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Tag: Joe Biden

  • US becomes friendly when in need, later abandons Pakistan: PM Khan

    US becomes friendly when in need, later abandons Pakistan: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that the United States (US) has also been “a good friend of Pakistan” but it hasn’t been an “all-weather friend” like China.

    In an interview with Dr Eric Li, Director of the Advisory Committee of the China Institute of Fudan University, PM Khan said: “There have been times when the US has been very friendly but then when they think Pakistan is not of use to them, then we get abandoned. Then they again sort of become friendly.” PM said that Pakistan became a frontline state against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Pakistan became a friend of the US, and “they even helped us and they were good to us”. He added that the moment the Soviets left, “they slapped sanctions on Pakistan”.

    “Ten years later when 9/11 happened, they [the US] again became very good to us but then when they could not win against Afghanistan, then we [Pakistan] were blamed for this debacle,” said PM Khan.

    PM Imran Khan said that with China, our relationship has been consistent for seven decades regardless of the government in power. “It’s a people-to-people friendship.”

    “When you have no clear aims why you invaded a country, it is going to be a failure. Anyone who thinks of controlling the Afghan people has not read their history,” said PM Khan when asked about the situation after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. He added that the whole mission of the US in Afghanistan was “based on a false premise”.

    On Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, PM said, “If Afghanistan descends into chaos because of the sanctions, as its 75 percent economy depends on foreign aid, this will be the biggest manmade human disaster.”

    https://twitter.com/appcsocialmedia/status/1491987521630355456
  • ‘Stupid son of a b****,’ US President curses reporter for asking about inflation

    ‘Stupid son of a b****,’ US President curses reporter for asking about inflation

    During a press conference on Monday, United States (US) President Joe Biden was caught swearing at a reporter after his mic seemed to accidentally pick up his reaction to a question about inflation.

    In the video, it can be seen that all reporters were leaving the room when Fox News‘ White House (WH) Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden, “Will you take questions on inflation then? Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?”

    Unaware that his microphone was still on, the democratic leader said, “No, it’s a great asset — more inflation. What a stupid son of a b****.”

    Later, his mic was quickly turned off and Biden looked quite surprised as he appeared to notice his mistake.

    New York Times‘ WH correspondent Katie Rogers also tweeted the official transcript of the scene.

    After the conference, Doocy appeared on Fox News and revealed that he didn’t even hear the president’s response until the conference had finished.

    He said, “The White House and the communications officials here had been signalling last week when they had their first year in office anniversary that they were going to take a different approach with reporters.”

    However, later when he appeared on Fox News‘ Hannity programme, he said that the president had called him to “clear the air”.

  • US President Biden nominates first-ever Muslim woman as federal judge

    US President Biden nominates first-ever Muslim woman as federal judge

    Washington announced the nomination of the first Muslim woman as a judge of a federal court on Wednesday.

    Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, a Bangladeshi-American, is a civil rights lawyer who currently serves as the legal director of the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

    Last year, Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer recommended Choudhury to serve on the federal bench in New York, calling her an “expert in civil rights and liberties”.

    She was nominated by US President Joe Biden. The nomination is yet to be confirmed by a simple majority in the Senate.

    If confirmed, Choudhry would serve as the first Muslim woman, first Bangladeshi-American and second-ever American Muslim to serve as a federal judge.

    Apart from this, Joe Biden has also nominated 24 Blacks,17 Hispanics and 16 people who are Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

  • Shah Mehmood refuses to directly answer question about Biden not calling Khan, says it’s irrelevant

    Shah Mehmood refuses to directly answer question about Biden not calling Khan, says it’s irrelevant

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while speaking on Samaa News programme, revealed that talks of Pakistan with the President of United States (US) Joe Biden are now irrelevant.

    Speaking on ‘Nadeem Malik Live’, Qureshi said, “These talks with America have no weight, they are irrelevant.”

