Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid says the country’s security and defense forces are fully prepared to protect Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, independence and Islamic system.

In a message marking the August 15, 2021, anniversary of the collapse of the US-backed government and withdrawal of foreign troops, Mujahid assured Afghans that the security forces will use their full strength to protect the lives, property and dignity of the people.

“We assure the nation that with all our strength and capability, we will protect the country, its people, their property and dignity, as well as the Islamic system,” he said.

Mujahid also warned that no one would be allowed to disrupt security across Afghanistan.

Former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has called for stronger U.S.-Afghanistan relations, saying improved ties are essential to bringing Afghanistan back into the international community while urging both Washington and Kabul to address key outstanding issues.

Speaking in an interview with The National of the United Arab Emirates, Khalilzad said Afghanistan should first address U.S. concerns over American citizens believed to be detained or missing in the country.

He said there are three major obstacles to improving relations between Washington and Kabul.

The first is the fate of three American citizens whom he said are either being held in Afghanistan or have gone missing. Khalilzad said Washington needs clearer information about their cases and a mechanism to deal with similar issues.

The second challenge, he said, is continued U.S. disappointment and frustration over the outcome of its 20-year involvement in Afghanistan. He said addressing those concerns would take time and require both sides to confront the realities of the past as well as future U.S. interests.

The third challenge is IEA policies, particularly restrictions on girls’ education. Khalilzad described the restrictions as a major symbol of the issues the United States had sought to address during its two decades in Afghanistan, calling the policy morally wrong and socially short-sighted.

At the same time, Khalilzad urged Washington to expand its engagement with Afghanistan, warning that a limited U.S. presence could create a strategic vacuum.

He said reduced engagement could allow U.S. rivals to increase their influence in Afghanistan, create opportunities for terrorist groups and further harm ordinary Afghans who have already endured decades of conflict.

“Turning our backs on Afghanistan and limiting engagement to a minimum is, at best, a mistake,” Khalilzad said, according to his comments published by The National.

Assessing Afghanistan five years after the IEA returned to power, Khalilzad said developments had differed from what many had expected.

He said concerns that Afghanistan would become a much greater source of terrorism, face worsening internal security or experience economic collapse after the end of large-scale foreign assistance had not fully materialized.

Khalilzad also said the IEA had demonstrated greater-than-expected capabilities in areas including infrastructure development, agriculture and regional diplomacy, particularly in its relations with Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan.

However, he said the deterioration in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations had been unexpected. He criticized what he described as Pakistan’s increasingly hostile approach and its return to policies of supporting opponents of the Afghan authorities.

Khalilzad also identified Afghanistan’s prolonged political transition as a major challenge, saying there is still no clear roadmap for establishing a permanent constitution or political system.

His comments come as Afghanistan marks five years since the IEA took control of Kabul.

India reaffirmed its “longstanding ties” with Afghanistan and the Afghan people, a day before the fifth anniversary of the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in Kabul.

At a bi-weekly media briefing on Friday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had maintained regular engagement with Afghanistan over the past year, including several ministerial visits.

“In the last few months and over a year now, we have had several engagements and several ministerial visits from Afghanistan to India and these have led to strengthening of partnerships in several areas including in development cooperation, trade, connectivity”.

“We have longstanding ties with Afghanistan and the Afghan people, and we look forward to strengthening these ties,” he added.

Jaiswal was responding to a question about reported plans by the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi to hold an event marking the IEA’s return to power in August 2021.

India’s foreign ministry did not confirm whether any representative would be present.

Several senior officials from the Islamic Emirate have visited India over the past year, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Industry and Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi, Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali and Agriculture Minister Ataullah Omari.