Concerned About Afghanistan Situation, Italian PM Mario Draghi Pushes G20 Extraordinary Meeting

Perdana Menteri Italy Mario Draghi. (Wikimedia Commons / Presidency of the Republic)

JAKARTA - Italy, which is currently leading the Presidency of the G20 Countries, encouraged the convening of an extraordinary summit of the organization, related to the latest developments in the situation in Afghanistan.

This call was made by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi after the Taliban succeeded in taking power from the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani, the newspapers La Repubblica and Il Messaggero said on Thursday, citing Reuters, August 19.

Italy is holding a rotating G20 Presidency this year and a possible meeting is expected before the scheduled October summit in Rome, La Repubblica said.

In addition, PM Draghi is expected to discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday local time, the two dailies added.

A spokesman for the prime minister's office could not immediately be reached for comment. Meanwhile, an online meeting of the leaders of the G7 group has been scheduled for next week to discuss a common strategy and approach to the situation in Afghanistan.

The Taliban successfully entered Kabul City and occupied the presidential palace, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to leave office and flee abroad on Sunday.

Foreign countries are busy evacuating diplomatic missions and their citizens from Afghanistan, causing chaos to get a chance to be evacuated at Kabul Airport and causing casualties.

Most recently, a number of people were said to have been killed in the city of Asadabad, Afghanistan when the Taliban opened fire on a crowd waving the national flag, on Afghanistan's Independence Day, Thursday local time.

It was not clear whether the casualties in Asadabad were the result of the shooting or the stampede that was triggered, said witness Mohammed Salim from the eastern city, the capital of Kunar province.

"Hundreds of people took to the streets. At first I was scared and didn't want to go, but when I saw one of my neighbors joining in, I took out the flag I had at home", said Salim.

"Several people were killed and injured in raids and shootings by the Taliban", he continued. A Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

There were also protests but no reports of serious violence in the eastern city of Jalalabad and a district in Paktia province, media reported.

Last Wednesday, Taliban fighters opened fire on protesters waving Afghanistan's black, red and green national flag in Jalalabad, killing three people, witnesses and media reported.