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Biden administration continues to defend decision to withdraw troops
As the one-year anniversary of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan approaches, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said this week that keeping American troops in Afghanistan “could not be justified” and no amount of American military presence led to victory after 20 years.
“It had to come to an end,” he said at the Aspen Security Forum held in Colorado this past week.
Sullivan also said that President Joe Biden is convinced he made the right call to end America’s involvement in the war but added it had been “horrible, painful” for him to watch the images at Kabul International Airport in August last year.
According to Politico, the conference ended with three takeaways: The Biden administration still defends the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, admits the process to bring Afghans who served alongside U.. troops in that war stateside is “slow,” and Trump’s Pentagon chief called the former president a threat to democracy.
Mark Esper, former president Donald Trump’s secretary of defense, called his last boss “a threat to democracy” who is guilty of “dereliction of duty” following the January 6 insurrection, Politico reported.
What Trump did “is not in keeping with the best traditions of our country, let alone the Oval Office,” he said.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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