Russia Calls for Establishing of Inclusive Government in Afghanistan

The Russian foreign minister also expressed his concerns over the spread of “terrorist groups” and threats from Afghanistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Russian Sergei Lavrov has said that the recognition of the current Afghan government is possible by establishing an inclusive government and respecting the rights of women and girls.

Speaking at the sixth meeting of the CA5+Russia format on Friday, Lavrov said that it is necessary to maintain diplomatic relations between Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and the current Afghan government.

“This will of course be an important step towards official recognition, not only de-facto recognition of the Taliban leadership but de jure recognition of the new Afghan government. It is also fundamentally important to address an issue of voting rights, educational rights for women and girls in order for these issues (of inclusiveness) to be resolved more quickly,” Lavrov noted.

On April 14, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, hosted the sixth meeting in the CA5+Russia format.

It was attended by Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubaev, Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Acting Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov.

“Almost all of us are unanimous in the need to maintain and develop contacts with the Taliban government, which, despite the weakening of its position due to the growing terrorist threat, still retains power, retains control of the country,” Lavrov said at the meeting.

“The Islamic Emirate should accept the advice of foreign ministers of neighboring countries and respect human and women’s rights,” said Abdul Malik Afghan, a political analyst.

The Russian foreign minister also expressed his concerns over the spread of “terrorist groups” and threats from Afghanistan.

“Terrorists, not only Daesh but also other organizations are rising. There are reasons that our Western friends are involved in encouraging terrorist acts,” Lavrov noted.

According to the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, it is beneficial for everyone involved to maintain relations within the context of the regional and neighboring countries’ economic and political cooperation.

The Islamic Emirate officials have often emphasized the importance of fighting against terrorism and preventing Afghanistan’s territory from being used against other countries.

“The countries were assured that Afghanistan’s soil is secure and stable and collaboration should take place with this stability and security. The policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was reiterated that no one will be harmed from Afghanistan’s soil,” Mujahid added.

Samarkand hosted various events, including a quadrilateral meeting, the fourth meeting of foreign ministers from Afghanistan’s neighbors, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting on April 13 and 14.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the participants also discussed regional and global issues.

Russia Calls for Establishing of Inclusive Government in Afghanistan
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PM’s Political Deputy Meets Kabul-Based Diplomatic Envoys

For two years no country has recognized the Islamic Emirate, but some countries like Iran, UEA, and Turkey have accepted Islamic Emirate diplomats.

The Prime Minister’s office said that considering the current situation, political and diplomatic agencies can continue their activities with full confidence in Afghanistan.

One Wednesday, Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Kabir held a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, and Roza Otunbayeva, special envoy for the UN, UNAMA’s deputy head, and the head of Aga Khan Foundation in Afghanistan, and he said that right now security is ensured in the country.

“It was a friendly invitation for Iftar by the political deputy PM for ambassadors and representatives of Islamic countries, and both sides stressed the need for good relations,” said Mohammad Hussan Haqyar, head of Media at the PM’s office.

According to the statement, in the meeting, acting Foriegn Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi emphasized that the current government wants good relations with all the countries of the world, and pledged to the participants that Afghanistan will not be threatened by other countries.

“The government should consider the interests of the people, girls must be educated, and women should be allowed to work,” said Tariq Farhadi, a political analyst.

“The government of Afghanistan has taken steps to have good relations with the world…” said Najibullah Jami, political analyst.

For two years no country has recognized the Islamic Emirate, but some countries like Iran, UEA, and Turkey have accepted Islamic Emirate diplomats.

PM’s Political Deputy Meets Kabul-Based Diplomatic Envoys
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OIC Delegation to Travel to Kabul

According to the OIC, the process of delivering aid to the people of Afghanistan will also be discussed. 

A delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will travel to Kabul to discuss various issues with the Islamic Emirate, including lifting the ban on women’s work, the organization said.

The OIC ambassador in Afghanistan stressed the need to lift the ban on women’s work and said that work for women should be provided, within the framework of Islam in the country.

According to the OIC, the process of delivering aid to the people of Afghanistan will also be discussed.

