Trump U-turn in Afghanistan welcomed in Kabul, met with disbelief in Islamabad and delight in New Delhi

US President Donald Trump greets military leaders before his speech on Afghanistan at the Fort Myer military base on Monday in Arlington, Virginia. (AFP)
Updated 23 August 2017
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Trump U-turn in Afghanistan welcomed in Kabul, met with disbelief in Islamabad and delight in New Delhi

ISLAMABAD: Political and military leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India spent Tuesday digesting and analyzing Donald Trump’s sharp policy U-turn on US strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia.
In a televised address from Virginia on Monday night, the US president reversed his previous position that a US military presence in Afghanistan was “a complete disaster” and a waste of American money and lives.
Instead, he said, while the US was no longer involved in nation building, he would approve plans by his military chiefs to increase the number of US troops. He provided no figures, but analysts expect the numbers in the region to increase from 8,400 to about 12,400.
“Our troops will fight to win,” Trump said. “From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating Daesh, crushing Al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.”
Trump also said India would play a more prominent economic and development role, and he said he would put pressure on Pakistan to stop harboring terrorists and ensure that its nuclear weapons did not fall into their hands.
Trump’s new strategy was received warmly by the Afghan government, which has pushed for the indefinite involvement of US troops in a war in which the Taliban are gaining ground and Daesh are becoming increasingly active.
“I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorists,” President Ashraf Ghani said.
“The US-Afghanistan partnership is stronger than ever in overcoming the threat of terrorism that threatens us all. The strength of our security forces should show that the Taliban and others cannot win a military victory. The objective of peace is paramount. Peace remains our priority.”
However, many in Afghanistan are skeptical that the new US policy is an effective way to end the war. They say the strategy lacks any mechanism for peace talks with militants, or a plan to boost development, reconstruction and other factors to bring stability.
Hekmatullah Shahbaz, a political analyst, said the indefinite presence of US troops would tend to prolong the war, as key players in the region, particularly, Russia opposed it.
Ahmad Zia Rafat, a professor at Kabul University, said Trump’s comment about Pakistan was vague, and his proposal for a greater role for India in Afghanistan could be counter-productive.
“Trump did not say what the US would do if Pakistan failed to engage the Taliban,” he said. “Secondly, India may not be so much interested in peace in Afghanistan as it wants Pakistan to be pre-occupied here, so this way it can avoid facing fighting Pakistan along its borders. India is not a neutral country here.”
The Taliban issued a defiant statement, and vowed to continue to fight against US troops. “As long as a single American soldier remains in our homeland and American leaders continue the path of war-mongering, we will continue our jihad with high spirit, complete determination and more steadfastness,” a spokesman said.
In Pakistan, there was a pre-emptive response even before Trump spoke. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor told a press conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi that the Pakistan army had contributed to regional security beyond its own capability and capacity.
“No organized infrastructure of any terrorist organization exists in Pakistan,” he said. “We have operated against all terrorists, including the Haqqani network,” and Pakistan had provided evidence of this last week to a high-level US military delegation.
Nevertheless, Trump had Pakistan in his crosshairs when he spoke on Monday night. Washington can “no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations,” he said. “We must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists.”
That, said nuclear expert Dr. Zafar Jaspal, is “a repeated mantra of the United States.” He said Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were “very much secure, and the Trump administration needs to review the literature which was produced by American and international think tanks at the nuclear security summit in 2016.” This establishes Pakistan’s security protocol to effectively keep its nuclear weapons out of the terrorists’ reach, he said.
Col. Baseer Haider, a Pakistani military analyst, welcomed the increase in US troop numbers to secure the Afghan side of the border, but criticized Trump’s policy for failing to define the contours of intelligence sharing. He feared that more drone strikes in tribal areas, or an operation like the one that killed Osama Bin Laden, would strain ties between Pakistan and the US.
“They simply cannot have a unilateral approach. They should take us into their confidence and work with us for a mutual goal to bring peace in the region,” he said.
The warmest words in Trump’s speech were reserved for India, which he called a critical part of the South Asian strategy. “We want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development,” he said.
New Delhi was delighted. “We welcome President Trump’s determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar.
Harsh V. Pant, head of the strategic affairs program at Observer Research Foundation, a think tank in New Delhi, said that given India’s economic engagement in Afghanistan, “it never makes any sense for American policy to divorce India from what they call Af-Pak policy.
“The Trump administration is coming around to the view that India needs to be the part of this strategic framework.
“A policy of splendid isolation is not an option and India’s desire to emerge as a major global player will remain just that, unless it engages its immediate neighborhood more meaningfully and emerges as a net provider of regional peace and stability,” Pant argues in his book, “India’s Afghanistan Muddle.”
However, Happymon Jacob, an academic at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, cautioned against falling into what he called Trump’s trap of praising India and attacking Pakistan.
• Additional reporting by Sib Kaifee in Islamabad, Syed Salahuddin in Kabul and Sunjay Kumar in Delhi


Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

Updated 35 min 59 sec ago
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Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

  • Sania Zehra manages about 600 bee colonies, sells products across India
  • She created an empowerment group to help aspiring women entrepreneurs

NEW DELHI: For the past four years, beekeeping has become central to Sania Zehra’s life. Every morning, she wakes at about 6 a.m. to tend to her colonies, before spending the rest of the day building the enterprise that turned her into the “bee queen” of Kashmir. 

