Watch WION analyse two major meetings in South Asia that had a common agenda, Afghanistan. India hosted Central Asia Dialogue in India, whereas Pakistan hosted OIC's Foreign Ministers' meeting on Afghanistan.

A tale of two meetings: Central Asia Dialogue in India & OIC's meeting in Pakistan

Leaders of Islamic nations have gathered in Pakistan for a special meeting of the 57-member organization of Islamic cooperation (OIC). The focus of the meet is on the Afghan crisis, in the latest, Pakistan has warned of 'grave consequences for the international communities if Afghanistan's economic meltdown continues.

OIC member states in Islamabad pledges support to war-torn Afghanistan amid humanitarian crisis

In a shocking remark, Pakistan PM Imran Khan justifies the Taliban's ban on girls' education. He also urged the international community to be sensitive to tribal customs.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan defends & justifies Taliban ban on girls' education

Amid security concerns since the Taliban takeover of war-torn Afghanistan, the US makes it clear that it has no plans to reopen the Kabul embassy yet.

US: No plans reopen Kabul embassy amid security concerns in Afghanistan

In&nbsp;the biggest conference on Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, Pakistan warned of "grave consequences" for the international community if the situation remains the same in Afghanistan. At the opening of a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan urged world leaders to find ways to help prevent a humanitarian crisis in the nation.&nbsp;

The crisis escalated ever since the Taliban took control in August. As an immediate response, major donors halted their support for the country by freezing funds.&nbsp;

Afghanistan also faced challenges of drought caused by global warming.&nbsp;

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the IOC meeting, "We cannot ignore the danger of complete economic meltdown."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-is-hosting-oic-meeting-to-organise-economic-assistance-for-afghanistan-437883">Also read |&nbsp;Pakistan is hosting OIC meeting to organise economic assistance for Afghanistan</a>

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urged international community&nbsp;to offer help as he said that if the world does not act on Afghanistan, this will turn out to be the biggest man-made crisis. He further said that the United States must delink the Taliban government from 40 million Afghan citizens.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Pak uses OIC meeting on Afghanistan to raise Kashmir issue

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The idea behind the meet is to organise economic assistance for Afghanistan. The nation had already been facing chronic poverty and drought but the situation worsened since the Taliban seized power.

The IMF had said that its engagement with Afghanistan will remain suspended until there is clarity on the recognition of the government led by the Taliban.

(With inputs from agencies)

In the biggest conference on Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, Pakistan warned of "grave consequences" for the international community if the situation remains the same in Afghanistan.

In the biggest conference on Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, Pakistan warned of "grave consequences" for the international community if the situation remains the same in Afghanistan. At the opening of a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan urged world leaders to find ways to help prevent a humanitarian crisis in the nation. The crisis escalated ever since the Taliban took control in August. As an immediate response, major donors halted their support for the country by freezing funds. Afghanistan also faced challenges of drought caused by global warming. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the IOC meeting, "We cannot ignore the danger of complete economic meltdown." Also read | Pakistan is hosting OIC meeting to organise economic assistance for Afghanistan Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urged international community to offer help as he said that if the world does not act on Afghanistan, this will turn out to be the biggest man-made crisis. He further said that the United States must delink the Taliban government from 40 million Afghan citizens. Watch | Gravitas: Pak uses OIC meeting on Afghanistan to raise Kashmir issue The idea behind the meet is to organise economic assistance for Afghanistan. The nation had already been facing chronic poverty and drought but the situation worsened since the Taliban seized power. The IMF had said that its engagement with Afghanistan will remain suspended until there is clarity on the recognition of the government led by the Taliban. (With inputs from agencies)

At OIC, Pakistan warns of 'grave consequences' from Afghan economic crisis

On Sunday, India and Pakistan held two concurrent meetings on Afghanistan. India used its meeting to build regional consensus. Pakistan used its meeting to play a Taliban apologist and push its Kashmir agenda. Palki Sharma tells you about the stark contrast.

Gravitas: Pak uses OIC meeting on Afghanistan to raise Kashmir issue

Pakistan PM Imran Khan justifies Taliban ban on girls' education by stating it as a tribal custom

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Sunday lashed out at Pakistan and called out what he said was "obvious propaganda against Afghanistan". Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech at the summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation&nbsp;(OIC), said that Pakistan faced threat from Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Karzai said that IS has threatened Afghanistan from Pakistan.&nbsp;

In response to Imran Khan's address at the summit Karzai said Pakistan "should not intervene in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and should avoid speaking on behalf of Afghanistan at international forums."

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Pakistan's support to terrorists and terror organisation has been a well-established thing worldwide.

"if the Afghan government fails to counter-terrorism, other countries may face spillover," said Imran Khan during his speech.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-oic-pakistan-warns-of-grave-consequences-from-afghan-economic-crisis-438127">At OIC, Pakistan warns of 'grave consequences' from Afghan economic crisis</a>

Khan said that owing to a dearth of resources, if the Afghan government remained unable to counter terrorism, other countries may also face its spillover impact, reported Geo News.

He made these remarks during his keynote address at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being held in Islamabad.

Mentioning the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, the prime minister said the only way to handle the terror outfit was a stable Afghanistan. He said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was capable of carrying out international attacks, reported Geo News.

"The only way to handle the terror outfit is a stable Afghanistan," said Khan.

Afghanistan is currently facing economic crisis as its global assets abroad, mainly in US, have been frozen after Taliban rose to power. Even after 100 days of being in power, Taliban government has not gained worldwide recognition. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suspended its ties with Afghanistan

Imran Khan in his speech also underscored the need for humanitarian aid to Kabul and said that if the world failed to act in a timely manner, Afghanistan could potentially become the "biggest man-made disaster."

Highlighting the collapsing hospitals, education sector, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the prime minister called for the world to take immediate action as Afghanistan was heading towards chaos, reported Geo News.

"Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos. When it cannot pay salaries to public servants, doctors and nurses, any government is going to collapse. But chaos suits no one. It certainly does not suit the United States," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Sunday lashed out at Pakistan and called out what he said was "obvious propaganda against Afghanistan". Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech at the summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said that Pakistan faced threat from Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Sunday lashed out at Pakistan and called out what he said was "obvious propaganda against Afghanistan". Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech at the summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said that Pakistan faced threat from Islamic State in Afghanistan. Karzai said that IS has threatened Afghanistan from Pakistan. In response to Imran Khan's address at the summit Karzai said Pakistan "should not intervene in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and should avoid speaking on behalf of Afghanistan at international forums." × Pakistan's support to terrorists and terror organisation has been a well-established thing worldwide. "if the Afghan government fails to counter-terrorism, other countries may face spillover," said Imran Khan during his speech. Also Read | At OIC, Pakistan warns of 'grave consequences' from Afghan economic crisis Khan said that owing to a dearth of resources, if the Afghan government remained unable to counter terrorism, other countries may also face its spillover impact, reported Geo News. He made these remarks during his keynote address at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being held in Islamabad. Mentioning the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, the prime minister said the only way to handle the terror outfit was a stable Afghanistan. He said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was capable of carrying out international attacks, reported Geo News. "The only way to handle the terror outfit is a stable Afghanistan," said Khan. Afghanistan is currently facing economic crisis as its global assets abroad, mainly in US, have been frozen after Taliban rose to power. Even after 100 days of being in power, Taliban government has not gained worldwide recognition. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suspended its ties with Afghanistan Imran Khan in his speech also underscored the need for humanitarian aid to Kabul and said that if the world failed to act in a timely manner, Afghanistan could potentially become the "biggest man-made disaster." Highlighting the collapsing hospitals, education sector, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the prime minister called for the world to take immediate action as Afghanistan was heading towards chaos, reported Geo News. "Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos. When it cannot pay salaries to public servants, doctors and nurses, any government is going to collapse. But chaos suits no one. It certainly does not suit the United States," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai slams Pakistani 'propaganda' on Afghanistan

A senior US official said on Monday that there was 'no magic button' to release Afghan funds which are frozen in America. He was speaking in Islamabad a day after Organisation of Islamic Cooperation&nbsp;(OIC) summit. The summit was focussed on situation in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Afghanistan has been going through an economic crisis ever since the Taliban captured power in August this year. The country's funds in the US have been frozen. Even after 100 days in power, Taliban government has not been able to gain worldwide recognition. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suspended ties with the country.

There are demands, especially from Afghanistan's neighbour Pakistan to address the situation.

Though he indicated that total unfreeze of Afghan funds was unlikely in near future, the senior US official said that US has worked quietly to ensure that cash flows into Afghanistan with a view to ease humanitarian situation. He said that about 200 million dollars were shifted via UN to private banks.&nbsp;

Banking sector in Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse.

The official expressed 'serious concerns' about Taliban government. The government, formed after collapse of previous one led by Ashraf Ghani, has number of people who are on United Nations' list of terrorists.&nbsp;

Representatives of the government were given travel exemptions to facilitate their global travel for peace negotiations. The diplomat said that there would be a 'clean roll over' of these exemptions.

