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Save the Children sends plane with 92 tonnes of medicines to Afghanistan
A plane carrying 92 tonnes of vital medicines has arrived in Afghanistan to treat about 675,000 people, including children, with life-threatening but treatable illnesses after an increase in respiratory infections and measles this year, Save the Children said on Tuesday.
The consignment – the largest delivered by Save the Children in a year - will provide lifesaving treatment for nearly 400,000 children afflicted by endemic childhood illnesses such as respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, acute watery diarrhoea, and skin diseases, the organization said in a statement.
Since the beginning of 2024, more than 1,000 children under the age of 5 have died after contracting pneumonia, comprising 88% of all deaths from respiratory infection.
The current number of cases is higher than the average number reported during the past three years, according to the World Health Organisation.
The number of measles cases among children under five has risen by 44% compared with the same period last year, the statement said.
“Too many children in Afghanistan die from easily preventable diseases and illnesses. The arrival of these medicines means that more than 400,000 children will receive potentially lifesaving treatment in some of the most remote areas of the country,” said Arshad Malik, Country Director for Save the Children in Afghanistan.
He added that every day around the world, roughly 16,000 children under the age of 5 will die from common illnesses that can be prevented and treated.
The medicines, which are worth about US $590,000, were donated by the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and Save the Children’s internal Humanitarian Fund, among other organisations.
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Armed attack on civilians in Daikundi-Ghor area sparks international reactions
Daesh-affiliated members' armed attack on civilians in an area between Daikundi and Ghor provinces has provoked international reactions. In this attack, 14 civilians were killed.
The United Nations has condemned the attack on Hazara community and described it as "heinous".
UNAMA has urged the Islamic Emirate to identify the perpetrators of this attack.
Karen Decker, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan, has also strongly condemned the attack and expressed her condolences to victims and their families.
The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan also condemned the attack in a post on X and called it “heinous terrorist attack”.
IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed on Friday that 14 civilians were killed in an attack in an area between Daikundi and Ghor provinces.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.
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US aid to Afghanistan should be conditioned on treatment of women and children: McCaul
McCaul also said that by not including the Afghan government in the Doha negotiations, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan peace, made a big error.
Michael McCaul, Republican chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said that any aid or assistance Washington gives to Afghanistan has to be conditioned on treatment of women and children.
In an interview with the Voice of America, McCaul said that girls in Afghanistan should be allowed to go to school and enjoy their fundemental rights.
Referring to the restrictions against women, he said that Afghanistan has now returned to the "Stone Age".
McCaul also said that by not including the Afghan government in the Doha negotiations, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan peace, made a big error.
“They (Afghan government) felt like they were sidelined,” he said.
McCaul also stated that the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan without an action plan was a “fatal flaw” because many Americans and their Afghan allies were left behind.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has said that the rights of women and girls are an internal issue of Afghanistan and Sharia laws must be respected.
IEA has also said that foreign aid to Afghanistan is managed by international organizations and the Islamic Emirate does not use it.
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Pakistan’s ex-PM Khan says terrorism cannot be eliminated without dialogue with Afghanistan
He said that a large number of policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been killed in the fight against terrorism and if terrorism is not controlled, the economy will come to a standstill.
Pakistan's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, said on Friday that terrorism cannot be eliminated without having dialogue with the authorities in Afghanistan.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Khan expressed his support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapour's proposal for a direct dialogue with Kabul.
“Ali Amin is absolutely right,” Imran Khan stated. “They should be beseeching him to go and talk to Afghanistan for the sake of God."
A day earlier, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif criticized Gandapur's plan to talk to Kabul, saying it was a direct attack on the federal government.
When questioned about the possibility of a province directly engaging with another country when a federal government and the Foreign Office were already in place, Imran Khan replied: "Forget the Foreign Office, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the most affected by terrorism.”
He said that a large number of policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been killed in the fight against terrorism and if terrorism is not controlled, the economy will come to a standstill.
Khan urged the government to lend a hand to anyone attempting to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
"If someone is trying to end terrorism, cooperate with them," he stated, dismissing the perception that Gandapur’s intentions were anti-state. "Ali Amin is speaking in the favour of the country, not against it."
Clarifying Gandapur’s stance, he pointed out, "Ali Amin spoke about going but didn’t say he was leaving immediately, — he didn’t even fix a time." Khan concluded his talk by saying, "What wrong has Ali Amin said?"
Gandapur announced on Wednesday that he would send a delegation to Afghanistan to resolve bilateral issues.
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