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No global, Afghan Appetite for Resumption of Foreign Troops Presence in Afghanistan: Ghani
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that there is no global and Afghan appetite for resumption of scale of foreign troops presence in Afghanistan.
In an interview with Time Magazine, President Ghani has said that he has been the only person who never asked U.S. for anything, referring to the possible deployment of an additional 3,000-5,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
“My relationship with both President Obama and President Trump is not to ask for things. President Obama called me on his last day in office and said the only person who never asked him for anything was me.”
Ghani said he is not getting into the executive decision-making process of his partner countries. He said it has to be “interest-based”, it has to be a “factual and demonstrable” set of propositions.
“The security transition [with the end of the NATO combat mission in 2014 and the departure of most foreign troops] is a done thing. There is no global appetite, there is no Afghan appetite, for a resumption of that scale of presence,” Ghani said. “We need to put this to rest because if there are questions regarding this, the consensus will break.”
The Afghan President said that what they need is the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission’s advise, train and assist, the way it is defined and also it’s in their bilateral security agreement.
“In these functions, the numbers that have been proposed are the right numbers,” Ghani said.
In response the question whether Afghan forces can hold back the insurgents without a significant surge in international troops Ghani said:
“We can hold [them back], because, again, we need to see, 2015 [the year after the end of the NATO combat mission in Afghanistan] was a battle for survival. We did everything the Taliban, Pakistan and others were saying, we brought a massive reduction of security forces. But instead of coming to consensus over a political solution in Afghanistan, they accelerated the fight.”
President Ghani further said that the Taliban and their backers have had two goals, first to overthrow the government and second to create two political geographies.
“They were able to take Kunduz momentarily. But except for that they have not been able to take a single major [provincial] capital,” he added.
In other part of his speech, the President referred to the role of regional countries in Afghanistan particularly Russia who is based on the suggestion by General Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was supplying the Taliban insurgents.
“The first issue is we need Russia to be part of the consensus for a stable Afghanistan. Second, our request to the Russians is that we do not become part of a global chess game, a tit-for-tat for other situations. Russia would lose and harm its own interests if it armed the Taliban or other groups.”
Pakistan, Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have expressed with Afghanistan after flash floods killed more than 300 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in northern Baghlan province.
“The Government and the people of Pakistan express their heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss of life and widespread damage to property caused by heavy rains and flash floods in several provinces of Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan during this difficult time.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry said: “The State of Qatar expresses its full solidarity with Afghanistan in face of the destruction caused by massive floods hitting the Baghlan province north of the country, which resulted in deaths and injuries.”
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the State of Qatar’s firm support to Afghanistan and its brotherly people, and voiced its complete readiness to cooperate with the relevant authorities in Afghanistan to provide all means to help overcome crises,” it added.
UAE’s Foreign Ministry also expressed “its sincere condolences and sympathy with the friendly people of Afghanistan, and to the families of the victims, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.
“The United Nations and its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance,” he said.
The Japanese ambassador in Kabul, Takayoshi Kuromiya, met Saturday with Sader Azam Osmani, the Deputy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, the meeting discussed Japan’s cooperation in these areas.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) held Saturday an emergency meeting in Kabul attended by the humanitarian aid coordinator of the International Organization for Migration to instantly address the needs of recent flood victims in Baghlan province.
The ministry quoted Abdul Rahman Rahmani, head of the assistance coordination of the ministry, as saying that the goal of the meeting was to provide emergency assistance to flood victims and how to consider first aid.
According to reports, intense floods in Baghlan’s many districts have left hundreds of dead and injured.
The ministry stated that hundreds of houses have been destroyed and people are living in open space in the mountains.
Meanwhile, the ministry added that the figures are not yet final and the process of rescue operations is still ongoing with the cooperation of health teams.
At the meeting, Mohammad Omar Hashemi, the humanitarian aid coordinator of the International Organization for Migration, also assured that the organization is ready to provide urgent aid to the victims.
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