ISLAMABAD: A top US official said on Wednesday no military equipment had been left behind by American forces in Afghanistan, in response to a question about reports that $7 billion worth of weapons reportedly were abandoned in the war-torn country when US forces withdrew in August 2011.
The comments by John Kirby, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication, came days after Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said US military equipment left behind during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan was now “emerging as a new challenge” for Islamabad as it had enhanced the fighting capabilities of the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The TTP, which has been fighting the Pakistani state since 2007, has intensified attacks on security forces since late last year and are a separate but allied group of the Afghan Taliban.
The remarks also came on the same day four Pakistani soldiers were killed during an attack on two military check posts by a “large group of terrorists” that the army said was equipped with “latest weapons.”
“There was no equipment left behind by American forces,” Kirby said in response to a question at a press briefing.
“The equipment that people are saying the Americans left behind, that was equipment that was transferred well in advance of our departure to the Afghan National Security Forces. … because that was part of the mission that our troops were involved in Afghanistan to do in the first place, which was to train up and to support Afghan national security forces as they took charge of security in their country.”
Kirby said as the Taliban advanced on Kabul and other places throughout the country after the US withdrawal, the Afghan National Security Forces, and not the US, abandoned that equipment.
Speaking to foreign media journalists at his office on Monday in Islamabad, Kakar did not provide evidence to support his allegation that the TTP were using American weapons but called for a “coordinated approach” to tackle the challenge of the leftover equipment.
“We are not accusing the US of anything that we would need to share evidence (for),” Kakar said when asked if Pakistan had presented evidence to Washington that its military equipment was now being used against Pakistan.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago was widely viewed as “chaotic,” with Afghan security forces, built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, collapsing quickly and completely after, and the Afghan Taliban capturing an array of modern military equipment.
US denies leaving military equipment in Afghanistan amid fears weapons with Pakistani Taliban
https://arab.news/9ensk
US denies leaving military equipment in Afghanistan amid fears weapons with Pakistani Taliban
- Pakistani PM has said US military equipment left in Afghanistan had enhanced the fighting capabilities of TTP
- Four soldiers killed in northern Pakistan on Wednesday by militants the army said carried “latest weapons”
At Islamabad conference, Pakistan pitches agriculture as next frontier for Chinese investment
- Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani firms attended the event focusing on fertilizers, seeds, smart farming and irrigation techniques
- PM Sharif urges Pakistani farmers, businesses and universities to engage with Chinese institutions and experts to modernize agriculture
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday pitched Pakistan’s agriculture sector as the next major frontier for Chinese investment, highlighting opportunities in agri-business, food processing and farming technologies.
The prime minister said this while addressing the Pakistan-China Agriculture Investment Conference, which brought together Chinese and Pakistani agriculturists, entrepreneurs, experts, academicians and government officials.
Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani firms attended the event that focused on fertilizers, seed varieties, machinery, precision farming and smart irrigation systems, according to the organizers.
Sharif said China had never shied away from providing Pakistan with best possible expertise and technologies, and both sides had signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) at similar summits in Shandong and Beijing in last two years.
“I was very happy to express my satisfaction over the progress we are making in terms of converting these MOUs into agreements,” he said. “Today’s conference is a clear indication that Chinese business houses are more than willing to shake hands with Pakistani business houses.”
The conference was billed by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research as a platform for deepening bilateral agricultural ties and supporting broader economic engagement between the two countries.
Sharif called on Pakistani farmers, agribusinesses and universities to actively engage with Chinese institutions and experts to modernize the agriculture sector, which accounts for 24 percent of Pakistan’s GDP and employs over 37 percent of its labor force.
“Chinese experts are there to assist us and support us all the way to achieve this wonderful target [of becoming a surplus agricultural economy],” he said. “Now it’s up to us to generate this trade surplus through higher yields, comparative cost and, of course, highest quality.”
Pakistan and China have been expanding cooperation in agriculture under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework, with a focus on mechanization, high-yield seeds, livestock development and value-added food processing.
Officials say stronger agricultural ties could help Pakistan boost exports, ensure food security and create jobs, while offering Chinese companies access to a large farming market and new investment opportunities.
The prime minister noted that Pakistan’s policy rate was down to 10.5 percent down from 22 percent two years ago, exports were gradually increasing and macroeconomic indicators were stable.
“Now we have to move toward growth,” he said. “But then it requires solid, hard work, untiring efforts, blood and sweat. Without that, you will not be able to achieve your targets.”
The Pakistan-China Agriculture Investment Conference focused on technology transfer and joint ventures in farming, food processing and agricultural research.
“I would urge upon Pakistani farmers, Pakistani agri-houses, experts, professors, technicians, that please come forward and show your best to your [Chinese] brothers and sisters,” Sharif said.
“China is ready, ladies and gentlemen, to support Pakistan like always in the past. Let us make use of this opportunity. Let us stand up and accept this challenge and make Pakistan great through untiring efforts, through hard work.”
