Mohammad Shahzad
Tolo News: The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee lifted the playing ban Mohammad Shahzad, the ACB announced in a statement. Shahzad was suspended for breaching the code of conduct. The details of the breach were not made public by the ACB, and Shahzad called it a “conspiracy” against him. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ashraf Ghani
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
February 26, 2020
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has postponed his inauguration for his second term until March 9, amid a bitter dispute with his main election rival.
The delay was due to “rumors” about the spread of the new coronavirus and the short notice for world leaders to attend the ceremony, Afghanistan’s presidential palace said in a statement on February 26, a day before the ceremony was initially scheduled to take place.
Last week, Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission declared Ghani the winner of the September 28 national election, but outgoing Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah rejected the long-delayed results, declared his own victory, and said he would form his own government.
The U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, welcomed Ghani’s decision to postpone his inauguration, saying the delay “will allow time for necessary consultations so that the best interests of Afghanistan and its people are reflected and preserved by the new government.”
“As the electoral process has concluded, President Ghani, as the declared winner, and other leaders should ensure that the new government is inclusive and reflects the aspirations of all Afghans,” he tweeted.
Widespread allegations of fraud in Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential election led to a political crisis between Ghani and Abdullah that was resolved by a U.S.-brokered power-sharing agreement.
Under that deal, Ghani became president, while a new office of chief executive officer was created for Abdullah.
The February 26 announcement comes amid a week-long “temporary reduction in violence” agreed by the United States and the Taliban that has been seeking to overthrow the Western-backed government in Kabul.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on February 25 that should the arrangement be observed, Washington was prepared to signed a deal with the Taliban that would lead to a reduction in 13,000 U.S. troops in the country and for unprecedented negotiations between the militants and the Afghan government.
The Taliban has so far refused to talk directly with the Kabul government, calling it a puppet of foreign powers.
Afghan officials have reported one confirmed case of coronavirus in the country. The disease has infected more than 80,000 people globally, causing over 2,700 deaths, mainly in mainland China, where the virus originated.
With reporting by dpa, AFP, Reuters, and Radio Free Afghanistan
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Amrullah Saleh
Tolo News: Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT), a social and youth empowerment organization, which is led by Amrullah Saleh, the former Directorate General of National Directorate of Security (NDS) and the first running mate to President Ashraf Ghani, on Tuesday said that it has referred at least 40 social media users to the Attorney General for “using insulting and abusive language” against Saleh. But, NAI (an NGO supporting open media in Afghanistan) has described the move by the Green Trend as a violation of the law. “There is no space for repression in Afghanistan…” Click here to read more (external link).
Donald Trump
1TV: Ahead of a deal with the Taliban, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States will always have intelligence in Afghanistan. Speaking at a press conference in India, Trump said that the US will bring down the number of its troops in Afghanistan to 8,600. “From there we will make a decision as to what the final outcome would be,” he said. “We will always have intelligence there, we will have other things there,” Trump said. “We want to watch the area, the area is a hotbed of problems.” Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Presidential candidate Abdul Latif Pedram, in response to the announcement by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of the presidential election results, said that the final election results must be annulled, and an inclusive government needs to be established as a solution to the current crisis. He says the IEC has no legitimacy and he sees the results of the election as invalid. “Mr. Ghani’s government, which has now been declared winner by the commission, is unacceptable to us, our party, our ticket and our companions because it is the result of ‘fraud,’” said Pedram. Pedram also called the results ‘disastrous’ and said he would not accept the new government led by Ashraf Ghani. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ferozuddin Feroz
Tolo News: The public health minister Ferozuddin Feroz on Tuesday said seven more suspected cases of coronavirus were reported in the western province of Herat which shares borders with Iran. On Monday, the minister during a press conference in Kabul confirmed the first coronavirus case in the province. This is the first reported case in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
February 25, 2020
ISLAMABAD – U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say airstrikes have killed at least four Islamic State terrorists in eastern Afghanistan as a weeklong reduced fighting truce between U.S.-backed Afghan security forces and the Taliban insurgency entered its fourth day without any significant breaches.
The two counterterrorism airstrikes Tuesday focused on areas in the Afghan province of Kunar, which houses Islamic State bases and borders Pakistan, the U.S. military spokesman tweeted.
“We continue to eliminate ISIS terrorists wherever they hide to protect Afghanistan while honoring U.S.-Afghan-Taliban agreement to reduce the violence,” stressed Col. Sonny Leggett in reference to the Middle Eastern terrorist group.
The 7-day nationwide “reduction in violence” is to culminate on Saturday with the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement to end to the 18-year-old Afghan war, America’s longest.“
If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it, yes. Time to come home,” Trump said Sunday before his departure to India when asked whether he intended to sign the agreement with the Taliban.
The signing ceremony will be held on Saturday in the gulf state of Qatar, which played host to contentious off-and-on U.S.-Taliban negotiations spread over 18 months.
The draft agreement the dialogue has produced provides a timetable for the withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Afghanistan, Taliban counterterrorism guarantees, and a dialogue process for political reconciliation between Afghan parties to the conflict.
Karzai
Tolo News: Former President Hamid Karzai and former mujahideen leader Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf met with National Unity Government leaders on Monday as tensions continue to rise between electoral campaign teams. President Ghani has created a special commission for the ceremony of his swearing in, and Chief Executive Abdullah has also set up a separate commission for a separate oath ceremony to swear himself in as a president. Click here to read more (external link).
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