(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette) As the withdrawal of the NATO troop is coming to end, the Americans have left many weapons which are now in the hands of Taliban in order to take more humans out of the country. Meanwhile China is supporting Taliban with all the way possible as China is ready to expand its Belt and Road initiative and exploit the mineral resources.
Chinese officials met with the Taliban at the end of July before their takeover of Afghanistan with world leaders questioning the reasoning behind the meet.
Political pundits have suggested the superpower wishes to exert influence over Afghanistan by getting close to the Taliban and potentially help fund the group for their future plans.
Afghanistan also has a lot of natural minerals in the country, including lithium, which China may seek to exploit and use for its economy.
Mr Parry appeared on the Jeremy Vine Show and could not believe old Western equipment was now in the hands of the Taliban.
He said:“I cannot believe the numbers of military equipment the Americans have left behind.
“You said it's impossible to ever go back in, I'm not surprised.
“They've got 200 airplanes and helicopters belonging to the Western forces and 10,000s of vehicles, how could we possibly have left all that?”
Billions of dollars worth of equipment were left behind in Afghanistan as Taliban fighters showed off night vision goggles, body armour, and rifles belonging to the US military.
Mr Ellwood who was also on the show added:“And that is the sad irony of the situation that we now find ourselves in.
“We're not just back to zero, we're worse than that because we've actually ended up arming the Taliban themselves.
“And as I just touched on, they will now tally up with the Chinese that has a very different view of human rights, allowing women to work and so forth.
“They will gloss over all that, they just want to get hold of the mineral resources carried on with their One Belt One Road policy and they will prop up the Taliban with the money that we are now threatening to withhold back if the Taliban don't pay playball.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested unfreezing nearly £350million worth of Taliban leader funds to force the group to behave.
The Mail reports that Mr Johnson said:“Today the G7 agreed a roadmap for future engagement with the Taliban.
“If those huge funds are going to be unfrozen eventually for use by the Government and people of Afghanistan, then what we're saying is Afghanistan can't lurch back into becoming a breeding ground of terror, Afghanistan can't become a narco-state, girls have to be educated up to the age of 18, and so on.”
Kabul Airport was the target of a terrorist attack yesterday which left 13 US troops dead and dozens of Afghans killed.
The UK announced it has shut Baron Hotel and the Abbey Gate which has been processing people for evacuation as the last few planes leave the country. (Courtesy the Singapore Post)
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