US says Taliban not responsible for attack Baltic bubble begins
WASHINGTON: The United States yesterday blamed Islamic State militants — not the Taliban — for a gruesome hospital attack in Afghanistan this week that killed two newborn babies, and it renewed calls for Afghans to embrace a troubled peace push with the Taliban insurgency.
But it was unclear whether the US declaration would be enough to bolster the peace effort and reverse a decision by the Kabul government to resume offensive operations against the Taliban.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered the military on Wednesday to switch to ‘‘offensive mode’’ against the Taliban after the hospital attack in Kabul and a suicide bombing in Nangarhar province that killed dozens of people.
US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad blamed Islamic State for both attacks in a statement issued on Twitter, saying the group opposed any Taliban peace agreement and sought to trigger an Iraqstyle sectarian war in Afghanistan.
‘‘Rather than falling into the Isis trap and delay peace or create obstacles, Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity,’’ Khalilzad said.
‘‘No more excuses. Afghans, and the world, deserve better.’’
An affiliate of the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the Nangarhar bombing, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. Noone has claimed responsibility for the hospital attack.
The Taliban denied involvement in either attack, but the Government accused the group of fostering an environment in which terrorism thrives or of working with other militant groups who could have been involved, straining US efforts to bring the insurgents and Afghan government together.
The attacks were another setback to US President Donald Trump’s stalled plans to bring peace to Afghanistan and end America’s longest war.
A February 29 USTaliban deal called for a phased US troop withdrawal and for the Afghan Government and Taliban to release some prisoners by March 10, when peace talks were to start.
IntraAfghan peace talks have yet to occur and there is some bitterness within the Afghan Government, which was not a party to the February 29 deal, that the United States undercut their leverage by negotiating directly with the Taliban.
Ghani’s decision to revive offensive operations is supported by many opposition figures, who believe Washington’s sole focus is to keep the US troop withdrawal plan on track to help Trump win a second term in the November 3 US presidential election.— Reuters
IKLA/AINAZI BORDER CROSSING POINT, Estonia/Latvia: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened their borders to each other yesterday, creating the first ‘‘travel bubble’’ within the European Union in a bid to jumpstart economies broken down by the Covid19 pandemic.
A dozen Estonian border guards removed all signs directing vehicles to stop at the border and huddled together at the roadside for cake and coffee.
‘‘We have the little celebration because the border is now open again,’’ officer Martin Maestule said just after midnight (local time) as the first cars sped through on the reopened main road of the region.
Citizens and residents of the three generally sparsely populated Baltic nations are now free to travel within the region, though anyone entering from outside will need to selfisolate for 14 days.
“The Baltic Travel Bubble is an opportunity for businesses to reopen, and a glimmer of hope for the people that life is getting back to normal,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said in a statement.
The Baltic neighbours opened as the EU executive seeks to coax the 27 member states to reopen internal borders and restart wider travel, albeit with safety measures such as requiring face masks on airplanes.
New Covid19 infections in the three Baltic republics have slowed to a trickle; none of the countries reported more than seven new cases on Thursday.
The region as a whole has recorded fewer than 150 deaths from the disease — far below larger eurozone countries like Italy, Spain, France or Germany.
The Baltic countries were quick to close borders and impose lockdowns to slow the spread of the virus. — Reuters