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Pakistan urges look into ‘meltdown’ of Afghan forces as Taliban advances
Pakistan on Monday said the international community needed to look into the “meltdown” of Afghan security forces in the face of Taliban offensives across Afghanistan, instead of blaming Pakistan for the fast-deteriorating situation, Reuters reported.
Taliban fighters have swiftly gained territory across Afghanistan since May, including six provincial capitals in the last three days, as international forces near a complete withdrawal from the country after 20 years of fighting.
“The capacity-building, the training, the equipment … where is it?” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked at a news conference, referring to resources spent by other countries, particularly the United States, on bolstering Afghan national forces.
“Issues of governance and the meltdown of Afghan national defence forces need to be looked into,” he said.
Pakistan cannot be held responsible for the failure of others, he said.
Kabul and several western governments say Pakistan’s support for the Taliban allowed it to weather 20 years of war after being pushed from power in 2001 by a U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. The group today controls more territory that at any point since 2001, Reuters reported.
Pakistan denies supporting the Taliban. Qureshi said Islamabad was not taking sides in Afghanistan.
“The lack of will to fight, the capitulation that we are seeing in Afghanistan … can we be held responsible for that? No we cannot,” Qureshi said, adding that Pakistan supported a political solution to bring peace to Afghanistan, Reuters reported.
He said Pakistan had been instrumental in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table with the United States and facilitated the resultant agreement between the two in Doha last year.
Pakistan, Qureshi said, had also helped convene peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in September last year, which have since stalled.
Qureshi said Islamabad was concerned at the violence and the lack of progress in the talks, saying that Pakistan had most to lose from an unstable Afghanistan as a direct neighbour.
Questioning the pullout of U.S. forces, Qureshi said Pakistan thought the withdrawal would be tied to the progress in the peace talks.
Other regional countries, including Afghanistan, have also blamed what they termed a hasty and unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops for the success of the Taliban, Reuters reported.
Qureshi said there would be a meeting in Doha on Wednesday of the “Troika”, a platform to discuss Afghanistan led by the United States, China, Russia.
The meeting is three weeks before the Aug. 31 date that Washington set for the official withdrawal of its military forces in Afghanistan.
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Slovenia contributes €200,000 to support UNFPA humanitarian work in Afghanistan
The Government of Slovenia has contributed €200,000 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support humanitarian work in Afghanistan, focusing on reproductive health and protection services for women and girls.
According to UNFPA, the funding will help expand access to essential maternal and reproductive health care across the country, particularly in areas where services remain limited and humanitarian needs are high.
UNFPA said the support will be used to reach vulnerable women and girls with life-saving health assistance and protection services as part of its ongoing response in Afghanistan.
The contribution comes as international aid agencies continue efforts to sustain basic health services amid ongoing economic and humanitarian challenges in the country.
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Afghanistan rejects Pakistan’s allegations as ‘baseless’
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has rejected recent accusations by Pakistani officials claiming that attacks inside Pakistan were planned from Afghan territory, describing the allegations as “baseless.”
Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said Afghanistan believes regional issues should be addressed through dialogue, mutual respect, and genuine cooperation rather than accusations, emotional rhetoric, or threats.
He reaffirmed that Afghan territory would not be used against any country and stressed that no group or individual would be allowed to carry out activities that threaten regional peace and stability.
The remarks came after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry reportedly summoned Afghanistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad on Monday and handed over a formal protest note regarding an attack on a police post in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistani authorities alleged that the attack had been planned from inside Afghanistan.
According to reports, the explosion occurred on Saturday evening in the Fathkhel area of Bannu, killing 15 police officers and injuring four others, including one civilian.
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UNAMA reports hundreds of civilian casualties in Pakistan-linked violence across Afghanistan
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported that nearly 800 civilians were killed or wounded during the first three months of 2026 in attacks and clashes linked to tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to the report, 95 security-related incidents were recorded between January and March along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas. The highest number of casualties was reported in Kabul, Kunar, and Paktika provinces, with women and children among those affected.
UNAMA stated that more than 750 civilian casualties occurred during armed confrontations involving Afghan security forces and Pakistani military forces. The report noted that 64 percent of the casualties were caused by airstrikes, while 35 percent resulted from rocket attacks.
The UN mission also said that approximately 94,000 people, including over 13,000 families, were displaced by the violence. Homes, schools, mosques, and other civilian properties were reportedly damaged during the clashes.
Among the deadliest incidents highlighted in the report was the March 2026 airstrike on a drug treatment center in Kabul.
UNAMA urged Pakistan to adhere to international humanitarian law and avoid targeting civilian-populated areas during military operations.
Meanwhile, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said militant attacks inside Pakistan were being conducted through Afghan territory with Indian support. He called for an end to militancy in Pakistan and urged Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used for attacks against neighboring countries.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, describing them as baseless and insisting that Afghan territory will not be used against any country. Afghan officials have also argued that insecurity in Pakistan remains an internal issue for Islamabad.
The latest developments come amid ongoing regional tensions and growing concerns over cross-border violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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