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Afghan women who are living in Pakistan wait to get registered during a proof of registration drive at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Peshawar, Pakistan September 30, 2021. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The United States "strongly" encouraged Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking protection and urged them to uphold obligations in treatment of refugees, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. Pakistan has hosted the largest number of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1979. Islamabad says the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan totaled 4.4 million. KEY QUOTE"We strongly encourage Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking international protection and to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations ... to provide humanitarian assistance," a U.S. State Department spokesperson told reporters on Thursday.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Simon Lewis, Kanishka Singh Organizations: United Nations, Refugees, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Peshawar, United States, Islamabad, Kabul, Afghanistan, U.S

"We requested China to allow us to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative... (and) are discussing technical issues today," acting Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters in an interview a day after the Belt and Road Forum ended in Beijing. The Pakistan "economic corridor" refers to the huge flagship section of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Afghanistan's neighbour. Asked about the MCC talks, Azizi said discussions had been delayed because the mine was near a historical site, but they were still ongoing. Afghanistan and 34 other countries agreed to work together on the digital economy and green development on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday. Additional reporting by Ahmad Masih Noori and Charlotte Greenfield in Kabul; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping's, Azizi, Ahmad Masih Noori, Charlotte, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, REUTERS, Metallurgical Corp, Pakistan Economic, Initiative, China Ltd, MCC, Islamic State, Taliban, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Beijing, China, Taliban, BEIJING, Kabul, Pakistan, Afghanistan's, Charlotte Greenfield

It ended in frantic scenes of Afghans and Americans desperately trying to get on one of the last flights out of Kabul. Two-thirds of Americans say the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting; 65% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans agree on that evaluation. Only about one in five Americans say the U.S. successfully improved opportunities for women and girls in Afghanistan, with 43% saying such efforts were unsuccessful. Women were more likely than men across party lines to call advancing the rights of women in Afghanistan an important goal. Mike Mitchell is executive director of No One Left Behind, which helps Afghans who worked with the U.S. relocate.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, ”, Martin Stefen, Justin Campbell, Campbell, he's, Maliha Chishti, “, Toni Dewey, Nola Sayne, —, Ukraine —, Mike Mitchell, ‘, Mitchell, ___ Organizations: WASHINGTON, United, Pearson Institute, Global, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, U.S, Taliban, Republicans, Republican Party, “ Locations: United States, Afghanistan, Kabul, U.S, Carson City , Nevada, Soviet Union, Brookhaven , Mississippi, Wilmington , North Carolina, America, Loganville , Georgia, Ukraine, Israel

☆ Opinion: War didn’t look like this when the Geneva Conventions were written
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Mukesh Kapila | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Fatima Shbair/APHowever, modern urban warfare sets new records of ruination because more than half of us live in built-up areas. This is not illegal under the UN Charter but the concept of ’just’ war in international law requires protecting non-combatants. In urban war, fighters and civilians intermingleOften, the frontlines of urban conflicts cannot be clearly demarcated when fighters and civilians are intermingled. War has changed since the Geneva ConventionsThese new-style warriors were unknown when the Geneva Conventions emerged over a century ago. That violates international humanitarian law and is contrary to a UN political declaration on explosive weapons in populated areas.

Persons: Mukesh Kapila, “, Mukesh, Khan, Fatima Shbair Organizations: UN, Global Health, Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester, CNN, United Nations, Islamic, Hamas, International, International Committee, Cross, Food Program Locations: United, Sarajevo, Kabul, Kigali, Huambo, Goma, Gaza, Khartoum, Port, Jerusalem, Britain, Germany, Stalingrad, Beirut, Khan Younis, Geneva, Russian, Ukraine, Islamic State, Afghanistan, Yemen, Australia, Iraq, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Al, Aqsa, Israel

REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKABUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The Taliban will attend China's Belt and Road Forum next week, a spokesman said on Saturday, underscoring Beijing's growing official ties with the administration, despite its lack of formal recognition by any government. Taliban officials and ministers have at times travelled to regional meetings, mostly those focussed on Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile multilateral summits it has been invited to attend. China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans, begun under the previous foreign-backed government, over a possible huge copper mine in eastern Afghanistan. Officials from China, the Taliban and neighbouring Pakistan said in May they would like Belt and Road to include Afghanistan and for the flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor to be extended across the border to Afghanistan. China has boosted engagement with the Taliban, becoming the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul since the Taliban took power, and invested in mining projects.

