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Russia-led bloc holds large-scale drills near Tajik-Afghan border
A Russia-led post-Soviet security bloc started its largest military drills near the Tajik-Afghan border in years on Monday amid cross-border tensions ahead of talks between Afghanistan’s new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) leaders and major regional powers, Reuters reported.
Unlike Afghanistan’s other northern neighbours who have de facto acknowledged the IEA leadership and started building working relationships with Kabul, Tajikistan has refused to recognise the IEA and there are reports of troop build-ups on both sides of the border.
According to the report the exercise carried out by the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) will involve over 5,000 servicemen, more than half of them Russian soldiers, Russia and Tajikistan’s defence ministries said.
The six-day drills follow a series of smaller-scale exercises held in the vicinity of the Afghan border by Russia and its Central Asian allies in August and September.
Russia is worried about the possibility of Islamist militants infiltrating the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, which Moscow views as its southern defensive buffer, Reuters reported.
Moscow operates a military base in the former Soviet republic and has reassured Dushanbe it would assist it in the event of any cross-border intrusion.
A high-level IEA delegation is set to visit Moscow this week for talks that will also involve China, Pakistan, India and Iran, although a senior Russian official has been reported as saying he did not expect any breakthrough.
Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s special representative on Afghanistan, also said officials from Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan would meet separately in Moscow on Tuesday to come up with a united position on the changing situation in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has appointed 19 ambassadors and consuls general for its overseas missions.
Among these appointments, Shahbaz Hussain and Awais Ahmad Khan have been named as Pakistan’s consuls general in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, respectively.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, said in a post on X that these appointments were made with the approval of Shahbaz Sharif, the country’s Prime Minister.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the growth and development of human society in various dimensions require the active role of women and girls, and this is only possible if they have access to education.
Karzai made these remarks on Wednesday on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which falls on February 11.
Expressing appreciation for the role of Afghan women and girls in social life, he encouraged them to strive by all possible means to gain access to education and training and to participate in the growth and development of the country.
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Four years on, UN and EU renew call for Afghan girls’ right to education
The European Union delegation in Afghanistan also stressed the importance of women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
As the world observed International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the United Nations and the European Union renewed their calls for Afghan girls’ right to education, warning that continued restrictions threaten the country’s future development.
The United Nations in Afghanistan said the day was marked with sorrow, noting that 1,607 days have passed since girls over the age of 12 were barred from attending school.
UNAMA warned that more than four years of exclusion have led to lost opportunities and undermined key sectors that rely on educated women, reiterating its demand that the ban be lifted.
The European Union delegation in Afghanistan also stressed the importance of women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In a statement, the EU said Afghan women — including nurses, midwives, and researchers — play a crucial role in building a healthy and prosperous society, adding that women must remain central to scientific progress. The bloc reaffirmed its support for education for all Afghans.
The United Nations further emphasized that equality in science is essential not only for human advancement but also for ensuring that technology and artificial intelligence contribute to global prosperity.
It warned that excluding Afghan women and girls from education and employment is not only an act of marginalization but a serious barrier to Afghanistan’s long-term development and stability.
The statements come amid continued international appeals to expand access to education and job opportunities for Afghan women and girls.
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