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House Dems issue response to GOP report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan

House Dems issue response to GOP report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan

The House Democrats on the Foreign Affairs Committee released their own memo on President Biden’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after committee Republicans released a report criticizing the president for what went down at the time. Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the Republican chair of the committee, released a GOP-led report disputing Biden’s claims that his hands were tied to the agreement former President Trump had made with the Taliban establishing a deadline for U.S. withdrawal for the summer of 2021. It also said State Department officials had no plan for helping Americans and allies out while there were still troops in the region to protect them. McCaul’s report also noted the failure to adequately respond to terror threats ahead of the ISIS-K bombing at Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghan civilians, and that the Taliban likely had access after the withdrawal to $7 billion in abandoned U.S. weapons and up to $57 million in U.S. funds that were initially given to the Afghan government. But New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the Democrat ranking member of the committee, released a dueling report in response to the GOP-led report, accusing Republicans of criticizing the Biden administration for the withdrawal for political purposes and failing to offer feasible alternatives. HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN Meeks also said Republicans did not involve Democrat members in their report and stressed that plans for withdrawing from Afghanistan began under the Trump administration. He said in the memo’s summary that Republicans sought to avoid facts involving Trump, including “his committing the United States to a full, date-specific withdrawal in a deal he negotiated with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government or any reference to the rights of Afghan women and girls.” The ranking member also knocked Trump’s “unilateral announcements to withdraw troops, often a surprise to many of his own senior officials, which undercut U.S. leverage because those announcements were divorced from Taliban compliance with the deal; and his forcing the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban fighters back to the battlefield before a final Taliban offensive ultimately took Kabul.” “When former President Trump took office, there were approximately 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan,” Meeks wrote. “Days before leaving office, the former President ordered a further reduction to 2,500. President Trump initiated a withdrawal that was irreversible without sending significantly more American troops to Afghanistan to face renewed combat with the Taliban.” “All witnesses who testified on this issue agreed that the United States would have faced renewed combat with the Taliban had we not continued the withdrawal,” he added. “Rather than send more Americans to fight a war in Afghanistan, President Biden decided to end it.” Addressing the Abbey Gate bombing. Meeks said Republicans “knew for months that the attack was not preventable and that, even though a witness told our Committee he thought he had the ISIS-K bomber in his sights, he did not.” Republicans, Meeks said, made partisan attempts to garner headlines rather than acknowledge the full facts and substance of their investigation during the height of the election cycle. He also said Republicans attempted to tie Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democrats’ presidential nominee, to the withdrawal even though she is referenced only three times in 3,288 pages of the committee’s interview transcripts. HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBPOENAS BLINKEN OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL “American taxpayers have funded this Committee’s oversight, and the American people deserve the truth,” Meeks said. “We owe it to them to highlight the facts elicited in this investigation without undue spin and with respect for the seriousness of the subject and the witnesses who have voluntarily testified to us about it.” “It strikes me now as it did during that hearing that many of those critical of the withdrawal effort simply have a fundamental objection to President Biden fulfilling his pledge to be the last Commander-in-Chief to preside over the war in Afghanistan,” he added. “They are masking their displeasure with criticisms but have failed to offer feasible alternatives. We must continue to wrestle with these matters not to rewrite the past or assign partisan blame, but to identify lessons that can help us better fight and end wars in the future.”

