U.S. President Joe Biden, in a speech reflecting on his foreign policy legacy, defended the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, stating it allowed his administration to focus on “more immediate challenges.”
Biden emphasized that rival powers like Russia and China were pleased to see the U.S. entangled in Afghanistan and said, “Nothing made our adversaries happier than seeing us stuck there for another decade.”
He reiterated that ending the war was the right decision and expressed confidence that history would validate his choice to withdraw U.S. forces.
Biden noted that he is the first U.S. president in two decades to not pass the Afghanistan war to his successor. He also highlighted that the mission’s goals, such as eliminating Osama bin Laden, were achieved.
According to Biden, al-Qaeda no longer poses a primary threat from Afghanistan, and there is no justification for a significant U.S. military presence in the region. He dismissed concerns that withdrawal would harm alliances or enable terrorist groups to threaten the U.S.
Republicans have criticized the withdrawal, arguing it damaged the U.S.’s credibility as a reliable ally and emboldened Russia and China. They claim the chaotic exit gave Putin the confidence to launch his invasion of Ukraine.
Biden refuted these claims, asserting that the U.S. continues to address global security threats effectively, as demonstrated by the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul in 2022.
Despite Biden’s confidence in his decision, critics highlight the resurgence of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The UN Security Council has reported their reorganization and growing presence in the region, raising concerns about future threats.
The debate over the Afghanistan withdrawal underscores the broader challenges of U.S. foreign policy, balancing military disengagement with ensuring stability and combating terrorism. The unfolding situation in Afghanistan will continue to test these strategies.
Joe Biden: China and Russia wanted the US stuck in Afghanistan
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), continuing its response to the detention of Mahdi Ansari, has called on the Taliban to drop all charges against the journalist and release him from prison.
In a statement released late Monday, January 13, the IFJ condemned the Taliban’s Supreme Court order sentencing Mahdi Ansari to 18 months in prison.
Mahdi Ansari, who was arrested on October 5, 2024, in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in western Kabul, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Taliban court.
The International Federation of Journalists stated that the accused Mahdi Ansari of collaborating with media outlets outside Afghanistan and conducting propaganda against the government.
The organization expressed concern over the “continued detention and harassment of journalists by the Taliban” and urged the Taliban administration to put an end to these actions against Afghanistan’s journalists.
Last week, the Afghanistan Journalists Center also reacted to the Taliban court’s ruling, calling the arrest of Mahdi Ansari and the charges of anti-regime propaganda against him “illegal and against the principles of freedom of expression.”
The Taliban has not yet responded to the reactions of journalist-supporting organizations regarding Mahdi Ansari’s detention. However, the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU) announced that efforts to reduce Ansari’s sentence in the next court hearing are ongoing.
The detention of Mahdi Ansari raises broader concerns about the shrinking space for press freedom in Afghanistan. Continued suppression of journalists undermines fundamental rights and limits the ability of the media to report freely and impartially.
International organizations and press advocacy groups must amplify their efforts to pressure the Taliban to uphold international norms on press freedom. Collective action is essential to protect Afghanistan’s journalists and ensure their safety in a challenging environment.
IFJ urges immediate release of Afghan journalist Mahdi Ansari
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that $279.7 million is required to provide health assistance in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, January 14, OCHA announced through a message on its X platform that health assistance is planned to reach approximately 9.3 million people.
According to the organization, it is estimated that around 14.3 million people across Afghanistan will require healthcare services this year.
The report highlights that 53% of those in need of health assistance are women, while the rest include children and individuals with disabilities.
The United Nations has consistently expressed concern over the worsening healthcare situation in Afghanistan, especially in remote areas of the country.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Afghanistan announced on Tuesday, January 14, that the Japanese government has donated $1.5 million to address the needs of Afghan mothers, children, youth, and reproductive and mental health services.
According to the UNFPA report, this contribution will provide healthcare services to approximately 60,000 women, girls, and children.
Previously, OCHA also stated that in 2025, 22.9 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance, and an estimated $2.24 billion will be needed to address their needs.
The ongoing challenges in Afghanistan underscore the urgent need for continued international support to prevent a complete healthcare collapse. The lack of sufficient funding and resources directly impacts vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, who make up a significant portion of those in need.
Strengthening global partnerships and ensuring consistent aid delivery can help mitigate the worsening humanitarian crisis. Collaborative efforts, such as Japan’s recent contribution, highlight the potential for impactful change when nations come together to support those in need.
