UN Extends Afghan Mission After China Veto Threat

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unamaRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 17, 2019

The UN Security Council has unanimously extended its assistance mission in Afghanistan after China withdrew its threat of a veto if the text did not mention Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

The 15 members of the council on September 17 extended the mission for one year with a compromise text, negotiated by Germany and Indonesia, that doesn’t mention “any specific initiative” but refers to promotion of “regional cooperation and connectivity,” according to diplomats.

The adopted resolution asks the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to support “in close consultation and coordination” with the Afghan government the organization of “future timely, credible, transparent, and inclusive” elections, including the presidential vote set for September 28.

It further calls for working “closely with the election management bodies on and after election day, supporting them to deliver a robust and transparent results management process.”

Established in 2002, UNAMA supports the government in Kabul as well as the peace and reconciliation process, promotion of human rights, and encourages regional cooperation. It mandate was due to expire on September 17.

China’s Belt and Road program is aimed at building trade and transportation infrastructure that links China with South and Central Asia, Europe, and Africa through massive Chinese investments.

The United States, which views the initiative as a means of expanding Chinese hegemony, had refused any mention of it in the UN resolution. A majority of council members supported the U.S. stance.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Jihad, history link Taliban to al-Qaida in Afghanistan

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Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri

Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri

Associated Press: The Taliban promised Washington during months of negotiations that the United States would never again be attacked from Afghan soil. Such a pledge would have included al-Qaida, which planned the 9/11 attacks from inside Afghanistan. Yet jihad, or holy war, and a shared history continue to bind the two militant groups, and there’s no evidence of a break in relations between the long-time allies.  The al-Qaida leadership still vows allegiance to Taliban chief Maulvi Hibatullah Akhunzada, and al-Qaida has been growing stronger in recent years, according to analysts and experts. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghan Media Blasts Ghani For Skipping Live TV Debate

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Ashraf Ghani

Ashraf Ghani

Tolo News: Within hours, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s move to skip a live TV debate with his rival candidate Abdullah Abdullah on Monday drew backlash from the Afghan media. The debate was organized by Ariana News in Kabul. Media organizations have called Ghani’s defiance an insult to the media and to freedom of speech. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Envoys Visit Iran, Russia Following Collapse Of U.S. Talks

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Sohail Shaheen

Sohail Shaheen

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 17, 2019

A four-member Taliban delegation has traveled to Tehran for talks with high-ranking Iranian officials — the second such trip by militants to a foreign country just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that peace talks with the United States have collapsed.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban political bureau in Qatar, tweeted on September 17 that the Taliban delegation led by Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy head of political office, visited Iran and met high-ranking officials of the Iranian Foreign Ministry the previous day.

Shaeen did not disclose the identities of the delegation’s members.

The two sides discussed the peace process, the latest developments, and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Iran, Shaeen said.

On September 13, Shaeen said a Taliban delegation had met with Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov in Moscow.

RFE/RL has independently confirmed that the Taliban delegation was in Moscow on September 13.

Shaheen was quoted by the Russian news agency TASS as saying that the Taliban’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy had focused on “the recent developments regarding the peace process in Afghanistan.”

The Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported that the Taliban delegation in Moscow was headed by Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, the head of the Taliban’s negotiation team in Qatar.

It said the delegation also included Shaheen and Qari Din Muhammad Hanif.

Stanikzai told the Kremlin-funded RT network in an interview aired on September 13 that the Taliban wanted to continue talks with Washington, but if no agreement is reached the militants are ready to fight “for 100 years.”

AIP reported that the Taliban delegation was considering a possible trip to China after it concludes its visit in Moscow, but it said a final decision on going to China had not been reached by the Taliban delegates.

Moscow has hosted two previous rounds of talks in 2019 between Taliban negotiators and prominent Afghan figures.

Trump declared on September 9 that peace talks with U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad were “dead.”

Earlier, Trump canceled a secret meeting with Taliban negotiators that had been scheduled at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

In Washington, Khalilzad has been called to testify at a U.S. congressional hearing on September 19 about the collapse of the talks with U.S. officials.

With reporting by AP, AIP, TASS, and RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Afghanistan’s Ghani Escapes Election Violence That Killed 24

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parwanAyesha Tanzeem
VOA News
September 17, 2019

ISLAMABAD – Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani escaped an attack on his campaign rally in Parwan province that killed 24 people and wounded more than 30 others Tuesday.

The president was about to address the rally when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated his explosives near the military facility where the gathering was held. Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for Afghan Ministry of Interior, tweeted that no one inside the building was harmed and the rally continued after the incident.