He stressed that the US did not see eye to eye with Taliban over number of issues that included women's rights and free media.

During the recently concluded OIC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan made a case for stable Afghanistan arguing that if Taliban government was not supported, it would not be able to take effective counter-terrorism measures and neighbouring countries like Pakistan may suffer from terror spillover.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai slammed Pakistani stance as 'propaganda' and said that it was Afghanistan that had suffered due to terror spillover from Pakistan.

A senior US official said on Monday that there was 'no magic button' to release Afghan funds which are frozen in America. He was speaking in Islamabad a day after Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit.

A senior US official said on Monday that there was 'no magic button' to release Afghan funds which are frozen in America. He was speaking in Islamabad a day after Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit. The summit was focussed on situation in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been going through an economic crisis ever since the Taliban captured power in August this year. The country's funds in the US have been frozen. Even after 100 days in power, Taliban government has not been able to gain worldwide recognition. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suspended ties with the country. There are demands, especially from Afghanistan's neighbour Pakistan to address the situation. Though he indicated that total unfreeze of Afghan funds was unlikely in near future, the senior US official said that US has worked quietly to ensure that cash flows into Afghanistan with a view to ease humanitarian situation. He said that about 200 million dollars were shifted via UN to private banks. Banking sector in Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse. The official expressed 'serious concerns' about Taliban government. The government, formed after collapse of previous one led by Ashraf Ghani, has number of people who are on United Nations' list of terrorists. Representatives of the government were given travel exemptions to facilitate their global travel for peace negotiations. The diplomat said that there would be a 'clean roll over' of these exemptions. He stressed that the US did not see eye to eye with Taliban over number of issues that included women's rights and free media. During the recently concluded OIC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan made a case for stable Afghanistan arguing that if Taliban government was not supported, it would not be able to take effective counter-terrorism measures and neighbouring countries like Pakistan may suffer from terror spillover. Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai slammed Pakistani stance as 'propaganda' and said that it was Afghanistan that had suffered due to terror spillover from Pakistan.

'No magic button' to release Afghan funds: Senior US official

During the 1990s the Taliban imposed brutal restrictions on women. Mandatory face covering, restricted access to healthcare, no access to education. With Taliban 2.0 in power in Afghanistan, they announced big promises on women's rights and freedoms, however, in reality, things have been quite different on the ground. Defending the Taliban's decision on the global platform was none other than its biggest supporter Pakistan.

Afghanistan: Imran Khan defends Taliban on women's rights

After the Taliban government announced that it would resume issuing travel documents, people in Afghanistan rushed to the passport office on Sunday (December 19). AFP has reported that many people started waiting outside the office from the previous night.&nbsp;

Recently, deputy Foreign Minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai weighed in on the migration issue as he said that if the political and economic situation doesn't change, there will be "more migration".&nbsp;

He was speaking at a special meeting meant to mark the UN's international migrants day which was attended by representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the United Nations refugee organisation.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/former-afghan-president-hamid-karzai-slams-pakistani-propaganda-on-afghanistan-438204">Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai slams Pakistani 'propaganda' on Afghanistan</a>

After the Taliban took control in Afghanistan, some&nbsp;people in the country want to leave. A few have medical emergencies as they need to go to some other country for&nbsp;treatments, some just intend to escape the Islamists' renewed rule.

Mohammed Osman Akbari, 60, said he was urgently trying to reach Pakistan, because dilapidated hospitals at home were unable to complete his heart surgery. He told AFP that medics "put springs in my heart", referring to a stent. "They need to be removed and it's not possible here."

The issue of passports was halted after the Taliban returned to power in August. However, in October, authorities reopened the passport office in Kabul only to suspend workdays later.&nbsp;

Now, the office said that the issue has been resolved and those whose applications were already in the process can now get their documents.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-oic-pakistan-warns-of-grave-consequences-from-afghan-economic-crisis-438127">At OIC, Pakistan warns of 'grave consequences' from Afghan economic crisis</a>

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Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian crisis due to a lack of funds to run the economy. After the Taliban came to power, major donors halted their support for the country by freezing funds. Afghanistan also faced challenges of drought caused by global warming.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

After the Taliban government announced that it would resume issuing travel documents, people in Afghanistan rushed to the passport office on Sunday (December 19).

After the Taliban government announced that it would resume issuing travel documents, people in Afghanistan rushed to the passport office on Sunday (December 19). AFP has reported that many people started waiting outside the office from the previous night. Recently, deputy Foreign Minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai weighed in on the migration issue as he said that if the political and economic situation doesn't change, there will be "more migration". He was speaking at a special meeting meant to mark the UN's international migrants day which was attended by representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the United Nations refugee organisation. ALSO READ | Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai slams Pakistani 'propaganda' on Afghanistan After the Taliban took control in Afghanistan, some people in the country want to leave. A few have medical emergencies as they need to go to some other country for treatments, some just intend to escape the Islamists' renewed rule. Mohammed Osman Akbari, 60, said he was urgently trying to reach Pakistan, because dilapidated hospitals at home were unable to complete his heart surgery. He told AFP that medics "put springs in my heart", referring to a stent. "They need to be removed and it's not possible here." The issue of passports was halted after the Taliban returned to power in August. However, in October, authorities reopened the passport office in Kabul only to suspend workdays later. Now, the office said that the issue has been resolved and those whose applications were already in the process can now get their documents. ALSO READ | At OIC, Pakistan warns of 'grave consequences' from Afghan economic crisis × Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian crisis due to a lack of funds to run the economy. After the Taliban came to power, major donors halted their support for the country by freezing funds. Afghanistan also faced challenges of drought caused by global warming. (With inputs from agencies)

After Taliban govt resumed issuing passports, hundreds queue outside the office in a bid to leave Afghanistan

When he was approved for a special visa to immigrate to the United States, Arian Ali thought his luck was about to change. The Taliban had taken over Afghanistan, but he had a way out.

Instead, he remains in limbo.

Ali, 43, qualified for the visa by working with the U.S. government in a series of jobs during the 20-year war and had waited since 2014 for approval. That finally happened in October, more than a month after the Biden administration left Afghanistan in a dramatic evacuation as the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the capital.

The visa could be picked up at any U.S. Embassy. But the one in Kabul had shut down and, without the visa in hand, he was unable to enter any of the countries he deemed safe enough to visit that had open U.S. consular offices.

On Nov. 24, immigration lawyers managed to get Ali and his family on a charter flight to a U.S. military base outside Doha, Qatar. Now he is back to waiting — for word on how long he will be there and when he will get the visa he needs stamped in his passport.

“Our life became a joke,” Ali, who agreed to be identified only by a nickname to protect family still in Afghanistan, said in a text message last week from a refugee camp at Al Udeid Air Base.

“Taliban kill and U.S. government too slow and reluctant to help,” he said.

More than 74,500 Afghans have been given permission to live in the United States, at least temporarily, in the four months since the return of Taliban rule. Although they are no longer in immediate danger, many have had trouble navigating an immigration system that U.S. officials concede was wholly unprepared to help them.

Thousands have stayed in squalid camps. Others have been threatened by security forces as they transit neighboring countries. Even those who have made it to the United States worry about how they will afford housing and food.

In interviews, more than a half-dozen Afghans in various stages of immigrating to the United States expressed profound gratitude for the help they received in leaving Afghanistan. But they also shared their frustration — echoed by immigration advocates, members of Congress and even Biden administration officials — with a process that has provided little clarity on when the United States will deliver on its promise to protect those who risked their lives to support the U.S. government.

“There are lots of people who are trying to find that lucky break that will get them through a door, across the border, on an airplane, get a visa, whatever they need to just get out of the country and try to process themselves into some kind of new reality,” said James B. Cunningham, who was ambassador to Afghanistan from 2012-14.

“Unfortunately, that’s going to continue for a long time,” he said.

Biden administration officials say they are trying to ease the passage. But they have struggled with what Secretary of State Antony Blinken described last month as a situation that “is in so many ways a complicated story that I’m not sure the American people fully understood.”

Additionally, Congress and the White House have failed to resolve whether to give permanent legal status to tens of thousands of Afghans who were evacuated to the United States. That means they could, in theory, be deported in as little as two years.

“The U.S. military and diplomatic presence in Afghanistan may have ended in August,” said Sunil Varghese, policy director for the International Refugee Assistance Project, “but U.S. government’s obligation did not.”

Terrified in Tajikistan

With the Taliban back in power, a 36-year-old man who had also worked with the U.S. government knew he had to get his family out of Afghanistan.

J.F., who agreed to be identified only by his initials for protection, spent years helping the U.S. Treasury Department prosecute money laundering and terrorism financing cases, including against the Taliban. His mother worked for the now-defunct Ministry of Women’s Affairs, counseling victims of domestic violence.

He and his family hid in Kabul for weeks in October, then fled to neighboring Iran. From there, and with a legal entry visa, they flew to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. With a prominent Afghan diaspora on the outskirts of the city, it seemed like the safest place to be while he applied for what is known as “humanitarian parole” to the United States — given that the process must be completed in a country that has a functioning U.S. Embassy. Parole status allows Afghan refugees to live in the United States for a fixed period, in most cases two years.

