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Blinken defends US withdrawal from Afghanistan in House appearance
Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as an ending of the country’s longest war that freed resources for other conflicts, in testimony in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“Our adversaries, including Russia, would have been delighted if we had doubled down and remained stuck in Afghanistan for another 20 years,” Blinken told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, in what is likely his final public testimony to lawmakers before leaving office next month, Reuters reported.
Blinken’s appearance came after a long dispute with the Republican-led committee over when he would testify about one of the darkest incidents of Democratic President Joe Biden’s presidency.
Republican Representative Michael McCaul, the panel’s chairman, blasted the administration for the deaths of 13 Americans in a suicide attack at Kabul’s airport in August 2021 and for thousands of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces who could not be evacuated as the the Islamic Emirate took over.
“You ignored warnings of collapse from your own personnel,” McCaul said.
Blinken said every American who wanted to leave Afghanistan has been given the opportunity to leave and thousands of Afghans have been resettled internationally, although Washington remains committed to helping those who remain.
House Foreign Affairs and the State Department had wrangled over Blinken’s appearance for months. Panel Republicans voted in September – weeks before the presidential election – to recommend the top U.S. diplomat be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.
The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war became intensely politicized during the campaign pitting Republican President-elect Donald Trump against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20, has vowed to go after those responsible for the withdrawal. During his campaign, he said he would ask for the resignation of every senior official “who touched the Afghanistan calamity.”
Democrats have insisted much of the blame for the war’s messy end – less than seven months into Biden’s presidency – rests with Trump, who began the withdrawal process by signing a deal with Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate in 2020.
McCaul also announced during the hearing that Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, had agreed to brief the committee on Dec. 17.
McCaul released a report on Sept. 8 on a Republican investigation of the Afghanistan withdrawal, blasting Biden’s administration for failures surrounding the evacuation. Panel Democrats also released their own investigation.
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IOM records more than 95,000 border movements into Afghanistan in two weeks
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded 95,489 movements into Afghanistan between October 25 and November 7, 2026, according to its latest Flow Monitoring Update.
The report shows that 64,732 of the recorded movements were from Iran, accounting for 68 percent of the total, while 30,757 were from Pakistan, representing 32 percent.
During the same period, IOM recorded 44,899 movements out of Afghanistan, including 34,206 towards Iran and 10,693 towards Pakistan.
Islam Qala was the busiest monitored crossing point for arrivals, accounting for 40.5 percent of recorded inflows, followed by Pul-e-Abrisham (Milak) at 25.7 percent and Spin Boldak at 17.6 percent.
The report also shows that 84 percent of those recorded entering Afghanistan were over the age of five, while two percent were under five.
IOM noted that its figures represent movements recorded at monitored border crossings, not necessarily unique individuals. The data may include returnees, deportees and people making repeated or temporary cross-border trips.
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Afghan, Iranian ministers discuss agricultural exports and trade facilitation
Afghanistan’s Finance Minister Mohammad Nasir Akhund has met with Iran’s Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh to discuss expanding bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
The meeting took place during Akhund’s official visit to Iran.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, the discussions focused on preparations for the next meeting of the joint economic commission, exports of Afghan agricultural products to Iran, and ensuring 24-hour operations at customs facilities.
The two sides also discussed addressing challenges faced by Afghan traders, preventing the smuggling of illegal goods, and other trade and economic issues.
Iran’s agriculture minister expressed readiness to cooperate with Afghanistan in the fields of agriculture, livestock and irrigation. He also assured the Afghan delegation that Iran would make the necessary preparations for the upcoming meeting of the joint economic commission and continue efforts to strengthen cooperation in these areas.
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Bayat Power’s 40-megawatt gas-fired turbine resumes operations in Jawzjan
Bayat Power’s 40-megawatt gas-fired electricity turbine has resumed operations in Jawzjan province following an inauguration ceremony attended by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Saturday.
The resumption marks an important step in Afghanistan’s efforts to strengthen domestic electricity production, reduce reliance on imported power and improve energy security.
During the ceremony, Mullah Baradar praised Bayat Power’s investment in gas-fired electricity generation and encouraged other investors to support the country’s energy sector and wider economy.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan had taken significant steps towards economic growth and industrialization, creating favorable opportunities for investment. He also urged investors and industrialists to contribute to reconstruction, economic development and job creation.
Bayat Power’s return to operation comes amid a series of long-term agreements aimed at securing the future of domestic electricity generation. In May, the company extended its power production agreement with the Ministry of Energy and Water for another 10 years, guaranteeing the continued generation of 40 megawatts from domestic natural gas resources in Jawzjan.
The agreement was signed by Bayat Power CEO Ali Kasemi and Minister of Energy and Water Mawlavi Mohammad Younus Akhundzada. It followed a separate 10-year extension of the company’s natural gas supply agreement with Afghan Gas in April and an earlier power production and distribution agreement with Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS).
Bayat Power operates Bayat Power-1, Afghanistan’s first modern gas-to-electricity plant, which uses Siemens Energy’s SGT-A45 mobile gas turbine technology. The facility has the capacity to generate more than 300 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, supplying hundreds of thousands of consumers.
The company is Afghanistan’s largest private electricity producer, and its operations form part of broader efforts to expand domestic energy infrastructure and reduce dependence on electricity imports.
The resumption of the turbine is expected to reinforce the country’s local power supply while highlighting the role of private investment in Afghanistan’s energy development.
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