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  1. #76
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    ghan then 'arry, you show 'em geezer.

  2. #77
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    ghan then 'arry, you show 'em geezer.

    Seems like you've run out of things to chew on. Try these.

    Potential Efforts to Reboot Afghanistan-108774_1-jpg

  3. #78
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    irrelevant bollocks
    I am a connoisseur of such and is my default state, however Khvn Harold there is merit in discovery, don't be sheepish go downunder who knows you might like it, The Quaens Angrit is a minority tongue most English is spoken by Indians Yanks Nigerians and of course Okkers Kiwis Comedians etc, fortunately like me once sufficiently oiled we all talk equal bollox , time to roll up the prayer mat and have a bonza beer

  4. #79
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-21

    Posted on September 23, 2021 by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR


    21. Pakistani diplomacy is on a roll

    "An Indian news website that is wired into Panjshir Valley reported this morning that Amrullah Saleh, former Afghan vice president and security tsar in the Ghani government has relocated to Tajikistan and that that he was given a safe passage by the Tajikistan government. This comes within days of the “lengthy meeting” in Dushanbe on September 17 between Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan where they thrashed out the terms of a consensus approach towards the Taliban Govt in Kabul.

    Imran Khan later hinted that he would be working on Rahmon’s preconditions for accepting the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Rahmon himself said in a major speech later in the presence of Imran Khan that he was “satisfied with the process of regular political contacts between our states, including at the highest level,” and expressed interest in connectivity with the ports of Karachi and Gwadar and in “joining regional corridors and transport projects”.

    Rahmon stressed that “stabilising the situation in Afghanistan, as a country connecting regional and international transport networks, is especially important” for Dushanbe. He expressed the hope that peace and stability in Afghanistan “will be restored in the near future and the interests of all political and ethnic groups in Afghanistan will be taken into account. We support inclusive government in this country with the participation of all social groups.”

    Importantly, Rahmon and Imran Khan agreed that the “speedy elimination of the conflict and tensions in the Panjshir province by declaring a ceasefire and opening roads for providing humanitarian assistance is one of the most important tasks today.” And the two leaders also “agreed to direct all efforts to achieve these goals.”

    Rahmon concluded, “We agreed to facilitate negotiations between the Taliban and Tajiks in Dushanbe. read more

    Dushanbe has finally accepted the Taliban as a reality. Imran Khan has won over Rahmon who has been an obdurate, seemingly recalcitrant critic of the Taliban.
    It is entirely conceivable that Rahmon provided “safe passage” to Saleh so that the deck is clear for ending the strife in Panjshir Valley and reconciliation talks with the Taliban to begin .

    Since then, a joint Russian-Chinese-Pakistani diplomatic mission to Kabul on September 21-22 has held talks with the acting Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Finance Minister Hidayatullah Badri and other senior officials, aside former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and and former Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah.

    The Chinese Foreign Ministry has stated that “in-depth and constructive discussions” took place on the whole range of issues, “especially on inclusiveness, human rights, economic and humanitarian issues, friendly relations between Afghanistan and other countries, especially neighbouring countries, and the unity and territorial integrity” of the country. The Taliban leaders appreciated that the 3 countries “are playing a constructive and responsible role in consolidating peace and stability” in Afghanistan.

    It appears that the inputs from the meeting in Kabul have gone into the meeting of the foreign ministers of the permanent members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday in New York chaired by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In subsequent remarks to the media, Guterres sounded optimistic.
    Importantly, this P-5 meeting took place at the initiative of the UK, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson met President Biden on Tuesday at the White House.

    A readout from 10 Downing Street later summed up that Johnson and Biden agreed that “the best way to honour all those who gave their lives to make Afghanistan a better place will be to use all the diplomatic and humanitarian tools at our disposal to prevent a humanitarian crisis and preserve the gains made in Afghanistan.”

    The restrained language reflects the mellowed tone in Biden’s brief references in his UN GA speech on Tuesday where he en passe spoke of “closing this period of relentless war (in Afghanistan) and opening a new era of relentless diplomacy.” Biden made no threatening references to “out-of-the-horizon” military operations directed at Afghanistan and eschewed any demonising of the Taliban.

    Interestingly, Biden did advocate the rights of women but “from Central America to the Middle East, to Africa, to Afghanistan — wherever it appears in the world.”

