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Kabul University attack is the most ignorant type of war: Afghan Ulema Council
The Ulema Council of Afghanistan on Wednesday condemned Monday’s attack on Kabul University and labelled it as the “most ignorant type of war”.
The council also called on government to immediately lift restrictions on security forces and allow them to take urgent action against the perpetrators.
“It is a shame that the planners of this attack make peace with foreigners, but kill their own people,” said Waiz Zada Behsodi, a religious scholar.
This comes after ISIS (Daesh) gunmen went on a shooting rampage at Kabul University on Monday, killing at least 20 students.
The Taliban immediately distanced itself from the six-hour long siege, which Daesh then claimed responsibility for.
However, a number of officials, including First Vice President Amrullah Saleh have blamed the attack on the Taliban – saying it has the hallmarks of the insurgent group.
Any major attack against a populated city in Afghanistan, by the Taliban, is in contravention of the February deal between the group and the US.
The conditions-based agreement states that the Taliban may not attack major urban areas nor may it attack foreign forces.
It was this agreement that also paved the way for peace talks which started between the Afghan government’s representatives and the Taliban on September 12. However, those talks have all but stalled in recent weeks.
Instead, a marked increase in violence has marred the hoped-for peace landscape in the country.
In a bid to restart talks, members of the Afghan peace talks team met with Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, on Wednesday and discussed the peace process, the situation in Afghanistan after the signing of the Taliban agreement with the US and the daily sacrifices made by Afghans due to the ongoing war.
During the meeting Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi said that Islam is a religion of unity and brotherhood and that war between Muslims is wrong.
Acknowledging the declaration of the International Union of Islamic Scholars, he advised all parties to exercise flexibility and take steps towards peace.
“The verses of the [Holy] Qur’an have been changed; they [Taliban] are negotiating with foreigners; but they do not make peace with their [own] people,” said Mohammad Qasim Halimi, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs.
Afghans worldwide were shocked by the brutal attack on students on Monday and large groups have come together in different countries, including Doha, to hold prayer sessions for the victims of the university attack.
In addition, at least 50 countries spoke out against the attack and condemned it in the strongest terms.
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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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