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A30 world news
Diaranson 23 Juni 2021

Afghanistan accuses Taliban of worst US seizes Iranian news

violence in 2 decades sites under unclear

circumstances
Ashraf Ghani and Abdul-
lah Abdullah, the head of
the country’s High Council
for National Reconciliation,
which oversees the govern-
ment’s negotiation team with
the Taliban.
Lyons said the Taliban’s in-
creasing violence over the
past year, even as peace talks
began in Doha in Septem-
ber, and its latest intensified
military campaign have led to
significant advances for the
insurgents.
“More than 50 of Afghani-
(AP) — Afghanistan’s al-Qaida but also regional stan’s 370 districts have fallen (AP) — American authorities took down a range
foreign minister accused terrorist groups ... in pursuit since the beginning of May,” of Iran’s state-linked news websites under unclear
the Taliban on Tuesday of their violence campaign the U.N. envoy said. “Most circumstances on Tuesday, the U.S. and Iran said,
of carrying out its worst against both Afghanistan and districts that have been taken a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crack-
violence in the past two other countries.” surround provincial capitals, down on Iranian media amid heightened tensions
decades and urged the in- He urged the Taliban to ex- suggesting that the Taliban between the two countries.
ternational community to plain to the world commu- are positioning themselves
try to persuade the Tal- nity why they said they were to try and take these capitals The U.S. seized roughly three dozen websites, the major-
iban to honor a February fighting foreign troops in once foreign forces are fully ity of which are linked to Iranian disinformation efforts,
2020 agreement with the Afghanistan and are “killing withdrawn.” said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity
United States to reduce their fellow Afghans, and es- because the case had not yet been officially announced by
violence and enter peace pecially civilians, where the She also pointed to a 29% the American government.
negotiations. foreign troops are leaving the increase in civilian casualties
country now.” in the first quarter of 2021 Iranian state-run news agency IRNA announced the U.S.
Mohammad Haneef At- compared to the same period government seizures of the websites, without providing
mar told the U.N. Security The U.N. special envoy for last year, including a 37% rise further information.
Council that with the with- Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, in casualties among women
drawal of U.S. and NATO told the council she cannot and a 23% increase among The takedowns come as world powers scramble to resur-
troops “to be completed in overstate her concern at the children. She singled out the rect Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal and just days af-
the coming weeks,” the inter- situation, saying every major May 8 attack on girls leaving ter the election victory of Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief,
national community should trend -- politics, security, the school in a majority-Haz- Ebrahim Raisi. On Monday, Raisi, known for his hostil-
also establish a “mechanism” peace process, the economy, ara area of Kabul that killed ity to the West, staked out a hard-line position in his first
to monitor implementation the humanitarian emergency nearly 100 young female stu- news conference. He ruled out the possibilities of meet-
of the agreement reached in and tackling COVID-19 -- is dents, and two attacks this ing with President Joe Biden or negotiating over Tehran’s
Qatar’s capital Doha and the either “negative or stagnant.” month that killed 11 people ballistic missile program and support for regional militias
council resolution support- clearing mines in Baghlan — concerns the Biden administration wants addressed in
ing it, “and to take appropri- While Afghans knew inter- province and five people en- future talks.
ate measures to ensure com- national forces would be gaged in polio vaccinations in
pliance.” leaving, she said President Nangarhar province. Iran provides support to militant groups in the region,
Under the deal, the U.S. Joe Biden’s mid-April an- such as Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah and Yemen’s
agreed to withdraw its troops nouncement that the remain- Lyons said the military cam- Houthi rebels, as it seeks to wield its influence far afield
in exchange for a Taliban ing 2,500-3,500 troops would paign runs country to a re- and counter its foes.
promise to denounce ter- be gone by Sept. 11 sent “a cent statement by the head
rorist groups and keep Af- seismic tremor through the of the Taliban Political Com- The U.S. government also took over the domain name of
ghanistan from again being Afghan political system and mission who said: “We are the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the view
a staging arena for attacks on society at large” because of committed to forging ahead points of Gaza-based Islamic militant groups Hamas and
America, to reduce violence the speed of their departure. with the other sides in an at- Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown
and work with the govern- mosphere of mutual respect notice.
ment on a permanent cease- A U.S.-led coalition launched and reach an agreement.”
fire, and enter negotiations an invasion of Afghanistan Yemen’s Houthi rebel group announced that its Al-Ma-
with the government aimed in 2001 to hunt down and The United Nations had sirah satellite news channel went offline without prior
at restoring peace to the war- destroy the al-Qaida net- hoped to accelerate stalled notice. It said the channel would continue in its mission
battered country. work and its leader, Osama negotiations in Doha through of “confronting the American and Israeli acts of piracy
Atmar said in his virtual bin Laden, blamed for the a conference in Istanbul in against our nation, by any means.”
briefing to the council’s min- 9/11 attacks on America, and April that would have been
isterial meeting that the U.S. overthrew the Taliban, who co-hosted by Turkey, Qatar Marzieh Hashemi, a prominent Press TV anchorwoman
and regional partners have during their rule imposed a and the U.N., but the Taliban who, in 2019, was arrested as material witness in an un-
met almost all their obliga- harsh brand of Islam. never officially responded to specified criminal case and has appeared before a grand
tions in the agreement, but Biden said in April that the the invitation, Lyons said, jury in Washington, told The Associated Press that the
“it’s a sad reality that the Tal- U.S. was leaving, having and “the drivers of conflict channel was struggling to “figure out the reasons” for the
iban has not honored any of achieved its goals: Al-Qaida seem for now to overwhelm” seizure.
its obligations,” and has left had been greatly diminished, hopes for negotiations.
the country and region “dan- bin Laden was dead and While airing in Iran, Press TV focuses predominantly on
gerously unstable,” America no longer needed Lyons urged the U.N. Se- international affairs through the lens of how leaders in
boots on the ground to fight curity Council and regional the Islamic Republic see the world. Fierce criticism of
He pointed to the Taliban’s the terrorist threats that countries to make every ef- British and American foreign policy is common. Since
failure to cut ties with in- might emanate from Afghan- fort “to avoid the country go- the 1979 Islamic Revolution, IRIB has been in the hands
ternational terrorist groups, istan. On Friday, Biden will ing down the path of more of hard-liners who back Iran’s government.
saying it is hosting “not only meet with Afghan President bloodshed and suffering.”