But six days after they arrived in Dushanbe in early November, security guards knocked on the door of the family’s apartment and took their passports. When he went to the agents’ office the next day, they refused to return the documents and said the family would be sent back to Afghanistan.

Were that to happen, J.F. said, the Taliban “will not let us live.”

Requests for help from a group of Americans who worked with J.F. in Kabul have bounced between Congress, the State Department, Treasury and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services without resolution — or even much of an explanation.

“Treasury’s hands are pretty much tied,” a Treasury official said in a Nov. 5 email on the matter that was shared with The New York Times.

“Our office will be happy to assist the family once USCIS approves their parole request,” the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe responded in a Nov. 11 email.

In an email dated Nov. 12, an aide to Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., also suggested that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services needed to move first but noted that processing the requests would “likely take several months.”

Only about 135 of the 28,000 applications from Afghans seeking humanitarian parole have been approved since July 1, according to the agency, which usually receives fewer than 2,000 applications from around the world each year.

A spokesperson at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would not verify J.F.’s case, citing privacy concerns, but said in a statement that the agency was prepared to welcome more Afghans over the coming months. The agency has increased the number of agents who process the humanitarian parole applications from at least 10 in August to about 50, the spokesperson said Sunday.

J.F. managed to retrieve his family’s passports but is living in Dushanbe on a short-term visa that expires every month, with no guarantee that it will be renewed.

If it is not, he and his family will be deported.

“I didn’t expect to get it easily,” he said of approval to come to the United States, “but it’s too difficult.”

One of his former colleagues, John Kimbler, CEO of California-based Paradigm Applications, is mystified by the web of bureaucracy.

“He’s safer now than he was before, but it seems like there should be a way to move him on to secure that safety,” Kimbler said.

Dwindling Patience in Qatar

Mursal Nazar considered herself fortunate. She was evacuated to the camp at Al Udeid Air Base on a U.S. military flight Aug. 25 — one day before an Islamic State suicide bomber killed scores of Afghans and 13 U.S. troops at the same gate where she had been waiting to be let into the Kabul airport.

But the three-hour flight turned into a 11-hour ordeal as the hundreds of passengers, packed tightly in the sweltering cabin, underwent security and safety checks after they landed.

At the time, the camp was so unprepared for the more than 60,000 Afghans who would transit through Qatar that even the Pentagon reported “some terrible sanitation conditions” there.

“We didn’t have proper toilets to use,” said Nazar, 31. “We didn’t have places to go and take a shower and places for women, who need privacy, to go and change their clothes. They put men and women sleeping under the same tent — different kinds of people, from different cultures and different beliefs. That was a problem for us.”

After a 10-day wait, Nazar and her husband left for the United States.

Officials said conditions had vastly improved at Al Udeid, which continues to house thousands of Afghans on their way to the United States.

During the evacuation, a dozen overseas transit hubs, or “lily pads,” housed thousands of Afghans. But concerns about a long-term strain on Pentagon resources and readiness have led to the closure of all but three of the sites: Al Udeid, one in Kosovo and a vast field of tents known as Humanitarian City in the United Arab Emirates. Officials said there were at least 2,900 Afghans — the number frequently changes — at the three bases waiting to come to the United States.

The host governments have also raised concerns about allowing in thousands of people who U.S. officials have said may not have been fully vetted before they were flown out of Afghanistan.

Qatar recently banned Afghans who don’t have passports or other government-approved credentials, although there may be exceptions, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the country’s top diplomat, said in Washington last month.

For security reasons, “it’s very important to make sure that the right people are evacuated,” he said.

Ali is among at least 28,000 Afghans who have been identified as qualifying for the special immigrant visa because of their work for the U.S. government. The State Department says it has issued 8,200 of the visas since January and hopes to bring out at least 1,000 more from Afghanistan each month through next September, although that goal may be especially difficult to reach in the winter and with Kabul’s airport in disarray.

But a yearslong delay in processing the visas has enraged military veterans and others who served in Afghanistan, and become a rare source of unity within a Congress that has been divided to the point of paralysis on other aspects of immigration.

“The United States pledged to support those who served our mission in Afghanistan,” Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rob Portman of Ohio, all Republicans, wrote in an Oct. 21 letter to demand an investigation into the delays. “Failing to do so would lead allies and adversaries alike to call into question our reliability and credibility as a partner in future conflicts.”

Blinken has noted that the State Department, which issues the visas after they have been vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, inherited a backlog of 17,000 applications when President Joe Biden took office in January. Consular officers were processing about 100 special immigrant visas each week last winter but about 1,000 as Biden’s deadline for ending the war approached in August.

Ali was eligible for a visa through his work since 2003 for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, advocacy groups and the fledgling Afghan government.

“I’m proud of the work I did with the United States,” he said. “But I don’t understand how the U.S. government could abandon its allies.”

Stressed in the United States

Nazar applied for a special immigrant visa last year as the Taliban seized territory across Afghanistan and the U.S. military prepared to leave. It had not been approved by the time she was evacuated to the camp in Qatar in August, however, and she entered the United States on humanitarian parole that required her to live on a National Guard base in Indiana as she waited for refugee resettlement officials to take her case.

She arrived at Camp Atterbury, south of Indianapolis, before dawn Sept. 6, and was struck by the expanse of green fields and fresh air. “I was relieved that finally I was somewhere I can be relaxed,” she said.

It did not last long. The mess halls ran out of food in the early days. Base officials struggled to track the Afghans; as recently as mid-November, a military public affairs officer insisted that Nazar had already left Camp Atterbury even though she had not.

Worst of all was the nagging anxiety of when they might move them off base and into homes.

“When we asked the same question, like, ‘How long is it going to take? On what basis are you going let these families to be resettled from here?’ they say, ‘We don’t have any answer for your questions — you just have to wait for your turn, and whenever it comes, we will call you,” Nazar said last month.

Her turn finally came the week of the Thanksgiving holiday, when she moved into a temporary apartment in Bayonne, New Jersey. “Things are going well,” she said recently, although she is waiting for work authorization and other documents.

Resettlement agencies have helped place around 38,000 Afghans in U.S. communities since August.

Tens of thousands of Afghans are still waiting on seven military bases in the United States. But a refugee camp at Fort Lee, Virginia, was shuttered Nov. 17, and officials said one in Quantico, Virginia, would likely be next.

“The most important thing we can do is put people on the path to self-sufficiency as quickly as we can,” Jack Markell, a former governor of Delaware and the coordinator of Operation Allies Welcome, the White House resettlement process for evacuated Afghans, said last month.

As many as 4,000 Afghans are moved from the camps and resettled each week, and “this is an effort that will continue,” Markell said.

He acknowledged Afghans’ frustration and said officials have tried to answer more of their questions in recent weeks. “If we were in their shoes, we’d want the same thing,” Markell said. “We’d all want to know, as quickly as possible, where we’re going to be building our new lives.”

Refugee agencies have been overwhelmed with caring for Afghans families who are moved into U.S. communities. A family of 10, including a newborn baby, had no money and no benefits when they were settled outside Washington, D.C., and depended on grocery deliveries from the Muslim Association of Virginia. In Houston, some Afghans have been placed in crime-ridden neighborhoods and are living in apartments with dilapidated toilets or black mold in bathrooms, and are salvaging supplies from rubbish heaps or borrowing from neighbors.

“There are pregnant women who have slept on hard floors with no blankets, no mattress,” said Shekeba Morrad, an Afghan-American community organizer in Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia, who works with a nationwide group trying to monitor the situation of the newly arrived Afghans.

Hamid Wahidy, 34, and his family made it to the camp at Quantico, Virginia, via a route that first took them to Qatar, Germany and Dulles International Airport outside Washington. They stayed at the camp for 40 days before moving into a small Airbnb in San Diego. The first month there was a blur of bureaucratic shuffling to receive his Social Security card, which he needed to open a bank account, obtain a driver’s license, apply for a job and enroll his kids in school.

A few weeks later, he moved into a larger home. It cost him $3,400 — for one month’s rent and a security deposit — of the $5,000 the family received from a resettlement agency. He did not immediately receive food stamps and other benefits that he had expected under a spending bill that Congress passed in September that included $6.3 billion in expanded assistance to the arriving Afghans.

The legislation also did not include an expedited process for legal residency for Wahidy and other Afghans. Without it, immigration advocates say, they could eventually be deported.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., noted that the Afghan refugees had already undergone background checks and other security screening, and suggested they could fill job vacancies created by the pandemic.

“This is not only the right thing to do — it will enrich our communities and strengthen our economy,” said Klobuchar, who is among those pushing for the Afghans to be given “a clear path to remain here as lawful permanent residents.”

Wahidy described his family’s journey out of Kabul in August — including crawling through a fetid canal to catch the attention of a U.S. soldier standing guard at the airport — as “very difficult.”

In San Diego, he has relied on donations. He is still trying to accept that his life will never be what it was in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over — “a good life in our own country,” he said wistfully.

