Read more: The West Failed, But It Was Not Solely To Blame
For the first time since the Taliban took control, signs of normal life appeared in Kabul on Wednesday morning. The city was deserted on Sunday when Taliban fighters entered the city. The streets were empty and shops and markets were closed. But since Tuesday, the streets have been buzzing again. According to an Al Jazeera journalist, some shops and restaurants are open on Wednesday, but there are no women on the streets.
Zabihullah Mujahid has been the Taliban's spokesman for more than 15 years, but he was never seen in the media before Tuesday. This is probably the first time he has appeared on the scene. So when it was announced on Tuesday morning that he was going to hold a press conference today, all the media's attention was focused on him. The white flag of the Taliban, not Afghanistan, was flying behind the chairs on the stage at the press conference. About 25 cameras were set to focus on the stage before Zabihullah's arrival, but there was still a long way to go. We found out that Zabihullah Mujahid would come after prayers. Until then, we all kept a close eye on every student who came because we had seen a picture of Zabihullah Mujahid on Twitter.
Former US President Donald Trump and his vice president Mike Pence have also joined the criticism of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. In a recent interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump called the decision to send troops to Afghanistan "the worst decision in the country's history." "We have destroyed the Middle East ... We have spent billions of dollars and millions of lives, but still the situation is not much different than before. On the other hand, an article written in the American magazine Wall Street Journal Mike Pence has strongly criticized the Biden administration. In his article, he called the withdrawal from Afghanistan an insult to the country's foreign policy since the Iranian hostage crisis. Former US Vice President Mike Pence has claimed that President Biden has broken the agreement that the first administration made with the Taliban. Mike Pence said the agreement stipulates that unless the Taliban stop attacking US forces, refuse to provide safe havens to terrorists, and are willing to negotiate with Afghan leaders to form a new government. Was to gradually withdraw from Afghanistan. Mike Pence claimed that Biden broke the previous administration's agreement by announcing that US forces would remain in Afghanistan for a few more months, which provoked the Taliban to further aggression and attacks.
For decades, life in many regions of Afghanistan has been shaped by violent conflicts , civil war, poverty and corruption. The result: Many Afghans have fled the country - according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR , 2.6 million refugees are living in other countries. In view of the current crisis, civilians have so far only fled to neighboring countries in small numbers, but the situation is developing quickly. The UN organization called on the neighbors of Afghanistan not to close the borders and to heed the principle of international law not to send people back in dangerous situations. Above all, however, the neighbors fear instability. How are you prepared for the new situation in Afghanistan?
Pakistan: Close border posts
According to the Interior Ministry, Pakistan has closed the important Torkham border crossing into neighboring Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghan refugees are said to be stuck there now. Nevertheless, Pakistan is one of the few states that for decades has willingly accepted the overwhelming majority of Afghan refugees. Of the 2.7 million Afghan refugees registered by the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR, 1.4 million are in Pakistan. As early as the beginning of July, as the Taliban's military successes were emerging, Pakistani intelligence officials said that initial preparations were being made for reactivating refugee camps.
Read also: Ashraf Ghani has left Afghanistan
On the Afghan side, the Taliban have captured the Torkham border post. They control all of the major border crossings that lead out of Afghanistan. At around 2,450 kilometers, Pakistan has an extremely long and controversial border with neighboring Afghanistan, which was arbitrarily drawn by the British colonial power in the century before last. It leads through the Pashtun area, the dominant ethnic group of Afghanistan. The border is difficult to control, also because the same ethnic group lives on both sides. After the Taliban were ousted from power in Afghanistan in 2001, many Islamists found refuge in the autonomous Pashtun areas of their neighbors. At the same time, the Pakistani branch of the Taliban became a significant security riskAfter 2001, they carried out attacks in Pakistan, killing thousands. Therefore, Pakistan's authorities are also very concerned about security when it comes to border control.
