[KhaamaPress] The United States announced that it is cutting $1 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in reaction to ongoing political impasse, the State Department said.
According to a statement released by State Department, Washington is prepared to further reduce its assistance to Afghanistan by additional $1 billion next year.
"The United States deeply regrets that Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money... and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah ...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president... have informed Secretary Pompeo that they have been unable to agree on an inclusive government that can meet the challenges of governance, peace, and security, and provide for the health and welfare of Afghan citizens," the State Department said in a statement.
"The United States is disappointed in them and what their conduct means for Afghanistan and our shared interests," the statement said, adding that "Their failure has harmed U.S.-Afghan relations and, sadly, dishonors those Afghan, Americans, and Coalition partners who have sacrificed their lives and treasure in the struggle to build a new future for this country."
The statement further added "Because this leadership failure poses a direct threat to U.S. national interests, effective immediately, the U.S. government will initiate a review of the scope of our cooperation with Afghanistan."
"Among other steps, we are today announcing a responsible adjustment to our spending in Afghanistan and immediately reducing assistance by $1 billion this year. We are prepared to reduce by another $1 billion in 2021," the State Department said.
It also added "We will also initiate a review of all of our programs and projects to identify additional reductions, and reconsider our pledges to future donor conferences for Afghanistan. We have made clear to the leadership that we will not back security operations that are politically motivated, nor support politicians who order such operations or those who advocate for or support parallel government."
POLITICAL IMPASSE
Tensions remain high on political level following the controversial announcement of presidential election results.
Both Abdullah and Ghani held oath taking ceremonies in capital Kabul on 9th of March, further fueling political tensions amid ongoing efforts to find a negotiated political settlement to ongoing violence in the country.
The Independent Election Commission announced incumbent Ashraf Ghani as the winner of the controversial presidential elections last month.
However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... Ghani’s rival Abdullah Abdullah said he had won the presidential race insisting that he would form a parallel government.
The statement, however, offers another opportunity for Afghan leaders to end their rift and says "should Afghan leaders choose to form an inclusive government that can provide security and participate in the grinding of the peace processor, the United States is prepared to support these efforts and revisit the reviews initiated today."
Yesterday, President of the Southern Transitional Council issued a statement regarding #COVID19. He ordered medical and military personnel along with local/intal NGOs to provide support to residents, and asked citizens to stay home and avoid large gatherings. #SouthYemen#Yemenhttps://t.co/2wLzAvxNdr
Lots of messages being sent to #Iran today. In addition to the👇scene, #UAE and U.S. forces are also engaged today in their biennial Native Fury joint military exercise. #OOTThttps://t.co/t5BalGlTqC
#8
Lollipops and marshmallow peeps all around! On the house!
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/24/2020 9:08 Comments ||
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#9
Hudna!
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/24/2020 9:11 Comments ||
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#10
Ha ! Gutierrez calls for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. And contorts his stupid imp face into a beatific smile while everyone regroups and reloads.
I remember as kids, we used to start singing the rain Raaga 'Malhaar' when there were clear signs of rain coming. We would claim it was our song that brought it and ask Gramps for rewards.
[ALMASDARNEWS] An Iraqi security source says the US military intends to construct a new military base in the country’s western province of al-Anbar for the deployment of Patriot missile systems.
"US forces intend to establish a new base in Umm Samij area north of al-Baghdadi district in the city of Hit in order to deploy a Patriot anti-missile system, and protect Ain al-Assad air base as well as other locations in western regions against possible attacks," the unnamed source told Iraq’s Arabic-language al-Ahad news agency on Monday.
He noted, "Identification of a location for the deployment of the Patriot missile system is the first of its kind in Iraq. Such measures are indicative of US forces’ intention to stay in their bases in the western regions of Iraq for a long period of time."
Back on January 23, an Iraqi politician condemned US plans to install Patriot missile systems in the Arab country, saying such deployment violates Iraq’s illusory sovereignty.
"The Iraqi parliament represents all political groups and currents. The (parliamentary) decision demanding the withdrawal of US military forces is supported by the public opinion. Therefore, the [American] troops’ attempt to deploy Patriot missile systems in their bases in order to beef up their combat capabilities is rejected and considered a violation of our illusory sovereignty," Karim Alawi, a member of the parliament’s security and defense committee, told Arabic-language Baghdad Today news agency at the time.
An Iraqi MP says a US plan to deploy Patriot missile systems in the Arab country is a violation of Iraq’s illusory sovereignty.
He added, "The presence of US forces in Iraq is illegal. The recent parliamentary decision is clear. The ball is now in the government’s court to get those forces out. If it is not implemented, there will a reaction from all fronts, including filing a complaint with the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... and other Islamic organizations with the aim of removing American troops."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/24/2020 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
[IsraelTimes] The Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i monarch, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has ordered aid valued at $150 million to be delivered to the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip over the coming six months, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported on Sunday.
The funds will support "lessening the brotherly Paleostinian people’s suffering," humanitarian projects operated by the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... in Gaza, and efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... , the QNA report said.
Qatar has recently poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Gaza for fuel to power the coastal enclave’s sole power plant, stipends for impoverished families, UN temporary employment programs and other efforts.
In December 2019, Mohammed al-Emadi, the head of the Qatari Gaza Reconstruction Committee, said that his country would provide funds for the fuel, the payments to poor families and the UN temporary employment programs through March, while noting it would likely continue to do so afterward.
The QNA report about the Qatari ruler’s directive appeared to confirm that Doha will continue to back the projects it has been supporting in Gaza.
The report, however, did not clarify how much of the $150 million would be allocated to preventing the proliferation of the coronavirus in Gaza.
The first cases of the virus in Gaza were revealed on Sunday morning after two people, who recently traveled to Pakistain, tested positive for COVID-19.
The two were held at a quarantine facility before being diagnosed with the disease and were then transferred to a special field hospital at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Ashraf al-Qidra, a front man for the Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw,-run Health Ministry, told news hounds on Sunday.
Twenty-nine people who came close to the two patients, including two brass hats in the Hamas-run security forces, were placed in isolation, Qidra said.
On Friday, Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations’ deputy special coordinator to the Middle East grinding of the peace processor, said he released $1 million to support efforts to confront the virus in Gaza as well as the West Bank.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.