Persons: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Wang Yu, Ali Khara, Xi, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, Azizi, Akhundzada, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Joe Cash, William Mallard Organizations: Afghan, REUTERS, Rights, China Pakistan Economic, Taliban, Thomson Locations: China, Islamic Emirate, Afghanistan, Kabul, Rights KABUL, Beijing, Pakistan, China Pakistan, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad

☆ Another quake strikes western Afghanistan; official says more homes destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A general view of the quake-hit area in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan October 10, 2023. There were no details on casualties so far, disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeeq told Reuters, but provincial officials said hundreds of homes had been destroyed. Hemmed in by mountains, Afghanistan has a history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Herat province borders Iran, which said it would send humanitarian aid. The United Nation's humanitarian office has also announced $5 million worth of assistance.

Persons: Zinda Jan, Ali Khara, Janan Sayeeq, Noor Ahmad Shahab, Shahab, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Mrinmay Dey, Gibran Peshimam, Jacqueline Wong, Simon Cameron, Moore, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Mobile, World Health Organisation, German Research Center, Geosciences, United, Thomson Locations: Zinda, Herat, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Pakistan, Iran, Rubat, Turkey, China, Kabul, Bengaluru

☆ Most casualties in recent Afghan earthquakes are women, children -WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Two-thirds of those with severe injuries who are admitted in the hospital I have seen yesterday are children and women," he said, referring to his time in Herat following the quake. He also warned that financing the humanitarian operations remained critical, with global attention and funding shifting away from Afghanistan. AbouZeid said it was "devastating" to see the number of children in hospital in critical condition. REUTERS/Ali Khara Acquire Licensing Rights"I have seen a child like 3-4 months old with head trauma, due to the earthquake," he said. While the response teams saved many lives, hospitals need to be better equipped to deal with further casualties and similar situations in future, he said.

Persons: Alaa AbouZeid, AbouZeid, Zinda Jan, Ali Khara, Gibran Peshimam, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Health, Reuters, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, temblors, Turkey, Syria, Herat, East, Ukraine, Zinda

Deadly earthquake hits Afghanistan Earthquake impact mapPowerful earthquakes struck northwestern Afghanistan on October 8, killing more than 2,400 people, the Taliban administration said, in the deadliest tremors to rock the mountainous country in years. A boy cries as he sits next to debris, in the aftermath of an earthquake in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan, October 8, 2023. For example, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 is ten times larger than a magnitude 6 earthquake. Afghanistan’s five highest magnitude earthquakes (7.4 to 7.8 magnitude) have occurred along the Hindu Kush mountain range in the country’s north-east region. A man carries the body of his child, in the aftermath of an earthquake in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan October 8, 2023.

Persons: Zinda Jan, Stringer Afghanistan’s, Damage Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, REUTERS, Stringer Poor, Diplomats, International Committee, World Health Organization, WHO Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Turkey, Syria, Zinda, Pakistan, South Asia, Kabul, Herat province

HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Rescue workers on Monday scrambled to pull out survivors, and the dead, from beneath the rubble two days after the northwestern city of Herat and its surroundings were struck by the deadliest earthquakes to rattle Afghanistan in years. Neighbours Pakistan and Iran have offered to send rescue workers and humanitarian aid, while China's Red Cross Society offered cash relief aid. Hemmed in by mountains, Afghanistan has a history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Pakistan said its disaster management authority had put a search and rescue team on standby to assist in the disaster hit area. Iran, whose border is less than 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the site of the worst hit area, also pledged humanitarian aid, the Taliban administration said.

Persons: Nissar Ahmad Elyias, Mir Ahmed, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Syed Hassib, Emma Farge, Gibran Peshimam, Miral Organizations: Neighbours, Cross Society, Reuters, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: HERAT, Afghanistan, Herat, Turkey, Syria, Neighbours Pakistan, Iran, Pakistan, Zindajan, Kabul, Geneva

☆ Herat, Afghanistan earthquake: Aid group warns devastation 'worse than we imagined'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province – the third largest in Afghanistan. The world must not look away now.”A badly destroyed house, one of thousands across Herat province in western Afghanistan. UNICEF teams on the ground are calling for more urgent action and aid for families devastated by the latest earthquake. UNICEF“We will make every effort to bring quick relief to those affected,” said Fran Equiza, its representative in Afghanistan. International aid groups have said their ability to respond to calls during major disasters was heavily hampered by the Taliban’s takeover and called for more urgent global aid but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support.

