AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan's delegation assured Chinese President Xi's regime on Wednesday that it will not use its soil as a base against another country. The Taliban has been sweeping rural areas and provinces for the past two months as the US troops pull out from the region. President Biden had set August 31 deadline for the final troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Chinese foreign ministry slammed the US saying, "The hasty withdrawal of the United States and NATO troops from Afghanistan actually marks the failure of the US policy."
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told the Taliban that it is a "pivotal military and political force" in Afghanistan and was expected to play an important role in peaceful reconciliation in Afghanistan.
The talks come as the Taliban captured key districts in Badakhshan and Kandahar provinces amid heavy fighting with Afghan troops.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is on a visit to India said that, "An Afghanistan that commits atrocities against its own people would become a pariah state," referring to the Taliban.
Blinken added that the Biden administration remains engaged in Afghanistan in providing various forms of assistance including security forces.
"There's only one path. And that's at the negotiating table to resolve the conflicts peacefully, and to have an Afghanistan emerge that is governed in a genuinely inclusive way, and that is representative of all its people," Blinken asserted.
Meanwhile, Russia said it will reinforce Tajikistan with military equipment as the Taliban surge continues in the border areas. The Russian defence forces will be conducting joint military exercises with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan along the border with Afghanistan next week.
Russia already has a military base in Tajikistan. Several Afghan soldiers had poured into Tajikistan after losing military posts along the border to the Taliban.
Reports say Tajikistan is ready to accept 100,000 refugees from Afghanistan who are feeling from areas annexed by the militant group. (Agencies)
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