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Updated August 15th, 2021 at 13:53 IST

Blinken dials Ashraf Ghani 'to discuss the current security situation' in Afghanistan

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on August 15 said that he spoke with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani amid the ongoing Taliban offensive.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
Taliban
IMAGE: AP/PTI | Image:self
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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on August 15 said that he spoke with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani amid the ongoing Taliban offensive in the South Asian country. This was also the second time in two days that Blinken and Ghani spoke on the phone. The US Secretary of State said on Sunday that he and the Afghan President discussed the “current security situation” and “urgent diplomatic political efforts” to stem the raging violence in Afghanistan.

Blinken and Ghani’s second phone call came after US President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 5,000 troops to Afghanistan on Saturday. This was after he participated in a secure video conference along with US Vice President Kamala Harris. The US President, Vice President and America’s national security team convened for the virtual session to discuss the ongoing efforts to reduce the American civilian footprint in the war-stricken nation of Afghanistan. 

The US defence official, as per PTI, clarified that since 1,000 US troops are already in Afghanistan, another 3,000 were ordered last week. Eventually, on Saturday, the US President ordered another 1,000 US soldiers to Afghanistan and brought the total to 5,000. Earlier, on August 14, the US Secretary of State also spoke with Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah to discuss the drawdown of the current situation. Meanwhile, the Taliban has not only conquered major, crucial cities in Afghanistan but now also rules half of its total 34 provincial capitals.

Blinken’s call with Abdullah; Biden’s statement on Afghanistan

According to the official statement by the US State Department, Blinken spoke with Abdullah “to discuss developments in Afghanistan and the urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence. The Secretary underscored the United States’ commitment to a strong relationship with the Government of Afghanistan and our continuing support for the people of Afghanistan. Secretary Blinken also thanked him for every effort undertaken to reach a political settlement.”

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Biden also issued a statement on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan which his critics have blamed on the rushed withdrawal of the US troops by the 9/11 anniversary. He said that “based on the recommendations of our diplomatic, military, and intelligence teams, I have authorized the deployment of approximately 5,000 US troops to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance.”

IMAGE: AP/PTI
 

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Published August 15th, 2021 at 13:53 IST

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