Archive for October, 2021

Chinese FM makes four-point proposal to tackle Afghan issues

The Group of 20 (G20) should leverage its characteristics and strengths to contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative Wang Yi, also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, said on Tuesday. Wang made a four-point proposal on tackling issues including the humanitarian crisis and terrorism in Afghanistan while attending […]

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Germany not yet prepared to recognise Afghan govt: Merkel

Germany is not yet prepared to recognise the Islamic Emirate as Afghanistan’s government since it has not met the inclusiveness standards demanded of it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, but she reaffirmed Berlin’s promise of 600 million euros’ aid. Speaking after a video conference of leaders from the G20 group of large economies and other international officials, Merkel also said […]

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Suspected Militants Kill Five Soldiers in Indian Kashmir: Army

Militants shot dead five soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir on Monday, the army said, stoking tensions in the restive territory following a string of civilian murders. Separately two suspected rebels were shot dead in different incidents, authorities said. Colonel Devendar Anand told AFP that one officer and four soldiers “were killed during a search operation probably by infiltrators” in a mountain […]

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Police: TV reporter killed in bomb attack in Pakistan

A local Pakistani journalist was killed in an overnight attack when a roadside bomb went off near his car in the country’s southwest, police said Monday. Shahid Zehri, 35, was traveling in his car when the bomb exploded in the town of Hub in the Baluchistan province on Sunday, according to Shafiq Mengal, a local police officer. Mengal said the […]

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Under-pressure Taliban to meet EU in bid for ‘positive’ ties

The Taliban will hold face-to-face talks with European Union officials, the acting foreign minister said on Monday, in a diplomatic push by the hardline Islamists groping for international support. The Taliban are seeking recognition, as well as assistance to avoid a humanitarian disaster, after they returned to power in August following the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of […]

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Biden discusses Afghanistan with G20 leaders, including threat from ISIS-K

U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the situation in Afghanistan with G20 leaders on Tuesday, including efforts to counter threats from extremist group Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), the White House said. The leaders also reaffirmed the commitment to provide humanitarian assistance directly to the Afghan people through independent international organizations, the White House added.

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E.U. Pledges $1.15 Billion in Afghan Aid as U.S. Talks to Taliban

Europe and America are offering stopgap humanitarian aid for a country on the brink of collapse, but larger decisions about the new Taliban government remain on hold. World leaders met virtually on Tuesday to discuss ways of preventing an economic and humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, but the Biden administration maintained a cautious stance toward providing more support to the Taliban-ruled […]

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Afghanistan Tackles the Islamic State

On October 8, a terrible blast struck the worshippers attending Friday noon prayers at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in the Khan Abad district of Bandar, the capital of Kunduz, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities in its northern belt. This is a mosque frequented by Shia Muslims, who were referred to as “our compatriots” by Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid. Forty-six people […]

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EXPLAINER: Can the Taliban suppress the potent IS threat?

With the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, there’s a new enemy ascending. The Islamic State group threatens to usher in another violent phase. Except this time the former insurgents, the Taliban, play the role of the state, now that the U.S. troops and their allied Afghan government are gone. The Taliban promised the United States to keep the extremist group […]

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The Taliban shock to the European Union and the Idea of Strategic Autonomy

The September 11 of 2001 was the beginning of wide developments which were aimed at countering terrorism and religious extremism by the US and its allies. The EU, as an important international player and in line with its normative policies and procedures, played a role in this country, while the Afghanistan conflict has become a complicated puzzle for many countries […]

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