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Pentagon reports military leaders planning post-withdrawal financial support

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said on Wednesday that the US is currently focusing on the post-withdrawal support process, which he says will be largely financial.
In a press briefing Wednesday, Kirby said: “I want to stress … that, right now, the focus of the post-withdrawal support to the Afghan … National Defense and Security Forces is going to be largely through financial means, with some over-the-horizon logistical support.”
“For example, aircraft maintenance, that’s really where the focus of the efforts are,” he said.
Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, and his staff are working now to develop that plan in Afghanistan before the US leaves, Kirby said.
The Defense Department is also working with the State Department regarding the diplomatic efforts required for over-the-horizon basing opportunities in the region, he added.
Financial support for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces — meant to provide resources for such things as salaries for soldiers and police — is expected to continue much as it has for most of the last 15 years, Kirby said.
Over-the-horizon capacity includes the ability to continue to protect the United States from the terrorist threats that exist in any nation in the region, even if the US is not specifically in that country. The US already has such capabilities in the Middle East, and more will come.
“We already have at our disposal over-the-horizon counterterrorism capabilities to support our desires that no additional threats to our homeland can emanate from Afghanistan,” Kirby said.
“That said … we want to have additional capabilities, and we’re working through that,” he added.
Kirby also explained why it’s important, once the US leaves Afghanistan, that the airport in Kabul remains secure and open to operations.
“The airport would provide, obviously, aside from the transportation support for people and for equipment … it would also provide a needed logistical hub, not just for our embassy, but for the embassies of other nations that want to maintain diplomatic presence there in Afghanistan,” he said.
“Obviously, in a country like Afghanistan, security of that logistical hub is important, and you want to make sure that, that it can … be properly ensured and protected.”
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Otunbayeva meets acting head of TVET in Kabul

The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasized the need for the inclusion of women and girls in vocational education on Monday in a meeting with Ghulam Haider Shahamat, acting head of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
In this meeting, Roza Otunbayeva said that vocational training is necessary for the economic development of Afghanistan and women and girls should be included.
Shahamat also expressed that technical and vocational education is effective for poverty alleviation and the growth of the country’s economy.
“The Technical Vocational Education and Training has 383 institutes and high schools all over Afghanistan, which operate in 250 districts and have 6850 staff,” said Shahamat.
Meanwhile, some experts say that Afghanistan needs to develop and create job opportunities for everyone, especially women and girls, and all international institutions play a constructive role for Afghanistan’s progress.
“All organizations which work under the framework of the United Nations can have positive roles in Afghanistan,” said Sarah Rahmani, women rights activist.
In this meeting, the head of the United Nations Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) was also present and emphasized on signing an agreement and creating a joint working group between both institutions.
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Afghanistan’s central bank to auction $17 million this week

Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) has announced that it will auction $17 million on Wednesday as part of the efforts to stabilize the value of the Afghan currency against foreign currencies.
In a series of tweets on Monday, the Central Bank of Afghanistan asked qualified private banks and exchange companies to participate in the auction.
The winners of the auction are obliged to settle their accounts by the end of the day. As per the announcement, partial settlement of transactions is not allowed and the winners of the auction are obliged to transfer the payable amount to the central bank in cash within a certain time.
This is the second time in a week the central bank is auctioning US dollars to keep the value of Afghani stable.
The exchange rate was 90 AFN to the US dollar on Monday, February 6, 2023. The central bank sold $16 million on Sunday.
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Russia has no plans to close its embassy in Afghanistan, says envoy

Russia has no plans to close its diplomatic mission in Kabul, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Zamir Kabulov told TASS on Monday.
Earlier, the Al-Arabiya TV channel reported that the authorities of several Arab and Western countries decided to close their diplomatic missions in Kabul because of security threats.
“Such thoughts have not even occurred,” Kabulov said, when asked whether Russia had such plans.
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