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Republicans and Democrats agree U.S. war in Afghanistan wasn’t worth fighting: poll

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At a time when Americans are deeply divided along party lines, a new poll shows considerable agreement on at least one issue that is the United States’ two-decade-long war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

The poll from the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs suggest the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, seen by many as chaotic and ill-planned, may have been a turning point for President Joe Biden’s approval ratings, which started a downward slide around that time and have not recovered since.

Two-thirds of Americans say the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting; 65% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans agree on that evaluation. Many have doubts about how successful the U.S. was at accomplishing more specific goals such as eliminating the threat from extremists or improving opportunities for women.

“It was unwinnable from the beginning,” said Martin Stefen, a 78-year-old Republican who lives in Carson City, Nevada. He said the U.S. should have paid closer attention to what happened to the Soviet Union, which waged a decade-long war in Afghanistan during the 1980s only to pull out in defeat in 1989. And, he said, the U.S. should have had a more specific end goal for how it wanted the war in Afghanistan to go and a better understanding of the country’s tribal politics.

That thought was echoed by Justin Campbell, a 28-year-old Democrat from Brookhaven, Mississippi. He said it was clear after the U.S. was entrenched in Afghanistan that it didn’t have very deep support. Campbell said he’s not pleased that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is back in control.

“But I don’t think it was worth us staying over there,” he said.

Maliha Chishti, a lecturer and research associate at the Pearson Institute, said she was struck by the fact that after 20 years of war, so many American and Afghan lives lost and billions spent, the vast majority said they felt Afghanistan was not friendly to the U.S. or was an outright enemy. She said the responses demonstrate a frustration on the part of Americans and the need to ask questions about what went wrong with America’s attempts to intervene in Afghanistan.

“We invested all of this money to really build a state from scratch and when we left, that state completely collapsed,” she said.

Many Americans also say the United States was not successful with many of its key objectives in Afghanistan.

Eliminating the threat of terrorism in Afghanistan during the war is still seen as an important goal by many across party lines: 46% of Democrats and 44% of Republicans called that highly important. But only about one-quarter in each group said this successfully happened during the war.

Slightly fewer than half — 46% — say the U.S. and its allies were successful at the goal of apprehending or killing the individuals who were responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, compared with 25% who think the U.S. was unsuccessful in achieving that goal.

Only about one in five Americans say the U.S. successfully improved opportunities for women and girls in Afghanistan, with 43% saying such efforts were unsuccessful. But many said advancing the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan was important to them. About three quarters said that goal was extremely, very or somewhat important to them.

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Afghanistan now has unified central government: IEA defense minister

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Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Minister of Defense of the Islamic Emirate, says that Afghanistan currently has a unified central government, and that no groups engaging in destructive activities are present in the country. He added that they will not allow anyone to undermine the country’s security.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defense, Mujahid made these remarks at a graduation ceremony for commandos of the Special Forces Division. The ceremony was attended by Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Minister of Interior; several cabinet ministers; foreign ambassadors and military attachés; special representatives; and a number of officials and military personnel.

Addressing the commandos, Yaqoob Mujahid said: “In the service you perform, make the pleasure of Almighty Allah your sole intention, because Almighty Allah will reward you for such an intention in this world and the hereafter. There is now a unified central government in the country, and no groups engaging in destructive activities are present. We will also not allow anyone to undermine security.”

He also added: “I assure our people that these forces will defend the lives, property, and territory of their beloved country with full courage and wisdom. I tell all foreign countries that Afghanistan is now secure, and there is no enemy in this country, whether from within or outside, that poses a threat to others.”

At the ceremony, Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani also said: “For half a century, Afghanistan did not have an independent army. However, now, it has an organized army and other security forces. You are not a ceremonial army, nor do you operate to serve the interests of others; rather, you are an organized and independent army. Although we may be materially weak, we are stronger than others in terms of morale and spirituality. We must maintain high morale, avoid acting emotionally in military affairs, and respond to the enemy at the appropriate time. We are not a threat to anyone; rather, we are defenders of our own land.”

It is worth noting that 1,000 young commandos of the Special Forces Division of the Ministry of Defense graduated from the eighth training course after completing six months of professional, ideological, and commando training.

During the ceremony, the graduating commandos, in cooperation with the Air Force, demonstrated coordinated practical and military exercises using various types of unmanned aircraft.

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Baradar approves action plan for establishing special economic zones

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The action plan for establishing special economic zones across the country was approved on Wednesday by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.

According to a decree issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, these special economic zones will be established in the provinces of Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Herat, Paktia, and Kunduz.

Under the plan, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, in cooperation with other relevant ministries and government agencies, will identify the land required for these zones, determine the necessary sectoral activities and services, and create the conditions needed to attract investment.

The establishment of these special economic zones is aimed at attracting new investments, achieving a relative balance between exports and imports, and expanding production activities in a suitable environment, paving the way for a new phase of economic development in the country.

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Russian deputy prime minister to visit Kabul with high-level economic delegation

The visit aims to strengthen economic and trade relations between Afghanistan and Russia, explore investment opportunities and discuss potential joint economic projects.

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Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk is scheduled to visit Kabul on Thursday, leading a high-level economic delegation, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.

According to a statement by the ministry, the visit aims to strengthen economic and trade relations between Afghanistan and Russia, explore investment opportunities and discuss potential joint economic projects.

The visit is expected to provide an opportunity for officials from both countries to discuss ways of expanding bilateral economic cooperation and identifying new areas for trade and investment.

The ministry did not provide further details about the delegation’s programme or the specific projects expected to be discussed during the visit.

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