U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for an injection of cash into Afghanistan to avoid an economic meltdown that would spark a “catastrophic” situation for the Afghan people and be a “gift for terrorist groups.”
His remarks come after his special envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, warned the Security Council on Thursday that the freezing of billions of dollars in international Afghan assets to keep them out of Taliban hands would inevitably spark “a severe economic downturn.”
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Th U.N. chief also appealed to all countries to engage with the Taliban and deliver the same message: The Afghan people should live in peace under an inclusive government that respects basic human rights including for women and girls, and Afghanistan should not be a sanctuary for terrorism anymore and should play a constructive role in international relations.
Also read: News Analysis | Taliban’s message to the world — We haven’t changed
On Friday, the United States facilitated the departure of 21 American nationals and 11 Green Card holders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.”As part of our ongoing commitment, today we facilitated the departure from Afghanistan of 21 US citizens and 11 Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs),” Mr. Blinken said in a statement. Measles cases, however, halt U.S.-bound flights of the Afghan evacuees. The U.S. on Friday halted U.S.-bound flights, pulling some off planes, after discovering a few cases of measles among new arrivals in the United States.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the fragile security situation in Afghanistan and their “common concerns” relating to spread of terrorism from the Taliban-ruled country, with the Australian Defence Minister. Mr. Singh conveyed to Peter Dutton that the rise of the Taliban raises serious…