Volume No. 4069 Sunday January 06, 2019 Jaddi 16, 1397 www.outlookafghanistan.net Price: 20/-Afs

Quote of the Day

Even in winter an isolated patch of snow has

a special quality.Andy Goldsworthy

www.thedailyafghanistan.comEmail: thedailyafghanistan@yahoo.com

Phone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019Add: In front of Habibia High School,

District 3, Kabul, Afghansitan

Snow

Kabul and New Delhi, taking stock of the evolving security situation in the region, have agreed on deeper defence links, Indian media outlets reported on Saturday.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister briefed President Ashraf Ghani about recent talks his country held with Taliban’s representatives, the Presidential Palace said Saturday.

KABUL - US President Donald Trump’s reported orders to the Pentagon to initiate withdrawing half of America’s troops from Af-ghanistan are largely exaggerated, says UK-based weekly magazine.The Economist wrote the reports appeared plausible, in so far as Trump had just announced a withdrawal from Syria and had publicly wavered about keeping any troops in Afghanistan at all in 2017, before deciding to increase their number from 8,400 to 14,000.“Yet the sudden reversal had come out of the blue. The Afghan government and startled allies with troops in Afghanistan, such as Britain, said they had not been consulted and were awaiting con-firmation,” it added.According to the widely-circulat-ed weekly, the biggest immediate impact of the rumours of a with-drawal could be on nascent peace negotiations with the Taliban.It was last year that the Trump administration embraced efforts to find a political settlement. In December, US envoys held talks with Taliban representatives in the hope of launching formal ne-gotiations. ...(More on P4)...(3)

KABUL - On the third day of the presidential elections registra-tion process for candidates, Mo-hammad Hakim Torsan, head of legal and research center and a former security official, regis-tered for the 2019 presidential elections on Saturday.He ran in 2009 and in 2014 presi-dential elections. He withdrew in 2009 ahead of starting his campaigns but he did not suc-ceed to receive adequate votes in 2014 elections. Abdul Latif Pedram, an MP from Badakhshan and head of Afghanistan National Congress Party, was first to register for this year’s presidential elections.The upcoming presidential elec-tions are scheduled for 20th of July.Torsan, who appeared before re-porters at the Independent Elec-tion Commission’s compound on Saturday, said he will win the elections as he argued that he has ...(More on P4)...(4)

US Pullout Rumours to Affect Talks with Taliban

Second Candidate Registers For 2019 Presidential Elections

Afghan, Indian NSAS Agree on Deeper Security Cooperation

KABUL - Iran’s deputy foreign minister briefed President Ashraf Ghani about recent talks his country held with Taliban’s representatives, the

Iran’s Deputy FM Briefs Ghani on Fresh Taliban Talks

Turkey to Host Trilateral Summit on Afghan Peace

Presidential Palace said Saturday.A statement from the palace re-ceived by Pajh-wok Afghan News said that President Ghani met with Iran’s deputy foreign minis-ter Sayed Abbas Araghchi.The source said that both the sides exchanged views on the importance

of state-to-state relations, the peace pro-cess under the leadership of Afghans and better use of the Chabahar Port.

Araghchi also provided informa-tion about recent fresh negotia-tions Iranian officials held with Taliban representatives to the Afghan leader and reassured his country’s commitment the peace process under the leadership and ownership of Afghans.The Iran’s deputy foreign minis-ter meets with the Afghan presi-dent after his country’s National Security Council said on January 1 that a Taliban delegation had arrived in Tehran.The council said the Taliban rep-resentatives and Iranian officials discussed issues related to peace in Afghanistan and other impor-tant topics. (Pajhwok)

ANKARA - Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan says “a much stronger effort” is needed to further ongoing peace talks his country is facilitating between the United States and Af-ghanistan’s Taliban.Addressing a televised joint news conference in Ankara after official talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Khan said Afghans have suffered for decades and it is time for the International community to help bring an end to the war in the country.“Pakistan has already been helping a dialogue between the Taliban and the Americans but it needs a much stronger effort from all the stakeholders, neighbors,” the prime minister emphasized.Khan was referring to two-day talks in Abu Dhabi last month between U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khal-ilzad, and senior Taliban representatives that

Pakistan said it had arranged.Khalilzad and the Taliban described the dialogue “productive” and prom-ised to meet again soon. Insurgents demand complete withdrawal of U.S.

KABUL - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghe-breyesus met with His Excellency Dr Ferozud-din Feroz at the Ministry of Public Health on the first day of his two-day visit to Afghanistan, commending the progress made in public health services in the challenging context, and calling for the country and partners to continue efforts to increase resources to build up a health system for all Afghans and fas- track polio eradication.During his first official visit to the country as WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros, accompa-nied by WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) Dr Ahmed Al-Mandha-ri, will be meeting with senior government of-ficials including HE President Dr Ashraf Ghani and HE Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and the Council of Ministers. He will see first-hand WHO supported programmes and witness some of the pressing health issues the Afghan people face every day.Dr Tedros launched the “Integrated Package of Essential Health Services 2019” with Dr Feroz at the meeting on 5 January. ...(More on P4)...(2)

TRINKOT - At least 17 Taliban insurgents have been killed during an operation in central Uruz-gan province, officials said Saturday.A statement from 205th military corps in south of the country received by Pajhwok Afghan News said that Afghan National Army (ANA) forces had launched an operation in Kotwal area on the outskirts of Terinkot, the provincial capital on Fri-day night.The source said that 17 militants were killed and 17 roadside bombs planted by insurgents defused.The statement said that the corps soldiers also conducted operations in Mizani district of Zabul province and Khakriz district of Kandahar prov-ince, where six militants were killed.A car and four motorcycles belonged to the mili-tants also seized during the operation, the state-ment concluded.However, the Taliban did not comment yet about the operations and their casualties. (Pajhwok)

WHO Director-General

Visits Afghanistan

17 Taliban Rebels Killed in Uruzgan Operation

NEW DELHI - The agreement came at a meeting between Afghan National Secu-rity Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval met in New Delhi on Friday.After the meeting, Mohib tweeted: “Held productive meetings in India with my counterpart NSA Ajit Doval and other security officials on regional stability, democratic progress and ongo-

ing peace efforts in Afghanistan…”Bilateral security cooperation also came up for discussion, wrote the NSA, who was officially invited to India by Doval. He is likely to meet other Indian officials also during the three-day visit.In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said Mohib briefed the Indian side on the security situation, holding of parliamentary elections, the presidential

vote and Kabul’s efforts for peace and reconciliation.Doval reiterated that India would con-tinue to support all efforts for peace and reconciliation that are Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled.US representative for Afghanistan peace talks Zalmay Khalilzad is scheduled to visit Delhi next week for talks on India’s role and ...(More on P4)...(1)

and NATO forces from Afghanistan, saying their presence are blocking progress toward peace.Speaking Friday, President Erdoğan an-nounced he will host a trilateral summit meet-ing with Pakistan and Afghanistan after Tur-key’s March 31 local elections to discuss the peace process.“I look forward to the summit meeting inshal-lah [God willing] in Istanbul where we hope that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey will be able to help in this [Afghan] peace process ... a much badly needed peace,” Prime Minister Khan said.Pakistan’s role in arranging the U.S.-Taliban talks, analysts say, is leading to a thaw in Is-lamabad’s traditionally tumultuous relation-ship with Washington.Speaking on Wednesday, President Donald Trump apparently acknowledged the im-provement ...(More on P4)...(5)