Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Washington on Thursday ahead of his summit with President Joe Biden, seeking assurances on America's commitment to Afghanistan ahead of the looming September deadline for a full US withdrawal.
Accompanied by his former political rival Abdullah Abdullah, who is now overseeing stalled peace talks with the Taliban, Mr Ghani met with top lawmakers including Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.
A long-time opponent of plans to withdraw from Afghanistan, Mr McConnell warned of a Taliban takeover if the pace of the pull out is not slowed.
“The Taliban, emboldened by our retreat, is rolling back years of progress, especially for the rights of Afghan women, on its way to taking Kabul. Increasing indications that this collapse could come soon after US withdrawal is complete are as tragic as they are avoidable,” Mr McConnell said.
“I hope the Biden administration will delay the withdrawal, address these concerns, and reconsider its misguided retreat,” he added.
There's no indication this will happen, and the Pentagon has already completed more than 50 per cent of its withdrawal as it rushes to end America's longest war.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that most of the withdrawal will be completed within the next fortnight, though several hundred US troops will remain at the Kabul airport and the Pentagon will leave about 650 American forces in Afghanistan after September to protect diplomats.
Democrats in Congress are also expressing fears over Taliban gains.
Bob Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said his meeting with Mr Ghani discussed steps “to protect women and girls given recent Taliban military advances and how the US can support stability in Afghanistan.”
The White House is emphasising the need for political dialogue among different Afghan factions.
The Biden administration “continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week.
But talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban that started in Doha last year have made almost no tangible progress and observers worry the insurgents are running down the clock until the US departure from Afghanistan,
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is planning on relocating an unspecified number of Afghans who assisted the US military's invasion and occupation of the country before American forces finish their withdrawal later this year, administration officials said on Thursday.
“We are identifying SIV applicants who served as interpreters, as well as translators, to be relocated outside of Afghanistan before we complete our military drawdown,” State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters, referring to Special Immigrant Visa applicants.
The move comes as the White House and top Biden administration officials are increasingly under pressure to say how they intend to aid Afghan allies who could face retaliation after American forces leave in the coming months and the Taliban seek to take control of the war-torn country.
Republican and Democrats on Capitol Hill have criticised the administration for not having a plan in place.
President Joe Biden said that “those who helped us are not going to be left behind,” but he added he didn’t know which country would host them if they aren’t sent to US territory.
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, said he expected a tepid White House summit.
“It’s going to come down to a series of conversations, many of them quite glum,” he said.
Mr Ghani, he said, “will be looking for reassurance from President Biden that the US remains committed to providing diplomatic support for the peace price and financial assistance for the Afghan military.”
But Mr Kugelman argued it “won’t be a happy conversation. While Kabul has accepted the fact that US forces are leaving, it’s tough to swallow given that the withdrawal is playing out against an unprecedented Taliban offensive.”
Asked about calls to slow the pace of the withdrawal, Mr Kugelman said “there’s little the Americans can do. They’re on their way out, and an agreement with the Taliban limits their options for targeting the insurgents on the battlefield.”
At most, Mr Biden can assure Mr Ghani that the withdrawal won’t be complete until September.
“It will give Kabul and Afghan security forces some breathing room, and it will help strengthen morale, at least for a short period,” the expert said.
Bloomberg contributed to this report.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
More on Quran memorisation:
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