In the Philippines, users of loan apps decry deception, threats and debt

In the Philippines, users of loan apps decry deception, threats and debt

Manila, the Philippines – From the early morning hours to late at night, Lance receives hundreds of threatening texts and dozens of missed calls each day. When he answers the phone, the person on the other end of the line often immediately hangs up. Other times, a threatening voice tells him that his days are numbered if he does not pay the debts he has racked up using online lending platforms. “They’re toying with me,” Lance, who asked to use a pseudonym, told Al Jazeera. His family’s breadwinner, Lance, 31, lost his job in sales twice during COVID-19 lockdowns in Manila. Unable to provide a good enough credit rating for a bank loan, he turned to loan apps. “It starts with one. Then somewhere along the line, you’re faced with even a small emergency. You don’t pay them back on time, which leads you to another app,” he said. Since 2021, Lance has accumulated close to one million pesos in debt on more than 20 different lending platforms. Now with a better credit rating, he has resorted to taking out bank loans to cover the fast-rising penalty fees. On social media, hundreds of thousands of anonymous accounts populate support groups for users of loan apps who, like Lance, feel they have been taken advantage of. They say that many apps are designed to trick users into taking on bigger and bigger debts, and that relentless verbal abuse and threats follow when they inevitably cannot pay up. Many of those who have been burned accuse the authorities of not doing enough to keep predatory lenders in check. Loan apps exploded in popularity during the pandemic, racking up millions of downloads. In 2023 alone, the number of new or unique users of such platforms soared by 64 percent to 47.5 million, according to digital lending company Digido. The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued licences for 140 digital lending companies, many of which offer services through apps. So far, the licences of fewer than 40 platforms have been revoked for unfair debt collection practices. Robert Dan Roces, chief economist for Security Bank Philippines, said the platforms have been a “disruptor” in the world of finance. With minimal requirements, “they offer the unbanked and underbanked faster and easier access to credit”, Roces told Al Jazeera. While the convenience offered by the apps can be tempting for people in straitened circumstances, it “often comes at a steep price, with predatory practices”, he added. Kikay Bautista, the founder of the United OLA (Online Lending Apps) Victims Movement, said that exploitative online lending platforms are a growing problem in the Philippines. “It’s getting worse, and many are still being tricked,” Bautista, who founded her support group after she was forced to sell her furniture to pay off debts racked up using online lending platforms, told Al Jazeera. Users of loan apps such as MocaMoca say they have faced harassment after failing to make repayments on time [Michael Beltan/Al Jazeera] Bobbie, a 22-year-old university student in Manila, said he turned to loan app MocaMoca after being “bombarded” with advertisements promising ultra-quick processing, low interest rates and a 90-day repayment window. “Easy money. Who wouldn’t be interested?” Bobbie, who requested to use a pseudonym, told Al Jazeera. Bobbie said he borrowed 2,500 Philippine pesos ($42) but the app only transferred him 1,500 ($25), with the difference eaten up by processing fees. He said he was then suddenly informed that he had seven days to return 2,300 pesos ($39), and 90 days to pay back the remaining 200 pesos (USD3). “It only tells you this once they’ve lent you the money! I was able to pay at first. But eventually I took care of family expenses and missed a day of payment,” Bobbie said. Within hours, agents were threatening violence and to have him jailed, he said. Bobbie said that Mocamoca imposed a 400-peso ($6.90) penalty for late repayment the following day. Struggling to keep up with repayments, Bobbie said he resorted to borrowing from other apps, including MoreGold, and eventually amassed a debt of 200,000 pesos ($3,421), which he is still trying to repay. Although the SEC stripped MocaMoca operator Copperstone Lending of its licence to operate in April last year, the platform continues to operate pending an appeal. When contacted for comment, Mocamoca said that it follows the “legal process” without elaborating further. A visit by Al Jazeera to the address listed as Mocamoca’s office found that it belongs to a hotel in Manila. Staff at the hotel denied having any affiliation with any lending platform and said that they often have to explain to disgruntled customers that the hotel has no connection to the app. The listed address for the office of the lending app Mocamoca belongs to a hotel in Manila [Michael Beltan/Al Jazeera] A representative for MoreGold, which Bobbie said had also made threatening phone calls, told Al Jazeera that “our company maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy regarding any form of harassment”. When Al Jazeera visited the address listed as MoreGold’s office, building security said there was no such company at that location. The platform did not respond to requests for comment about its address and location. Since 2022, the SEC has set the monthly interest rates and additional fees that most online platforms may charge their clients at 15 percent. Nonetheless, borrowers such as Bobbie have found that many platforms charge much higher rates in practice. The SEC told Al Jazeera that it is actively investigating fraudulent practices. The regulator said it had revoked the licences of three platforms since 2023, with another currently under investigation. Lending platforms have also come under fire for their lax approach to data collection and privacy. Many borrowers have complained of being inundated with spam calls and messages after using their services, often from people whose identity and company affiliation are unclear. In August 2021, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) ordered the immediate takedown of four platforms – which it did not name –

