Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20210811

A29
world news Diaranson 11 augustus 2021

U.S vows to isolate Taliban if they take power by force

(AP) — A U.S. peace en- ment still retained control of also told the insurgents to
voy brought a warning to the intelligence department stay out of abandoned homes
the Taliban on Tuesday and a military base. of government and security
that any government that officials who have fled, leave
comes to power through After a 20-year Western mili- marketplaces open and pro-
force in Afghanistan won’t tary mission and billions of tect places of business, in-
be recognized interna- dollars spent training and cluding banks.
tionally after a series of shoring up Afghan forces,
cities fell to the insurgent many are at odds to explain It was not immediately clear
group in stunningly quick why the regular forces have if Taliban fighters on the
succession. collapsed, fleeing the battle ground would heed Yaqoob’s
sometimes by the hundreds. instructions. Some civil-
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. The fighting has fallen largely ians who have fled Taliban
envoy, traveled to Doha, Qa- to small groups of elite forces advances have said that the
tar, where the Taliban main- and the Afghan air force. insurgents imposed repres-
tain a political office, to tell sive restrictions on women
the group that there was no The success of the Taliban and burned down schools.
point in pursuing victory on blitz has added urgency to The office of the U.N. hu- said that its staff has treated
the battlefield because a mili- the need to restart the long- man rights chief said it has more than 4,000 Afghans this Khalilzad, the architect of
tary takeover of the capital of stalled talks that could end received reports of summary month in their 15 facilities the peace deal the Trump ad-
Kabul would guarantee they the fighting and move Af- executions and military use across the country, includ- ministration brokered with
would be global pariahs. He ghanistan toward an inclu- and destruction of homes, ing in Helmand and Kanda- the Taliban, was expected to
and others hope to persuade sive interim administration. schools and clinics in cap- har, where Afghan and U.S. hold talks with key regional
Taliban leaders to return to The insurgents have so far tured areas. airstrikes are trying to rein in players and will likely seek a
peace talks with the Afghan refused to return to the ne- the Taliban onslaught. commitment from Afghani-
government as American and gotiating table. There have also been reports stan’s neighbors and other
NATO forces finish their of revenge killings. The in- “We are seeing homes de- counties in the region not to
pullout from the country. Khalilzad’s mission in Qatar surgents have claimed re- stroyed, medical staff and recognize a Taliban govern-
is to “help formulate a joint sponsibility for killing a co- patients put at tremendous ment that comes to power by
The insurgents have captured international response to the median in southern Kanda- risk, and hospitals, electric- force. When the Taliban last
six out of 34 provincial capi- rapidly deteriorating situa- har, assassinating the govern- ity and water infrastruc- ran Afghanistan, three coun-
tals in the country in less than tion in Afghanistan,” accord- ment’s media chief in Kabul ture damaged,” Eloi Fillion, tries recognized their rule:
a week, including Kunduz ing to the U.S. State Depart- and a bombing that targeted ICRC’s head of delegation in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and
in Kunduz province — one ment. acting Defense Minister Bis- Afghanistan, said in a state- the United Arab Emirates.
of the country’s largest cit- millah Khan Mohammadi, ment. “The use of explosive
ies. On Sunday, they planted He plans to “press the Taliban killing eight and wounding weaponry in cities is having Senior Afghan officials have
their flag in the main square, to stop their military offen- more. The minister was not an indiscriminate impact on also travelled to Doha, in-
but government forces still sive and to negotiate a politi- harmed. the population.” cluding Abdullah Abdullah,
controlled the strategic air- cal settlement, which is the who heads the government’s
port and an army base on the only path to stability and de- The intensifying war has The surge in Taliban attacks reconciliation council. Paki-
city’s outskirts. velopment in Afghanistan,” driven thousands of people began in April, when the stan’s national security ad-
the State Department said. to Kabul, where many are liv- U.S. and NATO announced viser, Moeed Yusuf, on Mon-
They are now battling the ing in parks. The fighting has they would end their military day called for “reinvigorated”
Western-backed government Meanwhile, the Taliban mili- also increased the number of presence and bring the last of efforts to get all sides in the
for control of several oth- tary chief released an audio civilian casualties. their troops home. The fi- conflict back to talks, de-
ers. Late on Tuesday, Taliban message to his fighters on nal date of the withdrawal is scribing a protracted war in
forces entered Farah and Tuesday, ordering them not The U.N. human rights Aug. 31, but the U.S. Central Afghanistan as a “nightmare
were seen in front to the pro- to harm Afghan forces and chief, Michelle Bachelet, said Command has said the pull- scenario” for Pakistan.
vincial governor’s office. government officials in terri- Tuesday that her office had out is already 95% complete.
tories they conquer. The re- counted at least 183 deaths Yusuf refused to definitively
Taliban spokesman Zabihul- cording was shared on Twit- and hundreds of injuries On Monday, the U.S. em- say whether Pakistan, which
lah Mujahed tweeted the in- ter by the Taliban spokesman among civilians in a handful phasized that the Biden ad- holds considerable sway over
surgents had taken the city, in Doha, Mohammad Naim. of cities in recent weeks – but ministration now sees the the Taliban, would recog-
which is the capital of a prov- cautioned that “the real fig- fight as one for Afghan po- nize a Taliban government
ince with the same name. But In the nearly five-minute ures will be much higher.” litical and military leaders to installed by force, saying in-
Abdul Naser Farahi — a law- audio, Mohammad Yaqoob, win or lose — and showed no stead that Pakistan wants to
maker from the area who is the son of late Taliban leader The International Com- sign of stepping up airstrikes see an “inclusive” govern-
in Kabul — said the govern- Mullah Mohammad Omar, mittee of the Red Cross despite the Taliban gains. ment in Kabul.

25 soldiers die fighting wildfires in northern Algeria

(AP) — Algeria’s president announced Tues- African nation. The Kabyle region, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east
day night that 25 soldiers have been killed of Algeria’s capital of Algiers, is dotted with diffi-
saving residents from the wildfires ravaging President Abdelmadjid Tebboune tweeted that the cult-to-access villages and has limited water. Some
forests and villages east of the capital, adding soldiers saved 100 citizens from the blazes in two villagers were fleeing, while others tried to hold
to the fire death toll this week in the North areas in the mountainous Kabyle region, home of back the flames themselves, using buckets, branch-
the Berbers. Four other soldiers were seriously es and rudimentary tools. The region has no water-
burned fighting the fires and seven others also had dumping planes.
burns, the Defense Ministry said.
Other northern areas of Algeria also had active
Dozens of blazes sprang up Monday in the moun- wildfires. The Civil Protection authority said
tainous Kabyle region and elsewhere, and Algerian on Algerian radio that seven people had died, six
authorities sent in the army to help citizens battle in Kabyle and a man in his 80s trying to save his
blazes and evacuate. Multiple fires were burning animals in the Setif region to the east. It counted
through forests and devouring the olive trees, cattle 41 blazes in 18 wilayas, or regions, as of Monday
and chickens that provide the livelihoods of fami- night, with 21 of them burning around the Kabyle
lies in the Kabyle region. capital of Tizi Ouzou.