Persons: ”, Thamindri de Silva, de Silva, ” “, ” de Silva, Mark Calder, “, MUHAMMAD BALABULUKI, Stéphane Dujarric, ” Dujarric, António Guterres, UNICEF “, Fran Equiza, Zabihullah Mujahid Organizations: CNN — International, World, CNN, Getty Images UN, UN, UNICEF, Sunday, Bank Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, Herat province –, Kabul, ”, AFP, Washington, Khost, Pakistan, Neighboring China

☆ Most Casualties in Recent Afghan Earthquakes Are Women, Children -WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL (Reuters) - Women and children make up two-thirds of the victims of the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan who were hospitalized with severe injuries, the head of the World Health Organization's emergency response in the country said on Monday. "Two-thirds of those with severe injuries who are admitted in the hospital I have seen yesterday are children and women," he said, referring to his time in Herat following the quake. AbouZeid said it was "devastating" to see the number of children in hospital in critical condition. The WHO's response teams were taking the matter seriously, given the impact of such injuries on the victim and their families who would need to support them in the long run, he said. While the response teams saved many lives, hospitals need to be better equipped to deal with further casualties and similar situations in future, he said.

Persons: Alaa AbouZeid, AbouZeid, Gibran Peshimam, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Health, Reuters Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, temblors, Turkey, Syria, Herat, East, Ukraine

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A senior Taliban delegation was visiting western Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people over the weekend and flattened entire villages, a statement said. Aid agencies and nongovernmental groups have appealed for the international community to come forward but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support, including neighboring China and Pakistan. “CARE is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the western province of Herat," said Reshma Azmi, the group's deputy director for Afghanistan. "This comes less than seven months after another powerful earthquake hit the country, leaving thousands homeless and displaced.”Azimi was referring to the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in March that struck much of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, the government held a special session to review aid for Afghanistan, including relief teams, food items and medicines, as well as tents and blankets.

Persons: —, Abdul Ghani Baradar, Reshma Azmi, Azimi, “, ”, Thamindri de Silva, Irfanullah Organizations: Taliban, Geological Survey, Aid, CARE USA, CARE International, CARE, Afghan Red Crescent Society Locations: ISLAMABAD, Herat, Kabul, The U.S, Afghanistan, Israel, Gaza, China, Pakistan

☆ Afghan earthquakes kill 2,053, Taliban say, as death toll spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters, said 2,053 people were killed, 9,240 injured and 1,320 houses damaged or destroyed. More than 200 dead had been brought to various hospitals, said a Herat health department official who identified himself as Dr Danish, adding most of them were women and children. Beds were set up outside the main hospital in Herat to receive a flood of victims, photos on social media showed. It was not immediately clear if the Herat hospital was on that list. "While search and rescue operations remain ongoing, casualties in these areas have not yet been fully identified," it said.

Persons: Janan Sayeeq, Sayeeq, Danish, Suhail Shaheen, Naseema, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Ariba Shahid, Gibran Peshimam, William Mallard, Sanjeev Miglani Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, Ministry, Diplomats, International Committee, Reuters, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, Herat province, Kabul, Karachi

☆ Afghanistan earthquakes kill 2,053, Taliban says, as death toll spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Amid the confusion, the death toll from Saturday's quakes spiked from 500 reported on Sunday morning by a Red Crescent spokesperson and 16 from Saturday night. The quakes hit 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat, with one measuring 6.3 magnitude, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. Mullah Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters, told Reuters 2,053 people were dead, 9,240 injured and 1,329 houses damaged or destroyed. Bodies had been "taken to several places - military bases, hospitals," Danish said. Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Editing by William Mallard and Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mullah Janan Sayeeq, Danish, Naseema, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, William Mallard Organizations: Red Crescent, U.S . Geological Survey, Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Kabul

☆ At least 15 dead in Afghanistan earthquakes, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Oct 7 (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and 40 injured after multiple earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, a disaster management official told Reuters. The quake registered a magnitude of 6.3, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, with subsequent quakes striking 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat. The casualty figures are based on primary reports from the Zinda Jan district of Herat province, said Mullah Jan Sayeq, spokesperson for Afghanistan's ministry of disaster management. He added that the earthquakes had also shaken the provinces of Farah and Badghis, where there are reports of widespread damage to houses, but no details about casualties there yet. Emergency teams and volunteers are preparing to go Herat and help victims, Erfanullah Sharafzoi, spokesperson for the Afghan Red Crescent said.

