Afghan President Ghani rejects Taliban prisoner release clause in U.S. deal - Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected on Sunday a Taliban demand for the release of 5,000 prisoners as a condition for talks with the Afghan government and civilians, included in a deal between the United States and the Islamist militants.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan March 1, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

His remarks come against the backdrop of the difficulties U.S. negotiators face in shepherding the Afghan government and Taliban towards intra-Afghan negotiations, according to Western diplomats.

“The government of Afghanistan has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners,” Ghani told reporters in Kabul, a day after the deal was signed in Qatar to start a political settlement aimed at ending the United States’ longest war.

The accord said the United States and the Taliban were committed to work expeditiously to release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides.

It said that up to 5,000 jailed Taliban would be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10.

However, on the issue of the prisoner swap, Ghani said, “It is not in the authority of United States to decide, they are only a facilitator.”

Saturday’s accord was signed by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, witnessed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

After the ceremony, Baradar met foreign ministers from Norway, Turkey and Uzbekistan in Doha along with diplomats from Russia, Indonesia and neighboring nations, the Taliban said, a move that signaled the group’s determination to secure international legitimacy.

“The dignitaries who met Mullah Baradar expressed their commitments towards Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development... the U.S.-Taliban agreement is historical,” said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.

U.S. President Donald Trump rejected criticism around the deal and said he would meet Taliban leaders in the near future.

Ghani’s aides said Trump’s decision to meet the Taliban could pose a challenge to the government at a time when the U.S. troop withdrawal becomes imminent.

Under the agreement, Washington is committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 from 13,000 within 135 days of signing.

It will also work with allies to proportionally reduce the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan over that period, if the Taliban adhere to their security guarantees and ceasefire.

A full withdrawal of all U.S. and coalition forces would occur within 14 months, the joint statement said.

Slideshow (4 Images)

The withdrawal, however, depends on security guarantees by the Taliban who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed many restrictions on women and activities it deemed “un-Islamic”.

After being ousted from power in 2001, the Taliban have led a violent insurgency.

The Afghan war has been a stalemate for over 18 years, with the Taliban increasingly controlling or contesting more territory, yet unable to capture and hold major urban centers.

Additional reporting by Orooj Hakimi in Kabul, Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad, Writing by Rupam Jain, Editing by Ed Davies

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2020-03-01 05:12:00Z
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China reports 573 new COVID-19 cases: Live updates - Al Jazeera English

Thailand has become the latest country to report its first death from coronavirus as the outbreak continues to spread around the world with more than 86,000 people infected.

On Saturday, several European countries announced new cases. Iran revealed another jump in infections, and Qatar became the latest Middle Eastern country to report its first case.

More:

South Korea, which is grappling with the largest outbreak of the virus outside China, has urged citizens to stay indoors, warning of a "critical moment" in the spread of the infection.

This is Hamza Mohamed in Doha taking over from Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.

Here are the latest updates: 

Sunday, March 1

10:15 GMT - Pakistan to shut its border with Afghanistan

Pakistan said it will close its border with Afghanistan from tomorrow "to prevent the spread of coronavirus".

The Chaman border crossing will remain shut for seven days, Islamabad said in a statement.

"During the period, necessary measures will be taken to safeguard the health of the people of both countries," the statement said.

Afghanistan has reported one case of the virus, while Pakistan has confirmed four, according to the WHO.

06:30 GMT - Hong Kong dog tests positive for coronavirus

A dog has been quarantined in Hong Kong after it tested "weak positive" for coronavirus, officials said.

Authorities said the dog belongs to a coronavirus patient. To the relief of animal lovers, authorities said there is no evidence yet the virus can be transmitted to man's best friend.

04:50 GMT - South Korea closes churches to limit virus spread

Churches were closed in South Korea on Sunday, many holding services online instead, according to Reuters.

In the capital, Seoul, about a dozen worshippers were turned away from the Yoido Full Gospel Church, which put a sermon for its 560,000 followers on YouTube, filmed with a small choir instead of the usual 200 members and 60-strong orchestra.

"I had heard there would be no service, but just came to check as I live nearby, but yes, it is so empty," said one of them, Song Young-koo, as he left South Korea's biggest church.

"It's a wise decision to do it online, since the virus would easily spread at mass gatherings and churches can be no exception."

