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Taliban attacks undermining intra-Afghan negotiation prospect: EU
The European Union said that the high level of violence by the Taliban following the signing of the agreement with the US in Qatar is “unacceptable”.
Roland Kobia, the EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan citing the EU Foreign Ministers and EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell Fontelles’ joint statement said that the continued violence undermining the intra-Afghan talks.
“The unacceptably high level of violence and continued terrorist attacks by the Taliban after Doha is running contrary to the expectations and undermining the prospect for IAN.” Kobia tweeted.
“The unacceptably high level of violence and continued terrorist attacks by the Taliban after Doha is running contrary to the expectations and undermining the prospect for IAN.” jointly said 27 #EU Foreign Ministers & EU Foreign Policy Chief @JosepBorrellF. #AfghanPeaceProcess
— Roland Kobia (@RolandKobia) June 27, 2020
In the past 24 hours, parts of the country have witnessed breathtaking clashes between security forces and the Taliban. Clashes between the Afghan government and the Taliban have escalated, But a Taliban spokesman said all of the group’s fighters are defensive, and the number of attacks had dropped by 60 percent.
In the meantime, people are very concerned about this situation.
“It is the responsibility of the United States to manage the situation and prevent disaster,” said Iqbal Khyber, head of the Helmand peace movement.
At the same time, the NATO SCR to Afghanistan considers the escalation of violence in the country a matter of concern and an obstacle to the start of negotiations between Afghans.
“I’m very concerned about the increase in violence, as the leaders of resolute support are and we all are. The level of violence is simply unacceptable. This level of violence is incompatible with creating a condition trust conducive to good Intra-Afghan negotiations,” said Stefano Pontecorvo, a NATO SCR to Afghanistan.
EU foreign ministers, meanwhile, have said in a joint statement that the increase in Taliban attacks following the Doha agreement is disappointing, stressing that this would weaken the possibility of negotiations between Afghans.
“Operations have been stepped up on both sides. Confidence must be built and the process of releasing prisoners must be accelerated,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander.
Nearly 4,000 Taliban by the government and Taliban have released nearly 700 government prisoners on the eve of talks between the Afghans. But the Afghan government sees progress in this area as dependent on the Taliban to reduce violence
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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