Regional
Snow leopard kills dozens of sheep in northern Afghanistan
Local officials said a snow leopard caused havoc in the Dara-e-Asik area of Zibak district in Badakhshan in the early hours of Thursday morning and killed and injured dozens of sheep.
Badakhshan officials said they ordered Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces to safeguard the leopard and to release it unharmed back into the wild.
“We ordered the Mujahedin to surround the neighborhood where the leopard was trapped, and not to allow anyone or any group to kill this rare wild animal, and …return it to nature safely,” said Mazuddin Ahmadi, Head of Information and Culture of Badakhshan province.
Ahmadi said the leopard had been returned safely to the wild.
According to him, the IEA is serious about preserving the number of snow leopards in Badakhshan, adding that the animal’s presence is a drawcard for foreign tourists.
Snow leopards have in the past been known to kill sheep in the far northern province – especially in winter. In spring, farmers in the same area lost 20 sheep while 63 more were killed last winter. However the Wildlife and Snow Leopard Project paid the farmers out, said Ahmadi.
Snow leopards, which are found across central and south Asia live above the tree lines in the mountain ranges and are found in the Zebak and Wakhan districts of Badakhshan, which share borders with Pakistan, China and Tajikistan.
However, Badakhshan Department of the Environment officials said they are hoping international wildlife organizations will assist them in the future in their attempts to safeguard the snow leopard population in Afghanistan and to help prevent future attacks against domestic livestock.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Friday on his first official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Geo News reported.
He was received by Prime Minister Sharif and senior officials, with his aircraft escorted by Pakistan Air Force jets upon entering Pakistani airspace. The UAE president is accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the visit aims to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that the country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, following visits to major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
Kim said the country’s missile and shell production sector is “of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrence,” according to KCNA.
The report said Kim ratified draft documents on the modernization of key munitions enterprises, which will be submitted to a major ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026. The congress is set to outline North Korea’s development plan for the next five years.
KCNA’s report follows Thursday’s disclosure that Kim oversaw the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, as well as the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Daesh members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Daesh members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X, Reuters reported.
The police raided 124 places in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
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