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World

US and other countries ‘deeply concerned by reports of summary killings’ in Afghanistan

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The statement comes after a report was released by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday alleging more than a hundred former Afghan security forces had been killed or forcibly disappeared by the Taliban since their surrender in late summer.

The report, based on interviews with witnesses, relatives and friends of the victims, detailed “the summary execution or enforced disappearance” of military personnel, police, intelligence service members and paramilitary militia, who had surrendered to or were apprehended by Taliban forces between August 15 and October 31.

CNN has not able to independently confirm the claims in the report.

In their statement Saturday, the 21 countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, said the alleged actions “constitute serious human rights abuses and contradict the Taliban’s announced amnesty.”

“We call on the Taliban to effectively enforce the amnesty for former members of the Afghan security forces and former Government officials to ensure that it is upheld across the country and throughout their ranks,” the statement said.

The countries called for a full and transparent investigation of the allegations made by Human Rights Watch.

“Those responsible must be held accountable,” Saturday’s statement read. “We will continue to measure the Taliban by their actions.”

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Sports

Peng Shuai: WTA remains ‘deeply concerned’ about Chinese tennis star

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In an email statement on Saturday, the WTA says CEO Steve Simon has attempted to reach out to Peng “via various communication channels,” including two emails “to which it was clear her responses were influenced by others.”

Simon has therefore “decided not to re-engage via email until he was satisfied her responses were her own, and not those of her censors.”

“The WTA remains concerned about her ability to communicate freely, openly, and directly,” the statement concludes.

One of China’s most recognizable sports stars, `Peng publicly accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated November 2.
Following the accusation, Peng disappeared from public view, prompting several fellow tennis players to express worry on social media, using the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.

On November 21, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement that its president, Thomas Bach, had a 30-minute video call with three-time Olympian Peng, joined by a Chinese sports official and an IOC official.

The statement said that, during the call, Peng appeared to be “doing fine” and “relaxed,” and said she “would like to have her privacy respected.” The IOC did not explain how the video call with Peng had been organized.

However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized the IOC’s role in collaborating with Chinese authorities on Peng Shuai’s reappearance.

“It’s a whole different order of magnitude to see Thomas Bach, in a photograph with a woman, Peng Shuai, under intense pressure, we can reasonably assume from other cases, to walk back her claims of sexual assault, rather than figuring doing everything in his and the organization’s power to call that out and make sure that she is afforded the support and investigation and prosecution that may well be warranted,” HRW China Director Sophie Richardson said on November 23.

‘Nobody was able to establish contact’

Long-time IOC member Dick Pound told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour this week he was “puzzled” by the reaction to the video call between Peng and Bach.

“Basically, lots of people around the world were looking to see what happened to Peng Shuai and nobody was able to establish contact.

“Only the IOC was able to do so, and there was a conversation that was held by video with Thomas Bach, who’s an older Olympian, and two younger female IOC members. Nobody’s released the video because I guess that aspect of it was private.

“They found her in good health and in good spirits and they saw no evidence of confinement or anything like that.”

Pound added that he has not seen a recording of the video call, but is “simply relying on the combined judgment of the three IOC members who were on the call.”

Zhang has kept a low profile and faded from public life since his retirement in 2018, and there is no public information relating to his current whereabouts.

Before retiring as vice premier, Zhang was the head of a Chinese government working group for the Beijing Games. In the role he inspected venues, visited athletes, unveiled official emblems, and held meetings to coordinate preparation work.

Zhang previously met with Bach, the IOC president who held a video call with Peng, on at least one occasion, with the two being photographed together shaking hands in the Chinese capital in 2016.

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US

US ‘deeply alarmed’ over reports of military coup in Sudan

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The top U.S. envoy for the Horn of Africa on Monday took to Twitter to announce his alarm over reports of a military coup in Sudan targeting the country’s tenuous transitional government.

Reports out of the country suggest a coordinated military offensive to blackout the internet in Khartoum, arrest key political figures and raid broadcast companies. A Reuters witness described members of the military and the country’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces stationed in the streets throughout the capital.

Military forces in the country have reportedly placed Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdok under house arrest and have been urging him to come out in support of the coup. The Umma Party, the country’s largest political party, called on people to take to the streets to counter the military, the Associated Press reported. 

People gather as fire and smoke are seen on the streets of Kartoum, Sudan, amid reports of a coup, October 25, 2021. (RASD SUDAN NETWORK via REUTERS)

The BBC reported that Khartoum airport is closed, and international flights have been suspended.

Jeffery Feltman, seen here in 2011, said he is ‘deeply alarmed’ by reports of a military coup in Sudan. (JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)
(JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

A takeover by the military, backed by conservative Islamists, would be a major setback for Khartoum, which has grappled with a transition to democracy since long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled by mass protests in 2019. There was a failed coup attempt last month.

