US 'will continue to provide civilian and humanitarian assistance' to Afghanistan: Biden

US President Joe Biden on July 8 assured his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, that Washington will continue to provide civilian and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan even after the American military drawdown by August 31. While speaking during a press briefing, Biden said that US support for Afghan people will endure. He also reiterated that its the rights and responsibility of the Afghan people to decide their future and how they want to run their country. 

Biden said, “In our meeting, I also assured President Ashraf Ghani that US support for the people of Afghanistan will endure. We will continue to provide civilian and humanitarian assistance including speaking out for the rights of women and girls”. 

He added, “It's the rights and responsibilities of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country”. 

Further, while talking about the American assistance to Afghanistan in the backdrop of its military drawdown, the US President said that together with NATO allies and partners, the IS has trained and quipped nearly 300,000 current serving members of the military - Afghan National Security Forces. Biden also said that hundreds of that security forces trained over the last two decades. “We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools,” he said while also emphasising the modern military tools that have been provided to Afghanistan to fight back the terrorists.

“Let me emphasize, all the tools, training, equipment of any modern military. We provided advanced weaponry and we're going to continue to provide funding and equipment and we will ensure, we have the capacity to maintain their Air Force, but most critically as I stressed in my meetings just two weeks ago, Afghan leaders have to come together and drive toward a future that the Afghan people want and they deserve,” Biden said. 

US to maintain diplomatic presence in Afghan

Moreover, he also said that the US will be maintaining a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and reiterated that they want Afghans to come out of senseless violence. Biden said that he is coordinating closely with international partners in order to continue to secure the International Airport. The US is also going to engage in determined diplomacy to pursue a peace and Peace Agreement that will end the senseless violence, Biden said. 

“I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken and our Special Representative for Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad to work vigorously with the parties in Afghanistan as well as regional and international stakeholders to support a negotiated solution,” the US President said. 

He added, “To be clear, to clear countries in the region have a role to play in supporting a peaceful settlement. We'll work with them and they should help step up their efforts as well”.

Meanwhile, it is considered the withdrawal comes with many uncertainties as a resurgent Taliban captures ground and fears mount that the country could soon fall into civil war. The US is still working on agreements to base counterterrorism forces in the region and evacuate thousands of interpreters and other Afghans who helped the American war effort. And Miller, who already is the longest-serving commander of US forces in Afghanistan in the 20 years of warfare, will remain in command for a couple of weeks longer but was not more specific. It is also expected to keep at least 650 US military personnel in Afghanistan in order to protect the US embassy and diplomats.

(Image: AP)