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US Makes Sure to Have ‘Good Deal’ with Taliban: Pentagon Chief
U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that Washington is making sure to have a “good deal” with the Taliban insurgent group and would not accept just any deal.
“We will make sure we have a good deal, a good enough deal that guarantees at least the security of our countries going forward and a brighter path ahead for the Afghan people,” Esper said during a press conference in Paris with his French counterpart.
“The United States’ view is that the best way forward is a political agreement and that(is what) we’re working diligently on right now, that doesn’t mean we’ll take any deal,” the Pentagon chief added.
After concluding nine rounds of talks with the Taliban, the U.S. chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad said that “in principle” the United States and the Taliban have reached to a draft agreement which is not final until U.S. President Trump agrees on it.
Under the draft agreement, over 5,000 U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan in the coming months in exchange for guarantees that Afghanistan would not be used as a stage for militants to attack the United States and its allies.
The Afghan government objected on the U.S.-Taliban agreement, saying Kabul is concerned about the “potential risks and negative consequences” the draft agreement may have for the country.
Following a series of Taliban’s deadly attacks and growing concerns in Kabul and Washington, the U.S. chief negotiator headed back to Qatar and resumed talks with the Taliban.
On the latest development, Ghani’s spokesman wrote on Twitter that the Afghan government welcomes the latest remarks made by Pentagon Chief on the Afghan peace process.
“We echo the need for sustainable peace, end of violence and a meaningful peace that would guarantee the security of Afghanistan and its allies,” Ghani’s spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi wrote on Twitter.
Zhao Xing, the Chinese Ambassador to Kabul, has invited political deputy prime minister Mawlavi Abdul Kabir to participate in the upcoming Trans-Himalayan Forum meeting.
The Chinese envoy said at a meeting Wednesday with Kabir that Beijing supports the Islamic Emirate in terms of attending international meetings, especially UN Security Council meetings.
Zhao also said China was committed to cooperating with the Islamic Emirate.
Kabir in turn expressed his gratitude for China’s support and cooperation across numerous sectors and said that as a responsible government, the Islamic Emirate is bound by commitments made and tries to play an active role in regional issues and the stability and development of the region.
Kabir also acknowledged China’s support of the Islamic Emirate and said Beijing’s cooperation can bring about positive changes and economic growth in the country.
Torkham commissioner Mullah Abdul Jabbar Hikmat said Thursday the crossing will be closed for the next three days in order for Pakistan border authorities to move into new premises.
He said the crossing has been closed to travelers and to people seeking medical help in Pakistan.
Hikmat appealed to the public not to make their way to the crossing over the next three days.
However, trucks carrying goods will still be able to cross as per usual, in both directions.
Pakistani media has also reported that the crossing will be closed from May 17 to May 19 in order to enable border officials to move into new premises.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed Wednesday that one person was killed and 12 were injured when a helicopter crashed in Firozkoh, the capital of Ghor province.
Enayatullah Khwarazmi, the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, said on X that on Wednesday morning, an Air Force Mi-17 helicopter, which was sent to Ghor province, experienced technical problems and crashed into a wall during an emergency landing.
In footage published by Afghan media, the wreckage of a helicopter can be seen lying in a fast-flowing river, with crowds of people gathered around it.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Defense said the helicopter had been sent to Firozkoh to retrieve bodies of car crash victims.
The spokesman said a car plunged into the Harirod River a few days ago, resulting in the death of a few people.
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