Demonstrators shout slogans as they gather to support current civilian government during a demonstration in Khartoum, Sudan on October 21, 2021. (Photo by Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Jeffery Feltman, the U.S. envoy, had just visited the country in an attempt to cool tensions, Bloomberg reported.

Feltman said in the tweet posted by the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs that a coup would “contravene the Constitutional Declaration and the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people.”

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (L) walks with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (2nd L) during their meeting at the Al Ittihadiyah Palace in Cairo, Egypt on September 18, 2019. (Photo by Egyptian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

He called the development “utterly unacceptable” and said any “changes to the transitional government by force puts at risk U.S. assistance.”

Under Hamdok and the transitional council, Sudan has slowly emerged from years of international pariah status under al-Bashir. The country was removed from the United States’ state supporter of terror list in 2020, opening the door for badly needed international loans and investment. 

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The U.S. provided about $337 million to support Sudan’s transitional government after the removal of Al Bashir, the National. The website reported that Feltman’s trip to the country on Saturday is his second in less than a month, which highlights “the level of engagement an concern” there is about a military takeover in Khartoum.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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US

Garland ‘deeply saddened’ by 2 recent deaths of federal agents while on duty

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U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement late Monday honoring the recent deaths of two federal officers who died in the line of duty.

“We are grateful for the courage and selfless sacrifice of these heroes,” the statement read. “And I join the entire Justice Department in conveying our support and deepest sympathies to their families.”

Jared Keyworth, a deputy U.S. Marshal and senior inspector, died last month in a car accident while responding to a felony offender case near Florence, Mississippi, according to the Advocate. Keyworth served for 11 years and was station in Baton Rouge, the report said.

An unidentified Drug Enforcement Administration agent was killed in a shooting on Monday in Tucson, Arizona.

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“I’m deeply saddened by the shooting this morning in Tucson, Arizona, that killed a DEA special agent and injured another DEA agent and a task force officer from the Tucson Police Department,” the statement read.

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US

Centrist Democrats go after Pelosi over delayed infrastructure vote: ‘Deeply regrettable’

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Reps. Josh GottheimerJoshua (Josh) GottheimerThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Alibaba – Democrats still at odds over Biden agenda No deal: House delays infrastructure vote 5 reasons why this week’s political war is different from all others MORE (D-N.J.) and Stephanie MurphyStephanie MurphyHouse passes debt ceiling suspension as standoff with GOP deepens House appears poised to pull infrastructure vote amid stubborn stalemate Pelosi: ‘No patience’ for Democratic debt ceiling holdouts MORE (D-Fla.) went after Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTransportation funding lapses after Pelosi pulls infrastructure vote The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Alibaba – Democrats still at odds over Biden agenda White House says it’s ‘closer to agreement than ever’ after House punts infrastructure vote MORE (D-Calif.) late Friday for not bringing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package to the floor for a vote this week, despite past assurances made to party moderates demanding as much.

Both lawmakers took aim at Pelosi for again pushing back a vote on the package, which has already passed the Senate, as House progressives have threatened to withhold support for the bill until the chamber passes a multitrillion-dollar social benefits package essential to President BidenJoe BidenFrance (and Britain) should join the Quad Election denialists smacked down by Idaho secretary of state Under Biden, the US could fall further behind in the Arctic MORE’s domestic agenda. 

Gottheimer in a statement called the move “deeply regrettable,” and said Pelosi breached what he called a “firm, public commitment” to congressional members to vote on the bipartisan bill this week after she previously committed to take up the deal in the last week of September.

Pelosi struck the agreement in August after a Gottheimer-led group of moderate Democrats revolted against leadership plans to delay passage of the deal, as she moved to set up a vote on a budget resolution for the larger social spending plan.

“Along with a group of members, I’ve been working around-the-clock to pass the bipartisan bill, legislation we held craft back in April with my senate colleagues,” Gottheimer wrote. “But a small far left faction of the House of Representatives undermined that agreement and blocked a critical vote on the president’s historic bipartisan infrastructure bill.”.

The lawmaker is referring to a group of House progressives that have vowed to vote against the package if the larger social spending plan isn’t passed first, concerned their colleagues will scale back the partisan bill if the physical infrastructure deal is already passed.

In a statement, Murphy, a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, said she was “profoundly disappointed and disillusioned” after the vote was delayed again, while also knocking what she referred to as a “misguided effort” by some of her colleagues to “gain ‘leverage’ over their fellow Democrats.”

“My position has been clear from day one. I support passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” she said, while also adding she supports passage of the larger social spending plan “that is fiscally disciplined, and that prioritizes measures to combat climate change.”

“There is no—zero—linkage between these two bills in my mind. I will continue to assess each bill on its own merits and to cast my vote accordingly,” she said.