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 927

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 927

As the war enters its 927th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Monday, September 9, 2024. Fighting At least three people were killed and one injured after Russia struck the village of Cherkaske in the eastern Donetsk region with cluster munitions, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Two people were killed and four injured, including two children, in a Russian air attack on the Sumy region, the regional military administration said. Sumy borders Russia in northeastern Ukraine. The death toll from a missile attack on a military educational institute in Ukraine’s Poltava city rose to 58 after three more people died from their injuries. Russia said it had taken control of Novohrodivka, some 12km (7 miles) from Pokrovsk, a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine. Novohrodivka had a population of 14,000 people before the war. In its regular update, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military detailed heavy fighting throughout the Pokrovsk sector, including Novohrodivka. It said 29 attempted Russian advances had been repelled, with seven skirmishes continuing. Ukraine’s Air Force said air defence units destroyed 15 of 23 Russian attack drones and one guided air missile. Two of the drones and three other missiles did not reach their targets, the Air Force said. Romania and Latvia, NATO members and allies of Ukraine, said they were investigating breaches of their airspace by Russian drones that then crashed. NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana said the incidents were “irresponsible and potentially dangerous”. Politics and diplomacy German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for renewed diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine “more quickly”. Speaking in an interview with the broadcaster ZDF, Scholz said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed in recent talks on the need for a new peace conference that would include Russia. Zelenskyy appointed former arms production minister Oleksandr Kamyshin as an external adviser for strategic issues, according to a decree published on the president’s website. Kamyshin resigned as minister for strategic industries in a major government reshuffle. Weapons Zelenskyy again urged Ukraine’s allies to relax conditions on the use of Western-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia. “In just one week, Russia has used over 800 guided aerial bombs, nearly 300 Shahed drones, and more than 60 missiles of various types against our people,” he said in a Facebook post. Adblock test (Why?)

NATO members Latvia, Romania say Russian drones breached airspace

NATO members Latvia, Romania say Russian drones breached airspace

Romania has confirmed drone fragments on several occasions since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Latvia and Romania, NATO members who are allies of Ukraine, have said that Russian drones violated their airspace. Romania said a Russian drone entered its airspace during nighttime attacks across the Danube River in neighbouring Ukraine in the early hours of Sunday, while Latvia said one crashed in the eastern part of the country a day earlier. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said that Bucharest deployed F-16 fighter jets to monitor its airspace and that a search for the weapon’s debris was under way at a potential crash site near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Bucharest strongly condemned the “renewed violation” brought on by Moscow’s “illegal attacks”. Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics, meanwhile, said a Russian military drone had crashed in the eastern part of its territory. The Defence Ministry said that the drone had flown into the country’s airspace from Belarus and crashed around Rezekne, a town of about 25,000 people some 55km (34 miles) west of Russia and 75km (47 miles) from Belarus, a close ally of the Kremlin. While the incursion into Latvian airspace appeared to be a rare incident, Romania has confirmed drone fragments on its territory on several occasions since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Romania shares a 650km (400 mile) border with Ukraine. Mircea Geoana, NATO’s outgoing deputy secretary-general and Romania’s former top diplomat, said the military alliance condemned Russia’s violation of Romanian airspace. “While we have no information indicating an intentional attack by Russia against Allies, these acts are irresponsible and potentially dangerous,” he wrote on the social media platform X. Russia has carried out repeated nighttime attacks on cities across Ukraine, frequently targeting its Danube River ports, which are just a few hundred metres from Romania. Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha condemned the breaches of Romanian and Latvian airspace, calling them “a stark reminder that Russia’s aggressive actions extend beyond Ukraine”. He added on X that Ukraine needed concrete action from its allies. “A brave collective decision to use partner air defence to intercept Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine. Stronger and faster military aid for Ukrainian warriors. Lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons. Act now,” he said. Poland has also recorded at least two cases of its airspace being violated by Russian missiles or drones attacking Ukraine, most recently in December. Romanian lawmakers plan to consider legislation at their current session on enabling Romania to shoot down drones invading the country’s airspace in peacetime. Adblock test (Why?)