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US aircraft carrier in Gulf likely to help cover US troop withdrawal
U.S. commanders have asked for the deployment of an aircraft carrier to help protect US and NATO troops as they withdraw from Afghanistan, two senior Defense officials told NBC News.
According to NBC, with fighter squadrons at the ready, an aircraft carrier in the region could provide additional cover in case U.S. and other NATO forces come under fire as they withdraw.
The request, reports NBC, underscores concerns at the Pentagon that the Taliban may choose to launch attacks on NATO troops as they pull out.
The U.S. Naval Institute’s USNI News meanwhile reported the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group’s current stop in the Middle East could be extended to help cover the withdrawal of foreign troops.
Citing two defense officials, USNI said Thursday that USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carrier Air Wing 3 and IKE’s escorts were operating in the North Arabian Sea to support the ongoing anti-ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve.
The officials said CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie has sent a request to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for the strike group to remain in the area instead of continuing on with its planned operations in other regions.
While US President Joe Biden has set a September 11 date as deadline for the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, it is unclear how long a strike group would be required to be in the region or if it would be asked to extend beyond the typical six-month deployment length, USNI reported.
A statement from a Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, responding to a Wednesday story from The New York Times on a carrier deploying to the Middle East, would not confirm details of assets involved in the withdrawal.
But, Kirby said in the statement: “We will do everything possible to protect our troops.”
On Thursday McKenzie meanwhile assured US lawmakers in testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. would be able to adequately cover the withdrawal in case Taliban forces attacked.
“We’re prepared if the Taliban wanted to take shots at us. Today, after [May 1], or any time during the withdrawal,” McKenzie told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Yes, we will bring additional resources in [to the region] in order to protect the force as it comes out. That’s normal in any kind of disengagement operation, and I don’t want to go into the detail of those operations right now, but we will have additional capabilities and I’m confident that we and our coalition partners will be able to extract ourselves.”
According to USNI, the Eisenhower Strike Group has been in the Middle East since early April, after a Suez Canal transit that was delayed due to the canal blockage by merchant ship Ever Given.
USNI News reports that IKE was set to return to the Mediterranean Sea later in the deployment, but those plans will likely be set aside.
When the strike group deployed, the Navy gave hints it would participate more with NATO forces rather than maintain the constant presence in the Middle East, USNI reported.
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Mullah Baradar discusses creation of railway with Kazakh deputy PM
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs has met with Erik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and discussed the establishment of a railway network from Kazakhstan to Pakistan through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the deputy PM’s office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Baradar emphasized the need to sign agreements to solve the banking problems of traders from both countries, the creation of Afghan-Kazakh joint companies, and the facilitation of visas for Afghan traders.
According to the statement, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said that the Kazakh government intends to establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce and a joint trade and labor group between the two countries, and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the sectors of e-governance, industry, higher education, education, health, and banking.
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Iran, Pakistan leaders raise concerns over ‘terrorist groups’ in Afghanistan
Following a two-day official visit to Pakistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to further expand commercial and economic cooperation and transform the common border of the two countries from a “border of peace” to “border of prosperity”.
The two leaders also strongly condemned aggressions and crimes of Israel in Gaza, and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged people of Gaza.
Numerous other issues were also discussed but on the topic of Afghanistan, they jointly declared their commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, united, independent country free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
According to the statement the two countries pointed out that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan is a serious threat to the security of the region and the world.
The two sides stressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in the field of fighting terrorism and ensuring security and creating a united front against terrorism.
They also discussed the importance of coordinating regional and international efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.
“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the statement read.
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Over 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) says over 1,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan on Tuesday through Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar province, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that based on information provided by the Spin Boldak Kandahar border command, these returnees comprised 191 families, totalling 998 people.
In addition, three migrants released from Pakistani prisons were also returned, according to the statement.
The statement added that after registering the returnees, the refugees were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Each family received 10,000 afghanis – paid to them by the Islamic Emirate.
In another statement, the ministry said that 2,783 migrants living in Iran voluntarily and forcibly returned to the country during this week.
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