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Russia invites parties to conflict to Moscow peace meeting

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Russian Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has invited Afghan officials to participate in a peace meeting in Moscow next week.

In a letter sent to officials, which has been seen by Ariana News, Kabulov states the meeting will be held on March 18 and will include Afghan officials, politicians and representatives from the Taliban.

Among the politicians invited are former president Hamid Karzai, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Karim Khalili, Younus Qanooni, and Sayed Mansur Naderi.

Two representatives of government and two from the High Council for National Reconciliation have been invited.

In addition Moscow has also invited five Taliban representatives and a number of leaders of political parties.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to inaugurate the meeting which aims to accelerate the peace process in order to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

“Qatar envoys will also participate in the meeting as proud guests,” read the letter.

This push for peace coincides with current efforts on Washington’s part to find ways to resolve the 20-year-old war.

Last week, US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in the region, stopping first in Kabul where he laid out the Biden administration’s plans for a peace process.

In a letter sent to President Ashraf Ghani and to HCNR Chairman Abdullah Abdullah, the US proposed an interim government.

The plan has however been received with mixed reactions by Afghan government, while the Taliban, which was also handed the plan, said they are reviewing it.

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Suicide bombing in Kunduz kills 5, injures 7

Jumaddin Khaksar, a spokesman for the provincial police headquarters, added that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives near Kabul Bank in Kunduz city.

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A spokesman for the Kunduz police headquarters says five people were killed and seven others injured in a suicide bombing on Tuesday morning.

Jumaddin Khaksar, a spokesman for the provincial police headquarters, added that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives near Kabul Bank in Kunduz city.

According to Khaksar, the victims of the incident include security personnel, bank guards and civilians.

He added that no one has been arrested in connection with the explosion and that efforts are underway by security forces to identify the perpetrators of the explosion.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

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Norwegian Refugee Council NGO to suspend aid work in over 20 countries due to Trump policy

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the administration would reach out to USAID to identify and designate programs that would be exempted from the stop-work orders.

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The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday it would suspend humanitarian work in nearly 20 countries worldwide after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on U.S. foreign aid worldwide when he took office on January 20, Reuters reported.

The non-governmental organisation received just under 20% of its funding from the United States in 2024, or around $150 million, it said, with that funding helping some 1.6 million people worldwide.

"We have, in our 79-year history, never experienced such an abrupt discontinuation of aid funding from any of our many donor nations, inter-governmental organisations, or private donor agencies," the NRC said in a statement.

The agency said the consequences of suspending aid would become increasingly serious for people facing crises around the world.

Already in Ukraine, NRC said, it had to halt the scheduled February distribution of emergency support to 57,000 people in communities along the front lines and had to lay off staff worldwide.

The Trump administration said last Monday it would put on leave all directly hired employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) globally and recall thousands of personnel working overseas, read the report.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the administration would reach out to USAID to identify and designate programs that would be exempted from the stop-work orders.

However, the NRC said it was unable to take advantage of the temporary waiver unless the U.S. government resumed payments to its partners for work completed before the foreign assistance pause.

"We currently have millions of dollars in outstanding payment requests to the U.S. government. Without an immediate solution we may, at the end of February, be forced to halt U.S.-funded lifesaving humanitarian programmes," it said.

That included supplying clean water to 300,000 people trapped in the blockaded city of Djibo in Burkina Faso, and cutting funding to nearly 500 bakeries in Darfur, Sudan, which provide food hundreds of thousands of people, the NRC said.

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IEA slams Netanyahu’s suggestion Saudi Arabia host Palestinian state

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Monday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that Saudi Arabia’s land be used to establish a Palestinian state.

IEA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the suggestion is “unrealistic and flagrant violation of internationally recognized facts and Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.”

“Such statements by Netanyahu constitute a direct affront to established norms and a clear infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinians,” the statement said.

The IEA reiterated that Palestine is “the rightful land of the Palestinian people,” adding that “as long as the occupation continues, the inalienable rights of Palestinian people will remain violated, Gaza and the broader region will remain unstable, and such scenario benefits no one.”

On Thursday, Netanyahu told Channel 14: “The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.”

President Donald Trump meanwhile has said he is "committed to buying and owning" the Gaza Strip and relocating the two million Palestinians living there. This comes despite global condemnation of the plan he unveiled last week.

He told reporters that he might allow Middle East countries to be involved in rebuilding parts of the territory and that he would make sure the Palestinian refugees would "live beautifully".

Hamas and Palestinians reiterated that Palestinian land was "not for sale".

But Netanyahu praised Trump's proposal as "revolutionary and creative".

 

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