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Mike Pence says Trump would not have withdrawn troops from Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: July 3, 2023)

Former US Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday he believes former President Donald Trump would have kept a “couple thousand American forces” in Afghanistan despite striking a deal with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

The US State Department released a report Friday faulting both the presidential administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden for the botched withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. 

The department’s “After Action Review” report stated the Trump administration had an “insufficient senior level consideration of worst-case scenarios,” listed Trump’s desire to end a military presence and alleged there was “no plan or effort to help at risk Afghans” nor a plan on “how to keep diplomats in Kabul after withdrawal.”

Pence said in an interview with CBS he does not believe the Trump administration bears any responsibility for the debacle.

“It was made very clear, I was in the room when President Trump told the leader of the Taliban (IEA)— he said, ‘Look, you’re gonna have to cooperate with the Afghan government. You don’t harbor terrorists and you don’t harm any American soldiers.’ We went 18 months without a single American casualty until the day at that Kabul airport, we lost thirteen brave American service members.”

“The blame for what happened here falls squarely on the current commander-in-chief. And under our administration, I promise you, that while it was the intention of the former president to pull all troops out, when the Taliban (IEA) broke the deal and moved into Mazar-e-Sharif and Joe Biden did nothing, that set in motion the catastrophe that became Afghanistan and the heartbreaking end to 20 years of conflict,” the former vice president said.  

Pence was asked if the Trump administration would have kept the troops on the ground despite striking the deal.

“Well, look, candidly it was all my belief that it would be prudent to keep a couple thousand of American forces there to support our efforts against terrorists both in Afghanistan and in the region and I think we ultimately would’ve done that, just as the president announced we were— the former president announced we were out of Syria,” he answered.

The State Department report also found the Biden administration did not know who was in charge of coordinating the department’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal.

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Japan pledges emergency aid to Afghanistan’s flood victims

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(Last Updated On: May 16, 2024)

The Japanese Embassy in Afghanistan announced Thursday it will provide emergency relief to flood-hit people in northern Afghanistan.

According to a statement issued by the embassy, relief will be provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS).

This relief includes tents, blankets and other essential items.

According to the statement, “Japan has decided to provide emergency assistance to Afghanistan to support people affected by the flood. We will always stand by the people of Afghanistan.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has meanwhile reported that 8,975 homes were destroyed or damaged by floods in Baghlan, Badakhshan, and Takhar provinces following heavy rains.

Russia also pledged help if needed, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) appealed to Islamic countries and aid organizations to step in to help the flood victims.

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Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan visits India

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(Last Updated On: May 16, 2024)

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov held talks with India’s external affairs minister JP Singh to discuss the situation in the country.

Kabulov met with Singh during a visit to India.

In a post on X, India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “India and Russia held bilateral consultations on Afghanistan today in New Delhi.

“Amb. Zamir Kabulov, Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan, and JP Singh, Joint Secretary (PAI) discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and emphasized on the need to provide development assistance for the welfare of the Afghan people,” he said.

An official at the Russian embassy said Kabulov held talks with Singh under the framework of India-Russia foreign ministerial consultations on Afghanistan.

New Delhi has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the humanitarian crisis in the country.

In June 2022, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a technical team in its embassy in the Afghan capital.

The Islamic Emirate says that due to the diplomatic efforts of the IEA, a good spirit of cooperation has been formed in the region towards Afghanistan, and the countries have understood that stable security and stability in Afghanistan is in the interest of all countries.

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China invites IEA deputy PM to Trans-Himalayan Forum

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(Last Updated On: May 16, 2024)

Zhao Xing, the Chinese Ambassador to Kabul, has invited political deputy prime minister Mawlavi Abdul Kabir to participate in the upcoming Trans-Himalayan Forum meeting.

The Chinese envoy said at a meeting Wednesday with Kabir that Beijing supports the Islamic Emirate in terms of attending international meetings, especially UN Security Council meetings.

Zhao also said China was committed to cooperating with the Islamic Emirate.

Kabir in turn expressed his gratitude for China’s support and cooperation across numerous sectors and said that as a responsible government, the Islamic Emirate is bound by commitments made and tries to play an active role in regional issues and the stability and development of the region.

Kabir also acknowledged China’s support of the Islamic Emirate and said Beijing’s cooperation can bring about positive changes and economic growth in the country.

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