“Our representative will discuss economic progress, health, and education in his meeting with Islamic Emirate officials,” said Muhammad Saeed Al-Ayash, head of the OIC office in Kabul. He added: “Our office condemns this decision, and our office has repeatedly discussed it with Islamic Emirate officials and asked for work to be provided for women in the framework of Islam and Afghan culture,”

Meanwhile, the OIC will distribute its second humanitarian aid package for 10,000 families. this aid will be distributed in six provinces in coordination with the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

“This material weighs 62 kilograms (per package), and includes flour, rice, beans, sugar, and dates, and we are trying to increase the donations,” said Tawfiq Ahmad, head of the humanitarian aid section of the OIC.

According to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, after the Islamic Emirate takeover, more than 200,000 families have been helped in the country.

Earlier, the OIC helped with food materials for 280,000 people in five provinces, and this organization is planning to help 10,000 families with food materials in six provinces.

OIC Delegation to Travel to Kabul
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Former Afghan interpreter graduates from boot camp to become a Marine

Aformer Afghan interpreter who served with the U.S. Marines in his home country has earned the title of Marine.

Marine Pfc. Aimal Taraki, who left Afghanistan after serving as an interpreter for U.S. forces, graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on April 7, 2023. Lance Cpl. Alexander Devereux/U.S. Marine Corps.

Pfc. Aimal Taraki, who graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on April 7, said he was inspired to join the Corps by his time working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, according to a Marine Corps news story.

Taraki was born in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1994, when Afghanistan was in the midst of a civil war that brought the Taliban to power two years later. His family later fled to Pakistan, where he learned English.

After spending about six years in Pakistan, his family returned to Afghanistan and settled in Kabul. Even though the Taliban were no longer ruling the country, they continued to carry out attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

“There’s a place called the Massoud Circle, which is right next to the U.S. Embassy [in Kabul],” Taraki said. “It was a perfect place for the Taliban to make an attack. They filled a car with explosives, and when they detonated it, I was sleeping. I remember waking up to the explosion and all of our windows were shattered even though we were several miles away.”

Former Afghan interpreter graduates from boot camp to become a Marine
U.S. Marine Corps PFC Aimal Taraki at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, April 3, 2023. (Lance Cpl. Alexander Devereux/U.S. Marine Corps)

The U.S.-led war to oust the Taliban and turn Afghanistan into a functioning democracy lasted 20 years, during which the Taliban insurgency only grew stronger as the war dragged on. Many brave Afghans worked for the American military, often risking their lives in combat to protect the troops they served with.

In 2016, Taraki decided to use the English language skills he developed in Pakistan to become an interpreter for the U.S. and other NATO troops. Two years later, he secured a visa that allowed him to come to the United States, where the rest of his family lives.

“I had a lot of different things I wanted to do with my life after I moved to the U.S.,” Taraki said. “I thought, ‘Should I go to college? Start my own business?’ I decided that I can do any job and have any career, but first I want to be a Marine. This way I can say thank you to the United States and the Marine Corps for helping me.”

Former Afghan interpreter graduates from boot camp to become a Marine
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Russia, China FM attend high-level conference on Afghanistan

Associated Press
13 April 2023

The top diplomats from Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan attended a conference Thursday that focused on ensuring regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan.

The foreign ministers of the four countries met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and discussed the need to cooperate with Afghan authorities to maintain political stability and to prevent a humanitarian crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The ministers also talked about the coordination of efforts to “counter the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking from the Afghan territory.”

Russia and China are among a few countries that have kept their diplomatic missions in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, since the Taliban took power in August 2021.

Moscow worked for years to establish contacts with the Taliban, even though it designated the group a terror organization in 2003 and never took it off the list. It hosted several rounds of talks on Afghanistan that involved senior representatives of the Taliban and neighboring countries.

Beijing has taken a higher profile on regional issues related to Afghanistan as part of China’s efforts to extend its global clout.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held separate talks on the sidelines of Thursday’s meeting to discuss a range of issues, including the situation in Ukraine, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

In a statement preceding the Uzbekistan conference, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing was ready to work more closely with Afghanistan’s neighbors and the international community for stability, security, prosperity, and development in both the country and wider region.

The statement reaffirmed China’s pledge to respect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as the choices made by its people. It called on the international community to firmly support Afghanistan to combat terrorism, and urged the United States to live up to its commitment to the country.

