Hillary Clinton
Ariana: Hillary Clinton has for the first time publicly voiced her disapproval with US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. In an interview with CNN on Sunday night, Clinton said the US should be prepared for “two huge consequences”. The first, she said, is a collapse of the Afghan government and Taliban takeover, and the second would be an outpouring of refugees should civil war break out. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
By Radio Free Afghanistan
May 3, 2021
At least 15 Afghan government soldiers have been killed in Taliban attacks in two provinces as violence continues to rise while negotiations between the two sides aimed at ending a 20-year conflict stall.
Taj Mohammad Jahid, the governor of the western province of Farah, said on May 3 that at least seven soldiers were killed in an attack on May 2 on an army checkpoint.
According to several officials, the militants blew up an outpost in a village in the district of Bala Buluk after laying explosives underground in a tunnel they had dug from a nearby house.
The Taliban claimed the attack, saying it seized weapons from the outpost.
In the Farsi district of the northwestern province of Herat, more than 100 Taliban fighters launched an attack overnight after detonating two car bombs, officials said.
A security official in the district, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said eight members of the security forces were killed and four others were wounded during the clashes.
The latest violence came as U.S. military formally began withdrawing its remaining troops from the war-torn country on May 1.
On May 2, the Afghan Defense Ministry said that more than 100 militants were killed and more than 50 were wounded in fighting during the previous two days, without giving details of any casualties suffered by government forces.
The U.S. military on May 2 handed over Camp Antonik in the southern province of Helmand to Afghan forces. Camp Antonik will now be used by Afghan special forces that have been trained by the U.S. military and NATO.
Afghan officials said all foreign troops were being relocated to Bagram, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan, and from there they would leave to their respective countries.
The U.S. military said it carried out a “precision strike” on May 1 after an airfield in Kandahar where it has a base “received ineffective indirect fire” that caused no damage.
The attack on the Kandahar base, which has not been claimed by any group, came as the Taliban warned that Washington had “violated” a 2020 agreement by not finishing the troop withdrawal by May 1.
That deal signed in February 2020 under the administration of ex-president Donald Trump provided for all foreign forces to be withdrawn by May 1, 2021.
Biden announced in April that the last remaining 2,500 American troops would instead be withdrawn by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and not by May 1.
But he said their withdrawal would start on May 1.
Since the U.S. withdrawal deal was struck the Taliban has not directly engaged foreign troops, attacking government forces instead and waging a terror campaign in urban areas.
With reporting by AFP, dpa, and tolonews.com
Related
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Monday reported 275 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,911 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The ministry reported that the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 60,563, the total number of reported deaths is 2,648, and the total number of recoveries is 53,561. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayesha Tanzeem
VOA News
May 2, 2021
KABUL – The U.S. and its NATO allies officially began withdrawing their remaining forces and equipment from Afghanistan on Saturday.
Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, discussed the implications for Afghanistan’s peace process and the future of the country, with VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem.
The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.
VOA: The U.S. and NATO have started withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan. Do you fear an increase in violence?
Abdullah Abdullah: There is always a possibility of that. Should [the] Taliban choose to increase violence with the hope that they can take advantage of that situation. That’s a possibility and I hope that they are not [don’t] making that mistake.
VOA: How do you think this announcement of a withdrawal will impact your negotiations with the Taliban?
Abdullah: Natural circumstances when these sorts of situations take place and when one side thinks that because of the vacuum that the withdrawal leaves, it may be able to take advantage of that situation, that emboldens the position of the sides. The one which is more on the military term rather than peaceful means. And that’s the concern, that the Taliban position might get further emboldened. Well, as far as their excuses, or the reasons that they were giving, that it is because of the presence of the international forces, it’s ‘jihad’ against foreigners and so on and so forth, so, in three months time, perhaps in less than three months time, there will be no foreign troops on our [Afghanistan’s] soil.
VOA: What’s the status of Doha negotiations?
