Russian troops have arrived in southern Uzbekistan to take part in joint military exercises with Uzbek forces, with the drills focusing on operations against armed groups in border areas.

The Hamkorlik-2026 exercises will run from October 20 to 27 at the Termez training ground in Surkhandarya province, near Uzbekistan’s border with Afghanistan, according to reports citing Russia’s Central Military District.

The Russian contingent comes from the 201st Guards Military Base, which is stationed in neighbouring Tajikistan, Tajikistan Times reported. The troops travelled more than 300 kilometres through mountainous areas of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in military and specialised vehicles before reaching the training ground.

The convoy included BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, Ural trucks and specialised vehicles based on KamAZ chassis, according to local media reports. Upon arrival, the Russian servicemen began preparing their equipment for the exercises.

During the drills, Russian and Uzbek forces will practise coordinating operations to detect and neutralise small groups belonging to a simulated illegal armed formation operating in border areas, Uz Daily reported. 

The exercises will involve mountain and assault units, reconnaissance and strike drones, ground-based robotic systems and Mi-24 attack helicopters.

The manoeuvres come amid continued military cooperation between Russia and Central Asian countries, where concerns include security and stability in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Russia and Uzbekistan held Hamkorlik joint exercises in 2025. Their defence ministries also agreed on a military cooperation plan for 2026–2030, according to the Tashkent Times.

The Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has announced the results of its assessment of 115 private hospitals in Kabul, with two placed in Category A, nine in Category B and 39 in Category C.

Ministry officials announced the results at a meeting in Kabul on Tuesday, saying the accreditation and classification process aims to improve healthcare standards, promote fair competition among private hospitals, increase transparency and address concerns over the cost of medical services.

Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali said the initiative was designed to bring changes to the private healthcare sector and encourage hospitals to compete by improving the quality of their services.

He added that healthcare service rates would also be determined following the assessment, which he said could improve transparency and help ease public concerns over access to medical care.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, the IEA’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, said the classification process was introduced in response to public complaints about high costs at private hospitals. He said hospitals were assessed and classified according to their facilities and the services they provide.

Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister for Health Services, said each hospital’s category reflects its current condition. Hospitals receiving higher classifications should maintain their standards, while those in lower categories should work to meet the required criteria, he added.

Ministry officials said the accreditation process would continue as part of efforts to standardise healthcare services, regulate treatment costs and strengthen accountability among private healthcare facilities. They urged hospitals to meet the established standards and improve the quality and accessibility of care for patients.

US President Donald Trump has seized on violent protests in France to promote his hardline immigration policies and rally support for Republicans ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, as opinion polls point to growing challenges for his party.

Speaking at a rally in Kansas on Monday, Trump claimed France was being “conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists”, adding that his administration would not allow similar events to unfold in the United States.

Earlier, Trump recalled warning French President Emmanuel Macron that allowing large numbers of migrants into France was a mistake, claiming Paris would soon become “a Muslim city”.

In a post on Truth Social, he also called on France to close its borders, declaring that migrants had taken over the country, AFP reported.

Protests over the rising cost of living erupted across France over the weekend, with some demonstrations escalating into looting and clashes with police.

French authorities introduced partial curfews on Monday in response to the unrest.

Trump has used the violence to reinforce arguments for the restrictive immigration policies that helped secure his return to the White House in 2024. Analysts say his comments reflect an effort to turn developments in Europe into a political campaign issue at home.

“They’re taking this French crisis and turning it into a campaign argument,” JC Lintzenich, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, told AFP.

Europe becomes part of US election debate

With Democrats favoured in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 elections, Trump and his allies have intensified efforts to mobilise voters behind the Republican Party and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

Justin Vaisse, a professor of US foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University, said Europe had long featured in American political debates, particularly since the emergence of the MAGA movement.

Trump’s Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on Saturday, writing on X that Western liberals had “imported the third world into France” while neglecting questions of assimilation and cultural compatibility.

Economy remains key concern for voters

A Pew Research poll published this month found that the economy was important to 82 percent of US voters when deciding how to vote, compared with 59 percent who cited immigration and 36 percent who pointed to race-related issues.

Although Trump has pursued the immigration crackdown promised during his 2024 campaign, he has struggled to deliver on his pledge to curb inflation.

His tariff policies and the war with Iran have contributed to higher prices across the economy, while his approval rating has fallen to record lows, according to the report.

Vaisse argued that linking the unrest in France to US cultural and identity debates was unlikely to win Republicans new votes, although it could help energise Trump’s existing supporters ahead of the midterms.