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A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 17 February 2020

Afghans mark Soviet withdrawal as U.S. negotiates its own exit

By KATHY GANNON and holiday off. Shakeb Rohin
RAHIM FAIEZ was only seven years old
Associated Press when the Soviets pulled
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) out. Now a graduate of
— Afghanistan on Satur- Kabul University's econom-
day marked the 31st an- ics department, he said he
niversary of the last Soviet can't remember the Soviet
soldier leaving the coun- occupation. Since then,
try. This year's anniversary he said he's witnessed only
came as the United States war.
negotiates its own exit after "We are so tried of war,
18 years of war, America's we want a peaceful solu-
longest. tion for Afghanistan's prob-
Some of the same Afghan lems," he said.
insurgent leaders who Abdul Shakor Ahmadi, 56,
drove out the former So- recalled how people were
viet Union have been fight- very happy on the day of
ing the U.S., and have had the pullout. But he said the
prominent seats at the ne- civil war that followed was
gotiating table during year- worse.
long talks with Washington's With the Cold War over, the
peace envoy. U.S. lost interest in Afghani-
Moscow pulled out of Af- In this Feb. 7, 1989 file photo, a Soviet soldier waves as his armored convoy makes its way back stan. The mujaheddin gov-
ghanistan in 1989, a de- to the Soviet Union along a north Afghanistan highway. ernment — which included
cade after invading the Associated Press many of the warlords in
country to support an al- Kabul today — eventually
lied communist govern- agreed Friday to a tem- an American ally against 2001 U.S.-led invasion of turned their guns on each
ment. Afghan mujaheddin, porary truce. If successful, the Soviets. So was another Afghanistan ousted them other in the early 1990s. The
or holy warriors, received it could open the way for Taliban negotiator, Khairul- from power. fighting killed tens of thou-
weapons and training another historic withdrawal lah Khairkhwa. He spent 12 Kabul's streets were quiet sands of civilians. It also led
from the U.S. throughout that would see all Ameri- years detained at Guanta- Saturday, normally the some former mujaheddin
the 1980s to fight the Red can troops leave the coun- namo Bay until his release busy start of the Afghan to regroup into the Taliban,
Army. Some of those muja- try. in 2014 in exchange for U.S. workweek. There were no who rose to power in 1996
heddin went on to form the The chief negotiator for Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl. official public celebrations and implemented a harsh
Taliban. the Taliban, Mullah Abdul The Taliban are now at marking the anniversary, interpretation of Islamic
The U.S. and the Taliban Ghani Baradar, was once their strongest since the and most people took the rule.q
WHO chief praises China’s virus fight,

urges more from world

will take." The U.N. health bought to the world time," number of health workers
agency's director-general, Tedros told the Munich Se- who have been infected or
Tedros Adhanom Ghe- curity Conference. "We're died.
breyesus, told a gathering encouraged that an inter- "We're concerned by the
of international foreign poli- national team of experts is lack of urgency in fund-
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a traffic cy and security leaders Sat- now on the ground working ing the response from the
policeman wearing a face mask checks a car during a snowfall urday that WHO has been closely with Chinese coun- international community,
in Xiaogan in central China's Hubei Province, Saturday, Feb. 15, encouraged that there has terparts to understand the ... (by the) serial disruption
2020. not yet been widespread outbreak." in the market for personal
Associated Press transmission of the virus out- But he said the agency protective equipment" and
MUNICH (AP) — The head efforts to prepare for the side of China. is still "concerned by the by the extent of misinfor-
of the World Health Or- COVID-19 virus and says "it's "The steps China has taken continued increase in the mation and the havoc the
ganization is urging gov- impossible to predict which to contain the outbreak at number of cases in China," virus could cause in weaker
ernments to step up their direction this epidemic its source appear to have and by reports about the health systems, he said.q