Page 2 | NATIONAL Whose Peace in Afghanistan? Page 3 | ECONOMY Biden Aims for At this moment, with developments quickening as the May 1 deadline Wolesi Jirga Warn of the Impossible in for the departure of U.S. forces rapidly approaches, we’re ... Serious Development Afghanistan Budget Embezzlement Page 2 | NATIONAL Kabul Herat Nangarhar Balkh 15 / 4 24 / 9 23 / 12 18 / 10 Your Gateway to Afghanistan & the Region Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Issue No. 944 www.heartofasia.af 10 afs Narcotics Still Primary Source 11 Members of of Taliban Income: SIGAR that the Taliban continue to adapt Afghan Forces Killed and expand their ability to maintain in Helmand and generate financial revenues to support their operations. At least 11 members of the Afghan The primary sources of income National Defense and Security Forces for the Taliban remain narcotics, were killed in two separate incidents in illicit mineral and other resource the southern province of Helmand on extraction, taxation, extortion, the Sunday night, sources from security sale of commercial and government agencies said on Monday. services and property, and Two of the forces were killed in a donations from abroad, SIGAR says. car bomb attack in Nawa district in The Taliban rejected their Helmand, sources said. involvement in the drugs and Meanwhile, militants attacked a narcotics trade, but Afghan officials security forces outpost in Helmand- said the group has been involved in Kandahar highway on Sunday night the illicit business. in which nine members of Afghan The watchdog says that Afghanistan forces were killed and four more were is the world’s largest producer of wounded, sources said. opium and the source of more than Security officials have not commented 90 percent of the world’s heroin. on the two incidents. Since 2001, the United States has The attacks come amidst a sharp rise allocated more than $8 billion in violence in various parts of the to fight opium production and country. A US watchdog in a report released senior official from the Resolute to be approximately $400 million. trafficking in Afghanistan, the One security force member ... P2 last month says that 40 to 60 Support Counter Threat Finance According to SIGAR, the UN report report says. percent of the Taliban’s revenue Cell estimated that between 40 to also notes that the Taliban now Quoting US Department of Defense comes from narcotics. 60 percent of the Taliban’s revenue controls all aspects of narcotics officials, the report says that a small The US Special Inspector General comes from narcotics trafficking.” production, which likely indicates portion of the overall US counter- for Afghanistan Reconstruction SIGAR also quoted a UN report as that their total revenues are even narcotics funding has gone to (SIGAR) in its report cites a meeting saying that Afghan officials estimate higher. counter threat finance (CTF) efforts with Resolute Support officials Taliban income from narcotics SIGAR quotes a UN Security Council directed at the Afghan terrorist in February 2018, saying that “a between June 2018 and June 2019 report from June 2019 as saying narcotics trade. Afghanistan Borrows More Than 17b Afs Bangladesh Extends Helping Iran, Uzbek FMs Meet, Discuss This Fiscal Year Hand to Afghanistan for The Afghan government has borrowed peace, progress Afghan Peace Process 17.4 billion afghanis from the Kabul: Stressing that peace is necessary for progress International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kabul: Iranian and Uzbek and development, Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Prime during the ongoing fiscal year. foreign ministers met on Minister, on Monday offered help to Afghanistan in According to Pajhwok Afghan News their efforts for development. Monday to discuss bilateral report, Afghanistan has received $1.8 Her remarks came when she met outgoing Afghan ties and cooperation between billion in loans from World Bank, Islamic ambassador Abdul Qayoom Malikzad at her official the two countries on the Development Bank, Saudi Fund, Asian residence Ganobhaban and added that peace is a Afghan peace process. Development Bank (ADB), IMF, Bulgaria, must for development. This is Iranian Foreign Italy, Kuwait Fund and OPEC Fund over PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters the past 17 years. Minister Mohammad Javad after the meeting. She said that non-government During the period, the country repaid Zarif’s first tour in the solar organizations like BRAC were working for the socio- only $300 million. year 1,400 (which began on economic development of Afghanistan. According to Finance Ministry sources, March 21) wherein he met his The Bangladesh PM that said the government has Afghanistan currently owes the Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz involved the public so that their support can help International Community $1.5 billion. Kamilov in Tashkent for establish peace. Budget deficit led to fresh borrowing: regional cooperation in Mohammad Rafi Taab, a spokesman Central Asia. influence of the Islamic groups of the parliaments of for