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A30 world news
Diamars 12 OctOber 2021

Taliban says US will provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

committed to seeing that Afghan soil also produces the foundation’s Long
is not used by extremists to launch at- War Journal. “The Taliban has to con-
tacks against other countries. duct the difficult and time-consum-
On Saturday, however, the Taliban ing task of rooting out ISKP cells and
ruled out cooperation with Washing- its limited infrastructure. It has all the
ton on containing the increasingly knowledge and tools it needs to do
active Islamic State group in Afghani- it.”
stan.
The IS affiliate doesn’t have the ad-
IS, an enemy of the Taliban, has vantage of safe havens in Pakistan and
claimed responsibility for a number Iran that the Taliban had in its fight
of recent attacks, including Friday’s against the United States, Roggio
suicide bombing that killed 46 mi- said. However, he warned that the
nority Shiite Muslims. Washing- Taliban’s longtime support for al-
ton considers IS its greatest terrorist Qaida make them unreliable as coun-
threat emanating from Afghanistan. terterrorism partners with the United
States.
“We are able to tackle Daesh inde-
pendently,” Shaheen said when asked The Taliban gave refuge to al-Qaida
(AP) — The U.S. has agreed to The Taliban said the talks held in whether the Taliban would work with before it carried out the 9/11 attacks.
provide humanitarian aid to a Doha, Qatar, “went well,” with Wash- the U.S. to contain the Islamic State That prompted the 2001 U.S. inva-
desperately poor Afghanistan on ington freeing up humanitarian aid to affiliate. He used an Arabic acronym sion of Afghanistan that drove the
the brink of an economic disaster, Afghanistan after agreeing not to link for IS. Taliban from power.
while refusing to give political such assistance to formal recognition
recognition to the country’s new of the Taliban. Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the “It is insane for the U.S. to think the
Taliban rulers, the Taliban said Foundation for Defense of Democ- Taliban can be a reliable counterter-
Sunday. The United States made it clear that racies who tracks militant groups, rorism partner, given the Taliban’s
the talks were in no way a preamble agreed the Taliban do not need Wash- enduring support for al-Qaida,” Rog-
The statement came at the end of the to recognition of the Taliban, who ington’s help to hunt down and de- gio said.
first direct talks between the former swept into power Aug. 15 after the stroy Afghanistan’s IS affiliate, known
foes since the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-allied government collapsed. as the Islamic State in Khorasan Prov- During the meeting, U.S. officials
U.S. troops at the end of August. ince, or ISKP. were expected to press the Taliban to
Taliban political spokesman Suhail allow Americans and others to leave
There was no immediate comment Shaheen also told The Associated The Taliban “fought 20 years to eject Afghanistan. In their statement, the
from the U.S. on the weekend meet- Press that the movement’s interim the U.S., and the last thing it needs is Taliban said without elaborating that
ing. foreign minister assured the U.S. the return of the U.S. It also doesn’t they would “facilitate principled
during the talks that the Taliban are need U.S. help,” said Roggio, who movement of foreign nationals.”

North Korean leader calls for improved living conditions

(AP) — North Korea said Mon- succeeding and issued new develop- Kim has so far rejected the Biden lations if Seoul abandons its “double-
day leader Kim Jong Un urged ment plans for the next five years. administration’s offers to restart dia- dealing attitude” and “hostile view-
officials to overcome a “grim logue without preconditions, saying point.”
situation” facing the country and The agency said Kim confirmed the that Washington must first abandon
make stronger efforts to improve determination of the party to effi- its “hostile policy,” a term the North Analysts say North Korea is using the
the food and living conditions of ciently carry out the five-year plan mainly uses to refer to sanctions and South’s desire for inter-Korean en-
his people. to boost “the national economy and U.S.-South Korea military exercises. gagement to drive a wedge between
solving the people’s food, clothing Washington and Seoul and to pres-
But state media didn’t mention any and housing problems.” But the North in recent weeks have sure the South to extract concessions
specific comments toward Washing- also restored communication lines from the Biden administration on its
ton and Seoul while reporting on The KCNA said Kim analyzed the with the South and said it could take behalf.
Kim’s speech marking the 76th anni- “unprecedented difficulties” facing further steps to improve bilateral re-
versary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s the North and called for the party’s
founding. single-minded unity in developing
the state economy in face of the “grim
Nuclear negotiations between Wash- situation.”
ington and Pyongyang have stalled
for more than two years over dis- Analysts say Kim is facing perhaps the
agreements in exchanging the re- toughest moment of his near decade
lease of crippling U.S.-led sanctions in power. He failed to win badly need-
against North Korea and the North’s ed sanctions relief in his summitry
denuclearization steps. with then-President Donald Trump
in 2018 and 2019, then the coronavi-
The country has ramped up its mis- rus pandemic caused North Korea to
sile testing activity in recent weeks close its borders and unleashed fur-
while making conditional peace of- ther economic shock after decades of
fers to Seoul, reviving a pattern of mismanagement and sanctions over
pressuring South Korea to get what it Kim’s nuclear weapons program.
wants from the United States.
The World Health Organization said
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central last week some of its COVID-19
News Agency said Kim during his medical supplies had arrived at a
speech on Sunday said his party is North Korea port, an indication the
determined to achieve the economic North was easing one of the world’s
goals set during the party’s congress strictest pandemic border closures to
in January, when he acknowledged receive outside help.
his previous economic plans weren’t