided short-term employment to over 776,000 households, benefiting around 5.4 million Afghans, and about 92,200 vulnerable households received cash transfers or in-kind social grants, with a significant portion being female-headed households or those with disabled members.

Approximately 7.4 million Afghans gained access to services like roads, sanitation, and water supply, and more than 2.1 million community members received training in health and nutrition, the effects of climate change and disaster risk management.

In addition, the project has helped create a market for local civil works and preserve local contractors’ capacities built over the last two decades.

An estimated 2,200 highly skilled market-driven jobs have also been created.

The project is implemented by UNOPS, which facilitates international and local NGO partners and local private sector contractors to implement activities in rural and urban areas.

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