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Austin pays surprise visit to Kabul ‘to listen and learn’
President Ashraf Ghani met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday afternoon in Kabul to discuss the Afghanistan situation ahead of a May 1 troop withdrawal deadline.
Austin made an unannounced stop in Kabul after meeting with high-ranking Indian officials including Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend.
In a tweet after meeting Ghani, Austin said he was “very grateful for my time with President Ashraf Ghani today. I came to Afghanistan to listen and learn. This visit has been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here” with President Joe Biden on the troop withdrawal review.
According to the Presidential Palace (ARG), both Ghani and Austin expressed their concerns over the increase of violence in the country.
ARG stated that their discussions focused on the need for an enduring and just peace as the main solution for the current situation in Afghanistan, and that Austin said the US is supporting Afghanistan in this respect.
Austin’s visit comes after Biden revealed recently that he’s “in the process” of reaching a verdict on whether to withdraw all U.S. troops on the ground, keep them in the country indefinitely or extend their presence for another six months.
“I’m in the process of making that decision now as to when they’ll leave,” Biden told ABC news in an interview last week.
“The fact is that that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president, the former president, worked out. And so we’re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision’s going to be — it’s in process now.”
Biden added that a full-scale military pullout “could happen, but it is tough.”
However, the high levels of violence is of major concern to all parties.
In February, Austin said: “Clearly, the violence is too high right now and more progress needs to be made in the Afghan-led negotiations.”
“So I urge all parties to choose the path towards peace. And the violence must decrease now.”
Approximately 3,500 troops are in Afghanistan, which is around 1,000 more than what was disclosed by Pentagon officials, according to the New York Times.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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