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Italy’s defense minister meets with Ghani to discuss security, bilateral relations
Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini visited Kabul Tuesday to meet with Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, and NSA Hamdullah Mohib.
Guerini discussed the Afghan peace process, Italy’s military presence in Afghanistan, and bilateral relations with the Afghan officials.
During his meeting with Ghani, Guerini expressed his concerns over the escalation of violence and the string of assassinations across Afghanistan and called for an immediate end to the violence, the Presidential Palace said in a statement.
Praising the bravery of the Afghan Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in counter-terrorism, Guerini stated that Italy remains committed to continuing its assistance with Afghanistan in various areas and in terms of the presence of Italian forces in Afghanistan within the framework of NATO Resolute Support Mission.
“President Ghani said people of Afghanistan and the world with a unified voice call for halting the violence and asserted Taliban must understand that protraction of the violence will prompt the people of Afghanistan and the world to mobilize against them,” read the statement.
Ghani also extended his gratitude to Italy for their support of development and economic programs in Afghanistan, particularly funding the fourth part of the Khwaf-Herat railway project as well as its assistance within the framework of the NATO Resolute Support Mission, the statement concluded.
In the meeting with the National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib, Guerini emphasized the need for a real reduction in violence, progress in the ongoing negotiations, and termination of Taliban ties with terrorist groups.
“NSA Mohib and Minister Guerini agreed on the need to preserve the gains of the last two decades; to strengthen a unified, sovereign and democratic Afghanistan that is at peace; and to protect the rights of all Afghans, including those of women and minorities,” Mohib’s office said.
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of HCNR following a meeting with the Italian military official stated: “We exchanged views on bilateral relations and the peace process. I thanked him and Italy for their continued support for Afghanistan, and a dignified and lasting peace. HE assured me of Italy’s full support.”
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UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
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