Beijing also expressed hope that Afghanistan’s interim government would continue working actively to meet its people’s interests and the international community’s expectations for an open and inclusive political structure.

“We hope the Afghan interim government will protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women, children and all ethnic groups,” the statement said.

Girls currently cannot attend school beyond sixth grade, and women are not allowed at universities in Afghanistan. Authorities present the education restrictions as a temporary suspension and not a ban, but universities and schools reopened in March without their female students.

Women also are barred from public spaces, including parks, and most forms of employment.

The policies have raised fierce international objections, increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and worsened a humanitarian crisis.

No country has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Russia, China FM attend high-level conference on Afghanistan
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Taliban ban on Afghan women working for U.N. an ‘internal’ issue

KABUL, April 12 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has said forbidding Afghan women from working for the United Nations was an “internal issue,” after the global organisation expressed alarm at the decision and said it would review its operations there.

In the Taliban administration’s first statement on the decision since the U.N. acknowledged hearing of the new restrictions last week, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Wednesday the policy “should be respected by all sides”.

The United Nations has said it cannot accept the decision as it would breach its charter. It has asked all its staff not to go into its offices while it holds consultations and reviews its operations until May 5. On Tuesday, the U.N. Mission to Afghanistan said the Taliban administration would be responsible for any negative humanitarian impacts stemming from the ban.

Mujahid, in a statement, blamed foreign governments for the humanitarian crisis spurred by sanctions on its banking sector and the freezing of Afghan central bank assets held overseas, some of which have been placed in a Swiss trust fund.

Some diplomats and aid officials in Afghanistan and around the world have expressed concerns donors may withdraw support to Afghanistan’s humanitarian aid programme, the largest in the world, and that implementing programmes and reaching women in the conservative country would not be possible without female workers.

Taliban authorities in December said most Afghan female NGO workers would not be allowed to work.

The U.N. humanitarian agency has said a huge funding plan for Afghanistan for 2023 is less than 5% funded.

“If funding is not urgently secured, millions of Afghans will be staring down the barrel of famine, disease and death,” it said on Wednesday.

Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Bernadette Baum
Taliban ban on Afghan women working for U.N. an ‘internal’ issue
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Taliban aim to boost Afghan security forces, anti-aircraft capacity -army chief

By 
Reuters
12 April 2023

KABUL, April 12 (Reuters) – Defence has received the largest share of funds in Afghanistan’s budget as the Taliban government aims to boost forces by a third and build anti-aircraft missile capacity, the army chief told Reuters in a rare interview to foreign media.

The defence ambitions of the Taliban, which took over in 2021, come in the face of strong international criticism of its policies, such as restrictions on work and education for women, that have hampered steps towards diplomatic recognition.

In his remarks on Tuesday, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, a Taliban commander from the northern region of Badakhshan and the chief of army staff, condemned incursions by foreign drones into Afghan airspace.

Defence forces now numbering 150,000 are targeted to be increased by 50,000, he said, speaking in his office in the highly fortified defence ministry in Kabul, the capital, although he did not reveal the precise figure of the funds.

“The ministry of defence is the top-ranked in the budget,” he said, adding that it received a significantly higher sum than other ministries, as it was a priority in the budget, which is largely funded by boosted tax and customs revenue.

Since their takeover, the Taliban have spent 1-1/2 years building a civilian administration and a national military out of an insurgent force that fought a 20-year war against foreign forces and the previous U.S.-backed Afghan government.

No foreign nation has formally recognised the government, which is battling economic headwinds following sanctions on the banking sector and the cutoff of all development aid.

Fitrat said a major defence focus was securing Afghan airspace against drones and other incursions.

“Anti-aircraft missiles are the need of countries,” he said, adding that all nations sought developed weapons to ensure the integrity of their territory and airspace, a problem Afghanistan also faced.

“There is no doubt that Afghanistan is trying, and doing its best, to have it.”

But Fitrat declined to elaborate on where authorities were looking to procure anti-aircraft missiles from.

He also stopped short of naming Pakistan, against which the Taliban administration has regularly protested, accusing its neighbour of allowing drones to enter Afghanistan.

