Kabul welcomed the US’ decision to keep thousands of troops in Afghanistan past next year, vowing to respond to a resurgent Taliban “with full force” even as the rebels promised to wage jihad until the last US soldier leaves.
US President Barack Obama’s decision on Thursday to keep a 9,800-strong US force in Afghanistan through much of next year came as he admitted that Afghan forces were not ready to stand alone.
Afghanistan welcomed the decision, saying in a statement that it “will respond to fear and terror with full force,” but adding that it will keep “ajar the door to peace.”
Photo: AFP
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also tweeted his support for the decision.
“Beside stability/development of AFG, we remain determined to strengthen the relations in the area of fighting terrorism now more than ever,” he wrote, using an abbreviation for Afghanistan.
Intense fighting has underscored the continued role of US troops in training the still fledgling Afghan forces and in vital counterterrorism operations.
Two weeks ago the Taliban scored their biggest military victory since the 2001 US-led invasion, capturing the city of Kunduz.
Only a swift response by Afghan security forces, backed by US and NATO troops, led to an eventual Taliban retreat.
This week the NATO coalition said US and Afghan forces had carried out one of their largest joint operations in southern Kandahar Province, dismantling a major al-Qaeda sanctuary in the Taliban’s historic heartland.
The Taliban responded to the US announcement saying they would keep fighting until American troops finally pull out.
“They were the ones who decided to invade Afghanistan, but it will be us who decide when they leave,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said. “When the attacks continue to mount on the occupiers and when they see they have to spend more money in their meaningless war, they will be forced to change their oppressive policy. Our jihad will continue until the last occupier is expelled.”
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
DITCH TACTICS: Kenyan officers were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by Haitian gang members A Kenyan policeman deployed in Haiti has gone missing after violent gangs attacked a group of officers on a rescue mission, a UN-backed multinational security mission said in a statement yesterday. The Kenyan officers on Tuesday were on their way to rescue Haitian police stuck in a ditch “suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs,” the statement said, adding that “specialized teams have been deployed” to search for the missing officer. Local media outlets in Haiti reported that the officer had been killed and videos of a lifeless man clothed in Kenyan uniform were shared on social media. Gang violence has left
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
RSS