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Khalilzad says intra-Afghan negotiations “must begin immediately”
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said that the intra-Afghan negotiations “must begin immediately” after the roadblock ahead of the prisoner releases was resolved.
“We welcome the government now having exceeded 3000 Talib prisoners released and the Taliban 500+. It is important that the process continues and the prisoners’ release roadblock resolved,” Khalilzad said in a series tweets.
He added that the Afghan-owned, Afghan-led negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban negotiating team “must begin immediately thereafter.”
(2/4) The Afghan-owned, Afghan-led negotiations between the inclusive Islamic Republic team and the Taliban negotiating team must begin immediately thereafter. From the start, getting to intra-Afghan negotiations (IAN) has been a key objective of our diplomacy.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) June 11, 2020
“From the start, getting to intra-Afghan negotiations (IAN) has been a key objective of our diplomacy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US official has welcomed the Taliban statement specifying they will participate in the intra-Afghan negotiation within one week of the prisoner release commitment outlined in our agreement.
“Although many practical details need to be worked out, these developments are all very positive,” he noted.
“We are closer to the goal of IAN than ever before,” Khalilzad tweeted.
He urged all sides to sit around the negotiations table “as soon as possible” and “prevent spoilers from undermining the process and betraying the hopes and yearning of Afghan people for peace.”
It comes as the Afghan Presidential Palace says that the time and place for holding the Intra-Afghan talks will be determined soon.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, has said in his meetings with the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff and the head of the U.S. Institute of Peace that the peace talks are moving in the right direction.
Meeting with the Qatari special envoy, Hamid Karzai, and Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf has also called the recent peace efforts hopeful.
It is said that the Intra-Afghan talks will begin in mid-June once the process of releasing prisoners by both sides is completed.
Also, the United States, Russia, and Afghanistan are going to discuss the process of the IAN negotiation, this Monday.
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Afghan official slams Shehbaz Sharif’s ‘shameful’ claims on Islamic unity
Khubaib Ghufran, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture, sharply criticized Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over his recent claims about Islamic unity in relation to the war in Iran, calling them “shameful.”
On his X account, Ghaffran wrote: “You praised Trump as a hero of the Gaza peace plan, yet today you claim Islamic unity regarding Iran in a war that the same criminal (Trump) and his allies initiated?”
He added that while Afghanistan is governed under an Islamic system, Shehbaz Sharif has shown no compassion even toward the most vulnerable groups—from children to women and drug addicts—and that this cruelty persisted even during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ghaffran described Sharif’s stance as a “grave shame” and a stark example of “historical hypocrisy.”
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Airstrike on Kabul drug rehabilitation centre sparks legal concerns
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Isabelle Lassee, said the scale of casualties suggests the presence of a significant civilian population at the site.
An airstrike on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul has drawn sharp criticism from Amnesty International, raising serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law.
The strike, carried out on 16 March, targeted a site at Camp Phoenix, a former military base that has functioned largely as a rehabilitation centre since 2016. Pakistani officials have claimed the attack was aimed at an ammunition depot allegedly located within the compound.
Responding to those claims, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Isabelle Lassee, said the scale of casualties suggests the presence of a significant civilian population at the site.
“While the total number of casualties has yet to be independently verified, it is clear that the attack caused extensive civilian harm, with reports indicating hundreds killed or injured,” she said.
Lassee emphasized that the facility was widely known to house civilians undergoing treatment, and warned that any military action should have taken this into account. “Pakistan’s military should have taken all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians and civilian infrastructure,” she added.
She further noted that even if a military target had been present within the compound, international law requires that any strike be proportionate, ensuring that civilian harm is not excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.
“The scale of destruction raises serious concerns about whether an adequate proportionality assessment was conducted and whether sufficient steps were taken to verify the target and minimize civilian casualties,” Lassee said.
Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to disclose the intelligence behind the strike and to launch an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the incident. The organization stressed that findings should be made public to ensure accountability.
The group also urged all parties involved in the conflict to adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and to protect civilian infrastructure, including medical and rehabilitation facilities.
The airstrike formed part of Pakistan’s “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” which included strikes in both Kabul and Nangarhar Province. The targeted rehabilitation centre, known as Omid, reportedly had the capacity to accommodate around 2,000 individuals.
Casualty figures remain contested. Islamic Emirate officials claim more than 400 civilians were killed and over 200 injured, though these numbers have not been independently verified. The United Nations has so far confirmed 143 deaths.
The strike comes amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 76 civilian casualties had already been recorded since the conflict intensified in February.
Pakistani officials, meanwhile, reported civilian casualties on their side of the border, including four deaths in Bajaur district on 15 March and the killing of a child in North Waziristan earlier in the month, allegedly due to cross-border fire from Afghanistan.
The latest developments underscore growing concerns about civilian safety as hostilities between the two countries continue to intensify.
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