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Pilot killed by unidentified armed men in Parwan
An Afghan military pilot was killed in an attack by unknown armed men in northern Parwan province on Friday, sources said.
Nusrat Koshan, an Afghan Air Force officer, was killed at around 6:30 Friday evening during a skirmish with armed men in the Bagram district of the province, sources added.
Bagram Governor Lala Shirin Raufi told Ariana News that the incident took place in the “Dorahi-e-Qale Khwaja and Qale Narzoy” of in the district.
Raufi said the assailants managed to flee from the area.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Last week, Reuters reported citing two senior Afghan government officials that at least seven Afghan pilots have been assassinated off base in recent months.
According to Reuters, this series of targeted killings, which haven’t been previously reported, illustrate what U.S. and Afghan officials believe is a deliberate Taliban effort to destroy one of Afghanistan’s most valuable military assets: its corps of U.S.- and NATO-trained military pilots.
In so doing, the Taliban — who have no air force — are looking to level the playing field as they press major ground offensives.
Reuters confirmed the identities of two of the slain pilots through family members but could not independently verify the names of the other five who were allegedly targeted.
In response to questions from Reuters, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group had killed Afghan Air Force Major Dastagir Zamaray, and that it had started a program that will see the Afghan Air Force pilots “targeted and eliminated because all of them do bombardment against their people.”
A U.N. report documented 229 civilian deaths caused by the Taliban in Afghanistan in the first three months of 2021, and 41 civilian deaths caused by the Afghan Air Force over the same period.
In response to questions from Reuters, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group had killed Zamaray, and that it had started a program that will see Afghan Air Force pilots “targeted and eliminated because all of them do bombardment against their people.”
Afghanistan’s government has not publicly disclosed the number of pilots assassinated in targeted killings and the Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters.
The Pentagon meanwhile told Reuters it was aware of the deaths of several Afghan pilots in killings claimed by the Taliban, but declined to comment on U.S. intelligence and investigations.
Afghan military pilots are particularly attractive assassination targets, current and former U.S. and Afghan officials say. They can strike Taliban forces massing for major attacks, shuttle commandos to missions, and provide life-saving air cover for Afghan ground troops. Pilots take years to train and are hard to replace, representing an outsized blow to the country’s defenses with every loss.
Shoot-downs and accidents are ever-present risks. Yet these pilots often are most vulnerable in the streets of their own neighborhoods, where attackers can come from anywhere, said retired U.S. Brigadier General David Hicks, who commanded the training effort for the Afghan Air Force from 2016 to 2017.
“Their lives were at much greater risk during that time (off base) than they were while they were flying combat missions,” Hicks said.
Although Taliban assassinations of pilots have happened in years past, the recent killings take on greater significance as the Afghan Air Force is tested like never before, Reuters reported.
“Pilots are on top of the Taliban’s hit list,” the senior Afghan government official said.
That Afghan official and two others, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they’re working to protect pilots and their families, moving some to on-base housing and relocating others to safer civilian neighborhoods.
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Bayat Foundation donates hundreds of tents to earthquake victims in Samangan
As part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance, Bayat Foundation has distributed hundreds of tents to families affected by the earthquake in the Khulm and Feroz Nakhchir districts of Samangan province.
Officials from the foundation said their humanitarian efforts will continue and that more affected families will receive assistance.
Hujatullah Noori, a representative of Bayat Foundation, said: “Today, Bayat Foundation is distributing 100 tents to the victims of the recent earthquake in Khulm and Feroz Nakhchir districts of Samangan.”
Currently, the most urgent needs of those affected by the earthquake are shelter, house reconstruction, food, and medicine—assistance that victims emphasize is essential.
One victim said: “Our life has been devastated. We thank the Bayat Foundation for standing with us and bringing us tents.”
Another added: “The earthquake destroyed our entire house. We are asking for more help. We hope the Bayat Foundation continues its support and helps rebuild people’s homes.”
Local officials in Khulm district also welcomed the Bayat Foundation’s humanitarian assistance, describing its role in supporting disaster victims and reducing poverty as significant.
According to the Khulm district governor, the recent earthquake completely destroyed 200 residential houses and partially damaged more than 1,000 others in the district. The quake also left nine people dead and 60 injured.
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Pakistan urges Islamic Emirate to relocate TTP to Afghanistan, sources say
Sources in Turkey have told Ariana News that the Afghan delegation at the Istanbul talks shared its views with the mediators, but the Pakistani side raised certain demands that have no connection to Afghanistan.
According to the sources, the Islamabad delegation asked Afghanistan to relocate the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
The sources added that it is weird that, on one hand, Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering TTP members within its territory, yet on the other hand, it is itself requesting the transfer of such groups like the TTP into Afghanistan.
The sources emphasized that Afghanistan never wishes to create a major problem for itself under pressure.
According to the sources, the legitimate demands of the Islamic Emirate that Pakistan’s territory and airspace not be used by other country or by Daesh against Afghanistan — have not been accepted by Islamabad.
This comes as Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Tahir Andrabi said that a new round of talks with the Islamic Emirate began yesterday in Istanbul, during which the Pakistani delegation presented its evidence-based demands to the mediators with the aim of ending militant attacks.
Andrabi said at a press conference on Friday that the mediators are currently holding discussions with IEA regarding Pakistan’s demands.
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IEA ambassador in Moscow discusses role of ICC with Russian representative
Gul Hassan Hassan, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate to Russia, met with Ilya Rogachev, the Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Criminal and Legal Cooperation, to discuss the role and position of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to a statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Moscow, the two sides exchanged views on issues related to the International Criminal Court, including its activities, status, and role as an international institution.
The statement added that the recent decisions of the ICC were also reviewed during the meeting.
It has been reported that Anton Lavrov, Head of the Afghanistan Department in the Second Asian Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also present at the meeting.
This meeting comes after the Islamic Emirate previously announced the cancellation of Afghanistan’s membership in the Court, stating that history has shown the ICC acts based on political motives rather than the principles of justice and fairness.
ICC is an independent judicial body established to address serious international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The Court operates under the Rome Statute and its jurisdiction applies only to countries that have accepted this statute.
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