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China, Russia to discuss on IS presence in Afghanistan at Eurasian security summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders will discuss the threat the Islamic State group poses in Afghanistan at a Eurasian security summit in Russia this week.
Xi travels to the Russian city of Ufa for a summit on Thursday and Friday of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, according to (AFP).
(AFP) reported that it will be preceded by a meeting of leaders of the BRICS group of emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“Due to the spillover effect of the Islamic State terrorist activities, Afghanistan now faces a grim security situation,” Chinese vice foreign minister Cheng Guoping told reporters.
SCO leaders “will certainly have in-depth discussions on the Afghan issue”, he added. “And they will talk further about how to respond to the security situation there.”
China is seeking business interests in Afghanistan and is sensitive to any spillover of Islamic-inspired extremism from the country, which has a short border with its mostly Muslim western region of Xinjiang.
Afghanistan’s militant Taliban are seeking to halt defections to IS after some insurgents adopted its flag to rebrand themselves as a more lethal force as NATO troops depart the country.
Last month the Taliban warned the leader of IS group against waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan, after reported clashes between militants loyal to the two groups.
Afghanistan has “observer” status in the SCO, along with India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan, according to the group’s website.
The summit will begin procedures for India and Pakistan to join the group as full members after their candidatures were approved last year, Cheng said.
The acceptance of the nuclear-armed rivals — which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and jockey for influence in Afghanistan — would mark the SCO’s first expansion since its inception in 2001.
Cheng shrugged off any concerns over their tense relations, saying membership “will not only help the organisation become better but will also play a productive role in promoting friendly relations between the two countries”.
He also said that China remained on guard against the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) it says foments unrest in Xinjiang among the region’s ethnic Uighurs, though many analysts outside China have questioned whether any large scale organisation of the kind exists.
“It has participated in some terrorist activities of the IS,” he said of ETIM. “China is concerned about that and we will also maintain security cooperation with relevant countries.”
Besides the group summits, Xi will hold bilateral talks with Putin in their eighth such meeting since Xi became president in 2013. Xi visited Russia in May to witness a vast military parade at Red Square to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
“The Chinese and Russian leaders have established a very good working relationship and personal friendship,” Cheng said, adding: “As permanent members of the (UN) Security Council a sound relationship between these two countries plays an important role in promoting world peace”.
He said they will discuss bilateral relations, including economic cooperation and “specific cooperation projects”, without elaborating.
Russia — which invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and occupied it for a decade — has strengthened ties and trade with China since coming under Western sanctions for its actions in Ukraine.
Russia became China’s top crude supplier in May for the first time in a decade, Bloomberg News reported last month, as Moscow seeks new markets for its oil.
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Afghan citizens reported among casualties in US, Israeli attacks, Iran says
As of now, authorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have not issued an official response to the claims.
Iran’s Embassy in Kabul, citing Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, has stated that a number of Afghan citizens were killed or injured during what Tehran described as a 35-day military campaign carried out by the United States and Israel.
According to the statement, the Afghan nationals were living in Iran at the time of the attacks. Baghaei referred to them as “honored guests” of the country, adding that some lost their lives while others sustained injuries during the reported strikes.
He did not provide specific figures regarding the number of Afghan casualties or further details about the incidents.
As of now, authorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have not issued an official response to the claims.
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Save the Children: Nearly one Afghan child killed or injured daily by explosive remnants
Despite the efforts of aid organizations and demining groups, the scale of the contamination remains overwhelming.
Save the Children has issued a stark warning, revealing that nearly one Afghan child is killed or injured every day by explosive remnants of war (ERW). In its latest report, the global humanitarian organization emphasized the ongoing and deadly impact of landmines and unexploded ordnance scattered across the country, a legacy of decades of conflict.
From January 2025 to January 2026, 338 Afghan children were killed, injured, or permanently disabled by explosive remnants. Shockingly, children represented nearly 70 percent of all casualties from such explosions during this period. Save the Children’s report underscores that Afghanistan continues to have the highest number of child casualties due to explosive remnants worldwide.
The report highlights that vast swathes of Afghanistan remain contaminated with hazardous materials, with more than 2.7 million people – including many children – living within one kilometer of these dangerous zones. These hazardous areas, often located in fields, pastures, and farmlands, remain uncleared despite ongoing demining efforts. Afghanistan is now considered one of the most contaminated countries globally, with nearly 5,000 hazardous sites still awaiting clearance.
The danger is particularly acute for rural and nomadic communities, including the Kuchi, who traverse long distances in search of water and grazing lands. These communities face severe challenges in accessing healthcare, education, and protection services, further compounding the risks posed by unexploded devices.
To address the growing threat, Save the Children has launched mobile awareness programs aimed at teaching children, particularly in remote and underserved regions, how to identify and avoid explosive hazards. These programs are crucial in helping to reduce the number of child casualties, as children are often unaware of the dangers in their environment.
Despite the efforts of aid organizations and demining groups, the scale of the contamination remains overwhelming. Funding shortages continue to hamper the progress of clearance operations, leaving families and children exposed to the deadly remnants of past conflicts.
“Explosive remnants of war are not just a legacy of Afghanistan’s past; they are an ongoing humanitarian emergency that continues to claim innocent lives,” said Save the Children. “The international community must step up its support to ensure the safety of Afghan children and accelerate efforts to clear these life-threatening hazards.”
As the country struggles to recover from years of conflict, the need for comprehensive and sustained demining operations, alongside better access to education and healthcare for at-risk communities, has never been more urgent.
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Eight dead after 5.8-magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan
The family members who perished included a father, mother, four daughters, and two sons. In addition to the deaths, a child was reported injured in the incident.
A powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least eight people and injuring a child when a house collapsed in Kabul. According to local officials, the victims were all members of the same family.
Hafiz Basharat, spokesperson for the Kabul Governor, confirmed that the fatalities occurred in the Bagrami district of Kabul. The family members who perished included a father, mother, four daughters, and two sons. In addition to the deaths, a child was reported injured in the incident.
The earthquake, which originated in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, struck at a depth of approximately 177 kilometers, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences. Tremors were felt across a wide area, including Kabul, Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, and India’s capital New Delhi.
Local authorities have yet to release additional details regarding the extent of the damage or any further casualties caused by the earthquake.
As rescue operations continue, Afghan authorities are assessing the full impact of the earthquake, which has left many concerned about the potential for more aftershocks in the region.
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