The US Congress has extended the mandate of the Afghanistan War Commission by one year, giving the independent, bipartisan panel additional time to complete its review of the two-decade US war in Afghanistan.

The commission said in a statement that congressional leaders from relevant committees in both the House of Representatives and Senate, representing both major political parties, approved the extension under the legislation that established the panel.

The commission’s final report is now expected in August 2027, a year later than originally scheduled.

According to the commission, the additional time will allow it to conduct further research, deepen its investigation and ensure that its findings and recommendations are based on comprehensive evidence.

The panel said it will continue working with Congress and the executive branch as it completes its assessment, with the aim of ensuring that lessons from the Afghanistan war inform future US foreign and military policy.

Established by Congress in December 2021, the Afghanistan War Commission is tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the US war in Afghanistan.

Its mandate includes examining key decisions made throughout the conflict, including those preceding the US-led intervention in 2001, as well as the factors that shaped US policy and military operations over the following two decades.

The commission is also expected to identify lessons from the war and recommend measures to help the United States avoid similar failures in future military and foreign policy decisions.

The US-led military intervention in Afghanistan began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. Nearly two decades later, US and allied forces withdrew from the country in August 2021, after which the Afghan Republic collapsed and the Islamic Emirate returned to power.

Officials from the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment say that 294,000 tons of fresh and dried fruit have been exported from the province to foreign countries over the past year.

According to them, the total value of these exports amounts to $519 million.

Abdulbaqi Bina, Deputy Head of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment, says the products were exported to India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Canada and several other countries.

Meanwhile, fresh and dried fruit traders are calling on the government to provide alternative transit routes, new markets, and greater facilitation for obtaining visas and transportation for the export of these products.

This comes as nearly 59,000 tons of fresh and dried fruit were exported from Kandahar to foreign countries

The case of 87 Afghan students seeking extensions of their study visas has reached the Islamabad High Court, with the students also asking for protection from arrest, detention and deportation, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.

According to Pakistani journalist Tahir Khan, the students have petitioned the court to order the government to extend their visas and prevent law-enforcement agencies from harassing, arresting, detaining or deporting them solely because their previous study visas have expired.

During Friday’s hearing, lawyer Aimal Khan Mandokhel told the court that Pakistan’s Interior Ministry had issued study visas to the Afghan students about a year ago. However, the students say authorities have since stopped extending existing visas and issuing new ones.

The Afghan Students Union at the International Islamic University Islamabad has also said Pakistani authorities have suspended study visa extensions for Afghan students for an extended period. It added that several students have allegedly been arrested and deported in recent months.

The hearing was adjourned following an exchange between Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and lawyer Aimal Khan Mandokhel.

The case is expected to be heard again later this month.