Ashraf Ghani: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani meets Atta Mohammad Noor, Abdul Rashid Dostum in Mazar | World News – Times of India
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Frequent security meetings have been held in Kabul’s presidential palace in the last two days, after which it was agreed that a joint command centre would be formed for “public uprising forces” to better manage, equip and strengthen them in the fight against the Taliban. This idea was first floated by Abdullah Abdullah last week.
In Mazar-e-Sharif, Ghani, his aides and senior security officials met former Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor and the warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum to discuss the defence of the city. The loss of Mazar would represent the complete collapse of the government’s control over the north, a bastion of anti-Taliban militias.
After arriving in Mazar, Dostum issued a warning to the approaching Taliban, AFP reported. “The Taliban never learn from the past,” he told reporters, vowing to kill the insurgents. “The Taliban have come to the north several times but they were always trapped. It is not easy for them to get out.”
The Taliban have so far captured the provincial capitals Faizabad, Farah, Pul-e-Khumri, Sar-e-Pul, Sheberghan, Aybak, Kunduz, Taluqan and Zaranj.
All the leaders that Ghani has met in the last three days have exercised significant influence for decades in parts of the war-ravaged country. Among the prominent leaders who had attended the meetings in Kabul were Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation; Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, the warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, former vice-president Mohammad Karim Khalili, second vice-president Mohammad Sarwar Danesh, presidential adviser and head of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan Mohammad Mohaqiq, and a senior member of the Hizb-e-Wahdat, Sadiq Mudabir.
“Political leaders of the country unanimously agreed on mobilisation, strengthening and the rapid equipping of public uprising forces within the framework of the government to fight the Taliban,” presidential spokesman Latif Mahmoud was quoted by Afghan media as saying.
During the meetings, the leaders stressed the Herat model would be followed in other parts of the country. In Herat, the militants had entered the city but were driven out by the militiamen with the support of Afghan forces under the command of 75-year old Ismail Khan.
Sources said that a decision was also taken to appoint key political leaders to the command centre. The political leaders, sources confided, will focus on mobilisation of people in various areas to fight the militants. “The politicians involved in the matter will determine how many forces they can mobilise and in which areas they will fight the Taliban,” Afghan government sources said, adding that political leaders had suggested to Ghani that he entrust a great part of military responsibility to Dostum.
The meeting, an Afghan official said, discussed coordination between the defence and security forces, mobilisation of public uprising forces and the launching of clearance operations in cities that have fallen to the Taliban since Friday.
(With agency inputs)
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