“We are doing our best to find a solution for protection of our airspace. We will work on it by using all our capability,” Fitrat added.

“From where we will obtain it is confidential, but we should have it.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pakistan officials have not confirmed whether its airspace is used for drone access to Afghanistan.

“We have always tried, and will try, to solve the issue using diplomatic ways, and we have done our best to be patient regarding these cases,” Fitrat said, but sounded a note of caution.

“Neighbouring countries should not let our patience be exhausted.”

Ties between the neighbours have occasionally been tense as as Pakistan has accused the Taliban administration of allowing Afghan territory to be used as a haven for militant groups.

Among these is the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which has stepped up attacks in Pakistan in recent months.

The Taliban administration denies allowing its territory to be used for attacks on others, however.

There have been border clashes between the forces of both, and analysts say that in the event of conflict escalating, Pakistan’s airforce would give it a strong edge.

Fitrat said former security personnel, who form a significant share of Afghanistan’s forces, were being paid and treated in the same way as Taliban fighters.

The comments follow concern voiced by international rights groups and the United Nations that some former members of Afghan security forces members were targeted or killed.

While the Taliban have declared a general amnesty for former combatants, saying they would investigate cases of wrongdoing, they have not detailed legal action regarding alleged extrajudicial targeting.

Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
Taliban aim to boost Afghan security forces, anti-aircraft capacity -army chief
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West Kicks Off Visit to Region to Discuss Afghan Situation

This comes as some political analysts said that the meetings of the US special envoy have not been significantly effective.

The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, is traveling to the UAE, Qatar and Turkey to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

In Doha, West will meet with Qatari colleagues, Afghan civil society leaders, and partner missions, according to a statement of the US Department of State.

The statement said that West will also meet with his UAE counterpart, and Afghan business and thought leaders in the UAE.

“As we had a meeting with Mr. West last time, we are planning to have a meeting with him again to negotiate with him on behalf of the traders. We have conveyed the problems to him. It is clear for him,” said Haji Obaidullah Sader Khail, head of the Afghan Business Council in the UAE.

The US State Department further said that West will hold consultations with Afghan political leaders, journalists, humanitarian professionals and human rights activists in Istanbul.

“SRA West is conducting outreach in the region to secure input as the international community seeks solutions to Afghanistan’s compounding challenges, made worse by the Taliban’s recent decisions to limit women’s participation in humanitarian operations and ban them from their vital work for the UN,” the statement said.

“(Either) the president should be changed in one and half years in the US or there will be a general change in Afghanistan, so that the US stance regarding Afghanistan will change then. Otherwise, these visits are only diplomatic and administrative,” said Torek Farhadi, a political analyst.

This comes as some political analysts said that the meetings of the US special envoy have not been significantly effective.

“This type of visit has two goals. On the one hand, it is aimed to promote the general views of the US around the world to show that Mr. Thomas West is doing his job as the representative of the US,” said Noorullah Raghi, a former diplomat.

West’s visit come after the Islamic Emirate’s recent decision to ban all Afghan female UN staff from going to work, which was followed by strong reactions at a national and international level.

West Kicks Off Visit to Region to Discuss Afghan Situation
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24 Million Afghans Need Humanitarian Assistance: Dujarric

An economist, Shabir Basheeri said that the issue will cause a rise in poverty in Afghanistan.

The UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that almost 24 million Afghans need humanitarian assistance. 

“UN national personnel – both women and men – have been instructed not to report to UN offices, with only limited and calibrated exceptions made for critical tasks, but they will be working from home and continue to be paid. The mission said any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities. Just to confirm that we will maintain principled and constructive engagement with all possible levels of the Taliban de facto authorities, as mandated by the Security Council,” Dujarric told a press conference.

The Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Afghanistan, Petras Auštrevičius, “strongly” condemned the decision of the Islamic Emirate to ban female Afghan UN staff from working.

“Humanitarian aid provided by EU has to match our principle and I call for this to be respected. Only the Taliban regime will be held responsible for aggravating the suffering it is inflicting to its citizens,” he said.

An economist, Shabir Basheeri said that the issue will cause a rise in poverty in Afghanistan.

“We need to implement strategic programs and programs by the government to deal with this matter and to be able to provide jobs for the people,” he said.

