NewsGate Press Network

By Vineet Dikshit

India has officially conveyed to Taliban leadership that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-India activities and terrorism in any manner.

A meeting to this effect took taken place in Doha on Tuesday between Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Head of Taliban’s Political Office with Indian Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal.

Taliban leadership operating from its Doha Political office had in fact reached out to India expressing its willingness to provide safety to stranded Indians in Afghanistan.

A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday evening said Taliban’s political leadership was communicated in no uncertain terms that new regime in Kabul must safeguard interests of all Indian nationals still living in Afghanistan.

Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, was informed by Ambassador Deepak Mittal that Taliban should facilitate travel of Afghans, especially minorities and Indians who are held-up there after the closure of Kabul’s airport.

India-Taliban meeting took place after US had moved out its last remaining troops from Kabul.

Earlier in the day while giving details of the final hours of its complete troop withdrawal, the US Central Command said – the final drawdown took place minutes before local midnight at Kabul on Monday, 30 August 2021 as US officially ended its 20 year war in Afghanistan against perpetrators of downing of the WTC towers.

With the US withdrawal, Afghanistan was formally handed over to the hard line Taliban, a day before their deadline was set at 31 August.

Power in Kabul now shifts to a multi-tribal terror grouping tacitly backed by Pakistan which follows a strict Islamic sharia law.

The US has now relocated all its working assets from Afghanistan to Al Udeid Air Base located 30 kms outside Doha in Qatar.

The distance, by road, between Al Udeid Air Base and Kabul’s Airport is about 3,800 kms.

All six countries that surround Afghanistan have refused America to allow its soil for US bases.

By a rough estimate, a US drone would take almost two hours from Qatar to reach targets in Afghanistan.

On Monday, the commanding officer of US Central Command announced   – “the complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens”.

“Tonight’s withdrawal signifies both the end of the military component of the evacuation but also the end of the nearly 20-year mission that began in Afghanistan shortly after September 11th, 2001,” stated General Kenneth McKenzie of the US army while speaking to the media.

Afghanistan operations has been one of its most bitter military operations conducted by the US forces that claimed about 2,400 lives of its service members.