Will Biden stay on the course set by Trump in Afghanistan?

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Joe Biden

Al Jazeera: How will Joe Biden’s election as US president affect the Afghan peace process, which was pushed by his predecessor, current President Donald Trump? Analysts say Biden will largely stay on the course set by the outgoing president but will hold the Taliban accountable for violence. They say the real difference will be in implementation, with some Afghans expressing hope Biden will give fewer concessions to the Taliban, which has been engaged in peace talks with the Afghan leadership in the Qatari capital Doha. Click here to read more (external link).

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AKDN Pledged To Restore Ancient Minaret

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Khaama Press: Agha Khan Development Network, in a letter to president Ghani vowed to support the afghan government in restoration of an Ancient minaret in Herat province. Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman to the President, tweeted on Wednesday, that earlier President Ghani have instructed relevant government institutions to restore the minaret. The minaret is reported to have been on the verge of destruction as less attention has been paid to its maintenance.  Click here to read more (external link).

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‘Afghan Economy Needs 4 Years to Return to Pre-COVID Situation’

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Tolo News: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Wednesday said that Afghanistan will need at least four years to return its economy to pre-COVID-19 situation.  In a report titled “Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Afghanistan – Country Note IV – Fiscal Options in Response to Coronavirus Crisis,” the UN body said to revive Afghanistan’s economic condition in the next five years, the country needs $6 billion international assistance. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Calls On U.S. President-Elect Biden To Stick To Doha Peace Deal

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Joe Biden

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
November 10, 2020

KABUL — The Taliban has called on U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to stick to a February peace agreement between the militant group and the United States, describing its implementation as the “the most reasonable and effective tool” for ending the war in Afghanistan.

The Taliban itself remains committed to the deal’s implementation, the militant group said in a statement on November 10, a day after Afghan Vice President Sarwar Danesh blamed the insurgents for a lack of process in the ongoing intra-Afghan peace negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha.

The Taliban is “the main obstacle” for progress in the talks with representatives from the Afghan government, Danesh said, adding that the group does not believe in a peaceful solution to the decades-long war.

He also said the Biden administration should review the Afghan peace process.

Biden will be inaugurated in January after clinching the U.S. presidency following a November 3 presidential election.

The intra-Afghan talks follow the deal signed by the United States and the Taliban in Doha in February, under which foreign forces are to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for the Taliban committing to cut ties with Al-Qaeda and other international militant groups.

The Taliban also agreed to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing formula with the Afghan government.

No breakthrough has been reported in Doha since Afghan government representatives and the Taliban inaugurated the negotiations in September, while violence has been ramping up throughout Afghanistan with the militant fighters attacking provincial capitals, in some case prompting U.S. air strikes.

Some have also raised questions over Al-Qaeda’s links with the Taliban, with United Nations monitors saying in a report released in June that the two continued to maintain ties.

On November 10, Afghanistan’s intelligence agency announced the death of a senior regional Al-Qaeda member in the southwestern province of Farah, and accused the Taliban of providing him “safe haven and protection.”

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said Mohammad Hanif was a close aide to Asim Omar, who headed Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and was killed in a joint U.S.-Afghan operation in last year.

The agency said Hanif, originally from Karachi, had helped train militants in making car bombs and improvised explosive devices.”

He was initially a member of the Taliban, but joined Al-Qaeda in 2010, according to the NDS.

The Taliban have not commented the announcement, which comes after Afghan security forces last month killed a senior Al-Qaeda militant long-wanted by the United States.

With reporting by Reuters and TOLOnews

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Kabul Cinema Hall Destroyed Despite Opposition by Artists

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Tolo News: Kabul Municipality, implementing an order by the first [vice] president [Amrullah Saleh], on Monday evening destroyed the Park Cinema in downtown Kabul despite opposition by artists and activists to stop the destruction of the decades-old building.  Afghan Film chairperson Sahara Karimi who held a sit-in protest near the building said she was “forcibly” taken out by police and the cinema was destroyed. Activists said the destruction of historical and cultural places harms the culture of the country.  Click here to read more (external link).

Women Behind The Wheel And Driving Change In Afghanistan

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Farkhunda Bahmanyar has become one of the first women to get her driver’s license in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab Province. In the traditional, conservative rural regions of the country, it’s rare to see women behind the wheel, but driving gives them more freedom and they are less dependent on men. Not everyone, however, is happy to see female drivers on the roads.