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West must stop playing the ‘Great Game’ in Afghanistan: former UN official

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The West must stop pursuing “Great Game” politics and for once put the people of Afghanistan first, a former senior UN official has said.

In an op-ed published by UK’s Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday, Mark Malloch Brown, a former UN deputy secretary-general, said some 28.8 million Afghans require immediate assistance, up from 18.4 million in August 2021; 6 million are one step from famine.

He added that women and girls have been doubly hit by both the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) rollback of their rights — including to work and learn — and wider crises of poverty and hunger that harm them the most.

“Once more Afghanistan is isolated: denied diplomatic recognition, aid drying up, sanctioned and its assets frozen. In the US and Britain, many are all too keen to brush the policy failures the country represents under the proverbial carpet; best forgotten before the next elections,” Brown said.

He said that this is also part of a longer cycle of geopolitical and regional competition that has consistently failed to put the Afghan people first.

“Whether the policy has been proxy war or neglect, invasion or sponsorship of insurgents, surge or drawdown, outsiders have consistently ill-served the country’s people in a way that has typically led to the next chapter in the tragedy,” Brown said.

He said that prioritizing ordinary Afghans involves dealing with the IEA, even if that means making nominal concessions to it.

“A contact group of Western powers, Afghanistan’s neighbors, the Taliban (IEA) and ideally Afghan civil society might thus pursue goals including a more humane counter-narcotics strategy, improved flows of aid, especially to women and girls, and much greater clarity on sanctions to encourage foreign investment in areas such as irrigation. It might engage with Afghan actors beyond the Taliban, sowing the seeds of a more inclusive polity,” he said.

Brown said that all parties have a vital interest in preventing the country from plunging over the edge. “Famine, state failure and even new conflict in Afghanistan would further destabilize Pakistan and the wider region, and make further refugees flee the country. Afghans now make up the largest cohort attempting to cross the English Channel.”

“This presents Western and other leaders with a simple choice: keep pursuing ‘Great Game’ politics or for once put the people of Afghanistan first. More than 30 years of the former have got us where we are. A new approach is long overdue,” he added.

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Sirajuddin Haqqani visits Panjshir, meets tribal elders and influential figures

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Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani visited Panjshir province on Thursday and met with tribal elders and influential figures from various districts at the provincial governor’s office.

The Ministry of Interior said the participants raised their concerns, demands and suggestions with Haqqani during the meeting.

According to the ministry, Haqqani listened to their concerns and instructed relevant officials to take necessary steps to address the issues raised.

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Iran executes Afghan man over charges related to January protests

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Iran ‌executed an Afghan man on ​Thursday ​over charges related to ⁠January’s ​nationwide protests, ​local media reported.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights identified ​the person ​as Qaem Hosseini, ‌a 20-year-old Afghan national.

Iran’s state media said he ​took ​part ⁠in events that ​led to ​the ⁠killing of security ⁠force ​members ​during the protests.

He was accused of taking part in events on January 8, 2026, at Alikhani Square in Isfahan, during which four Iranian security forces were killed.

Hosseini is the fifth defendant in the case to be executed. Four other defendants, including his cousin Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, had previously been executed.

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US in talks over resettlement of Afghan refugees in Qatar to third countries

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More than 1,000 Afghans who were evacuated to a U.S. military facility in Qatar following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021 remain in limbo, with no clear path to the United States, NPR reports.

The Afghans have been staying at Camp As Sayliyah after being airlifted out of Afghanistan during the final days of the U.S. war. Some have been there for more than a year while waiting for a decision on their future.

The U.S. State Department told NPR that negotiations are continuing over where the Afghans could be resettled.

“A third country is a positive resolution that provides safety for these remaining people to start a new life outside Afghanistan while upholding the safety and security of the American people,” the U.S. State Department said in an email to NPR.

The situation at the camp has become more difficult amid the war in the Gulf. Sean Jamshidi, a former U.S. Marine, told NPR that missiles were launched during the conflict and debris fell near the camp, including fragments that entered the building where his family members were staying.

U.S. veterans and lawmakers have also called on Washington to protect Afghans who supported American forces. Republican Congressman Don Bacon, a retired brigadier general, said the United States has a “moral obligation” to people who served alongside its troops and that promises made to them should be kept.

There have also been reports that some of the Afghans could be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Islamic Emirate has said that Afghanistan is the shared homeland of all Afghans, stressing that returnees can come back with “full confidence and peace of mind.”

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