“We had a job there, we could handle our family, our normal life,” Wahidy said, exhaling deeply. “But here, it is 180 degrees change.

“It’s not clear, our future,” he said. “What will happen to us, I don’t know.”

When he was approved for a special visa to immigrate to the United States, Arian Ali thought his luck was about to change. The Taliban had taken over Afghanistan, but he had a way out.

When he was approved for a special visa to immigrate to the United States, Arian Ali thought his luck was about to change. The Taliban had taken over Afghanistan, but he had a way out. Instead, he remains in limbo. Ali, 43, qualified for the visa by working with the U.S. government in a series of jobs during the 20-year war and had waited since 2014 for approval. That finally happened in October, more than a month after the Biden administration left Afghanistan in a dramatic evacuation as the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the capital. The visa could be picked up at any U.S. Embassy. But the one in Kabul had shut down and, without the visa in hand, he was unable to enter any of the countries he deemed safe enough to visit that had open U.S. consular offices. On Nov. 24, immigration lawyers managed to get Ali and his family on a charter flight to a U.S. military base outside Doha, Qatar. Now he is back to waiting — for word on how long he will be there and when he will get the visa he needs stamped in his passport. “Our life became a joke,” Ali, who agreed to be identified only by a nickname to protect family still in Afghanistan, said in a text message last week from a refugee camp at Al Udeid Air Base. “Taliban kill and U.S. government too slow and reluctant to help,” he said. More than 74,500 Afghans have been given permission to live in the United States, at least temporarily, in the four months since the return of Taliban rule. Although they are no longer in immediate danger, many have had trouble navigating an immigration system that U.S. officials concede was wholly unprepared to help them. Thousands have stayed in squalid camps. Others have been threatened by security forces as they transit neighboring countries. Even those who have made it to the United States worry about how they will afford housing and food. In interviews, more than a half-dozen Afghans in various stages of immigrating to the United States expressed profound gratitude for the help they received in leaving Afghanistan. But they also shared their frustration — echoed by immigration advocates, members of Congress and even Biden administration officials — with a process that has provided little clarity on when the United States will deliver on its promise to protect those who risked their lives to support the U.S. government. “There are lots of people who are trying to find that lucky break that will get them through a door, across the border, on an airplane, get a visa, whatever they need to just get out of the country and try to process themselves into some kind of new reality,” said James B. Cunningham, who was ambassador to Afghanistan from 2012-14. “Unfortunately, that’s going to continue for a long time,” he said. Biden administration officials say they are trying to ease the passage. But they have struggled with what Secretary of State Antony Blinken described last month as a situation that “is in so many ways a complicated story that I’m not sure the American people fully understood.” Additionally, Congress and the White House have failed to resolve whether to give permanent legal status to tens of thousands of Afghans who were evacuated to the United States. That means they could, in theory, be deported in as little as two years. “The U.S. military and diplomatic presence in Afghanistan may have ended in August,” said Sunil Varghese, policy director for the International Refugee Assistance Project, “but U.S. government’s obligation did not.” Terrified in Tajikistan With the Taliban back in power, a 36-year-old man who had also worked with the U.S. government knew he had to get his family out of Afghanistan. J.F., who agreed to be identified only by his initials for protection, spent years helping the U.S. Treasury Department prosecute money laundering and terrorism financing cases, including against the Taliban. His mother worked for the now-defunct Ministry of Women’s Affairs, counseling victims of domestic violence. He and his family hid in Kabul for weeks in October, then fled to neighboring Iran. From there, and with a legal entry visa, they flew to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. With a prominent Afghan diaspora on the outskirts of the city, it seemed like the safest place to be while he applied for what is known as “humanitarian parole” to the United States — given that the process must be completed in a country that has a functioning U.S. Embassy. Parole status allows Afghan refugees to live in the United States for a fixed period, in most cases two years. But six days after they arrived in Dushanbe in early November, security guards knocked on the door of the family’s apartment and took their passports. When he went to the agents’ office the next day, they refused to return the documents and said the family would be sent back to Afghanistan. Were that to happen, J.F. said, the Taliban “will not let us live.” Requests for help from a group of Americans who worked with J.F. in Kabul have bounced between Congress, the State Department, Treasury and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services without resolution — or even much of an explanation. “Treasury’s hands are pretty much tied,” a Treasury official said in a Nov. 5 email on the matter that was shared with The New York Times. “Our office will be happy to assist the family once USCIS approves their parole request,” the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe responded in a Nov. 11 email. In an email dated Nov. 12, an aide to Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., also suggested that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services needed to move first but noted that processing the requests would “likely take several months.” Only about 135 of the 28,000 applications from Afghans seeking humanitarian parole have been approved since July 1, according to the agency, which usually receives fewer than 2,000 applications from around the world each year. A spokesperson at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would not verify J.F.’s case, citing privacy concerns, but said in a statement that the agency was prepared to welcome more Afghans over the coming months. The agency has increased the number of agents who process the humanitarian parole applications from at least 10 in August to about 50, the spokesperson said Sunday. J.F. managed to retrieve his family’s passports but is living in Dushanbe on a short-term visa that expires every month, with no guarantee that it will be renewed. If it is not, he and his family will be deported. “I didn’t expect to get it easily,” he said of approval to come to the United States, “but it’s too difficult.” One of his former colleagues, John Kimbler, CEO of California-based Paradigm Applications, is mystified by the web of bureaucracy. “He’s safer now than he was before, but it seems like there should be a way to move him on to secure that safety,” Kimbler said. Dwindling Patience in Qatar Mursal Nazar considered herself fortunate. She was evacuated to the camp at Al Udeid Air Base on a U.S. military flight Aug. 25 — one day before an Islamic State suicide bomber killed scores of Afghans and 13 U.S. troops at the same gate where she had been waiting to be let into the Kabul airport. But the three-hour flight turned into a 11-hour ordeal as the hundreds of passengers, packed tightly in the sweltering cabin, underwent security and safety checks after they landed. At the time, the camp was so unprepared for the more than 60,000 Afghans who would transit through Qatar that even the Pentagon reported “some terrible sanitation conditions” there. “We didn’t have proper toilets to use,” said Nazar, 31. “We didn’t have places to go and take a shower and places for women, who need privacy, to go and change their clothes. They put men and women sleeping under the same tent — different kinds of people, from different cultures and different beliefs. That was a problem for us.” After a 10-day wait, Nazar and her husband left for the United States. Officials said conditions had vastly improved at Al Udeid, which continues to house thousands of Afghans on their way to the United States. During the evacuation, a dozen overseas transit hubs, or “lily pads,” housed thousands of Afghans. But concerns about a long-term strain on Pentagon resources and readiness have led to the closure of all but three of the sites: Al Udeid, one in Kosovo and a vast field of tents known as Humanitarian City in the United Arab Emirates. Officials said there were at least 2,900 Afghans — the number frequently changes — at the three bases waiting to come to the United States. The host governments have also raised concerns about allowing in thousands of people who U.S. officials have said may not have been fully vetted before they were flown out of Afghanistan. Qatar recently banned Afghans who don’t have passports or other government-approved credentials, although there may be exceptions, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the country’s top diplomat, said in Washington last month. For security reasons, “it’s very important to make sure that the right people are evacuated,” he said. Ali is among at least 28,000 Afghans who have been identified as qualifying for the special immigrant visa because of their work for the U.S. government. The State Department says it has issued 8,200 of the visas since January and hopes to bring out at least 1,000 more from Afghanistan each month through next September, although that goal may be especially difficult to reach in the winter and with Kabul’s airport in disarray. But a yearslong delay in processing the visas has enraged military veterans and others who served in Afghanistan, and become a rare source of unity within a Congress that has been divided to the point of paralysis on other aspects of immigration. “The United States pledged to support those who served our mission in Afghanistan,” Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rob Portman of Ohio, all Republicans, wrote in an Oct. 21 letter to demand an investigation into the delays. “Failing to do so would lead allies and adversaries alike to call into question our reliability and credibility as a partner in future conflicts.” Blinken has noted that the State Department, which issues the visas after they have been vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, inherited a backlog of 17,000 applications when President Joe Biden took office in January. Consular officers were processing about 100 special immigrant visas each week last winter but about 1,000 as Biden’s deadline for ending the war approached in August. Ali was eligible for a visa through his work since 2003 for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, advocacy groups and the fledgling Afghan government. “I’m proud of the work I did with the United States,” he said. “But I don’t understand how the U.S. government could abandon its allies.” Stressed in the United States Nazar applied for a special immigrant visa last year as the Taliban seized territory across Afghanistan and the U.S. military prepared to leave. It had not been approved by the time she was evacuated to the camp in Qatar in August, however, and she entered the United States on humanitarian parole that required her to live on a National Guard base in Indiana as she waited for refugee resettlement officials to take her case. She arrived at Camp Atterbury, south of Indianapolis, before dawn Sept. 6, and was struck by the expanse of green fields and fresh air. “I was relieved that finally I was somewhere I can be relaxed,” she said. It did not last long. The mess halls ran out of food in the early days. Base officials struggled to track the Afghans; as recently as mid-November, a military public affairs officer insisted that Nazar had already left Camp Atterbury even though she had not. Worst of all was the nagging anxiety of when they might move them off base and into homes. “When we asked the same question, like, ‘How long is it going to take? On what basis are you going let these families to be resettled from here?’ they say, ‘We don’t have any answer for your questions — you just have to wait for your turn, and whenever it comes, we will call you,” Nazar said last month. Her turn finally came the week of the Thanksgiving holiday, when she moved into a temporary apartment in Bayonne, New Jersey. “Things are going well,” she said recently, although she is waiting for work authorization and other documents. Resettlement agencies have helped place around 38,000 Afghans in U.S. communities since August. Tens of thousands of Afghans are still waiting on seven military bases in the United States. But a refugee camp at Fort Lee, Virginia, was shuttered Nov. 17, and officials said one in Quantico, Virginia, would likely be next. “The most important thing we can do is put people on the path to self-sufficiency as quickly as we can,” Jack Markell, a former governor of Delaware and the coordinator of Operation Allies Welcome, the White House resettlement process for evacuated Afghans, said last month. As many as 4,000 Afghans are moved from the camps and resettled each week, and “this is an effort that will continue,” Markell said. He acknowledged Afghans’ frustration and said officials have tried to answer more of their questions in recent weeks. “If we were in their shoes, we’d want the same thing,” Markell said. “We’d all want to know, as quickly as possible, where we’re going to be building our new lives.” Refugee agencies have been overwhelmed with caring for Afghans families who are moved into U.S. communities. A family of 10, including a newborn baby, had no money and no benefits when they were settled outside Washington, D.C., and depended on grocery deliveries from the Muslim Association of Virginia. In Houston, some Afghans have been placed in crime-ridden neighborhoods and are living in apartments with dilapidated toilets or black mold in bathrooms, and are salvaging supplies from rubbish heaps or borrowing from neighbors. “There are pregnant women who have slept on hard floors with no blankets, no mattress,” said Shekeba Morrad, an Afghan-American community organizer in Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia, who works with a nationwide group trying to monitor the situation of the newly arrived Afghans. Hamid Wahidy, 34, and his family made it to the camp at Quantico, Virginia, via a route that first took them to Qatar, Germany and Dulles International Airport outside Washington. They stayed at the camp for 40 days before moving into a small Airbnb in San Diego. The first month there was a blur of bureaucratic shuffling to receive his Social Security card, which he needed to open a bank account, obtain a driver’s license, apply for a job and enroll his kids in school. A few weeks later, he moved into a larger home. It cost him $3,400 — for one month’s rent and a security deposit — of the $5,000 the family received from a resettlement agency. He did not immediately receive food stamps and other benefits that he had expected under a spending bill that Congress passed in September that included $6.3 billion in expanded assistance to the arriving Afghans. The legislation also did not include an expedited process for legal residency for Wahidy and other Afghans. Without it, immigration advocates say, they could eventually be deported. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., noted that the Afghan refugees had already undergone background checks and other security screening, and suggested they could fill job vacancies created by the pandemic. “This is not only the right thing to do — it will enrich our communities and strengthen our economy,” said Klobuchar, who is among those pushing for the Afghans to be given “a clear path to remain here as lawful permanent residents.” Wahidy described his family’s journey out of Kabul in August — including crawling through a fetid canal to catch the attention of a U.S. soldier standing guard at the airport — as “very difficult.” In San Diego, he has relied on donations. He is still trying to accept that his life will never be what it was in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over — “a good life in our own country,” he said wistfully. “We had a job there, we could handle our family, our normal life,” Wahidy said, exhaling deeply. “But here, it is 180 degrees change. “It’s not clear, our future,” he said. “What will happen to us, I don’t know.”

