Tag: US State

US State Department Special Representative

US Special Representative For Afghanistan To Travel To India This Week

By LokMarg

US State Department Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, will travel to India and the UAE this week.

His visit aims to meet US partner countries’ officials on collaboration in support of the Afghan people.

“I will travel to India and UAE this week to meet with partners on our collaboration in support of the Afghan people,” said West in a post on X.

Notably, the announcement of his visit comes a day after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Khost and Paktia provinces of Afghanistan, which claimed the lives of eight people, including children and women.

According to local sources, the clashes began at 7 am (local time) on Monday. Residents of Dand Patan had evacuated their homes after the rocket fire from Pakistan. The clashes erupted between the armed forces of the Taliban and Pakistan after Pakistani air forces conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces.

Taliban asserted that such airstrikes are a clear violation of Afghanistan’s territory, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that Islamabad carried out “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” inside the border regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office press release, the prime targets of the operation carried out on Monday were terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group.

It said that Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group along with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in “deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials”, according to Dawn report.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that the latest attack of such an instance took place at a security post in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali on Saturday, which claimed the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers.

In response to Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s forces have targeted Pakistan’s military posts along the Durand Line with heavy weapons, the Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported, citing the Taliban-led Ministry of Defence.

In a press release, the Taliban-led Ministry of Defence stated, “In response to this aggression, the border forces of Taliban targeted Pakistani military centres along the fabricated border line with heavy weapons.”

It further said that Afghanistan’s “defence and security forces are ready to respond to any aggressive actions and will defend their territorial integrity under all circumstances.”Armed clashes had erupted between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards along the Durand Line, Khaama Press reported citing sources.

According to the Taliban-led Ministry of Defence, Pakistani fighter jets “once again entered Afghan territory in a provocative action… and bombed civilian homes in Bermel district of Paktika province and Sepera district of Khost province,” Khaama Press reported.

Earlier today, during a White House briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre urged the Taliban to ensure that terror attacks are not launched from Afghan soil.

While addressing a press briefing on Monday (local time), Karine Jean-Pierre said that the US remains committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm the United States and its partners and allies. (ANI)

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Blinken Meets Turkish Counterpart Who Asked For Unconditional Ceasefire

By LokMarg

As US State Secretary Antony Blinken continues a challenging Middle East tour, aimed at easing regional tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, Turkey has asked for an unconditional ceasefire, Al Jazeera reported.

Blinken met his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, for almost two-and-a-half-hours, on Monday morning in Ankara, but there was no joint statement, however, according to Al Jazeera they discussed several issues, particularly the war in Gaza and an exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel.

The US tried to convince Turkey to put more pressure on Hamas and make it release the captives. But Turkey was firm on its stance, stating that the prisoner release should be mutual, where Hamas releases captives and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners. Turkey also asked for an unconditional ceasefire and said there should be an international mechanism to observe the ceasefire, which Ankara would be the guarantor for, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Following their meeting, prior to boarding the plane, Blinken told reporters that he had a “very good, lengthy, productive conversation” with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Hakan Fidan.

“We discussed the crises in Gaza, including the efforts to significantly expand humanitarian assistance to people in need…and what we can do to set the conditions for a durable, sustainable lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians,” he said.

“Turkey has played a critical role, over the last couple of years…We discussed our work to strengthen our counter-terrorism partnership to work as well at growing our economic relationship through trade and investment,” Blinken added.

Secretary Blinken’s visit to Turkey follows a series of strained meetings with Arab leaders in Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan over the weekend. Arab and Muslim leaders have voiced their frustration over Washington’s unwavering support for Israel during its month long assault on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 10,000 people, including more than a third who are children.

While Washington has advocated for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting, it has not fully endorsed the widespread call for a complete ceasefire.

Blinken’s mission, his second to the region since the war began, has encountered limited support for his diplomatic efforts. Israel has resisted the US push for a pause in the hostilities, while Arab and Muslim nations have insisted on an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the escalating casualties in Gaza, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Notably, Turkey, a strategic US ally despite occasional foreign policy disagreements, has been one of the region’s most vocal critics of Israel, accusing it of acting as a “war criminal” and committing a “massacre.”

Earlier, Ankara recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly saying he had “written off” dealing with Benjamin Netanyahu. Erdogan has also criticised Western powers for their perceived double standards, highlighting their response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict while remaining relatively quiet about the loss of innocent lives in Gaza.

During Blinken’s visit, Turkey’s frustration with Washington was evident. In what seemed like a snub, President Erdogan chose to travel across northeastern Turkey, leaving Blinken to meet with the Turkish foreign minister.

Hours before Blinken’s arrival, hundreds of demonstrators protested outside an airbase hosting US troops in southeastern Turkey, leading to confrontations with the police involving tear gas and water canisters.

As the Gaza conflict continues, President Erdogan has sought to position Turkey as a mediator to halt the violence and advance the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

He said that Turkey is “working behind the scenes” with regional allies to broker a ceasefire and ensure a continuous flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“Our priority is to establish a humanitarian ceasefire quickly,” Erdogan said on Friday, adding that Turkey was working on “new mechanisms that will guarantee the security of everyone, regardless of whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews”.

“Our efforts to lay the groundwork for an international peace conference continue,” Al Jazeera quoted Erdogan as saying. (ANI)

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