UN requests $ 279 million for health services in Afghanistan
The ministry also reported that over the past two weeks, more than 200 Afghan families have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations has announced plans to hold a trilateral meeting with Pakistan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to address the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
The ministry also reported that over the past two weeks, more than 200 Afghan families have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, said about the trilateral meeting: “It has been agreed that a trilateral meeting will be held between the Islamic Emirate, Pakistan, and UNHCR, but the exact date has not yet been determined.”
With the worsening of relations between Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan has intensified pressure on Afghan refugees. Over the past 14 days, incidents of deportation, arrests, and mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan have increased.
At the same time, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations reported a meeting between officials from the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Pakistan, including the embassy’s refugee affairs attaché, and the Chief of Police in Islamabad. According to a statement from the ministry, the challenges faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan were discussed during this meeting.
Ehsanullah Ahmadzai, a refugee rights activist, told TOLOnews: “The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan must jointly establish a mechanism to address these issues so that the problems faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan can be resolved quickly.”
On the other hand, some Afghan refugees in Pakistan have complained about the ongoing deportation and arrests of refugees in the country.
Nasir Bayat, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, told TOLOnews: “My request to the government of Pakistan is this: You hosted us for forty years, and now, in these difficult circumstances that we are facing, please do not expel us from here.”
Waheeda Ghulami, another Afghan refugee in Pakistan, said: “Afghans in Pakistan are facing difficulties due to the non-renewal of their visas. This lack of visa renewals leads to forced deportations by the Pakistani police. We urge the United Nations and human rights organizations to address this issue.”
Following increased tensions and clashes between Pakistan and the Islamic Emirate, Pakistan has accelerated the expulsion of Afghan refugees from the country since the beginning of January.
Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UNHCR to Hold Talks on Afghan Refugees
Biden added that the United States has maintained its capability to manage Afghanistan remotely over the past three years.
Joe Biden, the President of the United States, said in his final speech as president on Monday (January 13) that Afghanistan has not been a safe haven for terrorists or a threat to the US since the withdrawal of American forces.
In his speech, the US president also mentioned that Washington has been able to manage Afghanistan remotely.
Speaking about the nature of threats from Afghanistan, he said: “When we got Bin Laden during the Obama-Biden administration, the primary objective of war had been accomplished. And I believe that going forward, the primary threat of al-Qaeda would no longer be emanating from Afghanistan, but from elsewhere. And so we do not need to station a sizable number of American forces in Afghanistan.”
Biden further added that contrary to assumptions, Afghanistan did not become a safe haven for terrorists after the US withdrawal, and the United States has maintained its capability to manage Afghanistan remotely over the past three years.
“Remember, critics said if we ended the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign-directed terrorism out of a safe haven in Afghanistan. Neither has occurred. Neither has occurred. Our alliance has stayed strong. We’ve used our over-the-horizon capabilities to strike in Afghanistan and elsewhere when we had to,” Biden said.
The US president also referred to the withdrawal from Afghanistan as one of his administration’s significant achievements, saying that there was no justification for the extensive US military presence in Afghanistan.
Amanullah Hotaki, a political analyst, commented on Biden’s remarks, saying:
“Over the past four years, Biden has frequently spoken about Afghanistan and often made contradictory statements. Afghanistan was not a safe haven for terrorists in the past, it is not now, and it will not be in the future.”
This comes as a new administration in the United States is set to take office in less than a week. Previously, Afghanistan’s caretaker government had also called on the incoming US administration to reconsider its policies toward Afghanistan.
Biden: Afghanistan No Longer Poses a Threat to the US
Chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt denied that his report about security contractor Zachary Young was a “hit piece.”
CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt told a Florida jury Monday that he never had any ill intent while reporting a 2021 story that featured security contractor Zachary Young.
Young sued the network in 2022, arguing that he was defamed by Marquardt’s report, which focused on private contractors who were charging large amounts of money to evacuate Afghans from the country after the Taliban regained control. Young was shown charging tens of thousands of dollars to evacuate Afghans who faced possible death, paid by corporations such as Bloomberg LP and Audible. A defamation trial in Young’s case against CNN began last week in Panama City, Florida. If the jury finds for Young, the network could be on the hook for millions of dollars.
“I wasn’t going after him. I never was going after him,” Marquardt testified.
