International Afghanistan Talks Start, Overshadowed by Kunduz Clashes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two days of international talks on Afghanistan started in Brussels on Tuesday, overshadowed by fighting in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz between security forces and Taliban militants.
The conference will bring together more than 70 countries and up to 30 international organizations to pledge political and financial support towards the development of the war-torn country until the end of 2020.
With billions of dollars of aid packages spent in Afghanistan over the last 15 years, it is still one of the poorest and politically unstable countries in the world, while corruption is rife.
Security remains a major concern, as poorly trained and equipped government forces struggle to keep the Taliban at bay, while the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group is a growing threat, according to dpa.
A Taliban attack on Kunduz moved into its second day Tuesday, almost a year after the terrorist organization seized the city for a two-week period.
The aim of the Brussels talks, hosted by the European Union, is to keep funding for the next four years on a par with the 4 billion dollars annually pledged in 2012.
Ahead of the meeting, the Amnesty International campaign group warned donors against making any pledges conditional on Kabul‘s acceptance of returned migrants, after papers were leaked according to which the EU was mulling the return of 80,000 Afghans.
On Sunday, the bloc struck a deal with Kabul, which aims to expedite travel documents and allow the use of Afghan airports, while the EU would pay for flights and reintegration programs, dpa has learned.