For the first time in its 236-year history, South Korea's Catholic church decided to halt masses at more than 1,700 locations nationwide. Buddhist temples have also called off events.

Churches were closed and services held online on Sunday as South Korea stepped up efforts to contain the spreading coronavirus by limiting public gatherings [Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo]

04:36 GMT - Thailand records first coronavirus death

Thailand has recorded its first fatality in the coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported, citing Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen, director-general of the Department of Disease Control.

The 35-year-old man also had dengue fever, Suwanchai told a news conference on Sunday.

04:20 GMT - Armenia patient had returned from Iran

More details are emerging about the Armenian case.

The patient is a 29-year-old citizen who returned to Armenia from Iran on Friday and went to a doctor because he was feeling unwell, Reuters said, citing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Facebook page.

"He is now in good condition," Pashinyan said, adding that authorities planned to isolate those who had been in contact with him.

Armenia closed its borders with neighbouring Iran a week ago. It has also suspended flights to the country.

04:15 GMT - Australia reports new case

Australia said on Sunday that it had confirmed an additional case of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 26.

A scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2 (the round gold objects) emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab from a patient in the United States. SARS-CoV-2, also known as 2019-nCoV, is the virus that causes COVID-19. [National Institutes of Health via EPA]

03:50 GMT - Armenia reports first coronavirus case

Armenia's prime minister said the central Asian nation had recorded its first case of the coronavirus, Reuters reported. 

02:32 GMT - American Airlines says suspending Milan flights

American Airlines said it would suspend flights from New York and Miami to Milan because of a "reduction in demand".

Flights are scheduled to resume on April 25, the airline said in a statement on its website.

02:16 GMT - Australia records first coronavirus death

Australia has recorded its first death from the coronavirus after a 78-year-old man who had been evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship died in a Perth hospital.

"Our condolences are with his family and unfortunately he's the first death we've had from coronavirus in Australia," Andrew Robertson, the chief health officer of Western Australia state, told journalists, according to Reuters.

The man's wife also caught the virus, but is in stable condition, authorities said.

Australia has reported 25 cases of coronavirus.

The first Australian to die of COVID-19 had been evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined in Yokohama, Japan [Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo]

01:00 GMT - South Korea reports 376 more coronavirus cases

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said 376 more cases of coronavirus had been reported in the country, most of them in the hardest-hit city of Daegu and the province of Gyeong-buk.

No new deaths were reported.

The country now has a total of 3,526 cases.

The KCDC will release a further update at 07:00 GMT on Sunday.

00:01 GMT - China reports 573 new coronavirus cases, 35 deaths

Mainland China reported 573 new confirmed coronavirus cases on February 29, up from 427 on the previous day, the country's health authority said on Sunday.

The number of deaths stood at 35, down from 47 on the previous day, bringing the total death toll in mainland China to 2,870.

Of the deaths, 34 were in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The province also saw 570 of the new cases

Click here to read updates from Saturday, February 29.

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2020-03-01 05:05:00Z
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Jim Hanson: Trump's Taliban peace deal is right move – After almost 20 years it's time to exit Afghanistan - Fox News

The United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban in Qatar Saturday. If conditions in Afghanistan stay at their current level of decreased violence, we will begin returning most of our troops from the longest war in our history.

The deal itself has numerous conditions that the Taliban must meet including severing all ties with terrorist organizations and negotiating in good faith with the Afghan government toward a lasting agreement. The withdrawal of some U.S. troops, as well as prisoner swaps that will release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners, are part of the initial confidence-building measures.

This was the right decision by President Trump from an array of not very good options. And that is what a good leader does, makes a tough but smart call when it would be easier to simply maintain the status quo.

US SIGNS HISTORIC PEACE DEAL WITH TALIBAN, POMPEO STRIKES CAUTIOUS TONE

No one, including our negotiators, expects the Taliban to be honorable in abiding by this agreement. Their nature and history have shown they will act ruthlessly in their own interests.

Nothing can be achieved without significant pressures placed on them and even more significant repercussions for malfeasance. But we have not been able to impose our will on them using military force, so we must acknowledge that and move on.

That’s the thing about war. We can make all the plans and strategies we want, but the enemy and reality get a vote too. Almost twenty years of U.S. blood and treasure had not taken us to a victory any more lasting than when we first deposed the Taliban at the end of 2001.

