Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, has called on the international community to increase humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stressing that aid should be guided by humanitarian needs rather than political considerations.

According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Abdul Kabir made the remarks during a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, and the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Alexander De Croo, where they discussed the situation of Afghan refugees, the challenges facing returning migrants, and ways to expand cooperation.

During the meeting, Salih reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the Afghan people, noting that the growing number of returnees has increased the need for both humanitarian and long-term development assistance.

He also voiced concern over the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and multilateral dialogue to address refugee issues and ensure the safe and dignified return of Afghans.

The head of UNDP, who recently visited development projects in Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif, highlighted the importance of sustained international cooperation to support Afghanistan’s economic recovery and make greater use of the country’s existing resources and human capital.

Abdul Kabir thanked UN agencies for their continued support, noting that decades of conflict, instability and economic hardship have displaced millions of Afghans. He called for greater international efforts to address the root causes of migration while increasing assistance for vulnerable communities across the country.

He stressed that humanitarian assistance should remain focused on helping those most in need and should not become entangled in political disputes.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, has called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to ease tensions and revive diplomatic dialogue, while warning that Afghanistan urgently needs greater international support as millions of Afghans return home.

Speaking during a visit to Kabul and in an interview with Sky News, Salih said prolonged tensions between the neighbouring countries risk creating opportunities for extremist and armed groups to exploit instability, underscoring the need for dialogue and regional cooperation.

He urged both governments to strengthen existing diplomatic mechanisms, including the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iran trilateral framework, the Doha process, and a Swiss-backed strategic initiative aimed at addressing challenges facing Afghan refugees.

Salih also highlighted the scale of Afghanistan’s humanitarian and development challenges, noting that more than six million Afghans have returned to the country since 2023, placing additional pressure on already strained communities and public services.

During his visit, Salih travelled with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Alexander De Croo, meeting returnees, host communities, women and girls, and witnessing both the hardships facing Afghans and their resilience.

He said Afghanistan’s long-term recovery depends on stability, inclusion and creating opportunities for all citizens, stressing that the participation of women and girls is essential for sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction and social resilience.

While humanitarian assistance remains vital, Salih said emergency aid alone is no longer sufficient to meet Afghanistan’s growing needs.

He called for increased investment in protection programmes, livelihoods, education, healthcare and other basic services to help returnees rebuild their lives and reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance.

“Lasting solutions require UNHCR and UNDP working side by side,” Salih said, urging the international community to maintain its engagement and support Afghanistan’s long-term recovery.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained strained in recent years over border security, militant activity and the mass return of Afghan nationals from Pakistan.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that continued regional instability, combined with the rapid influx of returnees, could deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis unless accompanied by sustained international development support.

Lionel Messi inspired a dramatic Argentina comeback as the defending champions recovered from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

Egypt stunned Argentina by taking an early lead through Yasser Ibrahim before Mostafa Ziko doubled the advantage in the second half, putting the North Africans on the brink of a famous victory.

Argentina responded through Cristian Romero before Messi levelled the match, scoring his eighth goal of the tournament and the 21st World Cup goal of his career. Enzo Fernández then completed the comeback with the winning goal to send Lionel Scaloni’s side into the last eight.

The victory, however, was overshadowed by angry protests from the Egyptian camp, which accused match officials of making key decisions in Argentina’s favour.

Egypt believed Ziko should have had an earlier goal stand after it was ruled out for a foul in the build-up, while players and staff were also furious that referee François Letexier did not award what they claimed was a foul on an Egyptian player moments before Fernández scored the decisive goal.

Following the match, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan launched a scathing attack, claiming his side had been denied a fair result and suggesting commercial interests influenced the outcome.

“It’s all about money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament,” Hassan said. “Many things happen in football because of interests. What happened was unfair. Egypt deserved to qualify. We were the better team.”

The former Egypt striker also said he would not watch another game at the tournament.

“We have suffered an injustice today. This is my way of speaking up. I am not going to watch another match in this tournament,” he said.

Goalscorer Mostafa Ziko echoed his coach’s frustrations, saying he could not understand why his earlier goal had been disallowed and claiming “everything went against us” after Egypt established a two-goal lead.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who became emotional after the final whistle, praised Messi’s resilience after the veteran forward recovered from having a first-half penalty saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

“Messi missed a penalty but he asked for the ball again and kept driving the team forward,” Scaloni said. “I get goosebumps. This is who we are as Argentinians. We play with all our heart.”