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Baradar says reports he was hurt in internal clashes are false
Afghanistan’s acting deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar appeared in a video interview posted on Wednesday and denied reports that he was hurt in a clash with a rival faction of the Islamic Emirate.
“No this is not true, I am OK and healthy,” Baradar said in an interview with state TV which was posted on Twitter by the Islamic Emirate’s political office in Doha.
“The media says that there is internal disputes. There is nothing between us, it is not true.”
The brief clip showed him seated on a sofa next to an interviewer with an RTA state television microphone in front of him, apparently reading from a sheet of paper.
Earlier, an official from the cultural commission said on Twitter that the interview would be shown on RTA TV to disprove “enemy propaganda.” Islamic Emirate officials have issued repeated denials in recent days that Baradar had been hurt.
The denials follow days of rumors that supporters of Baradar had clashed with members of the Haqqani network, a group affiliated with the Islamic Emirate based near the border with Pakistan and blamed for some of the worst suicide attacks of the war.
Baradar, one of the founding members of the Islamic Emirate and once seen as the likely head of government, had not been seen in public for some time. He was not part of the ministerial delegation which met Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Kabul on Sunday.
In the clip, he said he had been on a trip when the visit took place and had not been able to get back in time.
On Wednesday, Anas Haqqani, younger brother of the newly appointed Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, also issued a statement on Twitter denying reports of internal rifts in the movement.
The rumors follow speculation over rivalries between military commanders like Haqqani and leaders from the political office in Doha like Baradar, who led diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement with the United States.
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Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan discuss cooperation on Afghanistan
Ismatulla Irgashev, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Beibut Atamkulov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan, to discuss bilateral cooperation on Afghanistan.
The two sides highlighted their commitment to maintaining regular dialogue aimed at addressing the Afghan issue, according to a statement issued by Uzbekistan foreign ministry.
Atamkulov praised Uzbekistan’s efforts to help shape a unified regional position on Afghanistan.
The meeting also included discussions on involving Afghanistan in regional connectivity initiatives, particularly the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Officials described the meeting as constructive and reaffirmed mutual interest in further developing practical cooperation between Tashkent and Astana.
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Pakistan, Kazakhstan stress importance of stability in Afghanistan, support regional projects
Pakistan and Kazakhstan have highlighted the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan, calling it a key requirement for advancing regional cooperation. The remarks came in a joint statement issued after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Islamabad.
The two leaders stressed that Afghan territory must not be used for activities that threaten the security of other countries. They also agreed that integrating Afghanistan into regional economic and connectivity initiatives would benefit both the Afghan people and the wider region.
Islamabad and Astana reaffirmed their commitment to expanding international multimodal transport corridors linking the two countries, including the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan, Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan, and Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan–China–Pakistan routes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed President Tokayev’s proposal to link Central and South Asia through the Trans-Afghan railway corridor. Both sides instructed their relevant authorities to study the development of the Kazakhstan–Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway line.
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US Justice Department to seek death penalty for Afghan suspect in National Guard shooting
The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it intends to seek the death penalty for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House in November, an incident that left one guard member dead and another injured.
Lakanwal, who previously worked with U.S. agencies in Afghanistan before relocating to the United States in 2021, appeared in a federal court this week and pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including first-degree murder.
Prosecutors told the judge they are pursuing “death-eligible charges.”
According to U.S. court documents, Lakanwal is accused of traveling from Washington state to the capital, where he allegedly attacked the two National Guard officers.
A third guard member detained him shortly after the incident. One of the victims, Sarah Beckstrom, died a day later, while the second, Andrew Wolfe, remains under medical care.
Court filings claim Lakanwal had obtained a pistol shortly before the attack and had also purchased ammunition. Prosecutors say he conducted online searches related to Washington, D.C., before the shooting.
Lakanwal is scheduled to appear for his next court hearing in early May.
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