Afghanistan feels impact of Iran’s economic isolation

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iran_usa

Reuters: Afghans began moving to Iran in large numbers after the Soviet invasion in 1979 and they continued to migrate for work through decades of conflict, sending money to relatives back home that helped bolster Afghanistan’s struggling economy.  Iran’s economy has been squeezed since President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran last year after pulling out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. U.S. officials have said the sanctions are intended to pressure Iran to negotiate over what they say are its aggressive missile program and regional policy; critics say they hurt ordinary people and entrench hardline rulers. Click here to read more (external link).

 

At Least Nine Afghan Police Killed In Taliban Ambush

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farahRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
April 25, 2019

An Afghan official says at least nine police officers have been killed by a Taliban ambush on their convoy in the country’s west.

Abdul Samad Salehi, a member of the provincial council in Farah Province, said the ambush took place in Anardara district as the convoy was heading to defuse a roadside bomb late on April 24.

Salehi said the militants briefly overran the district police headquarters, igniting hours-long clashes.

Reinforcements arrived later and managed to wrest back control of the headquarters, he said.

The Taliban controls large parts of the province, which is located on the border with Iran.

Farah has been the scene of months of fierce fighting between the militant and government troops.

The violence came as the United States continues to push for a peace settlement with the Taliban, with a new round of talks scheduled next month in Qatar.

Based on reporting by AP 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.

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Iran criticizes US-Taliban talks

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Zarif

Zarif

1TV: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif admitted that Iran had also opened dialogue with the Taliban but said that the US push for a deal with the group was “seriously wrong.” “An attempt to exclude everybody and just talk to the Taliban has alienated the government, has alienated the region, has alienated everybody else and it achieved nothing, as you’ve seen from the statement that came from the Taliban,” Zarif said, apparently referring to the Taliban’s announcement of a new spring offensive. Click here to read more (external link).

Khan: Pakistan Will No Longer Be Party to Afghan Conflict

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Imran Khan

Imran Khan

Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 25, 2019

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan says it is “highly dismayed” at the recent surge in hostilities in Afghanistan “from all sides,” warning it would harm ongoing efforts to bring peace to the war-ravaged neighboring country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan issued the statement Thursday as the United States makes diplomatic efforts to seek a negotiated settlement to the 17-year-old Afghan war.

“Pakistan implores all parties to recognize the importance of the moment and seize it,” said Khan whose government takes credit for arranging Washington’s ongoing direct talks with the Afghan Taliban.

However, the months-long U.S.-initiated dialogue process did not discourage the Islamist insurgent group from launching this year’s “spring offensive,” which marks an increase in deadly battlefield attacks in Afghanistan. The Taliban justified the move, saying the country was still under “foreign occupation” and U.S.-backed Afghan security forces unleashed their own spring operations against insurgents.

Afghan leaders have long accused Pakistan of covertly supporting the Taliban to regain power in Kabul, in what they call an effort to continue Islamabad’s meddling in Afghan affairs, charges Pakistani officials deny.

“Pakistan has committed all diplomatic and security capital to success of peace process. Pakistan will not be party to any internal conflict in Afghanistan anymore,” Khan asserted while responding to skeptics.

Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading the U.S. team of negotiators in talks with the Taliban, embarked on a fresh visit this week to Afghanistan and regional countries, hoping to make progress on resolving differences between various Afghan groups and the Taliban to bring them to the table for intra-Afghan peace talks.

Khalilzad is scheduled to hold another round of talks with Taliban envoys in Qatar during his current trip that will also take him to meetings with leaders in Pakistan.

Khan underlined in his statement Thursday the ongoing Afghan peace effort offered “a historic opportunity” for bringing peace to the region and ending decades of Afghan suffering.

“Pakistan is fully supporting the process, including the next logical step of an intra Afghan dialogue wherein Afghans will themselves decide upon the future of their country,” the Pakistani leader stressed.

The Taliban, however, refuses to engage in any formal Afghan political dialogue for peace until a timetable is set for all U.S.-led foreign forces to leave Afghanistan.

US Official: Afghan Peace Deal Could Trigger Internal Woes

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John Sopko

John Sopko

Jeff Seldin
VOA News
April 24, 2019

Ayaz Gul in Islamabad contributed to this report. 

