US President Biden enters Roosevelt Room in the White House to give a statement on US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Aug 24, 2021 9. A political windfall for Taliban The horrific terrorist strikes in Kabul on Thursday which killed at least 12 US servicemen and dozens of civilians will lead to a higher level of cooperation …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan -8
Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, Afghanistan, August 24, 2021 8. US senses that Taliban is reality – Implications This week will stand out as a pivotal moment in President Joe Biden’s presidency. It has been a humble moment yet bold and decisive, far-sighted but tactical, and focused on America’s self-interests. It underscores that the US’ …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-7
A panoramic view of Mes Ayna on the gentle hills and craggy mountains in Logar province 40 kilometres south-east of Kabul, Afghanistan, where Chinese firms signed contracts to mine one of the world’s largest untouched copper deposits estimated to contain 450 million metric tonnes of ore worth at least US$50 billion 7. US-Taliban ties on …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-6
Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan, is a natural fortress, a long verdant valley surrounded by towering mountain ridges leading to the Pamir. 6. The untold secrets of Panjshir Valley Many Indian analysts are ecstatic that the Taliban’s goose is cooked, as Amrullah Saleh, deposed president Ashraf Ghani’s former deputy, is on the march to marshal an anti-Taliban …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan – 5
The interior of a US Air Force C-27 Globemaster III transport aircraft carrying Afghans from Kabul to Qatar (File photo) 5. Putin: Taliban is the reality The German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Moscow visits invariably draw great attention as she has performed a unique role as intermediary between the West and Russia during her 16 …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan — 4
The Taliban officially declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in a tweet with a photo of the country’s logo, August 19, 2021 4. The ‘X’ Factor in Kabul The Chinese commentaries vehemently reject the western claims of democratic transformation in Afghanistan. A conversation on Tuesday between the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan — 3
Top Taliban leader from the Haqqani Network called on former Afghan President Hamid Karzai with a delegation to discuss the formation of an inclusive government, Kabul, August 18, 2021 3. The Return of the Native There is immense curiosity about the Taliban’s first moves following the dramatic return to Kabul after two decades. The big question …
Reflections on the Events in Afghanistan – 2
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (second from Left) in talks with the visiting composite delegation of senior Afghan politicians of erstwhile Northern Alliance, Islamabad, Aug 16, 2021 2. The green shoots of politics are reappearing The explosion of life is unstoppable. The first buds are edging their roots from the dirt no sooner than Ashraf …
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Taliban neutralises the Afghan warlords
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited the northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif besieged by the Taliban, August 11, 2021 The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday had an air of high drama — the C-in-C visiting the frontline — even as the Taliban’s relentless onslaught is bringing it close …
Don’t waste the opportunity at UN SC
India’s thirty-day tenure through August as the president of the UN Security Council has got mired in needless controversy. The issue is about the “emergency meeting” regarding Afghanistan that India convened on Friday. According to Pakistan, it had made a “a formal request” for participation in the meeting but India turned it down. Prima facie, …