Latest News
Biden pledges continued evacuation support
US President Joe Biden said late Sunday Washington has an unwavering commitment to getting American citizens and at-risk Afghans out of Afghanistan.
Biden said the security situation in Afghanistan was changing rapidly and his administration was concerned about the threat from Islamic State (Daesh) in Afghanistan.
“Let me be clear, the evacuation of thousands from Kabul is going to be hard and painful” and would have been “no matter when it began,” Biden said in a briefing at the White House.
“We have a long way to go and a lot could still go wrong.”
Biden said he had directed the State Department to contact Americans stranded in Afghanistan by phone, email and other means, and the United States had a plan to move them to the airport.
“We’re executing a plan to move groups of these Americans to safety and effectively move them to the airport compound. For security reasons, I’m not going to go into detail … but I will say again today what I’ve said before: Any American who wants to get home will get home.”
Afghan allies of the West and vulnerable Afghans such as women activists and journalists would be helped too, he said.
Asked by a reporter whether the United States would extend an Aug. 31 deadline for evacuations, Biden replied: “Our hope is we will not have to extend but there are going to be discussions I suspect on how far along we are in the process.”
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin on Sunday rejected the idea of sending evacuees to Russia-allied countries to the north of Afghanistan, saying he did not want “militants showing up here under cover of refugees”, Russian news agencies reported.
Putin criticized the idea of some Western countries relocating refugees from Afghanistan to neighboring Central Asian countries while their visas to the United States and Europe are being processed.
“Does that mean that they can be sent without visas to those countries, to our neighbours, while they themselves (the West) don’t want to take them without visas?” TASS news agency quoted Putin as telling leaders of the ruling United Russia party.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen meanwhile said from Doha that all foreign troops should leave Afghanistan by the end of August, Deutsche Welle reported.
Shaheen has said that the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan by the end of August is the “red line” of the Taliban, and the group sees the extension as a “continuation of the occupation of the country.”
Shaheen added that there was no reason to extend the deadline. Shaheen stressed that the extension of the US and other countries’ military presence in Afghanistan is fueling distrust.
According to Deutsche Welle while setting an ultimatum for the withdrawal of foreign troops, he said that extending the deadline for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan would face a “reaction” from the Taliban.
Shaheen also said that citizens who had gathered at Kabul airport wanted to leave the country to escape poverty, citing fear of the Taliban as an excuse.
Latest News
Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.
Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.
Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”
Latest News
Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”
Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.
“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.
Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.
He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.
Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.
The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.
Latest News
Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin
Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”
Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.
“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”
He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.
His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.
The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.
-
Sport4 days agoAfghanistan to face Japan and Nepal in Asian Games cricket group stage
-
Regional5 days agoIran and US trade threats after Houthi attacks escalate regional conflict
-
World4 days agoCNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump, challenging White House ban
-
Health4 days agoFour-day polio vaccination campaign begins across Afghanistan
-
Latest News3 days agoUN reiterates call for respect for international law after Kunar airstrikes
-
Latest News4 days agoKhalilzad condemns Pakistan airstrikes, says current strategy is not working
-
Latest News2 days agoAriana Afghan Airlines ranks seventh among 45 Central Asian airlines
-
Latest News3 days agoAfghan Official: Pakistan’s airstrikes will not go unanswered