WASHINGTON — A peace treaty to end more than 17 years of war in Afghanistan could usher in a new era of instability and erase many of the gains made by international reconstruction efforts, a key U.S. official cautioned Wednesday.

John Sopko, U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, told reporters in Washington that while “we all want peace,” there are concerns that the push for a deal will overshadow critical planning needed for any agreement to have a lasting impact.

“We’ve spent close to $1 trillion in Afghanistan,” he said. “All of that is at risk if we screw up on the day after a peace agreement.”

Sopko pointed to the Afghan government’s dire financial situation, and its dependence on U.S. assistance to pay the salaries of the country’s security forces, as a leading worry.

Recipe for ‘collapse’

“A dramatic decrease in not only [U.S. and coalition] troops but a dramatic decrease in financial support for the Afghan government will mean the collapse of the government,” Sopko said.

“If the economy collapses or if they are not paid, if we withdraw the funding, you have 500,000-some troops and police who are trained and have weapons,” he added. “You have 60,000 Taliban who are trained killers. They want to be reintegrated. Plan for that.”

Inadequate planning could also affect some of the leading success stories from the reconstruction effort.

“There has been success with clinics, with education, women’s issues,” Sopko said. “All of that is at risk if we don’t protect them in the peace negotiations.”

Sopko’s warning came as efforts to get peace talks back on track are ramping up.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, is traveling to the region this week, hoping to make progress on resolving differences between various Afghan groups and the Taliban, as well as to push ahead with direct U.S. negotiations with the Taliban.

Following a meeting Wednesday with European allies in London, Zalmay tweeted:

Khalilzad is expected to be in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian and Chinese diplomats, likewise aimed at accelerating the pace of talks with the Taliban.

Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s Doha-based political spokesman, told VOA earlier this week that the group was eager to resume talks with the U.S.

But despite progress in two key areas — a potential withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign forces from Afghanistan and a Taliban promise that the country will not be used as a base for terror attacks — fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Kabul has continued.

Yet the push for a settlement also seems to have exacerbated tensions between Kabul and Washington.

During a visit to Washington last month, Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib slammed U.S. officials for pushing Kabul toward what he described as a glorified surrender for failing to protect some of the key gains.

“If this is a recipe for peace, we don’t know what is a recipe for war,” Mohib told reporters, adding that Khalilzad’s efforts were “ostracizing and alienating” the Afghan people.

U.S. officials have since told the Afghan government they will no longer deal with Mohib.

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It’s Getting Harder to Track US Progress in Afghanistan

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John Sopko

John Sopko

Defense One: It’s getting harder and harder for the public to track the U.S.military’s progress in its 17-year war in Afghanistan, the special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction warned Wednesday ahead of the release of his latest quarterly report. “What we are finding is now almost every indicia, metric for success or failure is now classified or nonexistent. Over time it’s been classified or it’s no longer being collected,” John Sopko told reporters. “The classification in some areas is needless.” Click here to read more (external link).

In Afghanistan, the ICC Abandons the Field

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hrwHuman Rights Watch: Decades of impunity in Afghanistan have made it clear to victims of grave crimes and their families that the interests of the powerful will almost always supersede their interests and their right to see those responsible held to account. By opting out of an investigation of the likely war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, the judges have effectively told the victims that the ICC won’t stand up for them either. And that’s a dangerous message that will resonate well beyond Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

Abdullah Rejects Ghani’s Invitation On Peace Jirga

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Abdullah (left) and Ghani (right)

Abdullah (left) and Ghani (right)

Tolo News: Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah is firm on his decision of boycotting the Grand Consultative Jirga for Peace, an official of Abdullah’s office said, adding that he has been invited by the Presidential Palace to attend the event but he has rejected the invitation.   Head of Abdullah’s Office, Abdul Qahar Abid, said a team was sent by President Ghani to discuss his presence in the Jirga but Abdullah refused to meet the delegation. Click here to read more (external link).

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Moscow to Host Trilateral Meeting on Afghan Peace

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russia

Ariana: Moscow will host a trilateral meeting on Afghan peace on Thursday between Russia, China, and the United States. On Wednesday, the Russian embassy in Kabul said in a statement that the meeting will be held at special representatives’ level in Moscow on April 25. According to the statement, the direct U.S.-Taliban peace talks and the perspective of a national reconciliation process will be discussed in the meeting. Click here to read more (external link).

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