White House reacts to the last reported phone call between Biden and Ghani
After Reuters reported US President Joe Biden asked his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani to change the perception that the Taliban was winning in his last phone call, the White House said Biden always said Afghan leaders needed to come together and lead. The White House added Afghan leaders needed to show the country they were going to fight as US forces left.
Taliban militants show off captured US armoured vehicles, weapons at parade
Taliban militants showed off dozens of captured US armoured vehicles along with weapons at a parade in Kandahar. In videos posted on social media, the militants paraded hardware left behind by US forces after their withdrawal from Afghanistan. Taliban militants were seen waving Taliban flags from Humvees and armoured SUVs at the parade.
‘Heroic’ Afghanistan has turned a new page following US exit: China
China has described Afghanistan as a “heroic country”, which never surrendered to foreign forces, adding that it has turned a new page following the US’s exit after a 20-year conflict. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said, “China doesn’t want to harm Afghanistan and Afghanistan doesn’t want to harm China.” “China won’t interfere in [Afghanistan’s] internal affairs,” Wang added.
Sri Lanka declares ‘economic emergency’ to contain food prices
Sri Lanka has declared an ‘economic emergency’ after a steep fall in the Sri Lankan rupee’s value caused a spike in food prices. The Sri Lankan rupee fell by 7.5% against the US dollar this year. ‘Economic emergency’ empowers authorities to take control of staple foods like rice and sugar and set their prices to contain inflation.
US’ 20-yr mission in Afghanistan achieved nothing but tragedy: Russian President Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said US’ 20-year campaign in Afghanistan had achieved “only tragedies and losses of life”. “For 20 years [US] tried…to civilise…people who live there, to instil their own norms and standards of life….[but] the result is zero, if not…negative one all-round,” Putin added. This shows it’s “impossible” to impose foreign values on other nations, he further said.
