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Updated August 30th, 2021 at 15:50 IST

Envoys of UNSC's five permanent members to hold emergency meeting on Afghanistan crisis

Envoys of the five permanent members of the UNSC will convene in an emergency meeting on Monday to examine the situation in Afghanistan.

Reported by: Rohit Ranjan
UNSC
Image Credit: AP | Image:self
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Envoys of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will convene in an emergency meeting on Monday to examine the quickly changing situation in Afghanistan following the US pullout and Taliban takeover of the war-torn country. According to Radio Pakistan, France and the United Kingdom are set to present a resolution at the summit, advocating the creation of a safe zone in Kabul to safeguard individuals attempting to flee the country and the continuation of humanitarian aid.

US will convene a virtual summit of foreign ministers

Radio Pakistan said that the US will convene a virtual summit of foreign ministers from numerous countries to discuss Afghanistan's future strategy. As the evacuation from Kabul approaches its final day, the US Official Department said it would hold a meeting with key Afghan partners. According to Dawn, it was announced that the meeting would be attended by delegates from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Qatar, the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The conversations are being held as the deadline for Kabul evacuations approaches, with the Taliban insisting that the US must finish its evacuation by August 31.

They also come in the wake of a horrific attack on Kabul airport that killed over 100 people, including 13 US servicemen. The attack was claimed by ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), an Afghan branch of the Islamic State, prompting US President Joe Biden to instruct American military commanders to establish operational plans to hit ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities. 

In between the growing concerns about the threat presented by ISIS-K in Afghanistan without American presence, the US claimed the next day that a drone strike in Afghanistan had killed one of the attack's planners, according to Dawn. In yet another drone strike the next day, American forces said they had hit a suicide bomber in a truck who was planning an attack on the airport.

Western governments worry that Afghanistan will return to a haven for militants

Even though the Taliban have stated that they will not allow terrorists to utilise Afghanistan, Western governments remain concerned that the Taliban, who formerly sheltered Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda, will allow the country to revert to a haven for militants.

Image Credit: AP

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Published August 30th, 2021 at 15:50 IST

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