Category: South East Asia

Opium Poppy Farming Ongoing in Nangarhar District

Many residents of the Shirzad district in the eastern province of Nangarhar are busy growing opium poppy in the Gandamak area, where it was planted months earlier.

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Afghan Civilian Casualties On Rise Following Peace Talks: UN

There was a rise in civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan following the start of peace negotiations in September, according to a report released by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday.

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Defense Ministry to Increase Special Operations Forces in Spring

The Defense Ministry is preparing to increase special operations forces to face the Taliban in the upcoming fighting season this spring, Deputy Defense Minister Shah Mahmoud Miakhil said on Tuesday. Miakhil said that special forces from the army, police and the NDS are preparing together and that no area in the country will face the threat of collapse. Figures by […]

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Afghan War Has No Legitimacy, Peace Must Prevail: Clerics

Hundreds of clerics from in Afghanistan’s Herat province on Tuesday appealed to the Afghan government and the Taliban to end the violence and announce a ceasefire in the country.

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Guterres reiterates call for global ceasefire amid ongoing pandemic

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed his call for a global truce, so the world can focus on fighting the pandemic. Guterres stated in a tweet late Sunday that a ceasefire would create space for diplomacy and enable humanitarian access across the world.

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Security forces destroy major heroin factory in Nangarhar

A large heroin production factory of the Taliban was destroyed by the Afghan forces in eastern Nangarhar province. In a statement released late Sunday, the Defense Ministry stated that the Afghan Defense Forces conducted a clearance operation in the Toto village in the Shirzad district of the province.

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Ghani says recent wave of violence is a systematic onslaught against Afghans

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday that the recent wave of violence against our people is an indication of a systematic onslaught against Afghan society. Addressing the 46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, President Ghani said that targeted killings are the sharp edge directed against men and women representing the profound transformation of Afghan society during the […]

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Kabul miffed over Russian diplomat’s remarks

Afghanistan on Friday angrilyreacted to Russia’sSpecial Envoy Zamir Kabulov’s remarks in favourof a transitional coalition government in Kabul. Earlier in the week, Kabulov claimed the Taliban had not breached their peace deal with the United States of America. The pact was signed last year in Doha.

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Atmar, Lavrov to discuss to combat trade, terrorism

Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar is due in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on issues of common interest. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said: “On February 24-27, Atmar will visit Moscow for talks with Lavrov and other officials.”

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Moscow and Islamabad in sync over peace process: Kabulov

Russian President’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, on Friday met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and exchanged views on the Afghanistan peace process. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “both Pakistan and Russia have convergence of views on matters of mutual interest including an inclusive political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan.”

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