the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Cooperation on peace in Republic of Iran, Kamilov the two countries, and use of acknowledged to Pajhwok that the Afghanistan and bilateral stressed on the expansion Iran’s port capacities along Afghan government had taken loan this relations in the field of cooperation of the two the Persian Gulf and the Sea year due to a budget deficit. He added: “The MoF had projected a transportation, transit and countries in various fields, of Oman. budget deficit of 17.4 billion afghanis energy, culture and tourism including cooperation in legal Iranian foreign minister is in 1400 solar year, and the ministry were discussed. and international forums, also scheduled to meet Uzbek has borrowed it from the International Emphasizing the regional parliamentary cooperation President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Monetary Fund (IMF).” ... P3 position and international between the friendship on Monday afternoon. April 6, 2021 Heart of Asia NATIONAL TUESDAY 2 [email protected] fb/heart of asia twitter/@heartofasiapost China FM... By HAFED AL-GHWELL and abide by market rules, and refrain from setting obstacles, abusing power, and depriving others of their legitimate Biden Aims for the Impossible right to development, Wang said, adding that if there is still confrontation, China will deal with it calmly and face it in Afghanistan fearlessly. A cursory examination of the emerging US policy on “We resolutely resist gross Afghanistan would probably conclude that the strategy interference in China’s internal to end a two decade-old, mostly fruitless, military affairs, and more resolutely intervention is ill-conceived and mistimed. That oppose unlawful unilateral view has substantial support even among the ranks sanctions imposed on the basis of Washington’s dovish cohort, which is not keen on of lies and false information,” striking a deal with the Taliban given its track record as Wang said. a fundamentalist, autocratic Islamist movement with He said China will not no inclinations toward democracy, human rights or compromise or retreat, as it personal liberty — along with its support for Al-Qaeda sticks to the basic norms of and ties to 9/11. international relations and However, the overall aim of the Biden plan is to stands for the interests of attempt the unprecedented, ending the US-led many developing, small and coalition’s Afghanistan mission by trying to establish medium-sized countries. a democratic, stable and self-sustaining long-term China definitely has the right settlement. Its current iteration involves reviving a to fight back since it must stalled peace process using a multilateral approach defend national sovereignty via forceful regional diplomacy, as well as pressuring reorganizes itself ahead of intra-Afghan talks reignited the original 50-50 power-sharing deal, but is forced to and national dignity. the Kabul government led by President Ashraf Ghani by the White House peace initiative and the UN-led compete for it politically at local, regional and national “Dialogue is better than to support the process and the Taliban to de-escalate peace process to come out of it. Whether the peace levels. However, this will have to come after the White confrontation, and its attacks. process succeeds or not, Islamabad will not risk losing House addresses numerous concerns raised after cooperation is better than Attempts at establishing a centralized, democratic- its leverage with a stronger Taliban, especially when details of its proposed peace initiative were leaked confrontation,” Wang said, leaning government have failed just as much as the it became embedded in the proposed power-sharing — probably a deliberate move to gauge stakeholder urging the U.S. to actively Taliban’s unfettered illiberalism. By making a play government, since it will be a highly effective proxy attitudes ahead of the intra-Afghan meeting in Turkey respond to the expectations for a decentralized government, the White House is for Pakistan to continue exerting undue influence in this month. of regional countries and the investing diplomatic and political capital in a shaky Afghan affairs. For instance, while the NATO ministerial meeting in international community, power-sharing arrangement between two entities that The conflict of interests among regional players — Brussels last month focused on revitalizing the alliance work with China to show what deny each other’s legitimacy. and there are many — is not the only worry for what and establishing a “unity of purpose” against Russia a major power should be like, An abrupt departure risks new instability and conflict, the White House plans to achieve in the run-up to the on the Eurasian continent and China in the Indo- and jointly maintain regional endangering the strategic or security interests of May deadline for coalition troops to withdraw from Pacific region, European members are still not sold and world peace, stability and neighboring states such as Pakistan, India and even Afghanistan. Even in Washington, the administration on the Biden plan. Additionally, the EU worries that development.