    The bottom line is that the Pakistani line on the imperative need to engage with the Taliban government is steadily gaining traction. The Pakistani mantra is: “Be realistic. Show patience. Engage. And above all, don’t isolate.” — as a AP dispatch neatly summed up an exclusive interview with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN GA in New York. read more.

    On granting recognition to the Taliban government, Imran Khan told the BBC this week, “We will collectively take a decision… We think that all the neighbours will get together, we will see how they [Taliban] progress, and whether to recognise them or not will be a collective decision.”
    He underscored, “There will not be any long-term sustainable peace in Afghanistan unless all the factions, all the ethnic groups are represented.”

    Pakistan’s decision to work for and through a regional consensus, is a tactically prudent course, that raises the comfort level of Afghanistan’s neighbours. Imran Khan’s understanding with Rahmon becomes vital.
    Imran Khan was at his persuasive best in the BBC interview, candidly discussing the international community’s anxieties over the rights of women under Taliban rule, etc. But his unspoken message is hard-hitting: What is the alternative to engaging with the Taliban government — nudging it, cajoling it, incentivising it?

    Perhaps, it smacks of a poker game where Imran Khan knows Pakistan is holding a strong hand and doesn’t have to flaunt it while claiming victory. But Pakistan has learned from the experience of the 1990s — high risk of going out on a limb in a triumphalist frame of mind.

    Today, the external environment is working favourably for Pakistani diplomacy. China’s readiness to salvage the Afghan economy is an altogether new factor. Again, with the Biden Administration disinclined to get into further entanglements in Afghanistan and Central Asia and big-power strategic competition accelerating elsewhere globally, the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan are becoming the main stakeholders — Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan — and their number one priority is the stability of Afghanistan.

    The Turkmenistan president Berdimuhamedow probably spoke for the region when he said in his speech at the UNGA earlier this week: “The situation there is not easy, the government and public institutions that are being formed are very fragile. This is why assessing the situation in the country requires ultimate consistency, prudence and responsibility — both in words and actions.

    “The situation in Afghanistan has changed, and when forming an approach to it, one needs to abandon ideological preferences, old grudges, phobias and stereotypes, thinking first and foremost about Afghan people who are tired of wars and turbulences and dream of a peaceful and quiet life.

    “Turkmenistan is deeply interested in a politically stable and safe Afghanistan. We call for normalising the situation in Afghanistan as soon as possible and expect that new government agencies will operate effectively in the interests of all Afghan people. Turkmenistan will continue to provide comprehensive economic support and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.”

    Indeed, the mood in the region is radically changing. It is noticeable too that Afghanistan has become a much calmer place. Violence and bloodshed have ceased. The civil war conditions are receding.

    The change of mood is reflected in a recent interview by Karzai to the Iranian media where he said that the Taliban are from Afghanistan and part of its people, they love their homeland and want calm and a peaceful life."

    https://www.indianpunchline.com/refl...fghanistan-21/
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  5. #80
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Security Council powers united on 'stable' Afghanistan: Guterres

    By AFP

    Published September 22, 2021

    Potential Efforts to Reboot Afghanistan-afghanistan-evacuation-afp-1k-01-jpg


    "The five permanent Security Council members are united on seeking a stable Afghanistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday after talks among foreign ministers following the Taliban takeover.

    All five powers want “a peaceful and stable Afghanistan where humanitarian aid can be distributed without problems and without discrimination,” Guterres told reporters after the meeting during the annual General Assembly.

    They seek “an Afghanistan where the rights of women and girl are respected, an Afghanistan that is not a sanctuary for terrorism, an Afghanistan with an inclusive government representing all sections of the population,” he said.

    The US secretary of state and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Russia met in person while their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi joined them virtually for the talks of just over an hour. None spoke to the press afterward.

    Speaking to AFP before the meeting, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said that the five powers agreed on an inclusive government.

    “Unity is everywhere,” he said.

    China and Russia have described the Taliban victory as a defeat for the United States after 20 years of war and have moved to work with the Islamist insurgents, with Beijing seeking the unblocking of frozen Afghan assets.

    But they have held off on international recognition and also have concerns about any backing for outside extremist groups.

    British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss sought the P5 meeting, voicing hope for unity on how to approach the Taliban.