Abdullah: Recently, with the announcement of the withdrawal, the Taliban position has changed. Their chief negotiator has gone to Pakistan to consult with their leaders, to take directions, to shape up their position. Earlier their position was that they are going to attack the international forces.
So, as far as the Doha process is concerned, it is still important. So are other opportunities like the conference in Turkey [the Istanbul conference]. It has to be a meaningful event, and both sides have to come to an understanding to make it effective [meaningful].
VOA: The Taliban are refusing to come. Will there be an Istanbul conference if they don’t come?
Abdullah: If they don’t come to a meeting, which is supposed to be between both sides, then the conference will not take place. They haven’t said that they are not coming. They haven’t said that they are coming. That has been the problem negotiating with the Taliban all along. They always keep their position vague.
VOA: If the Istanbul conference happens, there are two competing proposals, one is yours, and one is President Ghani’s. Which one will you take to Istanbul?
Abdullah: I wouldn’t call it two competing proposals. The main elements are the same. Peaceful settlement and an end state in which you get one person one vote. There are different ideas about how to get from here to there. We can put all ideas on the table.
VOA: Are you saying you will take both proposals to Turkey?
Abdullah: I am saying the purpose of Turkey is to have some understanding ahead of time with the Taliban.
VOA: Who is doing that negotiation for that understanding?
Abdullah: The conveners. The U.N., the Qataris, the Turkish government, as well as the U.S. and other facilitators like Germany, Norway, Uzbekistan, Indonesia. These countries are also active behind the scenes.
VOA: Are there any contacts at this stage between the two official negotiation teams?
Abdullah: No.
VOA: Are there any indications of what the Taliban want?
Abdullah: They leave their positions vague. They say, “We want the establishment of an Islamic system,” but don’t explain what that means. How will the leaders be elected or selected? They want an Islamic Council. Is it elected? If elected, on what basis? They don’t share.
VOA: What is in the letter the Taliban recently sent to politicians, including you?
Abdullah: Different groups of Taliban make contact. Sometimes they send notes. The messages are mainly the same. Even in the letter, the position is very vague, and you cannot tell whether it is the position of one group or all.
VOA: Do you think the Taliban want peace?
Abdullah: I hope, and I wish. Otherwise, the war will continue.
VOA: And if negotiations fail, do you fear a civil war?
Abdullah: We cannot rule out that scenario, that the situation will get very difficult for the people and the war will continue. At this stage the Taliban have not said that they are not talking. Let’s not lose hope because it will be a worst-case scenario. So, at this stage, the whole focus should be on how to make it work [happen].
Related
VOA News: Assassins are killing Afghan journalists and forcing others to quit. The planned US pullout could make things worse. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
May 2, 2021
At least seven people have been killed and about 14 injured in the Afghan capital, Kabul, after several fuel tanker trucks caught fire and exploded, blanketing much of the city in dark smoke.
It was not immediately known whether the incident late on May 1 was an accident or intentional. One driver told Reuters that as many as 100 tanker trucks may have been involved in the incident.
Firefighters struggled to cope with the conflagration and smoke and flames could still be seen rising from the area on the morning of May 2.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told journalists that the fire began with one tanker and quickly spread to several others nearby.
Several homes were reportedly damaged or destroyed. Electricity lines were also damaged, leaving much of the city with irregular power supplies.
The tankers were waiting on the outskirts of the city until 9 p.m., when large vehicles are allowed to travel into the center.
The incident comes as the United States and its NATO allies continue to withdraw forces from Afghanistan ahead of a September 11 deadline for a total pullout.
Based on reporting by AP and dpa
Related
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Sunday reported 166 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,922 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The ministry reported that the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 60,288, the total number of reported deaths is 2,642, and the total number of recoveries is 53,391. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
Michael Hughes: The so-called “extended” troika after talks in Doha on Friday called on the Ghani administration to enter into negotiations with the Taliban in a bid to accelerate a political solution to the conflict. However, just as the troika was releasing its statement, top Afghan government officials accused the Taliban and Pakistan of collaborating in a terrorist attack that killed more than 20 earlier in the day. Click here to read more.