Iran: buffer zones for Afghan refugees
According to the UNHCR, there are around 780,000 registered refugees from Afghanistan in Iran. Both states are now ruled by Islamist tyrants, the clerics in Iran and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The relationship between them is considered bad. RefugeesIran is not new to Afghanistan: after the Soviet invasion in 1979, over three million Afghan refugees were allowed to enter the country. Because of the conquest of the Taliban militias, buffer zones for refugees from the crisis state have now been set up on the 910-kilometer border. "We expected a new wave of refugees from Afghanistan two months ago and therefore started setting up temporary buffer zones at the three border crossings," said a spokesman for the state news agency Irna a few days ago. The three buffer zones at the border crossings in the north and south-east of the country are intended to initially offer Afghan refugees protection and security.
However, the refugees are to be sent back: "As soon as the current situation has eased again, the refugees can then return to their homeland from there," said a government spokesman for Tehran. Due to the corona pandemic and the severe economic crisis, it is considered rather unlikely that the Iranian authorities will again allow many refugees into the country. All the more so since Turkey wants to build a border wall with Iran on the other side of the country so that no more Afghan migrants come to Turkey via Iran . So far, around 1,000 migrants a day are said to illegally cross the border from Iran to Turkey, and after the military success of the Taliban, there are likely to be even more.
Turkmenistan: China should now provide stability
Turkmenistan is one of the most closed countries in the world, hardly any foreigner is allowed in. This also applies to the 740 kilometer long border with Afghanistan. Turkmens live on both sides, but few Afghan refugees are allowed in compared to Pakistan or Iran. Turkmenistan is a former Soviet republic, but in the wake of the looming advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the country's leadership sought contact with China in early summer. President and dictator Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in June to discuss a potential threat from Taliban Islamists and how China could help Turkmenistan. Private military companies from China are also said to have been consideredthat are already being used to protect Chinese infrastructure projects in Turkmenistan and could also help protect the border with Afghanistan.
Read more: The Taliban Are Erasing What The West Has Achieved
At the beginning of July, Turkmenistan moved its army to the Afghan border in order to block any refugee movements from the neighboring country. However, the army is small and considered unreliable . In order to prevent a refugee drama at the border, the country's leadership is also talking to the Taliban. In addition, Turkmenistan lives from energy exports such as electricity and gas and is almost completely dependent on China for income. For this reason, too, government representatives met with a Taliban delegation in February to discuss the construction of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan via Afghanistan and Pakistan to India, as well as high-voltage lines via Afghanistan to Pakistan. The Islamists from Afghanistan promised to support the projects. So Turkmenistan keeps all options open.
Uzbekistan: Target of the Afghan military
The ex-Soviet republic of Uzbekistan has a rather small border of 135 kilometers with Afghanistan in the south. But it is a popular target for the Afghan military, who are fleeing the Taliban. Last weekend, according to the authorities, 22 military aircraft and 24 helicopters with a total of 585 Afghan soldiers arrived in Uzbekistan. 84 Afghan soldiers also fled to the ex-Soviet republic by land, 158 civilians illegally crossed the border. Aschraf Ghani, who was president of Kabul until recently , also fled to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, according to a media report.
But like all other neighboring countries, the Uzbek leadership fears the influence of the militant Islamists in Afghanistan. Uzbeks live in the Afghan border area with their neighbors and it is quite possible that many now want to flee from the Taliban to the north. The Uzbeks have therefore increased their security forces at the border. In contrast to the Turkmen, who are leaning on China, the Uzbek leadership wants to expand security cooperation with Russia.
Tajikistan: The poorest in Central Asia
At the beginning of July, more than 1,000 Afghan soldiers fled the Islamist Taliban fighters to the ex-Soviet republic of Tajikistan. It was the largest number of people within a day who wanted to get to safety. The government of Tajikistan then mobilized 20,000 reservists to protect the border. In the days before, members of the Afghan government troops had fled the Taliban in the border province of Badakhshan. Most recently on Monday, several military aircraft with more than 100 Afghan soldiers on board were allowed to land in southern Tajkistan.
The former Soviet republic has a 1,300-kilometer border with Afghanistan and is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Caring for refugees - two makeshift refugee camps have just been set up - is a major financial burden for the country.
Like all other neighbors, the growing instability in Afghanistan fears the infiltration of militant Islamists and criminals. In view of the worsening security situation in the south, the Tajiks are also seeking protection from Russia, which has a large military base in Tajikistan. To send a signal of cooperation, the Russians held a joint military maneuver with Uzbekistan in Tajikistan a week ago.
Do You Know What we Have Posted on
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment