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ANI | Washington D.C. [U.S.A] March 4, 2017 Last Updated at 06:43 IST

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, presently on a U.S. visit, said on Friday the issues such as terrorism, Asia-Pacific and Afghanistan were discussed with senior officials of the Donald Trump administration.

While keeping the focus on U.S.-India relationship, certain other issues were also discussed.

"I would characterize our discussions this way. Obviously, a lot of was U.S.-India focus rather than other countries. But we did discuss the global strategic landscape and exchanged ideas. In a sense, we are the continuity part of this relationship. I think in the meetings with the Secretary of the State, with the national security advisor, we discussed Asia-Pacific, Afghanistan. We discussed the challenge of terrorism," said Jaishankar while addressing the media here.

While responding to a poser on new targets and ambitions, Jaishankar said the current U.S. administration looked interested in working with India in a number of areas.

"At this time a lot of it was conceptual. On the economic basket, we saw a very strong interest in growing our trade, increase in investment, in finding various ways of cooperating with each other," he said.

The Foreign Secretary held meetings with a number of senior U.S. administration officials including Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress.

Jaishankar said a wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings. The Foreign Secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council.

He added that overall it has been a very productive visit and that the new administration has a very positive view of India and there was a lot of interest in taking this relationship forward.

He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal.

Jaishankar's four-day visit to the U.S. aimed at sensitising the Trump administration over India's concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the U.S. following a possible cut in H1B and L1 visas.

This is his second visit to the U.S. since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the U.S.

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

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, presently on a U.S. visit, said on Friday the issues such as terrorism, Asia-Pacific and Afghanistan were discussed with senior officials of the Donald Trump administration.

While keeping the focus on U.S.-India relationship, certain other issues were also discussed.

"I would characterize our discussions this way. Obviously, a lot of was U.S.-India focus rather than other countries. But we did discuss the global strategic landscape and exchanged ideas. In a sense, we are the continuity part of this relationship. I think in the meetings with the Secretary of the State, with the national security advisor, we discussed Asia-Pacific, Afghanistan. We discussed the challenge of terrorism," said Jaishankar while addressing the media here.

While responding to a poser on new targets and ambitions, Jaishankar said the current U.S. administration looked interested in working with India in a number of areas.

"At this time a lot of it was conceptual. On the economic basket, we saw a very strong interest in growing our trade, increase in investment, in finding various ways of cooperating with each other," he said.

The Foreign Secretary held meetings with a number of senior U.S. administration officials including Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress.

Jaishankar said a wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings. The Foreign Secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council.

He added that overall it has been a very productive visit and that the new administration has a very positive view of India and there was a lot of interest in taking this relationship forward.

He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal.

Jaishankar's four-day visit to the U.S. aimed at sensitising the Trump administration over India's concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the U.S. following a possible cut in H1B and L1 visas.

This is his second visit to the U.S. since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the U.S.

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

ANI

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Jaishankar discusses terrorism, Afghanistan with US officials - Business Standard

Forbes

Pakistan's Duplicity And Broken Promises On Afghanistan Forbes This week, Afghanistan lodged repeated official complaints against Pakistan's violations of international agreements, including Pakistan's Afghan border closings and forced repatriation of Afghan refugees. The border closings are contrary to World ... US Military: Number of IS Members in Afghanistan Reduced to 700Voice of America Afghan-based Islamic State a wild card as Trump ponders US commitmentReuters Afghanistan As America's 'Bleeding Wound'Huffington Post Washington Free Beacon (blog) -The News International -PakTribune.com all 94 news articles »

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Pakistan's Duplicity And Broken Promises On Afghanistan - Forbes

Afghanistan steps up surveillance to accelerate polio eradication

A strong surveillance system is the backbone of Afghanistans polio eradication effort. It ensures that every single poliovirus is detected and analysed, enabling a quick and effective response to stop every strain of the debilitating virus.

Afghanistan is closer than ever to stopping polio. The year 2016 ended with only 13 cases, down from 20 in 2015 and 28 in 2014. Most of Afghanistan remains polio-free, with transmission limited to the southern, eastern and southeastern parts of the country. Surveillance is key to ensuring that the virus is tracked and stopped wherever it circulates.

Together with partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, WHO is further strengthening Afghanistans surveillance system to accelerate progress towards a polio-free Afghanistan.

Active volunteers track down the virus

Afghanistan currently has a network of 21 000 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) reporting volunteers, including health workers in health facilities as well as community volunteers such as traditional healers, mullahs, shrine keepers and pharmacists, supported by over 700 AFP focal points. These volunteers actively find and report children who have symptoms that could be polio: floppy, rapid-onset paralysis with no apparent cause. Stool samples are collected from each child with suspected polio, and sent for further laboratory testing and analysis.

As a doctor I feel it is my responsibility to work for polio eradication in my country. Polio is a devastating disease that can cause permanent paralysis so everyone should play their part in ending this disease, said Dr Saifurrahman, AFP reporting volunteer from Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar. When a patient with floppiness or paralysis comes to the clinic, I examine the child properly and if the signs point to polio, I immediately inform the Provincial Polio Officer, after which well collect stool samples for further testing.

