Pakistan and Afghanistan began a ‘new season’ in their frosty bilateral relationship as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani hosted army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his delegation at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday, according to the Afghan media.

President Ghani marked the meeting as a ‘new season of relationship’ between Afghanistan and Pakistan and said good opportunities of cooperation are being provided and both countries should get the most out of the current situation, the presidential office said in a statement quoted by ToloNews.

The two sides discussed various important issues, including security in the region, bilateral relationship, peace and stability, anti-terror efforts, business and transit relationship, and mid- and long-term ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan, read the statement.

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The Pakistani delegation said Islamabad was ready to cooperate with Kabul in counterterrorism efforts which was a joint threat, and added that they supported the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.

According to the statement, Ghani emphasised that task teams should be set up by both sides in different sectors to form a clear cooperation framework and to take practical steps in this regard. Ghani also said that a monitoring mechanism should be established to make sure both sides implement their promises and that deadlines should be imposed.

The Pakistani delegation said task teams from their side would draft implementation plans, according to the statement.

Both sides should use the current opportunity, Ghani said and added that peace and stability was for the benefit of both Pakistan and Afghanistan and that this could lift the people in both countries out of poverty.

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The Afghan leader stressed the need for practical measures to consolidate the environment of trust and confidence created between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pajhwok Afghan News added.

Both sides emphasised that we must forget the past and work hard for a better future, read the statement.

The Inter Services Public Relations, the Pakistan military’s media wing, is yet to issue a statement about the army chief’s meeting with the Afghan president.

The post Islamabad, Kabul begin ‘new season’ in bilateral ties appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News
Original Post: Islamabad, Kabul begin ‘new season’ in bilateral ties

LASHKAR GAH, AFGHANISTAN: An airstrike by the Afghan Air Force on a checkpoint in Gereshk district in the southern province of Helmand on Sunday killed around 10 members of the security forces and wounded nine others, officials said.

The strike hit members of a special militia unit known as Sangoryan, who wear local clothes to blend into areas where the Taliban are active.

Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed the incident but gave no details.

The incident is the latest in a series of so-called “friendly fire” accidents in Helmand, the most recent in July when a US airstrike killed a number of local police members during an operation in Gereshk district.

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In another incident, in June, at least three members of the Afghan Border Police were killed when a US military aircraft opened fire on them during an operation in southern Afghanistan.

Large parts of Helmand, Afghanistan’s major opium-producing province, are in the hands of the Taliban.

US and Afghan commanders see air power as a vital weapon to prevent the area falling completely to the insurgents.

Building up Afghanistan’s own air power is a central part of President Ashraf Ghani’s four-year strategic plan and the Afghan Air Force has steadily bolstered its capacity to provide logistical support to ground forces as well as air strikes.

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But one consequence has been an increase in the number of unintended casualties caused by accidents.

According to UN figures published in July, there was a 43 percent increase in the number of civilian casualties caused by US and Afghan airstrikes in the first half of the year.

The post Afghan security forces killed in ‘friendly fire’ incident appeared first on The Express Tribune.

Source: Tribune News
Original Post: Afghan security forces killed in ‘friendly fire’ incident