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Mohib says troop withdrawal happening ‘sooner than expected’
Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib implied this week that the troops’ withdrawal had come sooner than expected.
In an interview with VICE Media, Mohib said: “We weren’t expecting it to come this soon so there hasn’t really been a proper transition,” he said.
Mohib said the looming withdrawal has “put us at risk” in some ways but added that it forced the Afghan government to “expedite self-reliance and self-sufficiency with our security forces at a much faster pace than when what we were preparing for.”
He said the concern was that “the Taliban could see this as an opportunity to attack us like they did and think that they could overrun a couple of provinces and put us in a situation where it may be hard for us to take them back.”
“The capabilities we have built over the last 20 years have equipped us to be able to do the job relatively well. We have always emphasized that it’s not the number of Us troops, it’s the capabilities that they provide us to do what we need to do but nonetheless we’re preparing for that zero troops option.
“There were conditionalities attached to the US Taliban agreement. The Taliban have not met that; one of them was a reduction in violence and we have not yet seen the Taliban to really comply with that and we are seeing an increased number of attacks.
“It seems like they still think they can take power by force in Afghanistan.”
Mohib also said the Taliban should take peace negotiations seriously.
“The Afghan people want an end to this war,” he said.
VICE Media also visited an almost deserted US military base in Helmand. Once a base for thousands of foreign troops, the base is now virtually a ghost town and only the skeleton of the camp remains.
Tents, furniture and brick structures lie discarded or destroyed, with some locals blaming the US military for having destroyed non-military equipment that could have been handed over to the Afghan security forces.
US and Afghan officials said earlier this month that US forces will hand over bases and military equipment, that is not being shipped to the United States, to Afghan forces.
“The war needs equipment; it needs strong management and strong planning,” said Shaoor Gul Pashtoon, a former commander of 203 corps.
On the other hand, Dean Thompson the acting assistant secretary of south & central Asian affairs at the US State Department said in a visit to Kabul that Washington would provide continued assistance to Afghanistan.
This comes as after US-Forces commander in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Miller said Sunday the evacuation of some bases has already started in Afghanistan.
“We will turn over the bases primarily to the Ministry of Defense and other Afghan forces,” Miller told reporters in a press conference in Kabul on Sunday, adding that: “The notification day will be the first of May but at the same time as we start taking local actions, we have already begun that”.
The US is expected to hand over three military bases and one airport to the Afghan forces in the next two weeks as part of the US plan for the full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11, sources said last week.
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Islamic Emirate’s army now self-sufficient, says chief of army staff
Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, says that over the past four years, the army forces of the Islamic Emirate have shown no hesitation in defending and protecting Afghanistan, and that today the country’s army is standing on its own feet.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Fitrat made these remarks at a meeting with media representatives, political analysts, and a number of government officials aimed at coordination and strengthening cooperation. He added: “Nations that cannot stand on their own feet and rely on others, even if they grow, will not be capable of achieving real progress.”
Fitrat also expressed appreciation for the role of the media in ensuring security and in supporting the country’s defense forces, stating: “We and you, as citizens of this land, must put our hands together and build the country together, take pride in our forces, and strive with all our strength for the country’s development. We have created an army that defends honor, territorial integrity, and the borders of the country, and serves as the guardian of our freedom.”
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to establish an army equipped with modern weapons so that it can defend the country’s territory under all circumstances.
He stated that the country’s army has proven to the people that anyone who looks at this land with ill intent will face a firm and courageous response, and that it has also been made clear to neighboring countries that any aggression against Afghanistan will be met with a response several times stronger.
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Afghan health minister attends second WHO summit in India
Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the second World Health Organization meeting on traditional medicine during his official visit to India.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health said that the meeting was held in India with the participation of representatives from around 100 countries, health ministers from 23 countries, professional experts from various nations, and officials from different departments of the World Health Organization.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the standardization of traditional medicine, training of individuals active in this field, recognition of traditional medicine as an established reality, and the sharing of countries’ experiences in this area.
The ministry stated that the purpose of participating in the conference was to standardize traditional medicine in Afghanistan, adding that for several decades this sector has been practiced in a non-standard manner and without a defined curriculum or clear principles.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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