They ruled Afghanistan then as tyrannical theocrats and had given safe haven to Al Qaeda who planned and executed the 9/11 attacks from there.

We had to make a strong response and we did.

In a few short months, Special Forces teams partnered with indigenous militias and defeated the Taliban. But then we went wrong.

The decision to stay and try to make Afghanistan a more stable and peaceful place that also presents less potential danger to us is easy to understand. But it was fundamentally flawed and at odds with the long history of that country.

The hellish terrain and tribal nature of the country made all previous attempts to impose order on it short-lived and painful for any outsiders involved. We can now join Alexander the Great, the British Empire, the Soviet Union and a host of others in not achieving this.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER

One of the main rationales for staying was that if we left we would allow another Al Qaeda to rise that could threaten us from a mountain retreat.

This is a legitimate fear as it has already happened. But we are aware of that and while keeping a seemingly permanent force there is one way to try and avoid this, there are other ways to achieve this goal.

Earlier this month in an op-ed for Fox News Opinion I wrote about a proposed one-sided withdrawal statement telling the Taliban and others what lines must not be crossed:

• No terrorist bases in Afghanistan. 
• No safe passage, safe haven or any other support for terrorist groups. 
• No attacks on U.S. personnel or interests. 

I suggested the statement could also say, “We believe it would be better if you created a society that was not oppressive, brutal and often barbaric; but we are not the world’s policeman or domestic violence shelter. We will offer a hand of friendship and aid to those trying to make Afghanistan a better place. We will bring a rain of hellfire and damnation down on any who violate these demands.”

More from Opinion

I think as a backstop to the peace deal, all of these factors that I laid out in the op-ed are still applicable. There are many things we would like to see in Afghanistan, but they do not rise to the level of U.S. strategic interests.

We put considerable effort into raising the status and quality of life for women there and gains have been made. There are concerns these will be eroded and if that happens it will be a significant loss. But if that is the standard, then there are dozens of countries around the world where we could make an equal case for intervention.

We must choose our foreign entanglements wisely as George Washington noted in his farewell address:

“I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.”

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His point was that occasionally U.S. interests require alliances or actions abroad, but these should always be weighed against the tendency for them to draw us away from what truly matters to this country. Afghanistan itself does not. Terrorist safe havens there would. We should take the least entangling path to safeguard ourselves from that possibility.

This initial agreement begins the disentanglement process and that seems the best path for us. We can always return to military action if an actual rather than potential danger emerges.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JIM HANSON

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2020-02-29 17:38:30Z
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Department of Health confirms first coronavirus death in Washington state - KIRO Seattle

“In partnership with the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Department of Emergency Management and local and community health partners, we are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts. I am committed to keeping Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed.”

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2020-02-29 17:57:29Z
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Cory Mills: Taliban peace deal historic, not just 'optics' – Take it from someone who served in Afghanistan - Fox News

President Donald Trump has demonstrated yet again his art of negotiation as the United States, Taliban, and Afghan government execute a joint declaration to solidify a reduction of violence agreement with the Taliban.

Following a successful seven day violence-free test period, the U.S. has made a decisive move towards a negotiated peace plan in Afghanistan.

This is not only a good step towards ending America’s longest war but for the Taliban and Afghan government to work towards peace and stability within Afghanistan, too.

US SIGNS HISTORIC PEACE DEAL WITH TALIBAN, POMPEO STRIKES CAUTIOUS TONE

It also represents a triumph of the American blood and treasure spent in Afghanistan – the Taliban agreed to the same key demand that they were offered shortly after 9-11, 19 years ago: to prevent their country from being used as a base for terrorists to launch attacks against the United States or its allies.

Having spent a year in Afghanistan in various combat detachments, this agreement is a welcome development for our warfighters, door-kickers and trigger-pullers.

This joint declaration demonstrates the U.S. continued support for peace and notes that the Taliban will end their relationship with international terrorists and ensure Afghan soil cannot be used to threaten the U.S. or our allies again.

The trial one-week reduction of violence was not a ceasefire but a step forward as the U.S. worked towards a plan for a longer reduction in violence.

The U.S.’s judgment of Taliban compliance with commitments will determine the pace of our condition-based withdrawal. Should we see an increase in violence against the Afghan government or U.S. troops then this will obviously slow the delay.

