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After 25 years as an elite Army soldier and a high-ranking White House official responsible for setting Afghanistan policies, retiredColonel FernandoLujanis gearing up for his next major assignment, a year teaching politics at Howard University as a Chamberlain fellow and visiting professor.

The Chamberlain fellowship program gives recently retired military people opportunities on college campuses.

Lujan, a graduate of The U.S. Military Academy West Point, said he chose Howard University to ensure public affairs knowledge is dispersed to minority students.Lujansaid the Chamberlain fellowship program gives him the opportunity to pass the lessons hes learned to students. The program places a small number of officers at universities to engage with the student body for a year; the purpose is to improve dialogue between the military andhigher education communities.

Lujan said he was attracted to Howard because of the work ofBernard Fall, one of the most famous chroniclers of the Vietnam War and a past Howard professor.Lujansaid he had always been impressed by Hell in A Very Small Place, Falls account of the battle of Dien Bien Phu which brought an end to French rule in Vietnam.

Lujan, 46, grew up on the rougher end of west side San Antonio. His parents were Mexican immigrants. Inspired by GI Joe action figures and movies,Lujanwas drawn to the idea of serving in the military.In high school, a junior ROTC instructor who was a Green Beret inspiredLujanto dream ofalsobecoming a Green Beret. Hard work, ambition, and good luck earned him a spot at West Point.

I was lucky enough to get in,Lujansaid. That was my big shot my winning, cosmic lottery ticket. I was offered the opportunity to go do something different, to go be in the Army in the special forces. All the people I ever knew were in San Antonio.

Green Beretsare an elite group within theUnited States Army Special Forcesthat receive specialized training and perform a wide range of missions in hostile settings around the world, includingcounterinsurgency and counterterrorism.As part of his training,Lujanlearned Dari, a major language spoken in Afghanistan.

Lujans next military chapter came in Afghanistan during the Obama administration when U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice visited his base in Afghanistan. Rice, he said, was curious about how things were going.Lujanwas the acting commander and gave her the briefings. While he couldnt sense it during the visit, Rice was impressed. He was soon asked to come work in the Obama administration.

From 2014 to 2017,Lujanwas director of Afghanistan, then senior director of South Asia on the National Security Council at the White House, where he led interagency setting U.S. policy and counterterrorism efforts.Lujanalso spent three years in the U.S. State Department, as a member of the U.S. negotiating team seeking a political settlement in Afghanistan.

I have had a very blessed career, running around doing operational stuff with the special forces,Lujansaid. Then I was able to get a front-row seat to how policy gets made in the White House. I was able to distill a lot of lessons: the use of military forces, foreign policy, politics.

In recent days,Lujansaid been putting the final touches on the syllabus for his upcoming Howard course, which will be offered in the Department of Political Science. But he said what hes most looking forward to is learning from Howard students.

I want to understand how Howard students see the world, their hopes and fears, and new ways to imagine things,Lujansaid.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visitwww.howard.edu.

Media contact: Sholnn Freeman; sholnn.freeman@howard.edu

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Retired Green Beret and Afghanistan Expert to Teach Politics at ... - The Dig

US Department of State deputy spokesman Vedant Patel has said if the Taliban intends to seek international recognition, they need to "start directly with the actions and the policies they choose to undertake in Afghanistan", TOLO News reported. TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

Patel while speaking at a press conference in Washington DC, said that the US is "going to be watching very closely and will continue to take appropriate actions as needed." "As it relates to the United States and Taliban, we have been incredibly clear, quite regularly condemning the clear backsliding that we are seeing in Afghanistan, the egregious human rights abuses, the marginalization of women and girls," he said, as per TOLO News.

The Taliban has, meanwhile, said that ensuring the rights of women is an internal issue and no country should interfere in this regard. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said: "The Taliban has its own rules in issues of values and womenwhatever the Islamic Sharia allows and whatever is ensured is based on Shariah. The Americans and other countries should not interfere in the internal issues of Afghanistan."

This comes as political analysts said that the issue of recognition is linked to the formation of an inclusive government, and the fulfillment of the international community's wishes. If the Taliban does not take "some of the rules and procedures on the international level and doesn't take practical actions to eliminate restrictions against them, it will not be recognized by the international community, particularly the US," said Najib Rahman Shamal, political analyst, according to TOLO News. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Taliban needs to take appropriate actions in Afghanistan for international recognition: US - Devdiscourse

Over 1200 families have already been displaced by flooding in, Kabul, Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces

Over 600 homes have been damaged by the flooding

IRC calls on international donors to not leave the most vulnerable countries behind in climate financing, especially when many disasters are predictable

Kabul, Afghanistan, July 26, 2023 The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is scaling up to the communities affected by the recent devastating floods in Kabul, Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces in Afghanistan. The floods, triggered by heavy rainfall and exacerbated by climate change, have caused immense devastation in the region. Climate change has emerged as a potent threat, disproportionately affecting regions like Maidan Warak and Logar provinces, where populations rely on agricultural productivity and where they already face multiple challenges, including poverty and limited access to resources. As a result of the floods, these populations have had to flee their homes, meaning they are left without basic provisions such as food and adequate shelter.

Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and increased frequency of extreme events, such as floods, are compounding the struggles of these communities, disrupting livelihoods, and eroding the resilience of the local population. Regrettably, those who contribute the least to climate change are bearing the brunt of its consequences. The IRC underscores the urgent need for global action to address climate change, its impact on vulnerable communities, and the inherent injustice in its unequal distribution of harm.

Mohammed Riyas, Regional Emergency Director for IRC in Asia, said,

"Communities in Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces are grappling with the aftermath of these devastating floods, with more rainfall projected in the coming days. The situation demands immediate attention and support.

"While climate change is a global crisis, it is unequivocally evident that its impact is felt disproportionately by those who have contributed the least to its causes. We must stand in solidarity and recognize the moral imperative to support vulnerable communities as they face the consequences of a crisis they did not create.

The IRC's emergency response teams are working tirelessly to provide essential aid and services to those affected in Kabul and Logar, including health and medical support. In the coming days, we will also distribute cash to affected populations so that they are able to buy essential items. Just today, IRC launched a report that highlights that cash-based anticipatory action can help recover from, and build resilience to, climate disasters in fragile settings affected by both conflict and climate change.

The IRC calls on governments, international organizations, and individuals worldwide to rally together in addressing climate change and supporting vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by its effects. Further, the humanitarian response plan is less than 25% funded, whilst 28.8 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. IRC calls on international donors to not leave the most vulnerable countries behind in climate financing, especially when many disasters are predictable.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Madiha Raza International Rescue Committee madiha.raza@rescue.org

Nancy Dent International Rescue Committee Nancy.Dent@rescue-uk.org

IRC Global Communications +1 646 761 0307 communications@rescue.org

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IRC prepares response for flood affected communities in ... - ReliefWeb

ANI | Updated: Jul 27, 2023 19:09 IST

New York [US], July 27 (ANI): The United Nations Security Council in its latest report has said that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP], resulting in an increase in its cross-border attacks in Pakistan. The report also notes that there was evidence that several global terrorist entities are using the TTP as cover to evade restrictions of the Afghan Taliban, adding that greater restrictions over such groups could push them to join the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP). The report claims that in June, some TTP fighters were relocated away from the Pak-Afghan border as a request from Pakistan. However, the TTP could become a regional threat if it continues enjoying the patronage of the Taliban, it says, adding that one member states noted that TTP was being aided by Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). It also reported that the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)/Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) training camps in Kunar Province were being used for TTP fighters. The report while quoting assessments of some Member States claims that Saif al-Adl, most likely to succeed Ayman al-Zawahiri, is still in Iran. It further adds that the numerical strength of the Al-Qaida Central in Afghanistan is between 30 to 60 members, while its fighters are estimated to be 400, reaching 2,000 with family members included. Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent has approximately 200 fighters. One Member State assessed that Al-Qaida is shaping AQIS to spread its operations into Bangladesh, Kashmir, and Myanmar. The report further notes that Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) continues to pose the most serious threat in Afghanistan and the wider region and beyond to Europe highlighting the group's recent high-profile attacks in Afghanistan against senior Taliban leaders. It adds that Mawlawi Rajab, previously identified as ISKP leader, Shahab al-Muhajir's deputy, has been appointed as Head of external operations of ISKP. The report termed the claim from one State member that Sanaullah Ghafari (Shahab al-Muhajir) would have been killed in June, as not confirmed. The report assessed that ISKP might pursue high-impact operations against Western countries and their interests abroad in the medium term, as evidenced by a recently disrupted attack in Strasbourg, France. (ANI)

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Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened TTP, increasing ... - ANI News

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Sadrazam Osmani said that level of ground water has dropped due to the recent drought in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference held to report the annual activities of the ministry, Ozmani said that projects are underway to address the challenges of water shortage in the country.

The underground water of Kabul has dropped. There is a proper plan underway which will help the level of the water to increase. Inshallah, one of the programs is to manage the level of Kabul water, said Sadrazam Osmani, deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.

The acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Attaullah Omari, said that after the Islamic Emirate came to power, more than 240 projects worth $320 million have been implemented by various national and international organizations.

Within the past two years of the Islamic Emirate, around 241 projects worth $328 million have been implemented in various sectors of agriculture by national and international organizations, Omari said.

He also said that at least 180 private companies have invested more than five billion Afs in the last year.

Officials said that a complex of cold storage for agricultural products is expected to be built in Kabul.

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Ground Water Levels Dropping in Afghanistan Due to Drought ... - TOLOnews