“No member of Congress, and certainly no member of my own party, has the slightest leverage over my vote,” the congresswoman added. “I will do what I believe is in the best interest of my constituents and my country, and what comports with my conscience.”



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US

Harris ‘deeply troubled’ by images of Border Patrol agents on horseback blocking migrants, agents respond

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Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday said she is “deeply troubled” by images from the border showing Border Patrol agents on horseback blocking migrants from entering the U.S. – the latest administration official to join the pile on against agents who are dealing with a colossal migrant surge in Del Rio.

“What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible,” Harris told reporters. “And I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there. But human beings should never be treated that way. And I’m deeply troubled about it. And I’ll also be talking to Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas about it today.”

Sept. 19, 2021: U.S. Customs and Border Protection mounted officers attempt to contain migrants as they cross the Rio Grande from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, into Del Rio, Texas. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

DHS TO RAMP UP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO HAITI AS OFFICIALS SCRAMBLE TO CONTAIN DEL RIO MIGRANT SURGE 

Harris was reacting to images of Border Patrol agents in Del Rio, where thousands of Haitians have surged in recent days. Images showed agents on horseback blocking migrants from entering the U.S. and in one case grabbing onto a migrant’s shirt. 

Overwhelmed agents have been working six days a week, and more than 10 hours a day as they deal with the more than 14,000 mostly Haitian migrants that were at one time camped under the international bridge – with reports of tens of thousands more on the way.

As DHS has surged resources, including more agents on horseback, supplies and medical assistance, while also increasing deportation flights, the men and women in green have been attempting to stop migrants – who have traveled through multiple countries before arriving at the border – from coming into U.S. territory.

Border Patrol agents who spoke to Fox News were angered by the pile-on from the administration, and accused it of trying to deflect from its inability to control the border.

“This whole situation is blowing up and even liberals are turning on this administration,” one agent told Fox News. “[Harris] is placing blame on agents to deflect because she and Biden are not going to change how they are handling this.”

Another source was more blunt, saying that the outrage “just proves what absolute idiots they are.” 

BIDEN PLEDGES TO GET BORDER ‘UNDER CONTROL’ AMID NEW MIGRANT CRISIS IN DEL RIO 

“With basic knowledge and two brain cells, anyone knows those agents use split reins. They do use them as a whip, on their horses,” the agent said. “This helps get a quicker response from the horse to move out when needed, especially when the horse may be hesitant with groups of people or other animals.”

“Again it is clear that those ‘in charge,’ a term that is disgusting to use, have no clue about our operations and frankly operate by ignorance and unhinged emotions,” the agent said.

Some Democrats and media outlets falsely described the agents’ long reins, which they use to control their horses, as “whips.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned what she described as “the inappropriate use of what appear to be whips by Border Patrol officers on horseback to intimidate migrants.” 

Mayorkas and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz both said on Monday that they did not see anything wrong with the images, and Mayorkas pointed out agents use long reins to control their horses, not whips, in difficult terrain. Ortiz also noted that agents don’t know who are smugglers and who are migrants.

Ortiz said it is important that agents need maintain control of the horse to avoid injuries to both agents and migrants, and said working a horse in a riverine is a very difficult task. 

But the White House took a different view. Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: “I don’t think anyone seeing that footage would think it was acceptable or appropriate.”

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By Tuesday morning, Mayorkas had changed his perspective.

“I was horrified by what I saw,” Mayorkas told CNN. “I’m going to let the investigation run its course. But the pictures that I observed troubled me profoundly. That defies all of the values that we seek to instill in our people.” 

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World

World Bank halts financial support to Afghanistan, says it’s ‘deeply concerned’ for women

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The news deals another blow to an Afghan economy that relies heavily on foreign aid and is facing the specter of rising food prices.

“We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women,” World Bank spokesperson Marcela Sanchez-Bender said in a statement to CNN Business.

The World Bank has committed more than $5.3 billion for development projects in Afghanistan, according to the organization’s website. The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, administered by the World Bank, has raised more than $12.9 billion.

“We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation in line with our internal policies and procedures,” Sanchez-Bender said.

The World Bank said it will continue to consult with the international community and development partners.

“Together with our partners we are exploring ways we can remain engaged to preserve hard-won development gains and continue to support the people of Afghanistan,” Sanchez-Bender said.

The people of Afghanistan face the threat of inflation after the country’s currency tumbled to record lows following the fall of the US-backed government in Kabul.
In an interview with CNN, former Afghan central bank chief Ajmal Ahmady warned on Friday of “economic hardship” ahead for his country and pleaded with the international community to keep providing support.

“Humanitarian assistance not only needs to remain, but needs to increase over the next few days and months,” he said. “Let’s not wait until another crisis hits.”

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