At every step, Afghans heading to America encounter stumbling blocks

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan&nbsp;over the weekend to discuss concerns about Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p>

Jaishankar said the leaders got together to discuss "a truly inclusive and representative government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance, and preserving the rights of women, children, and the minorities".

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="wionews.com/india-news/afghanistan-connectivity-discussed-during-meet-between-eam-jaishankar-tajik-fm-437998">Afghanistan, connectivity discussed during meet between EAM Jaishankar, Tajik FM</a></o:p>

The ministers also discussed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and what can be done to protect Afghans and citizens of neighbouring countries from the crisis, especially considering Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan share borders with Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p>

"We all also share deep-rooted historical and civilisational ties with Afghanistan," Jaishankar said while talking to his counterparts. "We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan."<o:p></o:p>

The leaders talked about the impact the Afghan crisis can and is having on the economies of their own home country. They "reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs," a joint statement said.

<o:p>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-pm-modi-conferred-with-highest-civilian-honour-of-bhutan-heres-what-you-should-know-437675">Indian PM gets highest civilian honour of Bhutan. Here's what you should know</a></o:p>

It has also been decided that the participating nations will continue providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to ensure that the locals there do not suffer due to the ongoing crisis. They have also decided to stay updated and continue close consultation regarding the situation in Afghanistan.<o:p></o:p>

They also stressed upon the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021). This resolutions states that the territory of Afghan should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, financing or carrying out acts of terror.<o:p></o:p>

Talking about the importance of defence and security related consultations among nations, the ministers "condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology, and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations".<o:p></o:p>

They also used this opportunity to urge international leaders and organisations to come together to help fight terrorism on a global level and follow UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and FATF standards, the joint statement said.<o:p></o:p>

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan over the weekend to discuss concerns about Afghanistan.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan over the weekend to discuss concerns about Afghanistan. Jaishankar said the leaders got together to discuss "a truly inclusive and representative government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance, and preserving the rights of women, children, and the minorities". Also read | Afghanistan, connectivity discussed during meet between EAM Jaishankar, Tajik FM The ministers also discussed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and what can be done to protect Afghans and citizens of neighbouring countries from the crisis, especially considering Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan share borders with Afghanistan. "We all also share deep-rooted historical and civilisational ties with Afghanistan," Jaishankar said while talking to his counterparts. "We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan." The leaders talked about the impact the Afghan crisis can and is having on the economies of their own home country. They "reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs," a joint statement said. Also read | Indian PM gets highest civilian honour of Bhutan. Here's what you should know It has also been decided that the participating nations will continue providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to ensure that the locals there do not suffer due to the ongoing crisis. They have also decided to stay updated and continue close consultation regarding the situation in Afghanistan. They also stressed upon the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021). This resolutions states that the territory of Afghan should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, financing or carrying out acts of terror. Talking about the importance of defence and security related consultations among nations, the ministers "condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology, and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations". They also used this opportunity to urge international leaders and organisations to come together to help fight terrorism on a global level and follow UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and FATF standards, the joint statement said.

India, Central Asian nations seek peace, stability in Afghanistan

The third edition of the Central Asia dialogue begins in India. The key focus of the dialogue will be on the Afghanistan crisis.

India: Third edition of Central Asia dialogue to focus on trade, regional connectivity & Afghanistan

Haji Rozi Khan stood outside the gate of the bullet-pocked building that housed the Marjah district’s government offices, staring through the slotted steel door into the compound. Taliban guards stared back. They were not who he was looking for.

Khan had trekked to Marjah’s district center in Helmand province from his village several miles away by motorbike, kicking up powdered dust as he navigated the unpaved roads, long damaged by the war. He was searching for a figure who had been even more elusive since the Taliban took power in August: an aid worker.

“We have nothing to eat,” he said in an interview last month.

Once, Marjah was the site of one of the biggest battles of the two-decade war, part of the United States’ counterinsurgency campaign to weaken the Taliban and build up a local government. But today, the grid-like patch of mud-walled hamlets and canals looks much like it did at the outset of the invasion in 2001: barely navigable roads, understaffed and damaged schools and clinics and withered crops, crippled by one of the worst droughts in decades.

As Afghanistan sinks deeper into a humanitarian crisis, Marjah’s residents are still caught in the war’s aftershocks. Amid a crashing economy and ruined harvests, in a place where most people barely live above the poverty line, many are just now realizing how dependent they were on foreign aid, their lifeline for 20 years, which was cut off practically overnight. They’re growing increasingly desperate for help, a frustration that has morphed into anger that the international community has seemingly abandoned them.

Marjah residents are also coming to terms with a new Taliban government that may have brought peace, but with dwindling cash and the squelching of foreign aid has been able to deliver on little else.

“The government isn’t able to help themselves and we’re not able to help ourselves,” Khan said, as a small group of farmers gathered outside the district center to voice similar complaints to the local government.

It is a tragic but almost inevitable turn for a district in southern Afghanistan that has since become emblematic of the multi-trillion-dollar nation-building effort by the West that crumbled even before the Americans fully withdrew from the country in August. Many in Marjah were happy to see the foreign occupation end and the Taliban take power, because it brought stability to the region after years of fighting that took countless civilian lives and wrought widespread destruction.

