Afghan security forces patrol in Pashtun Zarghun district after they cleared the area of Taliban militants, in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
Afghan security forces patrol in Pashtun Zarghun district after they cleared the area of Taliban militants, in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
Afghan security forces patrol in Pashtun Zarghun district after they cleared the area of Taliban militants, in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA
Afghan security forces patrol in Pashtun Zarghun district after they cleared the area of Taliban militants, in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA

US withdrawal leaves Afghan soldiers feeling abandoned


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Ahmad Seyar was 19 when he decided to join the Afghan Army.

Born in a time war and turmoil, he had grown up idolising the soldiers – Afghan and international – who helped to protect his village in northern Afghanistan.

He wanted to be just like them, and to save his people.

But eight years later, with violence mounting and some of his closest friends and loved ones among its victims, Lt Seyar is becoming disillusioned.

This month, his younger brother, also a soldier, was killed by a mine in southern Logar province.

"He was very young, and full of hope for the future. We were planning his wedding, but now he's been taken from us by the Taliban who kill everyone," Lt Seyar told The National.

“My mother, who was a war widow, raised us by herself to serve this country. And now after everything, she’s lost a child to this war that doesn’t seem to end.”

However, Lt Seyar said he felt betrayed more than anything after the US peace agreement with the Taliban earlier this year.

He and his brother enlisted in the army to join forces with their heroes, the US forces whom they saw as allies in a righteous battle against the insurgents who oppressed them, he said.

The US-Taliban deal laid out a timeline for the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in exchange for the insurgents opening peace talks with the Afghan government, among other conditions.

Lt Seyar and many of his compatriots were hopeful that perhaps the deal would start a chapter that would end the decades of war. But that hope seems to be ebbing away after nearly three months of talks in Qatar without tangible results.

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“Ever since the US made peace with Taliban, it seems they have only become stronger and are targeting us. We have lost so many of our people this year,” Lt Seyar said.

"They are equipped with modern and deadlier weapons that kill with such precision.

"At this difficult time, our allies are leaving us behind.”

Afghan forces are not the only ones who are alarmed by the US withdrawal. Security analysts observing the situation questioned the drawdown to 2,500 troops by the end of the year – a sharp drop from the roughly 12,000 US personnel estimated to be in the country at the start of the year.

“The US will be giving away a good bit of leverage without having extracted anything in return,” said Jonathan Schroden, director at CNA, a non-profit research and analysis organisation.

“One could have imagined the US tying the drawdown to 2,500 troops to something tangible like a limited ceasefire, or real reductions in violence, but the US will gain nothing by the unilateral withdrawal," he said.

"It will also make it harder for the US to provide air support to Afghan security forces, because US assets will be consolidated in the vicinity of Kabul as opposed to spread throughout the country.”

The US assistance to Afghan forces comprises training, guidance and, most importantly, air support that has helped them maintain control of several provinces despite the Taliban's efforts. However, the announcement of the drawdown emboldened the Taliban, Mr Schroden said.

“They are already targeting large provinces and provincial capitals. The Taliban have been positioning their forces for exactly that eventuality, by consolidating their positions across rural areas, increasing their control over roads, and posturing their forces to squeeze and choke the cities,” he said.

“Doing so while talks are ongoing allows them to pressure the government and keep their fighters engaged, but it also positions them well for an attempt at military victory should the US decide to withdraw the rest of its troops before a peace agreement is reached.”

Mr Schroden said US President-elect Joe Biden did not seem be in a hurry for a full withdrawal and might maintain a small contingent of troops for counterterrorism purposes after taking office in January.

“Additionally, he didn't negotiate the US-Taliban agreement, and US officials have been signalling for months that they don't think the Taliban are in full compliance with that agreement because of their continued increases in violent attacks," he said.

"So, I expect the Biden administration to try to reset the US-Taliban situation and establish a firmer set of expectations before it agrees to withdraw the remainder of US forces from Afghanistan,” he said.

Mr Seyar hoped that the next US president will reconsider the withdrawal, at least until a suitable peace deal is reached between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The Afghans, after all, fought the Taliban for the US and international powers, just as much the US forces did for them, he said.

“They must stay longer, till the peace talks end with a positive result. We are in this together.”

Scoreline

Swansea 2

Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'

Man City 3

Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'

It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times

If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.

A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.

The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.

In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.

The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.

Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.

Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.

“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.

The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.

“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.

“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”

Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

The Birkin bag is made by Hermès. 
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

UAE rugby season

FIXTURES

West Asia Premiership

Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles

Dubai Tigers v Bahrain

Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Division 1

Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II

Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II

Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens

Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II

Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II

 

LAST SEASON

West Asia Premiership

Winners – Bahrain

Runners-up – Dubai Exiles

UAE Premiership

Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners – Dubai Hurricanes

Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Conference

Winners – Dubai Tigers

Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Match on BeIN Sports

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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