Helmand Governor Amanuddin Mansour met with UNAMA Deputy Special Representative Bruno Lemarquis and his delegation on Sunday to discuss security, economic development and humanitarian needs in the province.

The meeting at the Helmand Provincial Governor’s Office covered a range of issues, including security and stability, development projects, healthcare, agriculture, alternative livelihoods to poppy cultivation, project funding and markets for agricultural and industrial products.

Mansour briefed the UNAMA delegation on the situation in Helmand and called for greater cooperation to address the needs of local communities and expand development opportunities.

Lemarquis thanked provincial officials for their cooperation and praised what he described as efforts to improve administration, maintain security and stability and prevent corruption.

He said the security situation had created a favourable environment for economic and development activities, while stressing that further work and joint efforts were needed to improve people’s economic conditions.

The UNAMA deputy also highlighted the importance of providing farmers with legal and sustainable alternatives to poppy cultivation, alongside efforts to prevent poppy production.

The two sides discussed mobilising funding for development projects and expanding healthcare services, with Lemarquis calling for stronger coordination between relevant institutions.

The meeting also focused on marketing Helmand’s agricultural and industrial products, including cotton. According to the Helmand Governor’s Office, Uzbekistan has expressed strong interest in purchasing Afghan cotton, making access to foreign markets an important opportunity for farmers and producers in the province.

Members of the UN delegation raised issues and questions concerning different sectors of Helmand and discussed possible solutions with provincial officials.

Mansour responded to the issues raised and outlined the province’s major challenges, needs and proposed solutions. He also called for increased cooperation to expand economic and development projects, improve livelihoods, strengthen healthcare and find markets for agricultural products.

Both sides agreed on the need to continue and strengthen cooperation in support of Helmand’s population and its economic and development priorities.

Lemarquis was accompanied by Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s country representative in Afghanistan; Mihyung Park, head of the International Organization for Migration office in Afghanistan; Polleak Ok Serei, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan, as well as representatives from UNICEF, the UN Refugee Agency and other officials.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday brushed aside a report that Iran acquired satellite images ​of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before ‌an attack that killed three U.S. troops there in July, Reuters reported.

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed U.S. officials about the ​attack in Jordan. Asked whether he would mention the ​issue at an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi ⁠Jinping, Trump did not directly answer, and instead equated the ​surveillance activities of China and the United States.

“They basically do ​what we do,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “When they say China spies on us, I say you’re right and we spy on ​them too.”

The Chinese and U.S. presidents are expected to meet in ​the United States on September 24, although China has yet to officially confirm ‌that ⁠the meeting will take place.

Trump on Sunday reiterated his view that he has a good relationship with Xi.

“I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said as ​he flew back ​to the ⁠United States after a weekend trip to Ireland.

The Wall Street Journal report, which Reuters could not ​immediately verify, said the U.S. officials declined to ​identify ⁠the Chinese entities that supplied the imagery to Iran and did not allege direct involvement by Beijing.

Trump’s comments appeared consistent with ⁠the administration’s ​recent efforts to play down wide-ranging ​tensions between Washington and Beijing, despite U.S. frustration over Beijing’s close ties to ​Tehran.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has rejected reports alleging that al-Qaeda and other militant groups are regrouping in the country, saying such groups are no longer present and that there is no evidence supporting the claims.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said groups that had previously been present in Afghanistan were linked to the circumstances and jihad of an earlier period, but that major regional developments had since changed the situation.

“Those groups are no longer present in Afghanistan, nor is there any need for their presence. There is also no evidence to prove the claims about their presence,” Fitrat said.

The comments came after The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing US and Western security officials and a United Nations organization, that al-Qaeda and other militant groups have been rebuilding their networks in Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in 2021.

Fitrat said such claims are made by certain intelligence circles that seek to portray Afghanistan as insecure and to make the region insecure.

He reiterated that the IEA will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any other country.