On 3 April, the Philippines officially announced the locations of the four additional sites under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States (US). Accordingly, three of the four newly chosen bases will be positioned in the Philippines’ northern Luzon provinces of Cagayan and Isabela, while the fourth base will be located at the western tip of the […]

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) says that currently the embassies of neighboring countries and countries in the region have diplomatic representation in Kabul and are active in the country. In a recent interview with Dorar TV, Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate has trade relations with neighboring countries and ambassadors of the Islamic […]

Russia and Tajikistan militaries kicked off joint drills near the border with Afghanistan that will last through April 7, Russia’s TASS news agency reported Monday. The drills are taking place at the Kharb-Maidon training ground in Tajikistan – 20 kilometers from the border with Afghanistan. “During the practical stages, the military contingents from Russia and Tajikistan will practice preparing and […]

It would be wrong to view the restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran as something that happened suddenly. Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, ties between the two important Muslim neighbours have been strained. For the Saudi elite the Revolution was not only anti-monarchical but also a boost to the Shia sect within Islam. For the Iranian revolutionaries, […]

In another move that is deliberately raising tensions with China, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen held a series of high-level meetings in New York on Wednesday and Thursday with American politicians and representatives. The trip to the US is being held under the guise of a “transit” by Tsai as she proceeds to visit Guatemala and Belize in central America—two of […]

After more than two years since the signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November 2020, the Philippine Senate has finally ratified the deal on 21 February 2023. Though the Philippines was the last country to have ratified RCEP, it was still very timely in the light of the country’s approval of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 under […]

General Michael Kurilla, head of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), has suggested that at its current trajectory, Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) would be able to conduct external operations within approximately six months. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, counterterrorism analysts have warned about the growing threat of ISK, especially in light of the U.S. troop withdrawal and […]

The Ministry of Interior says the special forces from the ministry and the 209th Army Corps of Al-Fatah carried out an operation and rescued a businessman who was kidnapped a month ago in Balkh, Mazar-e-Sharif city. The ministry said on Twitter the trader was abducted in the first district of Mazar-e-Sharif city by kidnappers and a ransom of $300,000 was […]

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says Daesh has been destroyed by the security forces in the country and is not as big a threat as it was a year ago. In a recent interview with Voice of America, Pashto, Mujahid said that the Afghan security forces “since August 2021, have arrested and imprisoned around 1,600 to 1,700 Daesh militants […]

The BJP is threatening to abolish reservations in jobs and educational institutions for Muslims if voted to power in the 2023-24 elections. With elections due for State Assemblies and parliament in 2023-2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put into operation its time-tested tactic of sharpening the communal divide to reap electoral rewards. The idea is to further marginalize the […]