“It was not a hit piece. I don’t do hit pieces,” he said. “Good reporters shouldn’t. I like to think of myself as that, and I didn’t do a hit piece.”
Under intense questioning from Devin “Velvel” Freedman, Young’s lawyer, Marquardt defended his reporting.
“I reported the facts. I reported what I found,” Marquardt said. “Everything in there was factual, accurate and, I believe, fair.”
“You needed a bad guy for your scandal story,” Freedman said later in the morning. “You hated him, did you not?”
“No, that’s not true,” Marquardt replied.
Young’s legal team is attempting to convince a jury that Marquardt was negligent in his reporting out of a desire to harm Young, who told the jury last week that both his business as a security contractor and his personal life was harshly affected by CNN’s segment.
The trial is, in some ways, a referendum on the act of reporting — specifically, television news reporting. Freedman argued that Marquardt was seeking out dirt on Young; the journalist said he was simply pursuing leads on a story of significant public interest.
The jury on Monday watched behind-the-scenes footage of Marquardt calling Young. After his initial call, the cameras recorded Marquardt standing over his phone as if he were making another call; the lawyer referred to it as a “fake phone call,” but the journalist said it was a standard production practice to take additional photos and video.
“I appreciate that you’re trying to paint this as some sort of scandal,” Marquardt told Freedman.
And when the lawyer accused Marquardt of participating in “theater” by referring to Young as a “character” in an internal message, he responded that “this is the lingo that we use in television news — the people who appear in stories are called ‘characters.’ Certainly I was not engaging in ‘theater.’”
At another point in Marquardt’s testimony, Freedman accused him of “profiting on war and refugees [his] entire career” because of his decades of experience reporting on conflicts around the world.
Still, the lawyer presented evidence to the jury that he argued was proof that Marquardt was angling to hurt Young. “We gonna nail this Zachary Young [expletive],” the journalist said in a message to an editor about a week before the segment aired on CNN. “Gonna hold you to that one, cowboy,” the editor responded.
Young’s team has also shown jurors messages in which CNN employees refer to Young as a “s—bag” with a “punchable face.” “It’s your funeral, bucko,” Marquardt said in one message.
“From what I had seen in his communications with a lot of people, I could tell that there were some unsavory traits,” Marquardt said when asked to explain his messages.
The jury is expected to begin deliberations on a verdictas soon as Thursday. If the jury finds CNN guilty of defamation, jurors could also choose to award Young punitive damages, typically a much larger amount.
To meet the standard for punitive damages, Young will have to prove that CNN intended to harm him and knew what it was reporting was false.
CNN reporter defends Afghanistan story that led to defamation lawsuit
It was a normal summer morning in July last year when 19-year-old Samira* made her way to the carpet-weaving shop where she worked in Kabul to pick up her wages. She had no way of knowing that in just a few hours, her life as she knew it would be over.
She would end the day in a Taliban police station, a victim of forced marriage with her entire future decided for her by a group of strangers with guns.
That morning, as she waited alone outside her employer’s shop to collect her salary while he ate his lunch, the Taliban’s “morality police” were on patrol nearby.
“I had to wait because the workshop was an hour’s walk from home,” she says. “The shop was near a main road. Unluckily, I was sitting right outside the door when the Taliban passed by and suddenly noticed me.”
The Taliban officials roam the streets enforcing the Islamic fundamentalists’ strict interpretation of sharia religious law, such as bans on women speaking or showing their faces outside their homes or travelling without a male relative. They can make decisions about people’s lives and liberties on the spot, say human rights activists, including forcing them to marry.
Under Taliban rule, girls aged over 12 are not allowed to attend school, so carpet-weaving is one of the few areas where women and girls deprived of education can still work.
More than 20 women and young girls along with Samira worked for the carpet-weaving business, located in the basement of an unfinished building in a poverty-stricken neighbourhood. They earned about 7,000 Afghanis (£80) a month.
That day, Samira says, she was “frozen with fear” as they approached her. “They asked, ‘Who is this man [her employer] to you? Why are you alone? What are you doing here? How can you allow such a thing? What are you doing with a man who isn’t your relative?’”
The Taliban officers arrested Samira and Mohammad*, 42, on charges of an immoral relationship and contacted both of their families.
Weaving carpets is one of the few forms of work still open to women and girls. Photograph: Atif Aryan/Stockimo/Alamy
“No matter how many questions they asked, I had no answers because they kept insulting me with hurtful words and curses. They pushed us into their car and took us to the police station.”