Qasim Sangeen, the head of Parwan provincial hospital told VOA bodies of the dead and wounded had been taken to a provincial hospital.

The Afghan Taliban have taken responsibility for the attack, warning people to stay away from rallies and election related gatherings, promising to carry out further attacks on election activity.

“If despite the warnings they go to such meetings and get harmed, it is their responsibility,” a message from Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.

The Taliban also claimed responsibility for a bombing attack just hours later near the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Kabul, killing 22 people.

Afghans are expecting a higher level of violence in the run up to the Sept. 28 election due to a breakdown in peace talks between the United States and Taliban earlier this month.

The insurgent group has intensified its regional outreach, taking a trip first to Moscow and more recently to Iran.

“The main purpose was to explain our position on the recent developments in the peace process and the agreement that has already been completed,” said Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, referring to an agreement between the insurgents and a U.S. team led by Special Representative on Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad.

Khalilzad had indicated that the two sides had agreed “in principle” to a deal and that he was waiting for his boss, President Donald Trump, to approve it. As both sides waited for a date to be announced for the formalization of the agreement, President Trump unexpectedly tweeted that the talks were over because of a Taliban attack that had killed a U.S. soldier.

The peace talks had continued after previous U.S. solider deaths in Afghanistan.

Shaheen, the Taliban spokesman, said the group had little idea why the U.S. backed out, saying that they contacted Khalilzad’s team after the tweet.

“We wanted them to tell us why they finalized everything and agreed to sign it within a week, and quite unexpectedly backed out,” he said, adding that they did not receive an answer.

Still, he added that his side was willing to sign the already negotiated deal if the U.S. changed its mind but would continue to fight if the U.S. wanted to continue the war.

He also confirmed that they were in touch with other countries as well, like China and European and Central Asian countries, and would visit them if invited

“Regional countries want to know what happened, and why?” he said.

Ghani, Abdullah to Face Off in Live TV Debate Tonight

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Ghani (left) and Abdulllah (right) - File photo

Ghani (left) and Abdulllah (right) – File photo

Ariana: Ariana News is set to hold the biggest presidential election debate between Dr. Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah tonight at 8:30pm Kabul Time. Ariana News anchors Naseer Fayaz and Baseera Joya will serve as the debate moderators. The event will be aired live exclusively on Ariana News, Ariana Television, Ariana FM, Ariana News FM, Ariana News YouTube Channel, and ariananews.af website. Click here to read more (external link).

Other Election News

Baghlan Governor Resigns

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Basim

Basim

Ariana: The governor of Baghlan province has resigned from his position, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) announced on Monday. According to the statement, Baghlan governor Farid Baseem has resigned due to personnel issues. President Ashraf Ghani has accepted his resignation. The statement further said that the provincial deputy governor Abdul Qadim Niazi will act as caretaker until the appointment of a new governor. Click here to read more (external link).

Attacks Kill Seven, Blackouts Hit One-Third Of Afghanistan

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farahRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 16, 2019

At least seven people have been killed in separate attacks in Afghanistan while one-third of the country was hit by a blackout.

Mohibullah Mohib, spokesman for the police chief of the western Farah Province, said five people, including women and children, were killed when a roadside bomb hit a vehicle on September 15 near the provincial capital of Farah.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the Taliban is active in the province and earlier this month it launched an offensive to take the city of Farah. The insurgents briefly seized an army recruitment center and set it ablaze.

A sticky bomb attached to a minibus belonging to the university in Ghazni Province exploded and killed the bus driver on September 16. Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said five Ghazni University students were also wounded in the blast.

In eastern Logar Province, a schoolgirl died in the crossfire during a battle in the Mohammad Agha district between the Taliban and the security forces, the police said. A second student was wounded.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s main power utility said that households and businesses in about a third of the country have been hit by blackouts after electricity pylons in the northern province of Baghlan were blown up over the weekend.

The utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), said on September 16 that three pylons carrying 220 KW of electricity imported from neighboring Uzbekistan had been destroyed the previous day, cutting power in 11 of the country’s 34 provinces, including the capital, Kabul.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks, which come as fighting has intensified in northern provinces including Baghlan amid stalled efforts by the United States and the Taliban to agree plans to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

DABS said engineers had arrived from neighboring provinces to work on restoring the pylons.

Afghanistan generates only 25 percent of its electricity domestically and the lines bringing power in from Uzbekistan have been attacked regularly, forcing those that can afford it to rely on expensive diesel generators.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Copyright (c) 2019. 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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