Latest News
US and IEA delegates to resume talks in Doha
US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West will return to Doha next week for talks with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials, the US State Department said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press briefing, State Department spokesman Ned Price said talks between the two parties will focus on a number of issues including counterterrorism, humanitarian aid, and the economic situation in the country.
“I can confirm that next week Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West – he’ll return to Doha for two weeks of meetings with Taliban (IEA) leaders there.
“They’ll discuss, as I said before, our vital national interest when it comes to Afghanistan. That includes counterterrorism, that includes safe passage for U.S. citizens and for Afghans to whom we have a special commitment, and that includes humanitarian assistance and the economic situation of the country.”
West recently took over as special envoy after Zalmay Khalilzad resigned from the post.
“Tom West has been on the job now for I think some six weeks, and in that time he has already been busy. Just before he was named to this role, as you recall, he traveled to Doha to meet directly with the Taliban (IEA) as part of an interagency delegation.
“He not all that long ago traveled to Europe and Russia and India to discuss the way forward on Afghanistan with our allies and partners. In many of those conversations, we discussed those issues that are of core national interest to us – counterterrorism, safe passage. But again, a key theme was humanitarian assistance and what the United States, together with the international community, might do to alleviate the humanitarian plight that now confronts the people of Afghanistan,” said Price.
He also said that the US has spoken of the humanitarian assistance that the United States has pledged to Afghanistan – $474 million in this year alone – and what Washington is doing to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid and assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
He said: “To make clear that humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan is something that we strongly support.”
Price also stated that the US is committed to countering ISIS-K (Daesh) and ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorism.
“We’re working with our international partners, including under the auspices of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, to deny the group, as you saw the other day, access to financing; to disrupt, to deter foreign terrorist fighters from reaching Afghanistan and the region, as – just as we are continuing using multiple tools to counter ISIS-K’s pernicious ideology.
“We are committed to disrupting illicit financing, limiting their abilities to conduct further attacks against civilians, and supporting our partners in counterterrorism and disrupting terrorism finance.”
The Islamic Emirate’s special forces in an operation on Wednesday killed a top Daesh commander along with his accomplice in eastern Nangarhar province, state-run Bakhtar news agency reported.
This Daesh commander’s name was reportedly “Turab”.
The operation was conducted on Wednesday evening in Wuch Tangi village of Shiwa district in eastern Nangarhar province, according to the provincial officials reported by Bakhtar news agency.
The Ministry of Higher Education said on Thursday that 30 Afghan students will soon leave for Kazakhstan where they will continue their studies in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
At a meeting with the students held at the Ministry of Higher Education, Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, the deputy minister of student affairs, expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstan for awarding scholarships to Afghans and emphasized the need to strengthen relations with the countries in the scientific and academic sectors.
Ahmad said the students were ambassadors of their country and stated that: “Besides preserving your religious and national values, you must also respect the laws and culture of the host country. Pay more attention to your learning and knowledge.”
He added that: “The eyes of hope of the people and the system are fixed on you, so that after acquiring science and knowledge, you will play your part in the development of your country.”
Dr. Nazar Mohammad Irfan, the head of foreign relations and scholarship regulation of the Ministry of Higher Education, also addressed the students and said Kazakhstan was among the countries that stood by the people of Afghanistan in difficult times and continued their cooperation in various sectors, especially higher education.
He also asked the students to make the most of this opportunity and build their country with their own hands.
Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat, the academic vice president of Kabul University, spoke about the value of science and knowledge and the objectives of the Ministry of Higher Education in the area of education and training of young staff from the perspective of the holy religion of Islam and religious beliefs, and asked the students to make the basis and focus of all their activities on “Islamic belief”.
According to the ministry, 256 people took part in a scholarship selection exam, and 30 students were chosen. They will pursue bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the fields of economics, computer science, law, physics, biology and chemistry.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) says that Alhaji Mullah Sharafuddin Taqi, the commander of the 215 Azam Army Corps, traveled to Nimroz province on Wednesday, at the head of a delegation and visited the 3rd and 5th border checkpoints located on the border with Iran.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the commander met with Nimroz officials, including the provincial police chief, and discussed the need to improve coordination between the forces and border protection.
Referring to the recent cross-border skirmish with Iran, the commander of the 215 Azam Army Corps said: “The Islamic Emirate considers border protection its responsibility and is committed to establishing diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.”
However, he called the forces the defenders of borders, territorial integrity and independence of the country and promised to cooperate in solving their problems.
Ibrahim Zadran’s 98 powers Afghanistan to win over Sri Lanka in first ODI
Pakistan passes order to allow barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran, Russia
Fourth poliovirus case reported in Nangarhar
IEA special forces kill key Daesh commander in eastern Afghanistan
Boeing’s astronaut capsule faces more launch delays after latest problems
Britain’s King Charles III crowned in coronation ceremony
Eight dead in second mass shooting in Serbia, police hunt killer
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan arrested outside Islamabad court
Arab League reinstates Syria after 12-year suspension
Turkey votes in pivotal elections that could end Erdogan’s 20-year rule
Tahawol: IEA FM’s visit with UN’s special envoy discussed
Saar: GOP seeking new sanctions on IEA officials discussed
Tahawol: Muttaqi’s criticism of international sanctions
Saar: Qatari PM’s meeting with IEA leader discussed
Tahawol: Iran accusing circles of seeking war with Afghanistan discussed
-
Science & Technology4 days agoVenice’s waters turn fluorescent green near Rialto Bridge
-
World4 days agoPhilippines, US, Japan to hold first-ever joint coast guard exercise
-
World3 days agoMoscow targeted by drone attack, no casualties
-
Science & Technology3 days agoNorth Korea says it will launch its first military spy satellite in June
-
Business4 days agoProcess of exporting fresh fruit to world markets kicks off: MoIC
-
Latest News4 days agoAfghanistan weather bureau issues heavy rain and flood warning
-
World1 day agoDrones attack Russian oil refineries near major oil port Novorossiisk
-
Health3 days agoKandahar hospital gets hi-tech MRI and X-ray equipment