Her beekeeping journey began as a 16-year-old, watching her father hard at work at the family farm in Balhama in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“I first saw my grandfather working with the bees, and then I saw my father doing the same business. When I saw my father working hard, I decided to also contribute and support him,” Zehra told Arab News. 

She overcame her initial fear of bee stings and got to work immediately, applying for a government scheme that allowed her to expand the business. 

It was not always smooth sailing — she struggled to make a profit in the first couple of years and had to juggle maintaining the hectic routine of beekeeping and selling her products. 

But as her hard work of managing hundreds of colonies garnered her the “bee queen” title, today her products are being sold across the country.

“I am selling my product across India (and) I am getting orders from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Dubai, South Africa, Qatar and all,” Zehra said. 

Beekeeping is a multi-pronged passion for the 20-year-old, who sees it as a way to protect the environment and preserve her family legacy. 

She joins an increasing number of women in Kashmir who are running their own businesses, many of whom access government programs aimed at training and supporting women entrepreneurs. 

Despite the social barriers that persist to this day, Zehra found support from her family, especially her mother. 

“My mother supports me wholeheartedly. She says ‘I have sons but you have gone ahead of the boys and there is nothing that can stop a woman if she wants to,’” she said. 

“For me, it’s a passion as well as a desire to carry the family legacy … I have been fascinated by bees’ social structure and the importance of bees in our ecosystem. I want to contribute to their conversation and produce natural honey and connect with nature. They are an inspiration for me.” 

As time went by, she found that beekeeping was not only therapeutic for her mental health but also a way to support the entrepreneurial landscape in Kashmir. 

To fuel that mission, Zehra created an empowerment group whose members comprise talented women who lack access to resources. 

“My main focus is that I should act as a catalyst for many and help others to grow too,” she said. 

With 40 members so far, Zehra is aiming to take it to 100 and help them gain access to the government initiatives that once helped her. 

“I want to give employment to all,” Zehra said. “I have a future plan to address the unemployment issue in Kashmir and make Kashmir a wonderful place. I want to inspire young people.”


Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world

Updated 55 min 43 sec ago
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Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world

VATICAN: Pope Francis called Wednesday for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He used his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world“) message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to call for talks for a just peace in Ukraine as the country was pummelled by 170 Russian missiles and drones on Christmas morning.
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” the 88-year-old pontiff said, his voice strained and breathless. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
In front of thousands of the faithful gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, also appealed for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the freeing of Israeli hostages held there by Hamas.
“I think of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war,” he added.
Francis extended his call for a silencing of arms to the whole Middle East and to Sudan, which has been ravaged by a ravaged by 20 months of brutal civil war where millions are under the threat of famine.
“May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire,” he said.


Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

Updated 25 December 2024
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Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

  • The plane was carrying 67 passengers and five crew, Kazakh authorities say 12 people had survived
  • Azerbaijan Airlines said aircraft forced to make emergency landing approximately 3 km from Aktau

ASTANA: An Embraer passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with 67 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying 12 people had survived.
Unverified video of the crash showed the plane, which was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, bursting into flames as it hit the ground and thick black smoke then rising.
The Central Asian country’s emergencies ministry said in a statement that fire services had put out the blaze and that survivors were being treated at a nearby hospital.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya, but had been forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau.
Russian news agencies said the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said they had begun looking into different possible versions of what had happened, including a technical problem, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.


Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman

Updated 25 December 2024
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Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman

  • Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021

KABUL: Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border province of Afghanistan killed 46 people, the Taliban government spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.
“Last night (Tuesday), Pakistan bombarded four points in the Barmal district of Paktika province. The total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
He added that six more people were wounded, mostly children.
A defense ministry statement late Tuesday condemned the latest strikes by Pakistan on Afghan territory, calling them “barbaric” and a “clear aggression.”
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered, but rather considers the defense of its territory and sovereignty to be its inalienable right,” the statement said, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.
Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from Afghanistan.
Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban government of harboring militant fighters, allowing them to strike on Pakistani soil with impunity.
Kabul has denied the allegations.


Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

Updated 25 December 2024
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Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

  • An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet flying from the capital Baku to Grozny in Russia crashed on Wednesday
  • 72 people were on board of the plane

ASTANA: An Embraer passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying that 28 people had survived.
Unverified video of the crash showed the plane, which was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, bursting into flames as it hit the ground and thick black smoke then rising. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.
Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry said in a statement that fire services had put out the blaze and that the survivors, including two children, were being treated at a nearby hospital. The bodies of the dead were being recovered.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 jet, with flight number J2-8243, was flying from Baku to Grozny, capital of Russia’s Chechnya region, but had been forced to make an emergency landing around 3 km (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan. The city is on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan and Russia.


Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what had happened and its members ordered to fly to the site and ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed.
Kazakhstan would cooperate with Azerbaijan on the investigation, the government said.
Russia’s aviation watchdog said in a statement that preliminary information suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike.
Following the crash, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, was returning home from Russia where he had been due to attend a summit on Wednesday, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, expressed his condolences in a statement and said some of those being treated in hospital were in an extremely serious condition and that he and others would pray for their rapid recovery.