Khan had lived for nearly 30 years at the edge of Marjah, where he grew wheat, cotton and corn until his crop was battered last year by the drought. That same year, his nephew was killed by a roadside bomb.

This year’s turmoil has been deepened by the arrival of roughly 20 displaced families from central Afghanistan. They were hungry and homeless, he said, so he gave them what little food he could spare before making his way to the district center in hopes of finding someone else who could help.

“We are so tired,” Khan said, his blue shalwar kameez flapping in the morning breeze.

In recent weeks, the United States and the European Union have pledged to provide $1.29 billion more in aid to Afghanistan. The World Bank’s board moved in late November to free up $280 million in frozen donor funding, but U.S. sanctions against the Taliban continue to make it extremely difficult for aid organizations to get money into the country.

Aside from the sanctions, the Taliban government’s inability to provide for its people also stems from its inexperience in governance, which was clearly illustrated in a visit to the district office in Marjah.

Inside the squat government building that was refurbished by the Americans a decade ago and nearly destroyed by fighting in the decade since, sat Mullah Abdul Salam Hussaini, 37, Marjah’s district governor. The newly appointed local leader had spent the better part of the past 20 years — essentially his entire adulthood — trying to kill U.S. and NATO forces as a Taliban fighter.

Now he found himself governing a district of around 80,000 people mired in crisis, with little in the way of funds, infrastructure or public-service experience to support his constituents.

People lined up at the compound gates with a litany of complaints and requests: Do something about the displaced refugees; build a new health clinic; help farmers whose crops were destroyed and find more teachers for what may be the only remaining school in Marjah.

“Whatever people ask, I am asking that, too, because we are not in a situation to do it ourselves,” Hussaini said quietly, surrounded by Talibs who looked far more comfortable behind a rifle than a desk. “We need the help of foreigners because they did it before and we’re asking them to do it again.”

Inside the governor’s dimly lit office, walls and window sill adorned with Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons captured from the previous government, sat a representative from a local aid group who had come to survey the district and its food needs for the World Food Program. The organization is still distributing basic food staples, but the rising demand has far exceeded their supplies.

For years, the insurgent group controlled pockets of Afghanistan, and fueled a shadow economy by leeching off the previous government’s foreign-filled coffers through taxes on everyone in their territory, including truck drivers and aid workers. But those sorts of activities cannot make up for the loss of outside help.

“The Taliban don’t seem to have had a sense of how dependent the economy was on foreign support, which they benefited from as did everyone else,” said Kate Clark, the co-director of Afghanistan Analysts Network. “Even under the areas under Taliban control they weren’t funding the schools and the clinics.”

Marjah, a district long reliant on growing poppy for its own illicit economy that the Taliban also taxed, was built by the United States in the late 1950s and 1960s as an agricultural project that diverted water from the Helmand River into a series of distinct grids.

In 2010, during the height of President Barack Obama’s troop surge, thousands of Western and Afghan troops secured the network of canals and fields in a major military offensive and then made promises of roads, schools and a functioning local government. Considered the last Taliban stronghold in central Helmand, Marjah was a strategically important district in the eyes of military planners, who decided a victory there would be crucial to Obama’s new counterinsurgency strategy.

The Koru Chareh bazaar, a cluster of shoddy low-slung, steel-door shops, was where some of the first U.S. troops arrived in 2010.

“They came at night,” recalled Abdul Kabir, a young shopkeeper who was 9 when the first helicopters landed nearby.

As a boy, he watched as the Marines in desert tan uniforms walked by, saying nothing to him.

But, this November, the only visible signs of the Americans’ occupation was a “Trump 2020 Keep America Great” flag draped from a shopkeeper’s peanut stand and a Confederate battle flag hanging from a shed nearby. A paved road that bisects Marjah from north to south is arguably the most prominent U.S. piece of infrastructure in the district, built as part of the more than $4 billion in stabilization funds that the United States poured into the country.

“It’s good the fighting is over,” Kabir said, standing next to his money exchange stand, where he focused on changing afghanis into Pakistani rupees.

Few people ambled by. He had lived in Marjah his whole life, an arc that followed the entire U.S. occupation.

Kabir was one of several residents who praised the security situation but lamented the economic downturn.

“There is no money and everything is expensive,” he added.

With fluctuating border restrictions, higher import costs and a cash shortage, basic products in the bazaar, such as cooking oil, are three times as expensive as they once were.

To the vendors, who have distinct memories of fighting outside their homes, and explosions and gunshots that killed their friends, the economic crunch and the United States’ unwillingness to recognize the Taliban feel like punishments against them, not the new government.

Ali Mohammed, 27, who runs a chicken stand at the main intersection of the bazaar, has carried the weight of the war for years. He watched as a friend was gunned down by the Americans in a field just a few hundred yards from where he now sells his underfed birds. To him, his country’s situation was simply a new phase of the conflict.

“The foreigners say they are not here anymore,” he said. “But they didn’t finish the war against us.”

Haji Rozi Khan stood outside the gate of the bullet-pocked building that housed the Marjah district’s government offices, staring through the slotted steel door into the compound.

Haji Rozi Khan stood outside the gate of the bullet-pocked building that housed the Marjah district’s government offices, staring through the slotted steel door into the compound. Taliban guards stared back. They were not who he was looking for. Khan had trekked to Marjah’s district center in Helmand province from his village several miles away by motorbike, kicking up powdered dust as he navigated the unpaved roads, long damaged by the war. He was searching for a figure who had been even more elusive since the Taliban took power in August: an aid worker. “We have nothing to eat,” he said in an interview last month. Once, Marjah was the site of one of the biggest battles of the two-decade war, part of the United States’ counterinsurgency campaign to weaken the Taliban and build up a local government. But today, the grid-like patch of mud-walled hamlets and canals looks much like it did at the outset of the invasion in 2001: barely navigable roads, understaffed and damaged schools and clinics and withered crops, crippled by one of the worst droughts in decades. As Afghanistan sinks deeper into a humanitarian crisis, Marjah’s residents are still caught in the war’s aftershocks. Amid a crashing economy and ruined harvests, in a place where most people barely live above the poverty line, many are just now realizing how dependent they were on foreign aid, their lifeline for 20 years, which was cut off practically overnight. They’re growing increasingly desperate for help, a frustration that has morphed into anger that the international community has seemingly abandoned them. Marjah residents are also coming to terms with a new Taliban government that may have brought peace, but with dwindling cash and the squelching of foreign aid has been able to deliver on little else. “The government isn’t able to help themselves and we’re not able to help ourselves,” Khan said, as a small group of farmers gathered outside the district center to voice similar complaints to the local government. It is a tragic but almost inevitable turn for a district in southern Afghanistan that has since become emblematic of the multi-trillion-dollar nation-building effort by the West that crumbled even before the Americans fully withdrew from the country in August. Many in Marjah were happy to see the foreign occupation end and the Taliban take power, because it brought stability to the region after years of fighting that took countless civilian lives and wrought widespread destruction. Khan had lived for nearly 30 years at the edge of Marjah, where he grew wheat, cotton and corn until his crop was battered last year by the drought. That same year, his nephew was killed by a roadside bomb. This year’s turmoil has been deepened by the arrival of roughly 20 displaced families from central Afghanistan. They were hungry and homeless, he said, so he gave them what little food he could spare before making his way to the district center in hopes of finding someone else who could help. “We are so tired,” Khan said, his blue shalwar kameez flapping in the morning breeze. In recent weeks, the United States and the European Union have pledged to provide $1.29 billion more in aid to Afghanistan. The World Bank’s board moved in late November to free up $280 million in frozen donor funding, but U.S. sanctions against the Taliban continue to make it extremely difficult for aid organizations to get money into the country. Aside from the sanctions, the Taliban government’s inability to provide for its people also stems from its inexperience in governance, which was clearly illustrated in a visit to the district office in Marjah. Inside the squat government building that was refurbished by the Americans a decade ago and nearly destroyed by fighting in the decade since, sat Mullah Abdul Salam Hussaini, 37, Marjah’s district governor. The newly appointed local leader had spent the better part of the past 20 years — essentially his entire adulthood — trying to kill U.S. and NATO forces as a Taliban fighter. Now he found himself governing a district of around 80,000 people mired in crisis, with little in the way of funds, infrastructure or public-service experience to support his constituents. People lined up at the compound gates with a litany of complaints and requests: Do something about the displaced refugees; build a new health clinic; help farmers whose crops were destroyed and find more teachers for what may be the only remaining school in Marjah. “Whatever people ask, I am asking that, too, because we are not in a situation to do it ourselves,” Hussaini said quietly, surrounded by Talibs who looked far more comfortable behind a rifle than a desk. “We need the help of foreigners because they did it before and we’re asking them to do it again.” Inside the governor’s dimly lit office, walls and window sill adorned with Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons captured from the previous government, sat a representative from a local aid group who had come to survey the district and its food needs for the World Food Program. The organization is still distributing basic food staples, but the rising demand has far exceeded their supplies. For years, the insurgent group controlled pockets of Afghanistan, and fueled a shadow economy by leeching off the previous government’s foreign-filled coffers through taxes on everyone in their territory, including truck drivers and aid workers. But those sorts of activities cannot make up for the loss of outside help. “The Taliban don’t seem to have had a sense of how dependent the economy was on foreign support, which they benefited from as did everyone else,” said Kate Clark, the co-director of Afghanistan Analysts Network. “Even under the areas under Taliban control they weren’t funding the schools and the clinics.” Marjah, a district long reliant on growing poppy for its own illicit economy that the Taliban also taxed, was built by the United States in the late 1950s and 1960s as an agricultural project that diverted water from the Helmand River into a series of distinct grids. In 2010, during the height of President Barack Obama’s troop surge, thousands of Western and Afghan troops secured the network of canals and fields in a major military offensive and then made promises of roads, schools and a functioning local government. Considered the last Taliban stronghold in central Helmand, Marjah was a strategically important district in the eyes of military planners, who decided a victory there would be crucial to Obama’s new counterinsurgency strategy. The Koru Chareh bazaar, a cluster of shoddy low-slung, steel-door shops, was where some of the first U.S. troops arrived in 2010. “They came at night,” recalled Abdul Kabir, a young shopkeeper who was 9 when the first helicopters landed nearby. As a boy, he watched as the Marines in desert tan uniforms walked by, saying nothing to him. But, this November, the only visible signs of the Americans’ occupation was a “Trump 2020 Keep America Great” flag draped from a shopkeeper’s peanut stand and a Confederate battle flag hanging from a shed nearby. A paved road that bisects Marjah from north to south is arguably the most prominent U.S. piece of infrastructure in the district, built as part of the more than $4 billion in stabilization funds that the United States poured into the country. “It’s good the fighting is over,” Kabir said, standing next to his money exchange stand, where he focused on changing afghanis into Pakistani rupees. Few people ambled by. He had lived in Marjah his whole life, an arc that followed the entire U.S. occupation. Kabir was one of several residents who praised the security situation but lamented the economic downturn. “There is no money and everything is expensive,” he added. With fluctuating border restrictions, higher import costs and a cash shortage, basic products in the bazaar, such as cooking oil, are three times as expensive as they once were. To the vendors, who have distinct memories of fighting outside their homes, and explosions and gunshots that killed their friends, the economic crunch and the United States’ unwillingness to recognize the Taliban feel like punishments against them, not the new government. Ali Mohammed, 27, who runs a chicken stand at the main intersection of the bazaar, has carried the weight of the war for years. He watched as a friend was gunned down by the Americans in a field just a few hundred yards from where he now sells his underfed birds. To him, his country’s situation was simply a new phase of the conflict. “The foreigners say they are not here anymore,” he said. “But they didn’t finish the war against us.”

