US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani “to discuss the United States’ ongoing review of its strategy in Afghanistan", State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“The secretary reiterated America’s commitment to supporting the peace process, aiming for a just and durable political settlement and a permanent comprehensive ceasefire," Mr Price said on Thursday.
“The secretary emphasised that the United States will continue close consultations with Afghanistan’s leaders, Nato allies and international partners on the way ahead.”
The Biden administration’s Afghanistan review includes the future participation of American troops in the nearly 20-year conflict, which has become the longest-running war in US history.
The congressionally mandated Afghanistan Study Group released its final report this month, which advised against sticking to the May deadline for US troop withdrawal unless the Taliban kept its end of an agreement reached one year ago in Qatar.
Former president Donald Trump's deal with the Taliban last year paved the way for negotiations aimed at withdrawing US troops and establishing a peace process in the country.
Mr Trump reduced troop numbers in the country from 4,500 to 2,500 shortly after losing the election to President Joe Biden in November.
The remaining 2,500 troops are scheduled to leave by May 1 under the Doha agreement.
But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has said that the Taliban has failed to keep its end of the bargain, which requires it to cut ties with Al Qaeda and end terrorist attacks.
Nato also has about 10,000 troops in the country, including Americans, to train and advise Afghan security forces.
But Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed the May 1 withdrawal deadline on Thursday, saying the alliance would only pull its forces out after the Taliban complied with the Doha agreement.
Mr Stoltenberg's comments came after a meeting of Nato defence ministers, including US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“Our presence in Afghanistan is conditions based and the Taliban has to meet their commitments,” he said.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47
2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time
3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo
5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates
7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03
9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep
10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
RIDE%20ON
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Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
