KABUL: Afghanistan’s insurgent Taliban on Tuesday called on the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden to stick to the February agreement to withdraw US troops.
The United States has been pulling out troops under the deal which envisages the withdrawal to be complete by May, subject to certain security guarantees, while the Taliban holds peace talks with the Afghan government in Doha.
“The Islamic Emirate would like to stress to the new American president-elect and future administration that implementation of the agreement is the most reasonable and effective tool for ending the conflict between both our countries,” the militant group said in a statement, its first substantive comment on the results of the United States presidential election.
However, violence has been ramping up throughout the country with the Taliban attacking provincial capitals, in some case prompting United States airstrikes, as talks in Qatar’s capital have been mired in delays.
Groups such as the United Nations have also raised questions over Al Qaeda with a senior UN official telling the BBC last month that the group were still “heavily embedded” with the Taliban.
Outgoing US President Donald Trump had made ending the war in Afghanistan a major campaign promise and had said in a Tweet in October that troops could be out of Afghanistan by Christmas, though officials such as his national security adviser have said that they were working to the May 2021 deadline.
Taliban call on Biden to stick to US troop withdrawal deal
https://arab.news/r7uq9
Taliban call on Biden to stick to US troop withdrawal deal
- The US has been pulling out troops under the deal which envisages the withdrawal to be complete by May
Australia charges teenager over alleged death threats to Israeli President Herzog
- Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive standard security arrangements given to all visiting foreign leaders
SYDNEY: An Australian teenager has been charged for allegedly making online death threats against Israeli President Isaac Herzog, ahead of his upcoming visit to Australia.
The 19-year-old man allegedly made the threats on a social media platform last month “toward a foreign head of state and internationally protected person,” the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Police did not name the intended target of the alleged threats, but Australian media widely reported they were directed at Herzog. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper also reported the teenager allegedly made threats against US President Donald Trump.
He was refused police bail and will appear before a court in Sydney on Thursday. Police said a mobile phone and equipment for making or using drugs were seized during a search at a home in Sydney on Wednesday.
President Herzog is due to arrive in Australia on Sunday for a five-day visit, following an invitation by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in December.
He is expected to meet survivors and the families of the victims of the shooting at Sydney’s Bondi beach on December 14 at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, which killed 15 people.
Herzog’s visit has drawn opposition from pro-Palestine groups, with protests planned in major Australian cities.
Police in the state of New South Wales, home to Sydney, on Tuesday extended restrictions on protests in parts of the city ahead of Herzog’s visit, citing “significant animosity” from some groups.
The Palestine Action Group has called on supporters to attend a rally in Sydney on Monday, urging people to march to the New South Wales state parliament in what is described as a “mass, peaceful gathering.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Herzog would receive standard security arrangements given to all visiting foreign leaders.
“He will be a welcomed and honored guest,” Marles told ABC News on Thursday.