Persons: Jan Sayeq, Erfanullah Sharafzoi, Crescent, Naseema, Rishabh, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Giban Peshimam, Edwina Gibbs, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Geological Survey, Afghan, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, U.S, Herat, Herat province, Farah, Badghis, Bengaluru, Kabul

REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Friday that it would repatriate all illegal immigrants including hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals in orderly phases rather than in one go. She did not have exact data on the total number of illegal immigrants, including Afghans. Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Tuesday some 1.73 million Afghans in Pakistan had no legal documents and the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan totalled 4.4 million. Pakistan has hosted the largest number of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1979. Pakistan's foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani defended the order for the departure of illegal immigrants, saying no other country allowed illegal immigrants to stay and live.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, frayed, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Sarfraz Bugti, Bugti, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Hong, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Robert Birsel, William Maclean Organizations: United Nations, Refugees, REUTERS, Rights, Aid, Phoenix TV, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Peshawar, Rights ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Kabul, Afghanistan, U.S, Tibet, Beijing

This was a secret school, set up to teach girls despite the bans on female education imposed by the Taliban since they retook control of Afghanistan two years ago. Girls, faces partially covered, attend class at a hidden school in Afghanistan. CNN‘I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t’Inspired, in part, by a 1996 Christiane Amanpour documentary titled “Battle for Afghanistan,” Hakim decided to create secret schools for a new generation of Afghan girls. After the militant group imposed the bans on girls’ education, Maryam says she was trapped at home and felt like a “zombie,” with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Hope stronger than fearBack at the secret school, Maryam learns the Taliban are checking neighborhoods for illegal activities and fears they risk being caught.

Persons: CNN — Parasto Hakim, Hakim, “, ” Hakim, –, CNN Hakim, ”, CNN ‘, Christiane Amanpour, Maryam, ” Maryam, Fatima, ” Fatima, Yalda, ” Yalda, Koofi, Hakim –, ” Koofi, ” Fawzia, Justin Tallis Organizations: CNN, Girls, United Nations, UN, ” CNN, ”, Taliban, Getty Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, States, United, London

☆ Afghan Refugees Not Involved in Pakistan's Security Problems - Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan's security problems, a spokesman for the Taliban administration in Kabul said on Wednesday, calling on Islamabad to reconsider plans to expel illegal Afghan immigrants. Zabihullah Mujahid also said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the refugees should be "tolerated" by Pakistan as long as they did not leave voluntarily.

Persons: Zabihullah Mujahid Locations: ISLAMABAD, Kabul, Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan, home to more than 1.7 million people who have fled violence in neighboring Afghanistan, is launching a mass deportation of “illegal immigrants,” authorities said Tuesday. But their presence in Pakistan has long been controversial, with police crackdowns and threats of deportation in previous years. Hundreds of Afghans have already been deported from Pakistan this year, according to volunteer groups, citing local records. Many Afghans fled the Soviet invasion of their country in 1979, settling in Pakistan during the biggest refugee crisis in the world at the time. “It is deeply concerning that the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is not receiving due international attention.”

Persons: Sarfraz Bugti, ”, Bugti, Rizwan Tabassum Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, United Nations ’, Getty, National Apex Committee, Nonprofit, Amnesty Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Afghanistan, Karachi, AFP, Soviet, Kabul, United States

Rescue workers clear the rubble from a damaged mosque, after a suicide blast in Hangu, Pakistan September 29, 2023. It was not immediately clear how Pakistani authorities could ensure the illegal immigrants leave, or how they could find them to expel them. Bugti said some 1.73 million Afghan nationals in Pakistan had no legal documents to stay, adding a total of 4.4 million Afghan refugees lived in Pakistan. "There are no two opinions that we are attacked from within Afghanistan and Afghan nationals are involved in attacks on us," he said. Islamabad has received the largest influx of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1979.

Persons: Stringer, Sarfraz Bugti, Bugti, Asif Shahzad, Jon Boyle, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Afghan, State, Thomson Locations: Hangu, Pakistan, ISLAMABAD, Kabul, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Taliban Pakistan, Afghan

☆ No current talks with Taliban, Afghanistan's Massoud says, promising guerrilla warfare
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Massoud, who operates from overseas, said the NRF had been forced to change tactics because it could not fight the well-equipped Taliban conventionally. Massoud dismissed any suggestion of returning to Afghanistan as part of a Taliban reintegration scheme of former officials. "Those people who left Afghanistan, they left for more than just house or a car. "If the Taliban announced that they accept elections, today we all can return because this is what we want." The most recent elections in Afghanistan were held under the U.S.-backed administration which Taliban deposed in August 2021 when Western troops withdrew.

