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How Close to ‘Fully Withdrawn’ from Iraq Page 2 | NATIONAL and Afghanistan Are We? Page 3 | ECONOMY Winners and Losers as Over on the home page, Michael Brendan Dougherty writes an Iran Expresses Afghan Peace Process assessment of “Trumpism after Trump,” and it is typically astute ... Readiness to Build Herat- Enters Its Endgame Mazar-i-Sharif Railway Page 2 | NATIONAL Kabul Herat Nangarhar Balkh 14 / -1 21 / 9 23 / 5 12 / 2 Your Gateway to Afghanistan & the Region Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Issue No. 907 www.heartofasia.af 10 afs Taliban urge Joe Biden to honour Donald Trump’s deal to leave Afghanistan EU Announced While it is unclear whether Mr Biden will withdraw all U.S. troops by the Support for Success of deadline, his nominee for national Afghan Peace Process security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN this month that the new The Minister of Foreign Affairs administration would support Mohammad Haneef Atmar had diplomacy with the Taliban. a telephone conversation with Mr Sullivan urged the insurgent group the European Commissioner for to cut ties with terrorist organisations International Partnerships, Ms. Jutta such as Al Qaeda, ensure a reduction Urpilainen. in violence and participate in “good- The Ministry of Foriegn Affairs (MoFA) in faith negotiations” with the Afghan a press release said that the two sides government. discussed the latest developments The Biden transition team declined in the peace talks in Doha, and the to weigh in. EU’s partnership with these Afghan Andrew Watkins, a senior analyst Government. with International Crisis Group, said According to the press release, FM Atmar the May 1 troop withdrawal deadline conveyed his appreciation for the EU’s was the biggest early challenge for the support of Afghanistan’s peace process peace process and one of the most and thanked the Commissioner for the urgent problems facing the Biden EU’s observers’ work at Doha and the team. union’s support for the need for the “If the Biden administration ignores preservation of the last two decades’ the deadline set down in the gains in the Afghan peace talks. U.S.-Taliban agreement without Minister Atmar noted that ensuring an The Taliban called on president-elect “The agreement was made for the The call from the insurgent group discussing and clearing a delay with immediate ceasefire, a lasting peace Joe Biden to honour a U.S. agreement purpose,” he said. came days after the U.S. reduced its the insurgents, the Taliban will almost settlement and bringing an end ... P3 to withdraw all American forces from He was referring to an accord the U.S. troop levels from 4,500 to 2,500 at certainly respond by escalating their Afghanistan by May to secure intra- signed last February that paved the President Donald Trump’s direction, use of force – either via attacks on Afghan peace talks and end the two- way for a complete withdrawal of despite opposition from Republican population centres, facilities housing decade war. troops by May in exchange for security and Democrat politicians who international troops or both,” Mr Mohammad Naeem Wardak, a senior guarantees from the Taliban. said the decision could affect Watkins said on Monday. spokesman in the Taliban’s political “The lack of complete implementation counterterrorism operations. A reduction in U.S. troops – who office in Doha, said on Monday that of the agreement can affect the Mr Naeem Wardak welcomed the provide air support to Afghan forces “steps must be taken to end the war, ongoing process of negotiations,” Mr troop reduction and said it was a – will not affect the ability of Afghan not to prolong it”. Naeem Wardak said. “good advancement”. forces to push back ... P3 26 Afghan Forces Killed in Kunduz IFJ Condemns Attack 18.4 Million Afghans Need Clashes on Radio Station in Afghan local officials in Kunduz province Kunduz Province Live- Saving Help: NGO say at least 26 Afghan security forces The International Federation of Save the Children says there are calls were killed in Taliban’s attacks in Kunduz journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the province. for urgent increases in humanitarian Afghan Independent Journalists’ A Provincial Council member of Kunduz, funding to Afghanistan, as figures Association (AIJA) condemned the Safiullah Amiri told Reporterly that the reveal that just over 18 million attack on a Radio station in Kunduz Taliban carried out a widespread attack people, almost half the population, province and urged the Afghan on security outposts in Dasht-e Archi desperately need life-saving district last night. government to investigate the case. support. According to Amiri, 13 Afghan army A mob of nearly a dozen people led by Save the Children in a press release forces and 4 of the uprising forces were the imam of a local mosque attacked said that data reveals humanitarian killed and two others were wounded in Zohra Radio in north eastern Kunduz needs