U.S. President Biden emphasized that in coordination with the Taliban, the withdrawal will be completed before the scheduled date, namely August 31. At the same time, the leaders of the Group of Seven countries called on the Taliban to ensure the safety of the evacuation channel after this date. And its allies will continue to concentrate their withdrawal from Kabul.
The White House announced that U.S. President Biden told G7 leaders during a video conference with G7 leaders on Tuesday that his country is preparing to end its withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of this month.
The President of the United States emphasized that whether the mission objectives can be achieved and the evacuation process can be completed on time depends on continuous coordination with the Taliban, including the continued arrival of evacuees at the airport.
The President of the United States asked the Pentagon and the State Department to develop contingency plans to adjust the timetable if necessary. Biden said that as the threat posed by ISIS in the region becomes greater, the US military faces more risks.
Bloomberg quoted a senior U.S. government official as saying that during the G7 summit, which was called by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Biden announced that he would adhere to the set deadline for withdrawal, and pointed out that he had rejected the request of his closest allies to extend the withdrawal date to complete the withdrawal. Call for evacuation.
German Chancellor Merkel stated that Biden did not announce a new withdrawal date during the summit, and said that the leaders of the seven countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan) retained the set date for the withdrawal from Kabul. And added that without the United States, it would be impossible to continue withdrawing from Afghanistan.
The leaders of the Group of Seven countries called on the Taliban to ensure the safety of their exit from Afghanistan after August 31. The leaders of these countries believe that the legitimacy of any government in Afghanistan depends on fulfilling its international commitments to ensure national stability.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the G7 approved a plan to deal with the Taliban movement. The first condition of the plan is that even after the deadline for the withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban will still allow Afghans who wish to leave the country to pass safely.
At the same time, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that he told the leaders of the Group of Seven that his country was prepared to keep its troops in Afghanistan after August 31, but the French president said whether he would stay after the scheduled withdrawal date. The decision in Afghanistan depends on Washington.
Security Risk
Earlier on Tuesday, CNN quoted a US official as saying that President Joe Biden, after consulting with his security team, decided to withdraw troops within a set date due to the security risks of staying in Afghanistan for a long time.
At the same time, Reuters also quoted a US official as saying that Biden has approved the Pentagon’s proposal to stick to the set date for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on August 31. The same official stated that Washington told the Taliban that it needed cooperation before the end of the month to facilitate the evacuation.
The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Tuesday that the withdrawal timetable has not changed, and said that it believes it will be able to complete the task by the end of the month. At the same time, U.S. sources said that the U.S. will withdraw during the withdrawal process and is currently participating in protection from the inside. Afghan special forces at Kabul airport security.
In the context of these developments, Fox News quoted a US official on Tuesday night as saying that the US military began to withdraw from Afghanistan by reducing the number of troops.
A few hours ago, “Foreign Policy” magazine quoted a U.S. official as saying that the U.S. troops in Afghanistan-currently about 6,000-will have to withdraw from Friday to implement the planned withdrawal.
At the same time, the U.S. military continued its intensive evacuation from Kabul Airport on Tuesday, after the U.S. and other Western military aircraft evacuated about 20,000 people-including hundreds of Americans-on Monday, bringing the total number of evacuees to about 50,000. People, and there are still crowds near the airport, they are waiting for the opportunity to leave Afghanistan.
The White House stated that the evacuation must be stopped before August 31 in order to withdraw troops, equipment and weapons.
Refuse to extend
At a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reiterated the Taliban’s refusal to extend the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan until August 31.
Mujahid said that the Taliban had closed the road to the airport and only allowed foreigners to pass, calling on Americans not to encourage Afghans-especially capable officials-to leave their country.
US officials reserved the possibility of extending the date. The Taliban opposed this and issued warnings about the consequences, while Western countries ruled out the possibility of completing the evacuation of all Afghan partners and their families before the end of this month.
Mujahid stated that the Taliban are working to better reorganize the military and police and are committed to the return of former officials (European News Agency)Taliban confirms its authority
A Taliban source told Al Jazeera that it had appointed Mullah Abdul Kayoum Zakir as the acting Minister of Defense. At the same time, the Taliban also appointed the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Education and Higher Education.
According to sources, these appointments include the governor of Kabul Province, the chief of the Afghan capital police and the chief of intelligence.
The source also added that the Taliban had appointed Mohamed Nabi Omari-he was previously detained in the U.S. “Guantanamo” prison-as governor of Khost (located in southeastern Afghanistan). According to leaked reports, The Taliban are working hard to form a 12-member committee to govern Afghanistan.
Mujahid emphasized at a press conference held in Kabul on the 24th that consultations on the formation of a government are still continuing. He also said that the Taliban are working to better reorganize the army and police and are committed to the return of former officials.
Mujahid reiterated the Taliban’s previous commitment not to pursue opponents or translators who cooperated with foreign forces, and called on employees in the health, education and transportation sectors to return to work.
Regarding the issue of Panjshir Province (150 kilometers north of Kabul) where anti-Taliban forces are hiding, the Taliban spokesperson said that the movement does not want war or violence in any province of Afghanistan, adding that the problem is being resolved. Call on the loyalists of the late leader Ahmed Shah Masood’s son to surrender their weapons.
Kabul Conference
At the same time, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradhar, head of the Taliban’s political office, met with the special envoy of the Qatar Foreign Minister in Kabul on Tuesday.
Baradar thanked the State of Qatar for its efforts and cooperation to solve the Afghan issue, and expressed the hope that Qatar will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Earlier, the “Washington Post” quoted a US official as saying that the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency William Burns held a secret meeting with the head of the Taliban political office in Kabul on Monday.
CNN quoted a US official as saying that Burns and Baradal exchanged views on how to take action before August 31 during the meeting. At the same time, the source said that during the meeting, the US military may have been discussed. The date of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the evacuation of American citizens and Afghan collaborators from Kabul Airport.
Commenting on the reports on Tuesday, a Taliban spokesman said that he had no information about the meeting.
On the other hand, EU spokesman Peter Stano told Al Jazeera that the alliance has made contact with the Taliban because the Taliban controls power in Afghanistan, adding that the EU’s recognition of the Taliban did not appear on the negotiating table.
Peter Stano explained that the focal point of the contact was on the humanitarian aspect of the situation in Kabul, aiming to open up channels to convey EU information to the Taliban.
A government that serves all Afghans
Regarding the news in Geneva, during the emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Afghan special envoy Nasir Ahmed Andisha stated that millions of Afghans are living in fear under the Taliban.
Andisha called for the formation of a broad-based government that would include all groups in Afghanistan, including women.
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