U.S. President Joe Biden met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his former political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, on Friday at the White House where he called on Afghans to decide the future of their country as the last U.S. troops pack up after 20 years of war and government forces struggle to repel Taliban advances.
President Hassan Rouhani said in a phone call with his Afghan counterpart on Monday that Iran’s policy is expanding ties with neighbors and will stand by the people and government of Afghanistan for the country’s development, peace, stability, and security.
Afghanistan on Tuesday declared incumbent Ashraf Ghani winner of a disputed presidential election, but his main rival rejected the result and vowed to form his own government, threatening new turmoil as the United State strives to seal a U.S. troop withdrawal deal with Taliban militants.
“The winner of Afghanistan election is approved by the White House not the people,” the media advisor to former Afghan president Muhammad Hashem Esmat Ilahi told ILNA.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had no more than 20 minutes to study a draft accord between the United States and the Taliban on pulling thousands of U.S. troops out of his country, but upcoming elections could put him back at the heart of talks to end decades of war.
