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US special envoy for Afghan women avoids meeting IEA officials
Rina Amiri, the United States’ special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, said on Saturday she avoided joining her colleagues in meeting a delegation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials in Qatari capital Doha.
This week, a US delegation led by Thomas West, the special envoy for Afghanistan, met with an IEA delegation led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Doha.
“After much deliberation & consultation, I opted not to attend,” US special envoy for Afghan women, Amiri, said on Twitter.
“I support my colleagues engaging the Taliban (IEA). Engagement on issues where there’s traction, such as economic stabilization & the humanitarian response, is necessary to improve the lives of 40 million Afghans. We must meet with them if there’s any prospect of meaningful action,” Amiri said.
“However, I’m gravely concerned by the Taliban’s actions & current stance on the areas my office oversees & disappointed that robust international engagement to this point hasn’t produced meaningful outcomes for Afghan women, girls & at-risk populations,” she continued.
Amiri said she is ready to engage when IEA are prepared to work on “concrete steps to restore the rights of Afghan, including women, girls and at-risk populations.
“The US government stands in solidarity in calling on the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans,” Amiri said.
In their meeting, US and IEA officials discussed, among other issues, US actions to preserve $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves for the benefit of the Afghan people as well as steps to build international confidence in the central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank, according to a statement from the US State Department.
They also discussed US support for steps to enhance the availability of the afghani currency in the economy, according to the statement.
During his visit to Doha, Muttaqi also met with 10 European envoys for Afghanistan on Friday, discussing the humanitarian situation, health, and education, said Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry.
Muttaqi said that US freezing of Afghan assets and sanctions on the banking sector has created problems for Afghan traders.
He also said that the new government in Afghanistan has ensured the rights of all sections of the Afghan society and that there is now transparency in all areas.
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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.
Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.
Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”
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Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”
Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.
“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.
Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.
He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.
Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.
The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.
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Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin
Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”
Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.
“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”
He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.
His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.
The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.
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