US Links International Aid to Fixing Afghan Political Dispute – By Ayaz Gul (VOA News) / April 5 2020
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – The United States has linked international aid for Afghanistan to the settlement of a protracted political crisis, which has seen the war-shattered country politically paralyzed and threatens to derail a nascent peace-building deal with the Taliban insurgency.
Separately, an American military spokesman has rejected insurgent allegations it was violating terms of the U.S.-Taliban deal signed on February 29.
The political stalemate between President Ashraf Ghani and his chief rival, Abdullah Abdullah, stems from the disputed September 28 Afghan election.
The national election commission declared Ghani as the winner but Abdullah, the runner-up, rejected the outcome as fraudulent. Both men held rival presidential inaugurations early last month.
“It can’t be business as usual for international donors in Afghanistan,” Alice Wells, the top American diplomat for South and Central Asian affairs, warned in a tweet Sunday.
“International aid requires partnership with an inclusive government and we all must hold Afghan leaders accountable to agree on a governing arrangement,” wrote Wells, the principal deputy assistant secretary.
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