    The Taliban have requested to speak at the UN General Assembly but the United States, which sits on the credentialing committee, has made clear that no decision will be made before the summit ends early next week."

    Just a moment...


    Added:

    Photo and comment added to satisfy cyrilles request.



    "Looks like a prime target for a NaGastani terrorist "over the horizon", drone splatter "mistake".

    A foreign looking family, some carrying water bottles, many children of both sexes suspiciously looking around, and a mature female, who may be carrying yet another fetus."
    Last edited by OhOh; 23-09-2021 at 10:02 PM.

  6. #81
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Do you have anything to say yourself, at all?

  7. #82
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    Do you have anything to say yourself
    I respond to members comments on the content of my posts, I believe it's polite to do so.

    If you have anything to say about my posts, I will try to answer your questions or ask for your reasons or sources, if you dispute the contents of my posts.

    If you wish to engage in personal attacks on me, as a person, you will be ignored.

    There are others who relish such communications. I find that aspect of TD immature.

    I hope that answers your question, if not, please elucidate.
    Last edited by OhOh; 23-09-2021 at 09:37 PM.

  8. #83
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    Do you have anything to say yourself, at all?
    Of course he fucking doesn't.

    All of his "opinions" are fed to him.

  9. #84
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    A Letter to the Taliban

    Dr. Ejaz Akram, with Pepe Escobar September 22, 2021

    What happened in Afghanistan was not a mere change of government. A puppet state responsible for spreading subversion in the region was overthrown.

    "After the Taliban named an interim government that was regarded as quite controversial inside Afghanistan and did not exactly please the nation’s Eurasian neighbors, I asked Dr. Ejaz Akram, Professor of Religion & World Politics at the National Defense University in Islamabad, for a detailed analysis. He sent me an astonishing, unique essay that is a must read for both East and West, presented here in a slightly edited version but with its mighty punch intact. Dr. Ejaz carries the necessary authority to not only map the regional chessboard but to suggest to the Taliban the righteous paths to heal Afghanistan after four decades of imposed war (P.E.)

    On the demand for an “all inclusive government”

    Imagine if the French revolutionaries were asked to retain the elements of the kingdom of Louis XVI while forming the new republic to keep it all ‘inclusive’.

    Imagine that the American revolutionaries were asked to keep the British loyalists as a part of the new American republic to keep it all inclusive.
    Imagine that the Bolsheviks were asked to keep the Czarist loyalists in the government to keep it all inclusive.

    Imagine that Chairman Mao was asked to keep the Kuomintang as a part of his new set up to keep things all inclusive.

    Imagine that Imam Khomeini was asked to keep the elements of Reza Shah’s puppet government to keep the new Iranian government all inclusive.
    Imagine that Erdogan was asked shortly after the coup to keep the Gulen movement intact to keep the Turkish government all inclusive.

    Imagine that the Saudis are asked to give due representation to a quarter of its Shi’ite population to keep the Kingdom all inclusive.

    Imagine that India’s Modi is asked to give full citizenship rights to Muslims, Sikhs and other minorities to keep RSS-India all inclusive.
    If all of the above cannot be, then what logic is the so-called international community practicing when asking the Taliban to keep those who aided and abetted the utterly unjustified foreign occupation as a part of their government to keep things all inclusive?

    What happened in Afghanistan was not a mere change of government. A puppet state responsible for killing their own people and spreading subversion in the region was overthrown. Any talk of government comes after the state formation is complete. To keep the elements of the Ancien Regime is to keep the fifth columnists alive who can undo their half-century long struggle to keep foreign rule out. It is like asking a surgeon not to remove all the cancerous tissue from a cancer patient as it might come in handy later.

    A state is one group that has to have a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. All other groups have to be disarmed and disbanded. After the state is formed and all groups subscribe to a creed that is shared by all, only then a government can be formed by a wider group of people who will reflect peoples’ sensibilities and beliefs and values. If that government does not do that the people will not consider it legitimate and the state will stage a coup and send home the government.

    That state’s legitimacy comes from a principle to which the population of that country subscribes through their primordial socio-religious moorings. This common denominator in Afghanistan is none other than Muslim beliefs and values. Even though the Taliban’s overwhelming force are Pashtun (which means they practice Pashtunwali code and its understanding of Hanafi Sunni Shariah), non-Pashtun Afghans are all Muslims too. So, their common denominator still remains Islam.

