Category: South East Asia

Afghan forces recapture militant-held Mirzawalang village

Afghan forces have recaptured a remote village where Taliban and Islamic State (IS) fighters allegedly massacred dozens of civilians earlier this month, officials said on Tuesday. Militants killed about 50 men, women and children in Mirzawalang, a mainly Shiite village in Sayad district of northern Sar-e Pul province, on August 5 after overrunning a government-backed militia, according to officials and […]

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Pakistan President urges country to rise above parochial interests

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain Monday urged the nation to bury their differences and get united for the stability and development of the country, as Pakistan celebrated 70 years of independence with a patriotic display including a giant flag and a show of airpower. Speaking at a ceremony held at the Jinnah Convention Centre to mark 70th Independence Day, the president […]

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Afghan forces recapture Nawa district from Taliban in Helmand

The Afghan security forces recaptured the control of Nawa district from the Taliban insurgents in southern Helmand province. The control of the district fell to Afghan forces after days of clashes and months after it was captured by the Taliban insurgents. Provincial governor’s spokesman Omar Zwak confirmed that the Afghan forces seized the control of the key areas of Nawa […]

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Pakistan aims for enhanced cooperation with France

The French consul-general in Karachi, Francois Dall’Orso, hosted a reception at his residence on Friday evening to celebrate Bastille Day, the national day of France. Mohammad Zubair, the governor of Sindh, was the chief guest. In his speech, he said that the Pakistan government was looking forward to enhanced cooperation with the induction into office of the Macron government. The […]

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China says no room for negotiations on Sikkim standoff with India

With no end in sight to the standoff in the Sikkim sector, China on Saturday said there is “no room” for negotiations to resolve the military face-off and the only solution is the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Donglang or Doklam region. India will face “embarrassment” if it does not withdraw its border troops to its own side and […]

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China calls on Pakistan, Afghanistan to meet halfway on improving bilateral ties

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday that tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are not conducive to their stability and development as well as regional cooperation, calling on both countries to meet each other halfway so as to improve bilateral ties. Wang made the call during his meeting with Pakistan’s top foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz. He said that […]

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India’s Modi meets US execs ahead of first encounter with Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (Jun 25) told top American executives that India is a business-friendly country of “minimum government,” as he prepared for a first meeting with President Donald Trump aimed at improving ties and moving past differences over climate change. The meeting on Sunday at a Washington hotel included the heads of some of the top US […]

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U.S. indicates open-ended commitment in Afghanistan

Washington will not allow Afghanistan to be a safe haven for terrorism, say Secretaries of State and Defence in Australia. The U.S. will keep its military engagement in Afghanistan open-ended, Secretary of Defence James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have indicated. Speaking in Sydney on Tuesday, where the senior officials of the Trump administration attended the Australia-U.S. Ministerial […]

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Omar wants India to initiate talks with Pakistan

Working President Omar Abdullah on Sunday said India should initiate talks with stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Pakistan because the continued hostility between the two neighbours on the LoC and the International Border has a direct bearing on peace and stability in J-K. Omar, who was addressing NC activists in Srinagar, asked the central government to acknowledge […]

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Ghani, Sharif agree to bolster joint fight against terrorism

President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif this weekend held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana in Kazakhstan and agreed to intensify their joint efforts to fight terrorism. Ghani’s office said in a statement that Sharif joined the president in condemning the recent terror attacks, especially the wave of violence […]

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