World abandoning Afghanistan will have disastrous outcome: UN

The United Nations has warned the international community of “disastrous consequences,” if it halts assisting millions of Afghan people, amid a growing violence and flagging peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban.

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said on Monday that the future of millions of Afghans depends on the outcome of peace negotiations and on the international community’s commitment to develop the country.

He made the remarks ahead of a donors' conference starting Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Failure on either account would see Afghanistan slide backwards with disastrous consequences, including further displacement possibly on a large scale,” Grandi said.

He said the nearly 300,000 Afghans who have been displaced inside the country remain in “acute need” of humanitarian support.

Grandi said the same goes for the nearly three million previously displaced and the nine million people who have lost their livelihoods due to the coronavirus pandemic across the country.

The UN refugee chief also called for the conclusion of peace negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban.

The Taliban militant group is engaged in talks with the Afghan government in Qatar in an effort to end nearly two decades of war in the country.

The intra-Afghan talks began in the wake of a deal reached between the United States and the Taliban in Doha, back in February, but progress has so far been slow.

Pentagon to pull 2,500 US troops from Afghanistan, Iraq before Trump leaves

The US Defense Department has reportedly been ordered to cut the number of troops in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 and the number of forces in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500 by January 15, days before outgoing President Donald Trump leaves office.

Under the Taliban-US deal, Washington promised to pull out all its troops by mid-2021 in return for the Taliban to stop their attacks on US-led occupation foreign forces in Afghanistan.

The deal was intended to result in the reduction of violence in the country. But according to recent official data, the Taliban bombings and other assaults have increased 70 percent since the militant group reached the deal with Washington.

Taliban militants have continued to stage deadly attacks against Afghan security forces and civilians despite ongoing talks with US and government officials. Clashes have also erupted between Afghan troops and Taliban militants in the southern province of Helmand where Taliban operations have forced thousands of local residents from their homes.

Afghan and US forces have bombed Taliban positions in the province.

Violence has also been reported in other provinces including Takhar and Wardak.

Kabul hit by multiple deadly blasts; rocket lands at Iranian Embassy

Multiple blasts have rocked the densely populated parts of Kabul and left a number of civilian casualties, with one hitting the Iranian Embassy in the Afghan capital.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held separate meetings with negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha on Saturday.

“I would be most interested in getting your thoughts on how we can increase the probability of a successful outcome,” Pompeo said as he met the Afghan government side.

Citing unnamed sources, several reports said on Friday that the two sides appeared to have resolved some of the issues.

According to the sources, the warring sides have found common ground on which to move the stalled talks forward.

In the meeting with Pompeo, the Afghan negotiators insisted on an end to violence and called for preserving Afghanistan’s achievements.

“Concerns of members of the peace delegation about the increase in violence and the US support to the Afghan peace negotiations, which is a common goal, were discussed,” said Afghan negotiator Habiba Sarabi.

US fully responsible for multiple terrorist attacks in Afghan capital: Iran

Iran says the United States is fully responsible for multiple terrorist blasts that rocked the densely populated parts of the Afghan capital.

The Taliban also insisted, in their meeting with the US diplomat, on the implementation of the Doha agreement, the removal of names of Taliban members from a UN blacklist and the release of their prisoners, according to a Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem.

In the meantime, Afghan chief negotiator Mohammad Massoom Stanikzai and presidential peace advisor Salam Rahimi were seeking President Ashraf Ghani’s approval for the agreed formulation, during a three-day visit to Kabul.

Sources did not provide further information on the reported progress, though.

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