Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar on Wednesday departed for Moscow on an official visit in response to an invitation from his Russian counterpart. During his three-day trip, Atmar would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials on issues of common interest, including regional stability, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

In an expected move, the government in Berlin has agreed to extend its military mission in Afghanistan by 10 months, Deutsche Welle reported on Thursday.

Pakistan’s Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said Wednesday that Pakistan has done what it can to promote peace efforts in Afghanistan and that Islamabad will not support the Taliban in any attempt to “recapture Kabul”.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced Thursday it will increase the number of international flights to Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday that the establishment of peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in Pakistan and the entire region.

The third meeting of the EU-Afghanistan Special Working Group on Human Rights, Good Governance and Migration was held on Wednesday virtually in which parties involved expressed grave concern about the continuing high level of violence, and condemned the increasing number of targeted killings of media workers, civil society activists and law enforcement officials.

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations said Thursday that everyday about one thousand Afghan citizens leave the country illegally. Ministry officials attributed this to poverty, unemployment and insecurity for most Afghan citizens, especially young people.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok says adequate cooperation between civilians and security forces will help plug the gap left by departing UNAMID troops.

At least 7,000 people who fled escalating ethnic violence in western Ethiopia have sought asylum in neighboring Sudan, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday, amid heightened tensions between the two Eastern African nations.

Nine of the dead were young boys hit by a bomb while playing football at Gwange ward. At least 10 persons have now been confirmed killed and about 60 injured when Boko Haram insurgents attacked Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Tuesday evening.