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London: Ahead of an emergency G7 meeting on Afghanistan, the Taliban on Monday warned that there will be “consequences” if the US and UK sought an extension to the August 31 deadline for the US-led troop withdrawal from the war-torn country.

Speaking to Sky News’ in Doha, Qatar, Taliban spokesperson Dr Suhail Shaheen stated that the month-end deadline was a “red line”, as any extension would imply an extended occupation of the country.

He said the timeline had been laid out by US President Joe Biden and threatened “consequences” if the US and UK sought an extension to that deadline.

“It’s a red line. President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Shaheen said.

“If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations the answer is no. Or there would be consequences. It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation it will provoke a reaction,” he said.

The warning came as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson convened an emergency G7 meeting on Tuesday in his role as current Chair of the Group of Seven countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the UK. On the agenda for the world leaders is expected to be a push for the US to seek an extension of the August 31 deadline, as time is running out for the evacuation of foreign nationals from the Taliban controlled region.

On the issue of desperate scenes at Kabul airport as people risk their lives to flee the country for fear of Taliban reprisals, the spokesperson termed it as economic migration.

“I assure you it is not about being worried or scared. They want to reside in Western countries and that is a kind of economic migration because Afghanistan is a poor country and 70 per cent of the people of Afghanistan live under the line of poverty so everyone wants to resettle in Western countries to have a prosperous life. It is not about [being] scared,” claimed Shaheen.

And, on reports of door to door knocks to seek out former government workers, he added: “All fake news. I can assure you there are many reports by our opponents claiming what is not based on realities.”

On the issue of women’s rights, the spokesperson claimed that women under Taliban rule would have the same rights as elsewhere as long as they wear a hijab.

“Women are required to have the same rights as you have in your country but with a hijab,” he was quoted as saying.

“Now, women teachers have resumed work. Lost nothing. Female journalists they have resumed their work. Lost nothing,” he claimed.

There have been widespread fears of reprisals and attacks in Afghanistan on those perceived as supporting the US-led NATO operation in the country and a regression in women’s rights under the Taliban, which believe in upholding a very strict interpretation of Islam. PTI

China on Monday hinted at stepping up financial assistance to the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, saying it will play a positive role in helping the war-ravaged country amid global pushback to stop funding to Kabul until the Afghan militant group modified its hardline religious policies.

In his media briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hit out at the US saying it is “main perpetrator” for the Afghan crisis and Washington cannot leave without doing anything for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

Asked for his reaction to comments by Afghanistan’s exiled central bank chief stating that the Taliban may go to China and Pakistan to replace the US for financial assistance, Wang said, “I want to stress that the US is the main perpetrator and biggest external factor for the Afghan issue. It cannot leave the mess without doing anything.”

“We hope the US will match its words with deeds and shoulder its responsibility to honour its own commitments in humanitarian assistance and reconstruction,” he said.

Despite the chaotic end to its presence in Afghanistan, the US still has control over billions of dollars belonging to the Afghan central bank, money that Washington is making sure remains out of the reach of the Taliban, the New York Times reported last week.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York held about USD seven billion of Afghanistan’s central bank’s USD nine billion in foreign reserves and the Biden administration has already moved to block access to that money.

The Taliban’s access to the other money could also be restricted by the long reach of American sanctions and influence.

The International Monetary Fund said earlier that it would block Afghanistan’s access to about USD 460 million in emergency reserves. The decision followed pressure from the Biden administration to ensure that the reserves did not reach the Taliban, the NYT report said.

Money from an agreement reached in November among more than 60 countries to provide USD 12 billion to Afghanistan over the next four years is also in doubt, it said.

Earlier, Germany said it would not provide grants to Afghanistan if the Taliban took over and introduced Sariah law and the EU said no payments were going to Afghanistan until officials “clarify the situation.”

Wang said, “China always adopts a friendly policy towards entire Afghan people” and provided substantial assistance to socio- economic development to Afghanistan.

“We hope there will be an early end to the chaos and wars in the country, it can resume financial order at an early date. China will also play a positive role in helping the country in self capacity building, peace, reconstruction and improvement of peoples’ livelihoods, he said.

About Taliban’s statement that it will soon announce a political framework for Afghanistan, Wang said, “we noted these report”.

“China’s position on the Afghan issue is consistent and clear cut. We hope Afghanistan can form an inclusive open broad-based government which adopts a foreign and domestic policy that is prudent and moderate so as to echo and meet the aspiration and shared will of the international community and its own people, he said.

Asked about security of Chinese nationals in Afghanistan amid efforts by many countries to evacuate their nationals, Wang said China is closely following the security of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Afghanistan.

“Now our Embassy there is operating normally. Most Chinese nationals in Afghanistan have returned to China beforehand with the arrangement made by our embassy, he said.

“With regards to the few Chinese who stayed there, our embassy has stayed in close contact with them (and) given them guidelines on strengthening the awareness of safety and taken relevant measures coordinated with the Afghanistan side to offer security guarantees for them, he said.

Press Trust of India

She slams the Biden administration’s withdrawal policy from Afghanistan

Washington, August 23: The United States has “completely surrendered” to the Taliban and abandoned its allies in Afghanistan, Indian-American politician and former US envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday.

“They’re not negotiating with the Taliban. They’ve completely surrendered to the Taliban. They surrendered Bagram Air Force Base, which was a major NATO hub. They surrendered $85 billion worth of equipment and weapons that we should have got out of there,” Haley told CBS News in an interview.

She slammed the Biden administration’s withdrawal policy from Afghanistan.

“They have surrendered the American people and actually withdrew our troops before they withdrew the American people. They have abandoned our Afghan allies who kept people like my husband safe while they were overseas deploying. So, no, there was no negotiating. This was a complete and total surrender and an embarrassing failure,” she said.

Haley, who is seen as a 2024 presidential aspirant, has been a vocal critic of the Afghan policies of the Biden Administration.

“This is an unbelievable scenario, where literally the Taliban has our Americans held hostage. It’s a scary time. And we have to make sure that we are working with our allies who literally won’t trust us at this point and think we’ve lost our minds. We have to figure out a way to get our Americans out and to get our allies out,” she said.

Haley said that under four years of Trump, Afghanistan was safe.

“We made sure that we kept terrorism at bay and that we came from a position of strength. What’s happened in the seven months of Biden is, we’ve completely surrendered and we’ve humiliated ourselves in the eyes of the world. The thing is, there are times where you have to negotiate with the devil, but you negotiate with the devil from a point of strength, you don’t do it from a point of weakness,” she said.

“We literally have no leverage right now with the Taliban. All we’re going to see them do is, they’re going to buy time and act like they’re going to be nice until August 31, and then all of those women, all of those girls, everything is going to go back to the way it was,” she said. PTI