Persons: Ahmad Massoud, Ahmad Shah Massoud, Massoud, John Irish, Michael Perry Organizations: National Resistance, of, Taliban, U.S, Western, Thomson Locations: of Afghanistan, Soviet, Paris, France, PARIS, Afghan, Afghanistan, Panjshir, Kabul, Ukraine

Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the U.S. plan, have not been previously reported. "At the present we are working on a Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is taking) lots of time," he said. The Taliban strongly denies that an upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans. A July U.N. monitoring report said there were up to 6,000 Islamic State fighters and their family members in Afghanistan. The Afghan "home base" locations of Islamic State fighters are in the eastern mountainous areas, said Schroden.

Persons: Ali Khara, Abdul Mateen Qani, Washington, didn't, Qani, Amrullah Saleh, Saleh, Jonathan Schroden, Matt Mahmoudi, ETIM, ETIM couldn't, Afghanistan Thomas West, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Jonathan Landay, David Kirton, Liz Lee, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Huawei, U.S, of Interior, Reuters, U.S.A, U.S State Department, RIC, Bloomberg News, Foreign Ministry, NATO, Center for Naval, Protect Journalists, Taliban, Amnesty International, East Turkestan Islamic, Security, Special, State, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: China, Kabul, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Islamic State, —, Turkey, Turkish, Pakistan, United States, East Turkestan, Xinjiang, State, Russian, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad, Washington, Shenzhen, Beijing, Ankara

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Pakistan’s interim prime minister said he expects parliamentary elections to take place in the new year, dismissing the possibility that the country’s powerful military would manipulate the results to ensure that jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party doesn’t win. Kakar resigned as a senator last month after outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raza Riaz chose him as caretaker prime minister to oversee the elections and run the day-to-day affairs until a new government is elected. “The most important player in this dispute is the Kashmir people," Kakar said. “It is neither India or Pakistan,” but the Kashmiri people who "have to decide about their identity" and their future. It’s just a divine blessing.”By law, he can’t contest the elections when he’s interim prime minister, but Kakar said in the future he hopes “to play a constructive political role in my society.”

Persons: —, Imran Khan’s, Haq Kakar, Khan, Kakar, Shehbaz Sharif, Raza Riaz, ”, ” Kakar, Imran Khan, I’m, that’s, — Kakar, Karar, “ Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Associated Press, United Nations, NATO, Taliban, Islamic Locations: Pakistan, Kashmir, India, “, Ukraine, Europe, North America, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Kabul, Pakistan's

[1/2] Vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leaving Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia pass an Armenian checkpoint on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia September 22, 2023. Images of fleeing Armenians at Russia's own peacekeeping base at an airport in Nagorno-Karabakh have been harder for them to watch. But its handling of the Karabakh crisis has forced it into a blame game with Armenia and obliged it to defend its foreign policy in the region. It now accuses him of triggering the crisis by saying - after Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh in 2020 following Armenia's defeat in a 44-day war - that he recognised Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Baku has long argued that Karabakh falls within its own borders, but Karabakh Armenians wanted Pashinyan to recognise their independence and unify them with Armenia.

Persons: Irakli, Alexander Baunov, Russia's, Sergei Markov, Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Margarita Simonyan, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Armenian, Soviet, Carnegie, Karabakh, Protesters, Kremlin, Russian, Security Council, NATO, Thomson Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Kornidzor, Russia, Azerbaijan Moscow, Kabul, U.S, Afghanistan, Nagorno, Turkish, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Russian, America, Baku ., Yerevan, Baku, Pashinyan

☆ UN records torture, deaths of detainees in Taliban custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taliban soldiers stand guard at the second-anniversary ceremony of the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023. The U.N. Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 18 people had also died in prisons and in the custody of police and intelligence in the 19 months ending July 2023. The Taliban have staffed and controlled the police and the intelligence agency since they took over the country as foreign forces withdrew in 2021. Other violations included not being informed of the reason for arrest, not being able to access a lawyer and inadequate medical care in custody. "There is a pressing need to consider more engagement with the de facto authorities to end these practices."

Persons: Ali Khara, UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, Charlotte Greenfield, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Journalists, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Mission

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