in Afghanistan includes Taliban’s attack in the center of Dasht-e province on January 15 damaging the 9.7million children. Archi district. radio’s equipment and vandalizing the With no immediate end in sight to He cited that an outpost has collapsed to office. the decades-long conflict, Save Taliban after killing of 13 security forces. According to AIJA, the angry crowd the Children’s Country Director in In the meantime, Amir noted that eight also attempted to attack Radio Kaihan Afghanistan Chris Nyamandi said, physical and psychological harm, of the harsh winter conditions and government forces were killed after and Radio Chiragh but were ... P2 “Millions of people are suffering forcing hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 restrictions and they won’t Taliban attacked the security outposts every day because of poverty and people to flee their homes every reopen until March. Meanwhile, the in Bagh-e Sherkat area of PD3 in Kunduz conflict. It’s especially hard on year. The fighting will continue to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic city. children many of whom have known fuel humanitarian needs this year. is exacerbating the humanitarian He added that a security forces was killed nothing but violence. According to This will threaten people’s wellbeing crisis,” he added. by a Taliban sniper in Char Dara district the latest UN figures[ii], nearly 6,000 and limit access to essential services As Mr Nyamandi explains, the plight during the clashes. people, a third of them children, like hospitals and clinics as well as of the Afghan people is threatened Meanwhile, the spokesman of Pamir 217 were killed and injured between humanitarian assistance,” said by inadequate humanitarian Corps Abdul Hadi Nazari in a statement January and September last year.” Chris Nyamandi. funding pledged by wealthy nations confirmed the Taliban’s attack ... P2 “Conflict continues to cause extreme “Now the schools are closed because at a Geneva based conference ... P3 January 20, 2021 Heart of Asia NATIONAL WEDNESDAY 2 [email protected] fb/heart of asia twitter/@heartofasiapost IFJ Condemns... By Mark S. Cogan and Dr. Stephen Nagy prevented and stopped by security forces as they attempted to enter into the radio stations. Zohra Radio is Winners and Losers as Afghan Peace planning to file case against the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Afghan Journalists Process Enters Its Endgame Safety Committee and Afghanistan Ministry of After more than two months of negotiations, the Afghan Information and Culture issued peace process has resumed in Doha, Qatar, with the statements condemning the Afghan government and the Taliban having finalized attack. a set of procedures and principles that will govern From January 2020, 11 media the process going forward. With the business of finite details out of the way, the second stage of the peace workers were murderedin process will focus on the creation of a political path to a Afghanistan including one on nationwide ceasefire, and ultimately a lasting political January 1, 2021. settlement. The peace talks take on a growing sense Attacks on journalists, threats of urgency as fighting in the country continues—a from militant groups, gender- development that strains the integrity of the U.S.- based violence against women Taliban agreement that was signed in February 2020. journalists, government The Trump administration’s post-election pull-back controls on information of U.S. troops further destabilizes the chances for a have also been documented, sustainable agreement, as the Taliban may just outwait according to AIJA. the U.S. until troops are not a significant leverage in The AIJA said: “The attack any negotiation process U.S. forces from Afghanistan—without expecting any a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. It to the Zohra radio indicates On the ground, violence has increased across most of equivalent moves from the Taliban—from 8,600 to could also lead to the U.S. being denied access to that media in Afghanistan are Afghanistan’s provinces. In November, the U.S. Special 4,500, and now to 2,500 before Biden’s inauguration. Afghanistan’s rich natural resources. While the latter unsafe not only from militant Inspector General for Afghanistan (SIGAR) reported to The fear for the United States is the prospect of could be tolerated economically, Afghanistan falling groups but also from different Congress in a quarterly report that violence increased perpetual war, as the Trump administration’s deal into the Beijing’s geopolitical orbit would be much less interest groups. AIJA demands 50 percent in the third quarter of 2020 compared to has sent the Taliban mixed signals. Ultimately, palatable, especially after investing so much blood and the Afghanistan government previous years, with 2,561 civilian casualties and 875 they now have the opportunity to renege on their treasure over past two decades in Afghanistan.

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