KABUL: Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), at the council’s leadership committee meeting at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday said that “the survival of Afghanistan is in danger.” The sixth leadership committee meeting of the HCNR was held at the Presidential Palace and was attended by President Ashraf Ghani, HCNR members and other government officials.
“The truth is, today the survival, security and unity of Afghanistan is in danger.” Abdullah said. “There is no better way than peace.” “With the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, the war has escalated. Unfortunately, the Taliban side has taken advantage of this, and the foreign troop withdrawal has naturally left a vacuum in some areas,” said Abdullah.
In April, US President Joe Biden announced that the US troops would leave Afghanistan by September 11. “Although teams from both sides are in Doha and in contact, we have not witnessed any progress,” Abdullah said. “They (the Taliban) take very slow steps in the peace talks but have increased the war on the battlefield.”
“Unfortunately, the Taliban wasted time in the peace process over the months, and there was concern among the people that the Taliban had no intention or will to seek peace. This concern is now growing day by day,” he said. “The truth we are facing is the escalation of the war. In today’s meeting, I cannot see anyone that says we must continue the war and the way out is war.” This comes as Germany’s last troops left Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of deployment in the country, said the German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. The German defense minister said in a tweet that the last Bundeswehr soldiers “left Afghanistan safely”. NATO agreed in April to withdraw at least 7,000 of its troops from Afghanistan. At the time, Germany had around 1,100 troops in Afghanistan. “We must consider the situation of the people of the nation and the situation that they are facing at the moment,” Abdullah said. “Creating unity among the people in support of peace and defending the system and defending their rights… those people who are affected by war and have the right to live in their own homes.”
“We want peace from the bottom of the heart … but we are in a situation where we are saying peace and they are (Taliban) nearing the capital of Afghanistan,” he said. He also urged politicians to support the Afghan security forces. “At this stage and as citizens, we must forget our titles and show we are accountable to those who have an eye on us and are saying that these people (politicians) have reached this level with our support, what are they doing now for us and what message do they have for the people of Afghanistan and what are they doing to rescue us?” “This is the time and our responsibility,” he said. He also mentioned that if the Taliban miscalculate that they can win militarily, then it will cause the “continuation of the war.” – Agencies