Samira says that out of fear, she did not give the Taliban her father’s phone number, so her sister Yasmin* and her sister’s husband came to the police station instead.
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Fearing for the teenager’s safety and worried she might be imprisoned, they told the Taliban that Samira and Mohammad were engaged. Mohammad’s family, who were also frightened, said the same thing.
Without any further investigation, the Taliban forced Samira to marry her employer, a man who already had a wife and two children. His eldest son is the same age as Samira.
The marriage was officiated at the station that same day by the Taliban police, who have been given the authority to perform marriage rites since the Islamists’ takeover in 2021. The only witnesses from their respective families were Samira’s sister and brother-in-law, and Mohammad’s father.
Shaharzad Akbar, director of the Afghan human rights organisation Rawadari, says Samira’s story is not uncommon, but many women remain fearful of coming forward to share their story.
“[In the minds of the ‘morality police’] they have to do something when they find a man and a woman together,” she says. “Women are not supposed to be working with men and so this forced marriage is their solution.
“The Taliban police’s power to marry two people is not something that is clear in law. Taliban officials feel entitled to make decisions about people’s lives and liberties and there are no consequences – they are coming up with rules on the spot,” says Akbar.
After the marriage ceremony, the Taliban took them both to Mohammad’s house, but Samira’s nightmare did not end there.
When her father, uncle and older brothers learned what had happened, they broke into Mohammad’s house with sticks, shovels and other tools and beat Samira. Samira does not even remember which of her relatives hit her with the shovel. The marks from the wounds on her forehead are still visible six months later, she says.
Yasmin says she had intended to take Samira home before her father had arrived and had to tell Samira she could not now return home. Her father told her: “My honour is gone. How can I face the neighbours and the community?”
Yasmin tried to persuade her father but to no avail. “I apologised repeatedly, telling him that Samira hadn’t done anything wrong and that it was a misunderstanding. I asked him to let her come back now that the Taliban were gone, but no one would listen, not even my mother.
“Because of one word [engaged], my sister’s life was ruined,” she says.
Women arrested by Taliban for begging report rape and killings in Afghan jails
Before being barred from school, Samira says she had dreams of becoming an engineer, despite the mockery of her brothers, who told her: “What does a girl have to do with becoming an engineer? When you grow up, your father will find you a husband.”
Samira, who remains living with Mohammad and his first wife, says she is now struggling with depression and that the only place where she is allowed to go is her sister Yasmin’s house. Neither her father nor her mother will speak to her. She says the men in her family are “no different from the Taliban”.
“Without knowing the full story, without even asking me why I had gone to the factory’s office at that time of day, they feel entitled to call me a prostitute, just like the Taliban did, and enforce the marriage between Mohammad and me.”
As well as frequent reports of the forced marriage of girls and women, Rawadari says 1,202 men and women have been subjected to cruel punishments, including public execution, since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
A spokesperson for the Taliban said: “This claim is incorrect. No organisation or individual can force any sister into marriage. So far, this matter has not been brought to our attention, but if it is, it will definitely be investigated. Such a claim is not true.”
However, Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said there had been a worsening trend of forced and child marriages in Afghanistan, despite a Taliban order in December 2021 that banned forced marriages.
“Many Afghans have informed me that forced and child marriages still occur widely with impunity, including with Taliban members, especially in rural and remote areas.
“The ban on girls’ education above grade 6 increases exposure of girls to abuse, including early marriage. These marriages often lead to more suffering for women and girls, including marital rape, abuse, forced pregnancy and forced labour.”
* Names have been changed to protect their identities
The Taliban made me marry my boss: how one word led to a forced marriage
Outgoing ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul Mansoor Ahmad, September 1, 2022. (PHOTO: Screenshot from interview video)
A visionary approach to Afghanistan relations should focus on the full spectrum of ties with Afghanistan rather than being confined to selective security aspects, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan states.
Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, stated that Islamabad has failed to convince the Taliban to take action against terrorist groups, including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He emphasized the need for Pakistan to shift away from its decades-old security-focused approach toward Afghanistan.
In an article published in Dawn on Monday, Ahmad Khan highlighted the escalating cross-border attacks by groups like TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which have caused heavy casualties among Pakistani civilians and military personnel.
The inability to secure cooperation from the Afghan Taliban to combat these groups has strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul, further deepening the divide between the two sides.
