Afghan President Ghani will join Biden in escalating violence and Asia News

US President Joe Biden will meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan General Reconciliation Council President Abdullah Abdullah on Friday to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the White House amid rising fighting by Afghan forces and the Taliban across the country.

At Biden’s face-to-face meeting, Biden will try to help Ghana and Abdullah help the Afghan people with diplomatic, economic and humanitarian aid, the White House said in a statement on Sunday. Biden will also reiterate his commitment not to turn the country into a haven for armed groups.

“The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the ongoing cooperation between the United States and Afghanistan as the military ceasefire progresses,” the White House said.

Since Biden decided to withdraw all U.S. troops before April 11 to end America’s longest-running war after nearly 20 years of conflict, the Taliban have fought daily with government forces and claimed 40 seats.

The group has campaigned to spread its influence across the country when the U.S. began withdrawing troops on May 1 and closed some bases and handed them over to the Afghan government.

The Taliban have said the visit will be “useless”.

“They (Ghani and Abdullah) will talk to U.S. officials to safeguard their power and self-interest,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. “It doesn’t benefit Afghanistan.”

There was no immediate reaction in Ghani’s office, but a senior Afghan official said the Afghan president would ask for assurances from the U.S. for continued assistance to Afghan security forces after he withdrew.

The visit would come in the face of slow progress by Taliban and Afghan government representatives in talks between Qatar.

Officials have expressed concern over the stalling talks and said the Taliban has not yet submitted a written peace proposal as a starting point for important talks.

The Biden administration says it is adding staff to Afghans to speed up the visa process [File: Drew Angerer/Getty Images via AFP]

In May, U.S. intelligence analysts assessed that the Taliban would “go back a lot” from the progress made in Afghan women’s rights if the group regained national power.

The Taliban said they would remain committed to peace talks on Sunday, but said it was a “true Islamic system” in Afghanistan that was the only way to end the war and guarantee rights – including women.

“The real Islamic system is the best resource for solving all the problems of the Afghans,” said Taliban founder and deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

US to speed up visas

Afghans who have been working in the U.S. for two decades of U.S.-led NATO troops fear that armed groups will target them and their relatives for supporting foreign forces.

The Biden administration says it is adding staff to Afghans to speed up the visa process. Refugee advocates and some members of Congress, however, say the effort is beyond hope.

Afghan security personnel inspected a bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Separate bombs struck two vans on Saturday in the Afghan capital, mostly in a Shiite Muslim neighborhood, killing several people and injuring others, the Interior Ministry said. [File: Rahmat Gul/AP Photo]

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the issue was Biden’s “top priority” and that the administration was pulling people out “at a record pace,” although no specific data was provided.

“And if necessary we are doing extensive planning for potential evacuation. We will take all these steps so that people who have done well can do well,” he said.

Asked if the escalation of violence in the country is forcing the administration to delay its departure from the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, Sullivan said no plan has changed so far, but added:

“What we’re doing is reviewing weekly as the portfolio unfolds to see if there is enough security presence in the embassy to ensure that the airport is safe or not to match our efforts.”

In this December 2020 file photo, U.S. soldiers return home to Afghanistan after 9 months of deployment [File: John Moore/Getty Images via AFP]

Last week, the US pledged to secure Kabul airport in Turkey, a major concern.

Turkey, as a Muslim-majority nation but also a member of NATO, a transatlantic alliance, has played a key role in Afghanistan since 2001, including sending troops in non-combat roles and, most recently, welcoming Taliban and government officials to talks. about the future of the country.

Kabul Airport, which was developed after 2001 with the support of the US and Japan, is considered essential in providing economic salvation for the future of Afghanistan.