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Khalilzad says a Taliban ruled Afghanistan will become a pariah state

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The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Monday that if the Taliban take over the country by force, they will not win international recognition and “they will become a pariah state.”

Speaking to VOA, Khalilzad said the United States remains committed to promoting a political settlement between warring Afghans, stressing that neither side to the conflict can win militarily.

Asked whether the US has a moral and political responsibility to ensure that Afghanistan does not slide into another civil war, after U.S. military departure, as happened following the Soviet exit in 1989, Khalilzad said “it is a point that we have kept in mind that what happened in the 90s should not be repeated and that working with the Afghans we did something big, a huge sacrifice on the part of the Afghans with our support to get the Soviets out, and then we abandon Afghanistan, and a terrible war took place and it produced challenges particularly in 9/11.

“So, we do not want to repeat that mistake,” he said adding “we have an agreement with the Taliban in principle to depart. But we engaged the Taliban as part of a strategy, a plan to have safe withdrawal of U.S. forces.”

He also said the start of the peace process was part of this strategy.

According to him, the US-Taliban agreement, signed in Doha in February last year, provided the opportunity for Afghans to sit across the table from each other, “a historic development”, to reach an agreement to agree on a formula that would have broad support in Afghanistan and international support as well.

“Unfortunately, the two sides have not taken advantage of that opportunity as quickly as we would have liked, as the Afghan people would have liked,” he said.

He reiterated that there is no military solution to the war and that there must be a “political solution, a political agreement for a lasting peace.”

Khalilzad meanwhile stated that the Afghan government “also has had challenges or difficulties in terms of agreeing to or embracing the idea of a new Islamic government and the Taliban have used force to see if it could coerce the government into agreeing to a formula for a new Islamic government, a new constitution as they see it as well.”

He said in the US’s opinion, the Afghan government cannot get rid of the Taliban, “and the Taliban cannot conquer Afghanistan and have a government that has the support of the overwhelming majority of the Afghans and international support.”

He said while the Taliban tells the US they know there is no military solution, “maybe some Taliban think there is a military solution to the conflict.”

Khalilzad said “the wise thing is for both sides to engage seriously and quickly, urgently to respond to the wishes of the people of Afghanistan for a political agreement.”

He pointed out that history has shown, over the past 45 to 50 years, that attempts by one party to impose its will on the people only leads to war.

“I hope that the leaders of Afghanistan have learned that lesson and that they need to agree to a formula that has broad support, accepts that all Afghans have legitimate rights, that those rights have to be respected and the people have to have a say ultimately in how they are governed.”

ON the gains the Taliban has made in the country in terms of seizing territory, Khalilzad said the Afghan security forces “are numerically far superior than the Taliban. They have over three hundred thousand troops, it has an Air Force and it has special forces. It has heavy equipment and both proper leadership, political and military and proper military strategy and plan and execution.”

However he added “the government forces should have done a lot better than they are doing.”

Khalilzad, who has worked tirelessly to bring the two warring sides together over the past three years, told VOA that he is “concerned very much by the lack of progress. I know that the gap has been large, continues to be a big gap between the two sides, but they need to put the leader or the interests of the Country first, rather than their own interest or their factional interest.”

“There cannot be peace without a compromise, without give and take, without respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans men and women and the Afghans having a say, ultimately the people and in terms of what happens to them.”

He said the question now is “will these leaders rise to the occasion and put country first or will they go down in history as people who put their own interests or the interests of their faction first”.

In conclusion, Khalilzad touched on Pakistan and its relations with the Taliban.

He said: “Pakistan has a special role and responsibility, given also that many Taliban leaders are in Pakistan, located there, to do what it can to encourage peace and a political settlement as soon as possible, for it will be judged internationally also as to whether it has done all that it can or it could to promote a political settlement.

He said peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interests and that many Pakistan leaders have acknowledged this.

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IEA provides 200 million AFN to victims of last year’s Kandahar fire

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The Islamic Emirate has provided 200 million AFN in cash assistance to traders in Kandahar whose goods were destroyed in a fire last year.

The fire occurred in the auto parts market of Spin Boldak district, Kandahar, burning down 250 shops and causing losses estimated at 550 million AFN to the traders.

Nooruddin Turabi, acting head of the National Disaster Management Authority, stated that the total damages amount to approximately 550 million AFN.

Meanwhile, the affected traders have expressed satisfaction upon receiving the assistance, calling it an important step toward reviving their businesses.

Meanwhile, officials from the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce are urging the Islamic Emirate to implement a comprehensive development plan in the district to prevent future fires.

Sediq Mohmand, head of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce, said: “Our request to the government is to implement a master plan in Spin Boldak district so that commercial, residential, and market areas can be clearly and properly organized.”

According to Kandahar firefighting officials, there were 126 fire incidents in the province last year. They reported that their efforts in controlling the fires prevented damages worth 2.31 billion AFN.

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China interested in financing Trans-Afghan railway project: Pakistan FM

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Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, announced on Thursday that China has expressed interest in financing the Trans-Afghan Railway project, which aims to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan through Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference, Dar said that during his recent visit to Beijing, he held discussions with Chinese and Afghan officials regarding the railway project. He emphasized that the time has come to move forward with its implementation.

He also stated that during a trilateral meeting in Beijing, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China agreed that none of the three countries would allow their territory to be used against one another.

According to Dar, both Afghanistan and China jointly committed to preventing terrorist groups from operating within their borders.

Addressing regional security concerns, Dar noted that terrorism is not an issue that can be resolved with the push of a button, but one that requires time and continued cooperation.

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Deputy PM Baradar launches 10-megawatt solar power project in Laghman

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Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar launched the implementation of a 10-megawatt solar power project in Afghanistan’s eastern Laghman province on Thursday.

During the inauguration ceremony, Baradar called the project a significant step toward clearn energy production, which will not only help meet part of the country’s demand for sustainable energy but will also play an effective role in addressing climate change.

He said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is committed to achieving self-sufficiency in the electricity sector through vital projects like this.

According to him, these initiatives are not only crucial for electricity generation but also for boosting the national economy, creating employment opportunities, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and improving public services.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that seven major electricity generation contracts with a combined capacity of over 228 megawatts have recently been signed nationwide, with the Laghman solar project forming a part of this broader effort.

Baradar reiterated that the Islamic Emirate’s economic strategy focuses on reducing dependence on foreign sources and maximizing domestic capacities.

He noted that Afghanistan currently relies heavily on imported electricity, which not only incurs high costs but also leads to significant currency outflow.

He emphasized that security is the most crucial factor for initiating and completing economic and investment projects and assured full support from the Islamic Emirate to both local and international investors.

Calling on investors to focus on sectors such as electricity, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted that the Islamic Emirate has provided extensive facilities and is ready to offer full cooperation.

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