In 2016, the polio surveillance network reported a total of 2903 AFP cases, of which 13 were confirmed polio cases and 2858 were discarded as non-polio AFP. As of mid-February, 31 cases are pending classification.

An external review conducted in 2016 concluded that Afghanistans polio surveillance surpassed global standards and the circulation of wild poliovirus is unlikely to be missed.

With the support of WHO, Afghanistan continues to step up its surveillance system. In last year alone, 458 new surveillance reporting sites have been introduced and the AFP reporting volunteer network expanded by 18%.

When vaccinators go around communities during immunization campaigns and transit teams vaccinate children on the move, they also conduct active AFP case search to further boost AFP surveillance. Active AFP case search has also been incorporated into trainings led by the Ministry of Public Health and WHO ahead of every national immunization campaign.

Strong polio surveillance relies on Afghans who are close to their communities and trusted by them. Saheeb Jaan, a shrinekeeper in Bamyan province, has been a volunteer AFP reporter for 8 years.

If I see a family come to the shrine with a sick child having weakness or paralysis, I report it to the doctors. WHO has given me a referral notebook so that I can get their information and convince them to call the doctors to make sure their child does not have polio, she said. I became a volunteer because it is a good cause and helps save childrens lives. I am happy and proud to be a part of the polio campaign.

Every single AFP reporting volunteer receives comprehensive training from WHO at least once a year, reviewing key aspects of surveillance such as AFP case definition, clinical signs and symptoms of polio, proper check-up procedures and the protocol for notifying AFP cases to the focal point.

Stepping up environmental surveillance

Environmental surveillance, the collection and laboratory analysis of sewage samples, further increases the sensitivity of surveillance in critical areas.

Afghanistans environmental surveillance was set up in Kandahar City in 2013 and samples are now regularly collected from 17 active surveillance sites. WHO and partners conducted a thorough assessment of existing sites in December 2016, leading to three new additional surveillance sites being selected in Kandahar, Nangarhar and Khost, in addition to existing sites in Kabul, Kunar and Helmand. Environmental samples are collected monthly, but sampling frequency has recently been doubled in the south.

In 2016, two poliovirus isolates were reported from environmental samples, down from 19 in 2015.

The road ahead

Afghanistans strong surveillance system ensures that the programme continues to find every strain of the virus in its hiding places, accelerating the road ahead to a country free of polio.

Vigorous training of AFP reporting volunteers and focal points remains crucial in order to guarantee that no AFP case is missed and that samples are collected, stored and transported properly. WHO continues to support the training and orientation of new and existing AFP focal points and volunteers to ensure each volunteer is trained at least once a year.

The programme is engaging more private health facilities to further strengthen the AFP reporting network. Currently almost 1400 private practitioners are involved as reporting volunteers around the country, making up 6% of the network, and the number is increasing. Engaging more private clinics will further improve the programmes ability to find children with paralysis.

Afghanistans surveillance system exceeds global standards but we must continue to stay vigilant and continuously review and expand the system where necessary, said Dr Hemant Shukla, head of the polio programme at WHO Afghanistan. Constantly improving the quality and sensitivity of the surveillance system is critical for securing a polio-free future for Afghanistan.

Read more:
Tracing every last virus - Reliefweb

EXCLUSIVE

Caron Butler admits he was" extremely scared" during a "red alert" bomb scare while he was visiting troops in Afghanistan ... but praises the Army for keeping him safe and vows to go back.

Butler just returned from a trip to the Middle East with the USO -- and even watched the NBA All-Star game with soldiers in Afghanistan.

But a few days before the game, troops rushed in and moved Caron to a secure area after getting intel about a potential bomb threat.

"You could tell a lot of people was in like a extreme red alert," Butler says ... "I was extremely scared to say the least."

"But at the same time I knew I was in the good hands of the U.S. Army and they took great care of us over there."

Butler says he got a deeper appreciation for our troops while overseas and says he's already making plans to visit them again very soon.

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Caron Butler 'Extreme Red Alert' Bomb Scare ... During Afghanistan Trip - TMZ.com

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is conducting more air missions and air strikes than the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan, Brigadier General Charles S. Cleveland, spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support training mission, revealed March 1.

Cleveland said the AAF has grown from zero fixed wing combat aircraft on March 1, 2016, to eight A-29s presently conducting combat operations daily throughout Afghanistan, to be joined by another eight aircraft by the summer/early fall. He added that the AAF has the pilots and maintenance personnel to conduct these operations as well as terminal air controllers calling in air strikes daily.

But he added that "they still do need help," so the U.S. Air Force is providing a bridge "until the Afghans can do it all by themselves."

He put the number of Afghan tactical air controllers, who even have their own acronym, ATAC, at over 100.

Cleveland said the AAF will receive another four A-29s in 2018 if a request made by the Obama administration for more fixed and rotary wing aircraft is approved.

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AAF Conducts Majority Of Air Missions In Afghanistan - Aviation Week (blog)