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Global powers voice expectations for Afghanistan as UNAMA secures one-year extension

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The United Nations Security Council has unanimously renewed the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year, with major powers using the occasion to outline their priorities and expectations for Afghanistan’s future.

All 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, reaffirming support for UNAMA’s role in coordinating international assistance, supporting dialogue, promoting human rights, and engaging with Afghan authorities.

Speaking after the vote, Ambassador Jennifer Locetta, the United States’ Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, praised UNAMA’s work under challenging circumstances.

“UNAMA’s valuable reporting informs this Council’s decisions on Afghanistan, where the situation remains dire,” Locetta said. “UNAMA’s efforts to address the humanitarian crisis and to support dialogue have the potential to promote peace and security.”

She welcomed the strategic review of the mission mandated by the resolution and called for the swift appointment of a new UN Special Representative for Afghanistan. Locetta also stressed that the Islamic Emirate must fulfill their international commitments.

“The Taliban must meet their counterterrorism commitments, respect Afghanistan’s international obligations, end hostage diplomacy, and cease their unconscionable abuses of the human rights of women and girls,” she said.

Russia also backed the resolution, with Anna Evstigneeva, Russia’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim to the United Nations, emphasizing support for Afghanistan’s economic development and humanitarian needs.

“We have adopted a collective document that emphasizes support for the Afghan people in building a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan, free from terrorism and narcotics,” Evstigneeva said.

While supporting a strategic review of UNAMA, she warned against using the process to reshape the mission according to Western priorities.

“It is unacceptable to use this review as a tool to transform UNAMA into a ‘watchdog’ serving the interests of Western States that recklessly withdrew from the country in 2021,” she stated.

Evstigneeva further stressed the importance of engagement with Afghan authorities, saying that “building lasting peace in the country is impossible without a viable approach focused on Afghanistan’s subsequent international reintegration.”

China, which serves as the Security Council’s penholder on Afghanistan, said the resolution reinforces UNAMA’s central role while helping the mission adapt to changing realities on the ground.

Addressing the Council, China’s representative said the resolution “maintains and strengthens UNAMA’s core mandates, including coordinating international assistance, providing outreach and good offices, and promoting the protection of human rights.”

China also voiced concern over Afghanistan’s humanitarian and economic challenges and called for increased international assistance.

“We call on relevant countries to return the assets of Afghanistan’s Central Bank as soon as possible and lift the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed on Afghanistan,” the Chinese representative said.

The resolution reiterates concern over the humanitarian situation, economic hardship, terrorism, and the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. It also requests UN Secretary-General António Guterres to conduct a strategic assessment of UNAMA and submit recommendations on the mission’s future direction by the end of March next year.

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UNAMA: 57 civilians killed in Pakistan attacks in three months

The report comes as Afghan rights organization Rawadari released a separate assessment claiming that at least 472 civilians have been killed and 715 others injured in Pakistani attacks over the past 18 months.

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The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says 57 civilians were killed and 342 others injured in Pakistani security forces attacks between April 1 and June 30, 2026, according to its latest quarterly human rights report.

UNAMA said the casualties occurred as a result of armed violence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier, with the dead including six women and 31 children. The mission noted that the highest number of civilian casualties was recorded during Pakistani airstrikes on the eastern provinces of Paktika, Kunar, and Paktia on June 28.

According to the report, UNAMA documented a total of 399 civilian casualties during the three-month period, comprising 57 deaths and 342 injuries. Overall, the victims included 40 women and 112 children. The mission said airstrikes and ground engagements were the primary causes of civilian harm and attributed all civilian casualties recorded during the reporting period to Pakistani security forces.

The report comes as Afghan rights organization Rawadari released a separate assessment claiming that at least 472 civilians have been killed and 715 others injured in Pakistani attacks over the past 18 months.

Rawadari said the attacks displaced more than 29,000 families and damaged or destroyed hundreds of civilian facilities, including healthcare centers, schools, mosques, and residential homes, in at least 50 separate incidents across Afghanistan.

The organization identified the attack on the Omid Drug Treatment Center in Kabul as the deadliest incident during the reporting period, saying at least 300 people were killed or wounded. It added that other human rights organizations have previously described such attacks as potential war crimes and called for those responsible to be held accountable.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Pakistan’s attacks as a violation of the country’s sovereignty and rejected Islamabad’s claims that the strikes targeted armed militants. The ministry urged the international community to condemn what it called Pakistan’s “aggressive actions.”

For its part, the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul told UNAMA that armed groups opposed to the Pakistani government continue to use Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly rejected the allegation, calling it baseless.

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Badakhshan information chief killed in armed attack; tribal elder also slain in Nimroz

One of the attackers was shot dead by Amiri’s security guards during the incident,

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The head of the Information and Culture Department in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province was killed on Tuesday after being attacked by armed men riding motorcycles, local officials said.

Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesman for the Badakhshan Police Command, said Zabihullah Amiri, the provincial director of Information and Culture, came under attack while traveling on the Faizabad–Baharak road on Tuesday morning.

Kamgar confirmed that Amiri was killed in the attack.

He added that one of the attackers was shot dead by Amiri’s security guards during the incident, while security forces are continuing efforts to identify and apprehend the remaining suspects.

The motive behind the attack has not yet been disclosed.

The killing came a day after another deadly attack in western Afghanistan.

According to the Nimroz Police Command, unidentified gunmen opened fire on Haji Abdul Khaliq Noorzai, a prominent tribal elder, on Monday in Zaranj, the provincial capital.

Police spokesman Gul Mohammad Qudrat said Noorzai and his nephew were killed in the attack, while two other people sustained injuries.

Authorities said the motive for the shooting remains unknown. Security forces have launched an investigation and are working to identify and arrest those responsible.

Officials said further details will be released after the investigation is completed.

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UK appoints Stephen Doughty as Minister responsible for Afghanistan and Pakistan

Doughty, who assumed the role on July 21, announced on X that his portfolio includes responsibility for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa, sanctions, and consular affairs.

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The United Kingdom has appointed Stephen Doughty as Minister of State responsible for Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as the Middle East and North Africa.

Doughty, who assumed the role on July 21, announced on X that his portfolio includes responsibility for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa, sanctions, and consular affairs.

He also said he will oversee support for British citizens overseas and work with local governments, mayors, and councils across the United Kingdom as part of his ministerial responsibilities.

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