    Therefore, for the Taliban to insist that their rule should be built on Islamic principles is rooted in sound logic. To expect that the Afghans will subscribe to Swedish liberalism is a daydream. Ashraf Ghani was prepared to go down that foolish path, but the Taliban are too smart to do the same.

    Keep in mind that the Taliban took control of the entire country without a fight. The so-called Afghan National Army disbanded so easily and hugged the Taliban fighters and many even joined them. If public opinion is not behind a resistance movement, it can never succeed.

    This is the proof of Taliban’s inclusion. Unlike the Bolsheviks, the French revolutionaries, the American revolutionaries, the Saudis, the Iranians and many others who butchered their opponents on their path to power, the Taliban gave general amnesty to all. Who has more mercy in their hearts, the progenitors of the modern republics or the Taliban? We have never seen such a spectacle in recent human history. If this is not inclusion, then what is?

    The reason the “international community”, as in a gang of Western nations gone rogue, is shrieking and fretting over an Islamic system for Afghanistan is because of their habitual and historical prejudice against Islam and Muslims.

    From crusades to colonialism, in the West’s imagination, Islam is the ultimate boogeyman. Edward Said illustrated that quite well in his famous classic, Orientalism. The contemporary Islamophobia industry is another proof of the West’s unfounded hatred of Islam. One would only hope that the Chinese and Russian political systems do not allow their ruling elite to go down that path, or else the long-term consequences for both these superpowers may not be pleasant. So far, their state media are toeing the Western logic of inclusivism, similar to their pro-America positions in the aftermath of 9/11, without much reflection as to who was right and who was wrong. We have faith that these two political systems will make better judgments this time around.

    Another absurd proposition by the “August” international community is that the Taliban must fulfill the promises they made overnight. This is like asking a newborn baby to start running immediately right after being born. For anyone who knows the ABC of statecraft should know that it is not possible. First the state has to be consolidated. This will take a few months.

    The interim set up must not include elements of the Ancien Regime who were on the payroll of the enemy they fought for twenty long years. Then a variety of cross-ethnic elements in the country must be recruited who subscribe to the common denominator of beliefs and values that the state is expected to be a vanguard of. This is inclusion and this will yield legitimacy of the state in the eyes of its people.

    Once the state is consolidated, a government should be formed in accordance to Islamic principles. Islam is neutral to the form of government. It only insists that regardless of the form of the government, the outcome must be justice. Whether it is a kingdom, a city-state, a democracy or any other form, the outcome must be justice.

    The Quran also suggests that justice is not equality. Equality is giving everyone the same; justice is giving whomever their due. Quran is kitab-al-insaf (book of justice) and not kitab-al-masawat (book of equality).

    After the period of state consolidation, government formation should be achieved on the principle of meritocracy, and not multi-party democracy, in which global capitalists will turn democrats into their prostitutes and rip off the people. Honest and competent people from all ethnic backgrounds should be chosen, then trained and then run the government.

    But that phase comes after the state formation process in which it must never be forgotten that that community which struggled and sacrificed enormously to throw out the foreigners should have more say in matters of state formation, compared to those who sided with the oppressor to kill their own people and their neighbors. This is common sense, which is beyond the IQ of the “international community”.

    A message to the Taliban

    I extend my congratulations to the ghazis of the Emirates of Afghanistan and offer prayers of condolence for those mujahideen who became martyrs in their jihad against the oppressive, atrocious and cruel governments of the U.S. and its Western allies. In two centuries of humiliation against the Muslim world, you buried the British, Bolsheviks and Yankees in your mountains along with their empires.

    The hardships you have suffered and the sacrifices you have rendered for the millat have produced a character in you that is worth being proud of. Now that you have successfully defeated the foreign occupation, lots more needs to be done. The world is already suggesting you to adopt a direction which will be disastrous for you in the long run. As a scholar who is familiar with the West and East Asia, as well as the various understandings of Islam within the Islamic civilization, perhaps I am in a position to make some humble suggestions that may prove useful in charting out your future.

    First and foremost, the sword from your right hand can now shift into your left hand, and you will have to grab the pen in your right hand.