Human rights defenders said the people of Afghanistan should not become victims of political agendas.

“The people of Afghanistan should not become victims of unfair international and foreign politics with the Afghan caretaker government,” said Suraya Paikan, a women’s rights activist.

The Office of the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister said the political deputy Mawlawi Abdul Kabir met with political and economic affairs officials of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

“It was agreed that any problem that happens, the Islamic Emirate and UNAMA must sit face to face to and solve it,” the office said on Twitter.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the rights of all citizens.

“The issues that the Islamic Emirate has mentioned are based on Sharia law. We also call on the UN to not link its major programs to small issues that are internal matters of Afghanistan,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.

UNAMA in a statement called the ban on its female employee “unlawful.”  

24 Million Afghans Need Humanitarian Assistance: Dujarric
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China Spells Out Its Position on Afghanistan

China also vowed to provide assistance through bilateral and multilateral channels for the Afghan refugees.

The embassy of China in Kabul shed light on 11 points that clarified the country’s position regarding Afghanistan.

The point first, the embassy said in a statement, was that China respects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and that it also respects the independent choices made by the Afghan people and respects the religious beliefs and national customs of Afghanistan.

“China never interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, never seeks selfish interests in Afghanistan, and never pursues so-called sphere of influence,” the statement said.

The statement gives ten more points:

  1. Supporting moderate and prudent governance in Afghanistan.
  2. Supporting peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan.
  3. Supporting Afghanistan in countering terrorism resolutely and forcefully.
  4. Calling for greater bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation.
  5. Working together to fight terrorism, separatism and extremism in Afghanistan.
  6. Urging the US to live up to its commitments and responsibilities to Afghanistan.
  7. Opposing external interference and infiltration in Afghanistan.
  8. Strengthening international and regional coordination on the Afghan issue.
  9. Facilitating solution to Afghanistan’s humanitarian and refugee issues.
  10. Supporting Afghanistan’s fight against narcotics.

The statement furthered that China hopes that “Afghanistan could build an open and inclusive political structure, adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, and engage in friendly exchanges with all countries especially neighboring countries.”

The statement stressed protecting the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people by the interim Afghan government “including women, children and all ethnic groups.”

According to the statement, China will continue to “do its best” to help Afghanistan with reconstruction and development, as well as promote steady progress in economic, trade and investment cooperation.

“China welcomes Afghanistan’s participation in Belt and Road cooperation and supports Afghanistan’s integration into regional economic cooperation and connectivity that will transform Afghanistan from a land-locked country to a land-linked country,” the statement said.

The statement also expressed concerns over the presence of the “East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)” saying that it poses a severe threat to the security of China, Afghanistan and the region. It hoped that “Afghanistan will fulfill its commitment in earnest and take more effective measures to crack down on all terrorist forces.”

It suggested that Afghanistan should be supported in taking comprehensive measures to address both the symptoms and root causes of terrorism and “prevent the country from again becoming a safe haven, breeding ground and source of terrorism.”

The statement also criticized the US: “It is a widely-held view in the international community that, by seizing Afghanistan’s overseas assets and imposing unilateral sanctions, the US, which created the Afghan issue in the first place, is the biggest external factor that hinders substantive improvement in the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.”

“The US should draw lessons from what happened in Afghanistan, face squarely the grave humanitarian, economic and security risks and challenges in Afghanistan, immediately lift its sanctions, return the Afghan overseas assets, and deliver its pledged humanitarian aid to meet the emergency needs of the Afghan people,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, it is a shared view of regional countries that the military interference and “democratic transformation” by external forces in Afghanistan over the past 20-years have inflicted “enormous losses and pain on Afghanistan.”

The statement suggested that “under the new circumstances,” Afghanistan should be a platform for cooperation among various parties rather than geopolitical games.

China also vowed to provide assistance through bilateral and multilateral channels for the Afghan refugees.

“China looks forward to and supports more concrete actions by Afghanistan to counter narcotics cultivation, production and illicit trafficking, and will work with the international community to help Afghanistan with alternative development and crackdown on cross-border drug-related crimes, so as to eliminate the source of narcotics in the region,” the statement said.

China Spells Out Its Position on Afghanistan
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