    Nadeem interjected and said that Pakistan does not want to talk to America, to which Qureshi said, “We will talk to them, whenever required we will talk to them [America]. When they need to talk to us, they do so.”

    “When we require we engage with them. When I was in New York I met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, we had a great meeting,” said Qureshi.

    Nadeem questioned Qureshi if the relationship between America and Pakistan had scaled down? Qureshi negating the question said, “No, the relationship has scaled up now.”

    “Why can’t you talk to Biden?” questioned Nadeem. “Biden as a personality has many institutions and has many channels of communication. Those channels of communications are open to us and we use them,” responded Qureshi.

    Later when Nadeem reminded him that there was a time when foreign office used to actively work to get a call for the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) assembly, now Qureshi was stating that the Biden call is irrelevant.

    Negating his previous statement, Qureshi said, “There is no harm in meeting Biden. But if he [Biden] thinks that he is busy with things and he might have is own preferences, so we have no hurry as well.”

    “Why has Biden kept us away from him as a policy, and has disengaged with us,” questioned Nadeem?

    “[Biden] can give the answer to this,” said Qureshi.

  • Watch: Joe Biden falls asleep during #COP26 speeches

    Watch: Joe Biden falls asleep during #COP26 speeches

    World leaders have gathered in Glasgow for the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (#COP26) 2021.

    During the conference, United States (US) President Joe Biden can be seen “apparently sleeping” during the #COP26 opening speeches.

    https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1455195062405632007?s=21

    President Biden was not the only one who seemed sleepy. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson while sitting with Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, and British natural historian David Attenborough, without wearing a mask seemed pretty sleepy as well.

  • US Senator indirectly urges President Biden to call PM Khan

    United States (US) Senator Bob Menendez said that he has asked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to urge President Joe Biden to have a conversation with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in an effort to rebuild the Pak-US relationship, reports Geo News.

    While addressing a fundraising event, Menendez said, “I think it would serve us well to have such a conversation and, you know when we have these conversations, they are honest, and that means they are also transparent.”

    “Where there is an agreement, we build upon it and where there is disagreement, we talk about how do we get through that disagreement,” said Menendez.

     “I hope, I can expand on it — not just about Pakistan in the context of a military or security dimension, but much greater– talking about an incredibly large population that is very young; there is tremendous opportunity to build upon the economic dynamism that we create,” he told the members of the American-Pakistani Political Action Committee (APPAC).

    US President Joe Biden, who assumed office in January this year, has not yet telephoned PM Khan.

    Earlier this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R Sherman on her visit to Pakistan said, “I am sure that this contact [between President Biden and PM Khan] will take place soon, so I don’t think it should mean anything else.”

    However, in August, the premier himself commented on the situation and said he was “not waiting for a phone call from the US President”.

  • More Afghans killed from American firing than blast at Kabul airport: Reports

    More Afghans killed from American firing than blast at Kabul airport: Reports

    A recent report by BBC has revealed that a significant number of those killed during the attack on Kabul airport were shot dead by the US forces in the panic after the blast.

    The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant- Khorasan (ISIL/ISIS-K) group’s suicide attack on the Kabul airport on Thursday killed around 175 Afghans and 13 United States (US) troops.

    Journalist Secunder Kermani of BBC, sharing his special report on Twitter, wrote: “Many we spoke to, including eyewitnesses, said significant numbers of those killed were shot dead by US forces in the panic after the blast.”

    https://twitter.com/SecKermani/status/1431517279859224579

    In the video, an eyewitness said, “It was doomsday for us, I saw American soldiers and some Turkish soldiers, the fire came from the bridges, and towers from the soldiers.”

    Another eyewitness holding the identity card of his relative said, “He has served the US army for years, he wasn’t killed by Taliban, he wasn’t killed ISIS. He died from the shelling.”

    “How can you be so sure?” questioned Secunder.

    “Because of the bullet, it went right through his neck, he doesn’t have an injury.”

    American forces launched a drone strike in Kabul on Sunday targeting a suicide bomber in a vehicle who was aiming to attack the airport, US officials said, as the US nears the end of its military presence in the city.

    The strike is the second carried out by US forces in Afghanistan since a militant Islamic State (IS) group’s suicide bomber struck the airport on Thursday.

    US President Joe Biden was briefed on the rocket attack at the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul and was informed that operations at the airport were not interrupted, the statement said.

    “National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chief of Staff Ron Klain have briefed the President on the rocket attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport,” it added.

    As many as five rockets were fired at Kabul’s international airport but were intercepted by a missile defense system, a US official told Reuters earlier.

    US and allied forces are hurrying to evacuate their remaining citizens and at-risk Afghans before completing their own withdrawal by Tuesday to meet a deadline agreed between the Taliban and Washington.

  • US launches drone attack, killing ‘ISIS-K planner’ in Afghanistan

    US launches drone attack, killing ‘ISIS-K planner’ in Afghanistan

    The United States announced it carried out a drone attack in eastern Afghanistan against a “planner” of an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant- Khorasan (ISIL/ISIS-K) group, after the attack outside Kabul’s airport that killed at least 175 Afghans and 13 US troops.

    “US military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner,” Captain Bill Urban, spokesperson for the US Central Command, said in a statement.

    “The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties,” read the statement.

    The announcement did not identify the targeted individual but indicated that this could be the first of many counter-attack at the ISIS-K targets for Thursday’s terrorist attacks at the Kabul airport.

    The ISIS group had claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Amaq News Agency said on its Telegram channel.

    US President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate against Thursday’s attack in Kabul, saying that he will hunt down those responsible and make them pay.

    Biden confirmed in a speech from the White House that the bombings were carried out by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), ISIL’s affiliate in Afghanistan.

    “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive; we will not forget,” Biden said.

    “We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests in our people with every measure at my command.”

  • ‘We will hunt you down and make you pay’: Biden reacts to 85 killed in Kabul blasts

    ‘We will hunt you down and make you pay’: Biden reacts to 85 killed in Kabul blasts

    Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans at Kabul’s airport, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror for those fleeing the Taliban takeover.

    At least 85 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in the blasts on Thursday.

    Among the dead were 72 civilians and 13 United States (US) service members.

    One of the bombers struck Afghans standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal, throwing bodies into the fetid water.

    The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons, and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.

    The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL /ISIS) group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Amaq News Agency said on its Telegram channel.

    US President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate against Thursday’s attack in Kabul, saying that he will hunt down those responsible and make them pay.

    Biden confirmed in a speech from the White House that the bombings were carried out by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), ISIL’s affiliate in Afghanistan.

    “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive; we will not forget,” Biden said.

    “We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests in our people with every measure at my command.”

    Biden added that the US will continue the evacuations of American citizens and US allies despite the attack. “We will not be deterred by terrorists; we will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuations,” he said.

  • CIA director secretly meets the head of Taliban in Kabul, reports WaPo

    CIA director secretly meets the head of Taliban in Kabul, reports WaPo

    United States (US) President Joe Biden sent off America’s top spy to meet the head of the Taliban on Monday, reported The Washington Post.

    This high-level diplomatic encounter comes prior to the deadline of August 31 set to airlift Americans and their allies out of Afghanistan.

    Biden warned that the evacuation was going to be “hard and painful” and much could still go wrong. US troops might stay beyond an August 31 deadline to oversee the evacuation, he said.

    Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns met Taliban Leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday as the Biden administration continues efforts to evacuate US citizens and other allies amid chaos at the airport in Kabul.

    “Biden’s spymaster is also his most seasoned diplomat. For Baradar, playing counterpart to a CIA director comes with a tinge of irony 11 years after the spy agency arrested him in a joint CIA-Pakistani operation that put him in prison for eight years,” writes journalist John Hudson.

    However, the CIA declined to comment on the secret meeting.