    Your military resistance era is now over, but you still need to defend and develop your country. While your enemies are still planning to bomb you, their kinetic efforts will be supplemented by a mischievous hybrid war, for which you may not be fully prepared. Without the power of knowledge, this hybrid war cannot be won.

    Your decades-long steadfastness comes from the principle of istiqamat (one of the nine principles of Pashtunwali). You were tortured, incarcerated and killed, but the enemy could neither buy you out with money, nor could they bludgeon you into submission over the last twenty years. This shows that you have basirat (ability to see beyond the apparent facades and false promises).

    These are quintessential aspects of character, which are necessary prerequisites of a morally and spiritually upright leadership in statecraft. Basirat comes from tazkiyya-i-nafs (cleansing of the soul), which in turn comes from austerity and being strict with yourself and generous with others. This too, you proved after you gave general amnesty to all who fought against you, even though it would have been perfectly Islamic to demand retribution as was done by the Nuremberg trials conducted by the victors of WWII.

    Bear in mind that movements start with great spirit which wanes over time because the adherents recede into their comfort zones, become complacent and are finally overcome by the forces of evil that always lurk behind the shadows. Afghanistan will soon become one of the world’s richest countries under your leadership. Make sure that your peoples’ needs are met and they have moderate prosperity, or else excessive riches will make your population fat, lazy and coward like the Gulf Arabs.

    The last big wave of Western oppression came to Afghanistan after 9/11. This wave will take about 2-4 more years to finally wane and subside permanently. When it wanes, like a tsunami it will take many unwanted bad things from your neighborhood also. Even though you do not want to transform your neighbors, many of us are already beginning to be transformed by your victory. The Kashmiri movement, the Khalistan independence movement, the Palestine movement, and the movement against corruption in Pakistan are already drawing inspiration from your victory against forces of oppression.

    Islam does not accommodate secular liberal political philosophy, from the womb of which the modern democratic fraud was born. Steer clear of it. Modernist Muslims will tell you that the concept of Shura is democracy. It is not. Shura is not Western style democracy, but a system of consultation prevalent at all tiers of society, from the realm of the family to the state. Use that at every level, as you have during your resistance years.

    How to deal with the big powers

    The governments of Western countries were your enemies. They occupied you, spilled your blood, and destroyed regional peace. You may forgive them, but do not forget. It is best to do aggressive diplomacy at the moment, but under no circumstances should you deal with them with clemency. They do not deserve it. Starve if you have to, but do not yield to these forces. Apply the law of Pashtunwali and Shariah in dealing with them.

    You say that Pakistan is your second home. If you form your government according to Islamic principles, it will eventually become a part of your first home. Afghanistan is not a nation. It is a territory that comprises many nations. Pakistan is not a nation either. It is a union of four big nationalities and a few smaller ones. It too came about in the name of Islamic values but its corrupt and westernized elites forgot the original mission. So many Pashtuns, Hazaras and Tajiks came to Pakistan successively through various wars and made it their home. You can too, not as a refugee, but as confederated citizen.

    Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have learnt that on matters of defense and foreign policy, both need to be on the same page, or else there will always be trouble. If we do integrate defense and foreign policy, the economic control of your resources can remain in the Afghan hands just as the economic control of Pakistani resources may remain in the Pakistani hands.

    This will only work for the short run. But since you are landlocked, you need to have access to the Pakistani territory in a way that Pakistan doesn’t need access to your territory. However, since trade with landlocked Central Asia is paramount, you can allow access to Pakistan to have access to Central Asia through which a one-sided dependency will turn into co-dependency, which will be better for both countries. Moreover, consider the following very important point.

    Afghanistan is approximately 653,000 sq km, out of which arable land is only a little less than 12%, amounting to 78,360 sq km. One sq km has 247 acres. In the U.S. one acre feeds about 1-2 people. In Afghanistan, if one acre fed 10-15 people, then you can only feed less than 2 million people out of a population of approximately 38 million. The other 36 million have to be fed from Pakistan, because it is the cheapest source of surplus wheat. Pakistan’s 882,000 sq km has more than 40 percent arable land and it produces surplus wheat and rice.

    You need Pakistan for your access to the sea, food security and building up a modern defense capability. If you keep practicing Afghan nationalism, and Pakistan also keeps practicing Uncle Tom’s backward ideologies from the bygone days of European enlightenment, both will remain adversaries. Pakistan will remain poor and you will starve to death. By the time you dig your resources and sell them for food and building infrastructure, you will keep indebting the Afghan people.

    Pair up and partner up with Pakistan’s various sectors, except your politics. If you pledge your politics with Pakistan, we will let you down. Until a fully awake political elite comes into life in Pakistan, you should stay away. If and when it happens, then integrate with Pakistan as closely as possible.

    You are most likely to produce an Iran-type of social space in the beginning. But make sure not to follow the Saudi model, because it is utterly un-Islamic. Remember, Muslim women have led armies of men in our history. We produced female scholars before any other civilization could do so. We even produced female sultanas before anywhere else.

    However, since the last half a century, Afghanistan saw no peace, and women’s predicament, similar to men was focused on survival only. So, your current policy regarding women in Afghanistan is realistic enough for a conservative, warn-torn Pashtun society.

    Others do not share the same outlook. Stick to Islamic injunctions and protect your women. Disallow man-hating feminist ideologies to protect the family unit. There should be enough freedom for our women. Our wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives. Resist all pressure from abroad on this account and gradually re-engineer society in which women will be modest but fully participating in our civilizational and national lives.

    From the point of view of food security, revisit the Islamic position on population control. Family size now should be smaller than the days of war. In two generations, manageable population size in Afghanistan should be below 20 million, as in the case of Pakistan, which should drop from 220 million to 150 million."

    A Letter to the Taliban — Strategic Culture
    Last edited by OhOh; 24-09-2021 at 10:41 AM.

  10. #85
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    I don't think even hoohoo understands this mangled word salad.

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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    I don't think even hoohoo understands this mangled word salad.
    What a wonderful IQ one ('arry") has to have to understand what is a word "salad"...

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    Back to the topic:
    (After the heart-breaking mutual relation (mind the 3rd Skripal's murderer) why not to ask for help?)

    UK calls on China and Russia to agree Afghanistan strategy

    LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Britain will on Wednesday call for China and Russia to agree a coordinated international approach to prevent Afghanistan becoming a haven for militants, according to a statement by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss at the United Nations.

    UK calls on China and Russia to agree Afghanistan strategy | Reuters

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    Personally, I'd say leave that to the chinks and the Taliban. And please don't offer the terrorists a safe haven in Idlib.

  14. #89
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss at the United Nations.
    I'm sure she will be welcomed into the club.

    "On 15 September 2021 during a cabinet reshuffle, Boris Johnson promoted Truss from International Trade Secretary to Foreign Secretary, replacing Dominic Raab. She is the second female MP to have held the position of Foreign Secretary, after Margaret Beckett, and the first Conservative female Foreign Secretary.[108]"

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Tr...%80%93present)

    10 days into the job and a trip to the big apple.

    I remember arriving at a new job and being told, "book a flight to Singapore to arrive the following Monday".

  15. #90
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    I remember arriving at a new job and being told, "book a flight to Singapore to arrive the following Monday".
    Umm…what?

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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    Lao Workers on China-Backed Railway Project Go Unpaid for Almost Two Months — Radio Free Asia
    Pity that the RFA always looks in a wrong direction, if they had reported about other "unpaids", it could have saved the rash retreat from Afghanistan

    Why did the Afghan army disintegrate so quickly?
    The billions spent by the US and NATO on the Afghan military could not fix major internal flaws.

    ---
    Over the last 20 years, the US spent more than $83bn training, equipping and developing the Afghan national army, police, air force, and special forces. Yet, under the advance of an armed group carrying light weapons, the ANDSF fell apart in a spectacular fashion.
    ---
    Furthermore, some commanders embezzled money by submitting fund requests for the salaries of “ghost soldiers” – i.e. soldiers who had not actually signed up for the military. As this was happening, ANDSF personnel were kept unpaid and retained on duty without permission to leave and see their families for months.

    Unsurprisingly, the ANDSF had one of the highest desertion and casualty rates in the world. According to one estimate, the ANDSF’s per month attrition rate was 5,000 while the recruitment rate was 300 to 500.

    Second, the embezzlement and corruption undermined morale within the ranks of the army. The integrity of senior leadership is pivotal in military affairs to win the troops’ respect and loyalty. For unpaid soldiers, the lavish lifestyles of their commanders were often too much to swallow. Hence, instead of fighting and dying, they preferred to save their lives by surrendering to the Taliban under its amnesty offers.
    Why did the Afghan army disintegrate so quickly? | Taliban | Al Jazeera

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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    Umm…what?
    Being thrust on to the international stage at short notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    "On 15 September 2021 during a cabinet reshuffle, Boris Johnson promoted Truss from International Trade Secretary to Foreign Secretary, replacing ....

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Tr...%80%93present)
    then to:

    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Britain will on Wednesday call for China and Russia to agree a coordinated international approach to prevent Afghanistan becoming a haven for militants, according to a statement by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss at the United Nations.
    Capeesh!

  18. #93
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    U.S. grants more aid to Afghanistan despite sanctions


    The United States on Friday further paved the way for aid to flow to Afghanistan despite U.S. sanctions on the Taliban, who seized control of the country last month, issuing general licenses amid concern that Washington’s punitive measures could compound an unfolding humanitarian crisis.


    The U.S. Treasury Department said it issued two general licenses, one allowing the U.S. government, NGOs and certain international organizations, including the United Nations, to engage in transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network – both under sanctions – that are necessary to provide humanitarian assistance.


    The second license authorizes certain transactions related to the export and re-export of food, medicine and other items.


    “Treasury is committed to facilitating the flow of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and other activities that support their basic human needs,” Andrea Gacki, director of the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in the statement.


    She added that Washington will continue to work with financial institutions, NGOs and international organizations to ease the flow of agricultural goods, medicine and other resources while upholding sanctions on the Taliban, Haqqani Network and others.


    The United Nations said that at the start of the year more than 18 million people – about half of Afghanistan’s population – require aid amid the second drought in four years.


    U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week that Afghanistan is on “the verge of a dramatic humanitarian disaster” and has decided to engage the Taliban in order to help the country’s people.


    U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said it is committed to allowing humanitarian work in Afghanistan to continue despite Washington listing the Taliban as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.


    The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the Islamist militant group and bar Americans from dealing with them, including the contribution of funds, goods or services.


    Reuters reported last month that Washington issued a license authorizing the U.S. government and its partners to continue to facilitate humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.


    Friday’s move expands on that specific license, allowing international organizations and NGOs to pay taxes, fees, import duties or permits, licenses or other necessary transactions for assistance to reach the people of Afghanistan.


    The licenses allow NGOs and foreign financial institutions to continue humanitarian assistance such as the delivery of food, shelter, medicine and medical services, including COVID-19 assistance, a Treasury spokesperson said.


    “We have not reduced sanctions pressure on Taliban leaders or the significant restrictions on their access to the international financial system,” the spokesperson said.


    A Taliban offensive as foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan after a 20-year war culminated in the capture of the capital Kabul on Aug. 15, two decades after they were driven from power by a U.S.-led campaign in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

    U.S. grants more aid to Afghanistan despite sanctions - The Frontier Post

  19. #94
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by misskit View Post
    U.S. grants more aid to Afghanistan despite sanctions
    Christ they never learn do they?


  20. #95
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    ^
    Potential Efforts to Reboot Afghanistan-one-who-pays-piper-calls-tune

    The new SUVs are being shipped already.

    The Afghanis will get 5% at most.

  21. #96
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    I seem to read a lot in this thread that seems to consider the Taliban as other than a babaric medieval backwards organisation which isn't the case. It is.
    It should be afforded no legitimacy at all.

    KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban hanged a dead body from a crane parked in a city square in Afghanistan on Saturday in a gruesome display that signaled the hard-line movement’s return to some of its brutal tactics of the past.
    Taliban hang body in public; signal return to past tactics

    'reboot' ? with those ignorant savages in charge? No chance.
    Last edited by Cujo; 26-09-2021 at 07:42 AM.
    “If we stop testing right now we’d have very few cases, if any.” Donald J Trump.

  22. #97
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    But they kill ISIS & ETIM vermin. Is that some consolation?

  23. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Is that some consolation?
    Do you want it to be?

  24. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Do you want it to be?
    At this point, I do not think he knows what he wants.

  25. #100
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    No, I am sure. Anyone that eliminates that vermin is on my side. Anyone that offers them shelter is my enemy.

    Clear enough?

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