We have seen the president walk away from deals where the other party changes the terms at the last minute or does not comply with the agreement.

More from Opinion

U.S. and Taliban negotiators, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed the historic agreement Saturday in Qatar. This signifies that both the U.S. and Taliban have expressed a willingness and interest for peace in Afghanistan

If successful, the settlements in Afghanistan will be more stable, restoration of all services including cell phones will be included and that will ensure communication channels with the Taliban.

Additionally, the Taliban has also committed to entering an intra-Afghan negotiation with the Afghan government, other political leaders, and civil society groups that include women.

This joint declaration demonstrates a strong partnership with Afghanistan and could not have been achieved without President Trump and his administration.

Even the Afghan government describes the U.S.-Taliban agreement as a historic step towards ending the war and establishing national teams to participate in intra-Afghan talks.

Many Democrats will undoubtedly take the opportunity to attack the president, but they know that even former President Obama did not (and could not) pull this off or achieve such as monumental deal.

This agreement will also see a troop reduction to around 8,600 troops by the 2020 elections in November, which also fulfills the president’s campaign promises to end America’s longest wars and return troops home safely.

Make no mistake however, this is not optics, it’s historic!

A political settlement is the most feasible way to establish peace after 19 years of fighting and thousands of lives lost in Afghanistan. The U.S. will still support fighting against terror groups such as Haqqani and ISIS in the country if needed but that should be dealt with primarily by the Afghan National Army.

This historic deal that President Trump has achieved with his top cabinet members, Special Envoy Amb. Khalilzad and Doha’s ability to open communication channels is a historic success that will keep America safe and reduces our Afghan burden.

This is unprecedented development because never before has the U.S. signed a peace agreement with the Taliban.

Our U.S. diplomatic engagement with the Taliban comes after more than a year of continual negotiation and efforts. The president has also received support from our NATO allies, the European Union, Russia, China and partners in the region.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Having worked in Afghanistan to support diplomatic missions across the country, I fully understand the historic significance of this agreement.

After 19 years, the Taliban have agreed to the same thing that the U.S. asked them for at the beginning of this conflict, which was to prevent any terrorist organization to use Taliban territory to attack the United States or our allies.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CORY MILLS

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2020-02-29 17:10:24Z
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Afghanistan's Taliban, US sign peace deal - Al Jazeera English

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1. Afghanistan's Taliban, US sign peace deal  Al Jazeera English
2. US signs historic peace deal with Taliban, Pompeo strikes cautious tone  Fox News
3. US signing a historic deal with the Taliban  ABC News
4. Afghanistan peace plan: Don’t assume the Taliban aren’t serious. Test them.  USA TODAY
5. How Afghans Can Work Together to End the War  The New York Times
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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2020-02-29 16:20:41Z
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Coronavirus continues to spread as disease rattles global economy - CBS News

President Trump announced he is holding a press conference on coronavirus developments at 1:30 p.m. ET. Watch it live in the video player above. 

The World Health Organization says the risk of the new coronavirus expanding worldwide is now "very high." New cases of the disease it causes, COVID-19, are continuing to emerge globally. 

Overnight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is aware of four new "presumptive positive cases" of COVID-19 in the United States. Four patients tested positive for the new coronavirus using the CDC-developed rRT-PCR, it said.

"They are considered presumptive positive cases pending CDC confirmatory testing," the CDC said. "However, CDC and State and local public health authorities are proceeding with public health investigations and response activities as if these were confirmed cases."

According to the CDC, the four suspected cases are in:

• California, which announced a second possible instance of community spread, defined as the spread of an illness for which the infection's source is unknown.
• Oregon, which announced its first possible instance of community spread.
• Washington state, which announced two presumptive cases – one that is likely linked to travel and one that marks the state's first possible instance of community spread.

If confirmed, the four cases will be among a handful of other cases detected in the United States through the U.S. public health system.

There are now more than 85,000 cases globally – most of them in China, where the virus originated – and more than 2,900 deaths. As health officials try to contain the virus, it continues to put millions of people in the U.S. on edge and rattle the markets.

Medical members wearing protective gear take samples from a driver with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a "drive-through" virus test facility in Goyang, north of Seoul, on February 29, 2020. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

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2020-02-29 14:58:00Z
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