Once a symbol of US strength, an Afghan district now faces dire times

Pakistan is hosting an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Minister's meet on Afghanistan, which is proposed by Saudi Arabia. Taliban interim govt officials are also invited to the meeting. WION's Anas Mallick brings in more information on this.

Pakistan hosts OIC Foreign Ministers' meeting called by Saudi Arabia to address Afghanistan crisis

The Taliban regime appealed for international help to combat a deepening economic crisis that has fueled fears of another refugee exodus from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Taliban leaders appeal for help as migrant crisis looms

In a bid to provide relief to thousands of Afghan people, the interim Taliban government is all set to start reissuing passports.

Afghanistan: Taliban to resume issuing passports

India: Third edition of a 3-day long Central Asia dialogue underway in New Delhi

The third edition of Central Asia dialogue underway in India

The third edition of the Central Asia dialogue is underway in India. On second day of the dialogue, India's EAM S Jaishankar hosted the crucial meet between foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and others.

Afghan crisis, regional connectivity on India's Central Asia Dialogue's agenda

Taliban officials appealed to the international community to help Afghanistan as the country currently is in dire straits, facing an economic and humanitarian crisis, which has created fears of another refugee exodus.

Taliban officials appealed to the international community to help Afghanistan as the country currently is in dire straits, facing an economic and humanitarian crisis, which has created fears of another refugee exodus. The crisis has been escalated ever since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August and, in immediate response, major donors halted their support for the country by freezing funds. Afghanistan also faced challenges of drought caused by global warming. "The impact of the frozen funds is on the common people and not Taliban authorities," deputy Foreign Minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said at a special meeting meant to mark the UN's international migrants day. ALSO READ | Rewind 2021: When Taliban in Afghanistan became the 'new normal' In the conference, which was attended by representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the United Nations refugee organisation, he appealed to the countries like the United States to help Afghanistan recover after decades of war. "If the political and economic situation doesn't change, there will be more migration," Stanikzai added. As per repeated warnings by the United Nations, Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. However, international donors recently agreed to release $280 million in aid to Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) will go "to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan at this critical time," the World Bank said in a statement, which was released on Friday (December 10). ALSO READ | Amid concerns of extreme poverty, Taliban manages to prepare new Afghan budget The Taliban regime is also looking forward to bridging the gap between other countries as made a fresh appeal on Friday (December 17) for Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations after the ambassador of the former US-backed government left his post. The UN seat, and some other embassies abroad, are at the centre of a tug-of-war between exiled diplomats of the old government and Afghanistan's new Islamist rulers. No country has yet recognised the Taliban regime. × (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban officials appeal for international help to combat a deepening economic crisis in Afghanistan

Pakistan to host OIC Foreign Ministers' meet on Afghanistan crisis

Central Asia Dialogue: India-Central Asian Nations issue joint statement

A controversial revelation by the Pentagon documents has shown that the US air wars in the Middle East, which have taken several civilian lives, was marked by “deeply flawed intelligence”.<o:p></o:p>

A report by the New York Times has revealed that a heap of confidential documents have reported that the US government has time and again failed to fulfil their pledge of transparency and accountability.<o:p></o:p>

"Not a single record provided includes a finding of wrongdoing or disciplinary action," the report stated.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-technology/roswell-crash-pentagon-admits-testing-wreckage-from-ufo-crashes-363656">Roswell crash: Pentagon admits 'testing' wreckage from UFO crashes</a></o:p>

As per the New York Times newspaper, several confidential documents that highlighted more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties during air wars in Middle East. This was justified by the government as a part of the wars fought with ‘precision bombs’.<o:p></o:p>

The newspaper has also claimed that the number of civilian deaths has been largely underreported by the US authorities and at least several hundreds of innocent civilians had lost their lives during these air wars.<o:p></o:p>

One such incident cited was bombing by US forces in northern Syria on July 19, 2016 during which it was reported that 85 fighters had been killed by the authorities. However, reports are now stating that 120 farmers and villagers were the ones who were killed during this strike.<o:p></o:p>

Similarly, during a November 2015 attack in Iraq’s Ramadi, the US forces had targeted a man carrying an ‘unidentified object’ into an Islamic State position. That ‘unidentified object’ was actually a small child, the report claimed.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/all-you-need-to-know-about-pentagons-newly-discovered-secret-army-385910">All you need to know about Pentagon's newly discovered 'secret army'</a></o:p>

Similarly, the Times stated that sometimes "men on motorcycles moving 'in formation,' displaying the 'signature' of an imminent attack, were just men on motorcycles."<o:p></o:p>

Poor or inadequate surveillance footage has been given as a plausible reason behind such gruesome errors in these air wars.<o:p></o:p>

This report comes at a time when the world had already been questioning the US forces for its attack on an ‘unidentified vehicle’ and house in Kabul (a few days after Taliban took control of Afghanistan). What was described as an attack on possible IS militants actually turned out to be an error-filled attack on 10 members of a family, including minors.<o:p></o:p>

Many of these victims of US air strikes have also been left critically injured for life. However, the condolence payments have staggered.<o:p></o:p>

“Even with the best technology in the world, mistakes do happen, whether based on incomplete information or misinterpretation of the information available. And we try to learn from those mistakes,” Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command told the Times. “We work diligently to avoid such harm. We investigate each credible instance. And we regret each loss of innocent life."<o:p></o:p>

A controversial revelation by the Pentagon documents has shown that the US air wars in the Middle East, which have taken several civilian lives, was marked by “deeply flawed intelligence”.