Ahmad Khan pointed out that the 2,600-kilometer border shared by the two countries, along with a population of 50 million with interlinked social, religious, ethnic, and economic ties, makes effective border management essential for peace and stability.
He noted that the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which was relatively calm until the 1970s, has turned into a hub for regional and global terrorist activities, especially during the foreign interventions from 2001 to 2021 in Afghanistan.
Three years after the Taliban’s return to power, Ahmad Khan observed that Pakistan’s expectations for them to suppress groups like ISIS, TTP, and BLA have not been met. He also accused TTP of receiving external funding from countries hostile to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
Ahmad Khan criticized Pakistan’s reliance on pressure tactics, such as restrictions on visas, refugees, trade, and transit, calling them ineffective. Cross-border military strikes, he argued, have only worsened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban.
He proposed that Pakistan adopt a political strategy, advocating diplomatic engagement with the Taliban based on principles of sovereignty, mutual respect, and non-interference. He stressed the importance of shifting focus from selective security concerns to a comprehensive bilateral relationship.
He pointed out that Proposed railway projects like Quetta-Kandahar and Peshawar-Jalalabad aim to enhance trade and transit between Pakistan and Afghanistan. These initiatives would boost economic activities, reduce transportation costs, and connect South Asia with Central Asia, promoting regional integration and stability.
The escalating tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, fueled by cross-border militancy and strained diplomatic ties, highlight the urgent need for a balanced and collaborative approach to ensure regional stability. Without meaningful cooperation, the cycle of violence is likely to continue.
A political strategy that prioritizes economic integration, infrastructure development, and multilateral cooperation with regional and global partners could pave the way for improved relations. Strengthening ties through mutual benefits rather than unilateral demands may help stabilize the fragile dynamics between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan must move beyond Security-Centric Policies, says former Ambassador
Newton Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, stated that Afghan refugees who fought alongside American forces and risked their lives deserve special support. He emphasized that America must not abandon its allies in difficult circumstances.
In a television interview with CBS, Gingrich highlighted that Afghan refugees who saved American lives and opposed the Taliban merit an exceptional level of care and assistance.
During the “Face the Nation” program, Gingrich explained his efforts during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to collaborate with various individuals to help evacuate America’s allies from the country.
He stated, “When someone is fully allied with you and risks their life alongside you, you cannot abandon them. This is a fundamental principle.”
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 resulted in the deaths of at least 13 American soldiers and led to the collapse of the Afghanistan government.
More than three years after the withdrawal, many former U.S. collaborators remain outside the U.S., waiting in other countries for a chance to begin a new life.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the renewal of agreements to transfer Afghan allies to the United States, signaling continued efforts to fulfill America’s commitments to its partners.
Despite the relocation of 183,000 Afghan citizens, including local allies, over the past three years, many are still awaiting resettlement. Addressing their needs promptly is critical to upholding U.S. values and global credibility.
The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program plays a vital role in supporting Afghan allies. Expanding its scope and streamlining the process would help provide the security and opportunities these individuals deserve for their sacrifices and loyalty.
Afghan refugees deserve special support: Former US House Speaker
Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, welcomed the final statement from the International Conference on Girls’ Education in Islamic Countries held in Islamabad. He emphasized that girls’ education is an undeniable and fundamental right.
On Monday, January 13, Karzai posted on his social media account, asserting that denying girls’ education is against Afghanistan’s national interests and broader well-being, calling it unjustifiable.
Karzai stated that providing educational opportunities for all young people not only restores hope for a dignified life within the country but also helps prevent forced migration and sets Afghanistan on a path toward progress, development, and self-reliance.
He stressed that Afghanistan’s reliance on the knowledge and talent of its youth is key to building a stronger and better future for the nation.
The International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Societies, held in Islamabad, concluded without the Taliban’s participation. The conference emphasized the importance of girls’ education in Islamic countries, highlighting its support from religion, constitutional laws, and international standards.
Although the conference’s statement did not directly address the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan under the Taliban, it firmly opposed restrictions on women’s education in Islamic nations.
Karzai’s support for girls’ education underscores a growing call from Afghanistan’s leaders and the global community to prioritize education as a fundamental right and a means of national progress.
The conference in Islamabad and statements like Karzai’s highlight the urgent need for the international community to advocate for the restoration of education rights for Afghanistan’s women and girls, ensuring their inclusion in the country’s future development.
Girls’ Education is a fundamental right: Hamid Karzai welcomes Islamabad Conference Statement
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
