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Afghan security forces capable of defending own country: NSC

The Afghan National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday the country’s security forces are capable of maintaining security in the country.
This comes just hours after US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a full withdrawal of all foreign troops starting May 1.
According to them, all troops will be out of Afghanistan by September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States.
During his official announcement on Wednesday night Biden said: “It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come home from Afghanistan.”
He said the US will begin its withdrawal in May and that it will not be a “hasty rush to the exit.”
A spokesman for the NSC, Rahmatullah Andar, meanwhile said: “Now the international community also believes that 96 percent of operations are carried out by the Afghan forces.”
“We are in the frontline of the counter-terrorism war and defense and protection of this land and people and it is not a temporary responsibility but it’s our permanent obligation,” Andar said.
Both the US and NATO said however that while troops would be withdrawn, they would both look to continue providing financial help to Afghanistan – specifically regarding Afghan troops.
In a joint press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels late Wednesday night with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Stoltenberg said NATO will continue to support Afghanistan but not by having troops on the ground.
He said all Allies agreed Wednesday to start withdrawing troops from May 1 but added the decision was one that “carries risks”.
However, he noted that should NATO forces come under attack by the Taliban during the withdrawal phase they would be met with force.
Blinken said that the Taliban now has a choice to make and that it’s in “no one’s interests to plunge the country into a civil war”.
He also said ultimately it will be the people of Afghanistan who decide their future. “They are the ones who have to decide.”
Asked about Afghans at risk by US withdrawal and opportunities for asylum-seekers, Blinken said the US has a commitment to those Afghans who worked with the US. He also said however that a withdrawal of troops does not mean an end to US commitment.
The defense secretary in turn said any attack on their troops during the drawdown will be responded to with force.
Austin said the US will seek to continue funding the Afghan Air Force and seek to fund security forces’ salaries but also said they know the Taliban will try to reverse gains made in the past 20 years and because of this a political settlement is needed.
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EU Lawmaker condemns Iran’s mass deportation of Afghans as illegal under international law

European Parliament member Hannah Neumann has strongly condemned Iran’s ongoing deportation of Afghan refugees, describing the mass expulsions as a violation of international law and a humanitarian crisis unfolding at scale.
In a statement shared on social media, Neumann referred to the deportations as a “collective expulsion” carried out “by force, scale, and terror,” and called on the international community to respond urgently.
According to official estimates, more than 700,000 Afghans have been deported from Iran so far in 2025 — over 600,000 since June alone. Many have been transported to the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat Province, where witnesses describe scenes of extreme distress.
“This isn’t migration,” Neumann wrote. “It’s expulsion by force, scale, and terror. Many of these people were born in Iran. Some have never even seen Afghanistan before.”
The German MEP accused Iranian authorities of breaching international obligations by denying deportees access to due process, including asylum procedures and legal review.
Iran, a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, is prohibited under international law from conducting collective expulsions.
Neumann also directed criticism at European policymakers, particularly the European Commission, for what she called a failed strategy of “regional containment” that left vulnerable Afghans unprotected.
“People with valid visas, degrees, and even children — dragged from homes, dumped at the border, their documents torn up,” she said. “And Europe? Commission? Said back then: they’ll be safe in Iran. Said back then: Afghans should seek protection regionally. Well, going spectacularly, isn’t it?” Neumann wrote.
In response, Neumann called for immediate international measures, including the issuance of emergency humanitarian visas for Afghans at risk, the creation of safe and legal pathways out of Iran, and increased funding for humanitarian agencies such as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Human rights organizations and aid groups have echoed the concerns, warning that the mass deportations are placing overwhelming pressure on border areas in Afghanistan and further destabilizing an already fragile humanitarian situation.
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South Korea, UN launch $10 million development project in Afghanistan
UNDP said the initiative is designed to help restore livelihoods, combat climate change, and empower women amid ongoing crises in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan has announced the launch of a $10 million project in coordination with the Republic of Korea, aimed at supporting 350,000 people across the country.
In a statement posted Wednesday (July 9) on X, UNDP said the initiative is designed to help restore livelihoods, combat climate change, and empower women amid ongoing crises in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan is grappling with multiple challenges, including economic collapse, food insecurity, climate shocks, and restrictions on women,” the statement noted.
The UN agency confirmed that the joint initiative will be implemented across six provinces in Afghanistan and will focus on sustainable development and resilience-building efforts in the most affected communities.
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Russian lawmaker accuses ICC of double standards over IEA arrest warrants

Following the issuance of an arrest warrant for the leader of the Islamic Emirate by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s upper house of parliament, accused the court of double standards, stating that the warrant was issued only after Moscow recognized the Islamic Emirate.
He said that the Hague Court has ignored the war crimes committed by Western forces in Afghanistan.
“Entire villages, schools, and hospitals were destroyed. Women and children were killed. But no warrants were issued,» Kosachev wrote on Telegram.
The Russian lawmaker noted that even minor attempts to investigate US troops led nowhere. Kosachev called the ICC’s actions “a case of double standards.”
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate, and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
Just one week prior, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
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