A controversial revelation by the Pentagon documents has shown that the US air wars in the Middle East, which have taken several civilian lives, was marked by “deeply flawed intelligence”. A report by the New York Times has revealed that a heap of confidential documents have reported that the US government has time and again failed to fulfil their pledge of transparency and accountability. "Not a single record provided includes a finding of wrongdoing or disciplinary action," the report stated. Also read | Roswell crash: Pentagon admits 'testing' wreckage from UFO crashes As per the New York Times newspaper, several confidential documents that highlighted more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties during air wars in Middle East. This was justified by the government as a part of the wars fought with ‘precision bombs’. The newspaper has also claimed that the number of civilian deaths has been largely underreported by the US authorities and at least several hundreds of innocent civilians had lost their lives during these air wars. One such incident cited was bombing by US forces in northern Syria on July 19, 2016 during which it was reported that 85 fighters had been killed by the authorities. However, reports are now stating that 120 farmers and villagers were the ones who were killed during this strike. Similarly, during a November 2015 attack in Iraq’s Ramadi, the US forces had targeted a man carrying an ‘unidentified object’ into an Islamic State position. That ‘unidentified object’ was actually a small child, the report claimed. Also read | All you need to know about Pentagon's newly discovered 'secret army' Similarly, the Times stated that sometimes "men on motorcycles moving 'in formation,' displaying the 'signature' of an imminent attack, were just men on motorcycles." Poor or inadequate surveillance footage has been given as a plausible reason behind such gruesome errors in these air wars. This report comes at a time when the world had already been questioning the US forces for its attack on an ‘unidentified vehicle’ and house in Kabul (a few days after Taliban took control of Afghanistan). What was described as an attack on possible IS militants actually turned out to be an error-filled attack on 10 members of a family, including minors. Many of these victims of US air strikes have also been left critically injured for life. However, the condolence payments have staggered. “Even with the best technology in the world, mistakes do happen, whether based on incomplete information or misinterpretation of the information available. And we try to learn from those mistakes,” Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command told the Times. “We work diligently to avoid such harm. We investigate each credible instance. And we regret each loss of innocent life."

Unidentified objects? US air wars were 'deeply flawed' , Pentagon documents reveal: Report

OIC Secretary-General reach Islamabad as Pakistan hosts OIC foreign Ministers' meet on Afghanistan

Pakistan is hosting an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Minister's meet on Afghanistan, this is proposed by Saudi Arabia. Taliban interim govt officials are also invited to the meeting. WION's Anas Mallick brings in more information on this.

Pakistan to host OIC Foreign Minister's meet on Afghanistan crisis

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan heartbreaking reports of poverty in the nation have been emerging. However, in the latest development, Afghanistan's finance ministry has managed to draft a national budget under the Taliban government.

This has happened for the first time in two decades without being funded by foreign aid. &nbsp;

As of now, the size of the budget has not been disclosed. Finance ministry spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal while speaking to AFP said that it would go to the cabinet for approval before being published.&nbsp;

Afghanistan had already been facing chronic poverty and drought but the situation worsened since the Taliban seized power, along with the disruption of aid.&nbsp;

An Afghan economist said that the new budget would likely end up being only a quarter of that for 2021. He said, "The Taliban are saying they have more transparency at the border crossings," this implies to lesser goods dodge duties than previously."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rewind-2021-when-taliban-in-afghanistan-became-the-new-normal-437572">Also read |&nbsp;Rewind 2021: When Taliban in Afghanistan became the 'new normal'</a>

Last month, the new government's revenue department said that it had collected 26 billion Afghanis in the previous two and a half months, including 13 billion in customs duties.&nbsp;

It also announced a new Islamic tax in order to aid projects for poor people and orphans.

Foreign donors have suspended aid to Afghanistan. Also, the IMF had said that its engagement with Afghanistan will remain suspended until there is clarity on the recognition of the government led by the Taliban.

The IMF said that it is deeply concerned with the difficult economic situation in Afghanistan and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

“We have said the immediate focus should indeed be on that humanitarian situation, aid to help the Afghanistan people; and allowing the flow of remittances and small-scale transfers; and providing assistance to countries hosting Afghan refugees,” it said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan heartbreaking reports of poverty in the nation have been emerging. However, in the latest development, Afghanistan's finance ministry has managed to draft a national budget under the Taliban government.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan heartbreaking reports of poverty in the nation have been emerging. However, in the latest development, Afghanistan's finance ministry has managed to draft a national budget under the Taliban government. This has happened for the first time in two decades without being funded by foreign aid. As of now, the size of the budget has not been disclosed. Finance ministry spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal while speaking to AFP said that it would go to the cabinet for approval before being published. Afghanistan had already been facing chronic poverty and drought but the situation worsened since the Taliban seized power, along with the disruption of aid. An Afghan economist said that the new budget would likely end up being only a quarter of that for 2021. He said, "The Taliban are saying they have more transparency at the border crossings," this implies to lesser goods dodge duties than previously." Also read | Rewind 2021: When Taliban in Afghanistan became the 'new normal' Last month, the new government's revenue department said that it had collected 26 billion Afghanis in the previous two and a half months, including 13 billion in customs duties. It also announced a new Islamic tax in order to aid projects for poor people and orphans. Foreign donors have suspended aid to Afghanistan. Also, the IMF had said that its engagement with Afghanistan will remain suspended until there is clarity on the recognition of the government led by the Taliban. The IMF said that it is deeply concerned with the difficult economic situation in Afghanistan and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. “We have said the immediate focus should indeed be on that humanitarian situation, aid to help the Afghanistan people; and allowing the flow of remittances and small-scale transfers; and providing assistance to countries hosting Afghan refugees,” it said. (With inputs from agencies)

Amid concerns of extreme poverty, Taliban manages to prepare new Afghan budget

Amid the worsening humanitarian crisis, crippling economy and deepening poverty, the latest move by Taliban has provided a ray of hope for thousands of Afghans.

Afghanistan: Taliban to resume reissuing passports | Humanitarian Crisis

Afghanistan, connectivity was among the key issues discussed during the meeting between External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Tajikistan's foreign minister&nbsp;Sirojiddin Muhriddin.

The Tajik foreign minister&nbsp;is on a bilateral visit to India and on Sunday will participate in the third India Central Asia foreign minister's dialogue.&nbsp;

During the meet earlier today between the two&nbsp;sides, EAM Jaishankar in his opening statement thanked the Tajik foreign minister for the "tremendous support that you gave us during the evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan in August and September, both Indians as well as some members of the Afghan minority community."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-pm-modi-conferred-with-highest-civilian-honour-of-bhutan-heres-what-you-should-know-437675" hreflang="en">Indian PM gets highest civilian honour of Bhutan. Here's what you should know</a>

In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, Tajikistan had provided its airbase for Indian Air force planes which were deployed for evacuation.&nbsp;

Indian goverment operated several special Indian Air Force and Air India flights under “Operation Devi Shakti” to evacuate stranded Indian and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan, from 16 to 25 August 2021. It is well known that India operates its first overseas airbase in Tajikistan's&nbsp;Ayni.

On Afghanistan, EAM said, "We’ve also, of course as neighbours of Afghanistan, we have been very concerned at the developments there. And the participation of the Secretary of your Security Council in the Regional Security Dialogue, which we hosted in November, is something which is deeply appreciated."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/preference-for-russia-india-china-in-person-summit-russian-envoy-nikolay-kudashev-437712" hreflang="en">Preference for Russia, India, China in-person summit : Russian envoy Nikolay Kudashev</a>

During Saturday's meet, two&nbsp;sides also discussed areas like trade and economic ties, investment, scientific and technical collaboration, cooperation in industry, energy, culture, and education spheres. Tajikistan has India's joined&nbsp;Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

The two&nbsp;sides have also signed agreements&nbsp;on diplomatic training and program of cooperation. The program of Cooperation was signed between the two&nbsp;foreign ministries for the 2021-2024 period and the Memorandum of Understanding was between the Centre for Professional Development and Retraining and Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service of India for&nbsp;diplomatic training.

Afghanistan, connectivity was among the key issues discussed during the meeting between External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Tajikistan's foreign minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin.

Afghanistan, connectivity was among the key issues discussed during the meeting between External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Tajikistan's foreign minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin. The Tajik foreign minister is on a bilateral visit to India and on Sunday will participate in the third India Central Asia foreign minister's dialogue. During the meet earlier today between the two sides, EAM Jaishankar in his opening statement thanked the Tajik foreign minister for the "tremendous support that you gave us during the evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan in August and September, both Indians as well as some members of the Afghan minority community." Also read | Indian PM gets highest civilian honour of Bhutan. Here's what you should know In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, Tajikistan had provided its airbase for Indian Air force planes which were deployed for evacuation. Indian goverment operated several special Indian Air Force and Air India flights under “Operation Devi Shakti” to evacuate stranded Indian and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan, from 16 to 25 August 2021. It is well known that India operates its first overseas airbase in Tajikistan's Ayni. On Afghanistan, EAM said, "We’ve also, of course as neighbours of Afghanistan, we have been very concerned at the developments there. And the participation of the Secretary of your Security Council in the Regional Security Dialogue, which we hosted in November, is something which is deeply appreciated." Also read | Preference for Russia, India, China in-person summit : Russian envoy Nikolay Kudashev During Saturday's meet, two sides also discussed areas like trade and economic ties, investment, scientific and technical collaboration, cooperation in industry, energy, culture, and education spheres. Tajikistan has India's joined Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The two sides have also signed agreements on diplomatic training and program of cooperation. The program of Cooperation was signed between the two foreign ministries for the 2021-2024 period and the Memorandum of Understanding was between the Centre for Professional Development and Retraining and Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service of India for diplomatic training.

Afghanistan, connectivity discussed during meet between EAM Jaishankar, Tajik FM

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