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Washington condemns attack on Kandahar base housing US troops
The Pentagon condemned the Taliban attack on a Kandahar air base Wednesday, where several hundred U.S. troops are based, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing.
“We condemn today’s attack on Kandahar airfield, home to several hundred U.S. and coalition personnel,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday night at the press briefing.
“While the attack resulted in no casualties or damage, the Taliban’s decision to provoke even more violence in Afghanistan remains disruptive to the opportunity for peace presented by ongoing negotiations,” he added.
A U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman said the airfield is under control of the Afghan government, but U.S. and coalition troops are still present.
“The rockets landed outside the perimeter and there was no damage [and] no casualties,” the spokesman said in a statement.
Kirby, however, would not directly answer a question by the Washington Examiner on whether the attack constituted a violation of the U.S. agreement with the Taliban.
“I’m not prepared to give you an assessment right now, one way or the other, as to how this suits with the agreement,” he said.
“Clearly, the violence is too high,” he said of the situation in Afghanistan. “Clearly, this attack certainly indicates that’s going to be disruptive to the opportunity to achieve a peaceful negotiation, but I’m not prepared today to give an assessment of this attack as balance against the Doha agreement.”
Wednesday’s rocket attack comes just three weeks before the May 1 deadline for U.S troops withdrawal from Afghanistan as per the agreement signed in February last year between the Taliban and the US.
However, the Biden administration is still reviewing the situation and expectations currently are Washington will seek to extend troop presence in Afghanistan for the short-term.
Last month US President Joe Biden said in an interview a complete withdrawal would not be impossible but it would be “tough” from a logistics point of view.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday that Berlin was only in technical contact with the Islamic Emirate and does not intend to recognize the current ruling regime in Afghanistan.
During a meeting in Vienna, Wadephul added that Germany will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
“There are serious concerns about the humanitarian situation there, the human rights situation in Afghanistan, and particularly the situation of women and girls, and we, as the federal government, will continue to make these clear to the Taliban’s de facto regime,” said Wadephul.
Currently, the Afghan consulate in Munich, Germany, operates in coordination with the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Emirate.
However, Kabul has repeatedly emphasized the need for diplomatic and meaningful relations and has stated that concerns over human rights violations in Afghanistan are unfounded.
Germany’s interior minister had said earlier this month that he wants to negotiate a direct agreement with the Islamic Emirate on receiving Afghan migrants deported from Germany.
Since the summer of 2021, only one deportation flight of Afghan migrants has taken place from Germany to Afghanistan.
In August of last year, 28 Afghan asylum seekers who had committed crimes were returned to Kabul from Germany with the assistance of Qatar.
Uzbekistan reaffirmed its commitment to supporting sustainable development in Afghanistan during a meeting between Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister, and Abdul Ghafar Terawi, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, on Friday.
According to Saidov’s post on X, the two diplomats discussed pressing bilateral and regional issues, emphasizing the importance of integrating Afghanistan into regional and global supply chains.
Saidov highlighted that expanding economic cooperation, enhancing connectivity, and fostering dynamic partnerships are key to promoting lasting stability and prosperity across the region.
The meeting underscores Uzbekistan’s ongoing efforts to strengthen ties with Afghanistan and contribute to peace and development in Central Asia.
Pakistani and Iranian diplomats have held a virtual meeting to discuss regional cooperation and developments in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, and Muhammad Raza Bahrami, Director of South Asia Department of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, explored ways to strengthen regional engagement and coordination on Afghanistan.
Sadiq described the meeting as “productive” in a post on X, noting that both sides shared concerns over terrorism as a mutual challenge and discussed avenues for enhanced bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
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