Archive for September, 2021

Pakistan’s Imran Khan says world should give Islamic Emirate ‘time’ on human rights but fears ‘chaos’

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan is to engage with the Islamic Emirate and “incentivize” them on issues such as women’s rights and inclusive government. Speaking to CNN from Islamabad on Wednesday, Khan spoke about enduring what he perceived as a “terrible” relationship with the United States that has been […]

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UN envoy, Haqqani discuss urgent need for humanitarian aid

Deborah Lyons, head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, has met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the new acting interior minister, to discuss much needed humanitarian relief for Afghanistan. Suhail Shaheen, an Islamic Emirate spokesman, said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday: “(Haqqani) stressed that UN personnel can conduct their work without any hurdle and deliver vital aid to the Afghan […]

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All military equipment in safe place: Kunar Governor

Kunar Governor Mohammad Usman Turabi rejected the claim regarding the distraction of military equipment in the province. He said all heavy weapons and military gears present in the province were in secure place. He said the Taliban had been told that military equipment belonged to the nation and it should not be wasted. Mawlavi Abdullah Haqqani, commander of the infantry […]

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Guarded by ex-inmates, Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi Prison lies deserted

Afghanistan’s infamous Pul-e-Charkhi Prison, which once housed thousands of Islamic Emirate forces and Daesh fighters in its sprawling compound on the outskirts of Kabul, today stands virtually empty, except for the remnants of prisoners’ belongings and discarded documents. On August 15, as the Islamic Emirate drove into Kabul following the fall of the previous government, the gates to the prison […]

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Baradar says reports he was hurt in internal clashes are false

Afghanistan’s acting deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar appeared in a video interview posted on Wednesday and denied reports that he was hurt in a clash with a rival faction of the Islamic Emirate. “No this is not true, I am OK and healthy,” Baradar said in an interview with state TV which was posted on Twitter by the Islamic […]

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China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran agree to strengthen coordination on Afghan issue

Senior officials from China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran reached a consensus on Thursday to step up communication and coordination on the Afghan issue, Reuters reported. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Rasoul Mousavi reached the consensus at an informal meeting […]

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Biden’s Afghanistan Mistakes

Trump’s Doha Agreement only bound the United States to a “complete withdrawal of all remaining forces” with the “commitment and action” of the Taliban on its obligations as laid out in the accord. Those terms bound the Taliban not to “allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the […]

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Some Afghan embassies break contact with Taliban govt

A former official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) says some of Afghanistan’s embassies are acting independently and the nature of their revenue remains unknown. Similarly, the ministry says one embassy is yet to deposit its money in a bank and four others have refused to answer questions about their activities. A former MoFA official, who wished to go […]

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US apologises for Kabul drone strike

The US military has admitted that 10 civilians, including seven children, were killed in last month’s drone strike in Kabul. The August 29 strike targeted an Islamic State suicide bomber who posed an imminent threat to US-led troops at the Kabul airport. On Friday, US Central Command head Gen. Frank apologised for what he called a tragic mistake. The top […]

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Security Council renews UN mission in Afghanistan for six months

The UN Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for six months following the Islamic Emirate takeover of the country on August 15. The 15-member council asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report by Jan. 31, 2022 “on strategic and operational recommendations for the mandate of UNAMA, in light of recent political, […]

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