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WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice on Friday charged an Iranian man in a murder-for-hire plot to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump and two others in a plot to kill an American journalist critical of Tehran. The three who were charged are Farhad Shakeri of Iran; Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn, New York; and Jonathan Loadholt, of Staten Island, New York. Around Oct. 7, the Iranian official tasked Shakeri with providing a plan within seven days to kill Trump, he told law enforcement in recorded interviews, the complaint says. Shakeri told FBI officials that he didn’t intend to propose a plan to assassinate Trump in the timeframe set by the IRGC, it says. Trump was also briefed by U.S. intelligence officials after the attempt in September about threats from Iran to kill him.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Trump, ” Damian Williams, Qasem Soleimani, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, Jonathan Loadholt, Shakeri, surveil, Steven Cheung, ”, Rivera, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, Loadholt, realDonaldTrump, Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, —, Biden Organizations: The Department, Justice, Southern, of, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, U.S, Trump, FBI, White, Prosecutors, NBC News, Fairfield University, Service, Emergency Economic Locations: American, Tehran, U.S, of New York, Iran, Brooklyn , New York, Staten Island , New York, New York City, Sri Lanka, United States, Afghan, New York State, Brooklyn, Loadholt, Staten Island, Republic, America, Florida, New York

☆ Justice Department brings charges in thwarted Iranian plot to assassinate Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | Michael Kosnar | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Department of Justice on Friday charged an Iranian man and two New York residents in murder-for-hire plots targeting then-candidate Donald Trump and others. The department said the plot was part of Iran's efforts to exact revenge for the death of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani during the Trump administration. Around Oct. 7, the Iranian official tasked Shakeri with providing a plan within seven days to kill Trump, he told law enforcement in recorded interviews, the complaint says. Shakeri told FBI officials that he didn't intend to propose a plan to assassinate Trump in the timeframe set by the IRGC, it says. Trump communications director Steven Cheung said Friday that the president-elect is aware of the attempted assassination plot.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Damian Williams, Qasem Soleimani, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, Jonathan Loadholt, Shakeri, surveil, Steven Cheung, Rivera, Masih Alinejad Organizations: U.S, The, Justice, Southern, of, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Trump, FBI, White, Prosecutors, NBC News Locations: Iranian, Tehran, Iran, New York, U.S, of New York, Brooklyn , New York, Staten Island , New York, New York City, Sri Lanka, United States, Afghan, New York State, Brooklyn, Loadholt, Staten Island, American

☆ DOJ announces charges in Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Justice Department on Friday announced federal charges in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump before the presidential election. According to court documents, Iranian officials asked Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. But IRGC officials told Shakeri on October 7 to focus only on Trump, court documents say, and that he had seven days to formulate an assassination plan. Shakeri would pay these criminal associates, like his two co-conspirators, to monitor the victims Iranian officials sought to assassinate, according to court documents. Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that all three men were specifically charged in the plot against Donald Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Farhad Shakeri, Trump, Shakeri –, –, Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, Jonathan Loadholt, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, ” Garland, “, Qasem, ”, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, Rivera, Loadholt Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Trump, Justice, FBI Locations: Iran, Afghan, Tehran, New York, United States, US, New, American, Sri Lanka, New York City

ISIS-K, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, directed an Afghan man’s foiled U.S. Election Day terror plot, according to two senior U.S. officials briefed on the matter. The revelation that a foreign terrorist organization was in communication with a would-be attacker inside the U.S. makes the alleged Election Day plot different from most terrorism cases in the past decade, most of which involved people self-radicalized online or self-directed attempts. The charging documents say Tawhedi told the FBI that he was communicating with a person named “Malik” and that he knew “Malik” was affiliated with ISIS. Tawhedi’s mother, who lives in Afghanistan, is believed to be an ISIS sympathizer, two U.S. officials said. In the France case, law enforcement officials told NBC News they had opened a preliminary investigation into a potential terror plot in France on Sept. 27.

Persons: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Tawhedi’s, Tawhedi, “ Malik ”, United States Department of Justice Tawhedi, — Organizations: Islamic, U.S, FBI, AK, Russia, AP ISIS, ISIS, United States Department of Justice, CIA, NBC News, Terrorism Locations: Islamic State, Afghan, Oklahoma, Russian, Crocus, Moscow, U.S, Afghanistan, Paris, France, Toulouse, Fronton, Haute, Garonne, Iran, Europe

Both Afghans are believed to have wanted to carry out the operations on behalf of ISIS, the officials said. French officials said the Afghan charged there was 22 years old but declined to name him. They also did not identify two other individuals who were also taken into police custody in France for questioning and released. Two sources with knowledge of the matter later told NBC News that Tawhedi worked as a security guard for the CIA in Afghanistan. A senior Biden administration official said Tawhedi had been screened twice but no derogatory information had been detected.

Persons: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Tawhedi, Donald Trump, Biden, ” Organizations: Terrorism, ISIS, NBC News, CIA, Biden, Politico, Counterterrorism, FBI, U.S ., U.S, of Homeland Security Locations: Oklahoma, France, French, Paris, U.S, Afghanistan, Toulouse, Fronton, Haute, Garonne, Islamic State, Germany, Swedish, Sweden, Stockholm, Oklahoma City

☆ Trump suggests using military against ‘enemy from within’ on Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-13 | by ( Veronica Stracqualursi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump suggested using the military to handle what he called “the enemy from within” on Election Day, saying that he isn’t worried about chaos from his supporters or foreign actors, but instead from “radical left lunatics.”“I think the bigger problem are the people from within. “No, I don’t think — not from the side that votes for Trump,” the former president said when Bartiromo asked whether he was expecting chaos on Election Day. Trump has also been laying groundwork to question the integrity of the 2024 election. He’s threatened, if he wins the White House again, prosecution and “long-term prison sentences” for election officials and political operatives, who he suggested could cheat. And he has routinely suggested he would weaponize the justice system to go after his political opponents if voters return him to the White House.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, ” Trump, Maria Bartiromo, “, Bartiromo, Trump, Kamala Harris ’, ” “ Trump, ” Ian Sams, sycophants, He’s, CNN’s Jack Forrest, Sam Fossum, Marshall Cohen, Daniel Dale, Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Fox News, National Guard, Capitol, Trump, Justice Department, Afghan Locations: ”, Washington ,, Georgia

☆ Florida wakes to Milton's destruction and Vegas says goodbye to the Tropicana casino: Morning Rundown
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Elizabeth Robinson | Elizabeth Robinson Is A Newsletter Editor For Nbc News | Based In Los Angeles. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Hurricane Milton leaves a trail of destruction in Florida. Milton sweeps through Florida after a destructive landfallFlorida communities are waking up to destruction left by Hurricane Milton as the storm tore through the state — the second major hurricane to hit in two weeks. More Hurricane Milton coverage:Milton intensified at one of the fastest rates in recorded history. ➡️ An NBC News poll found Harris and Trump voters see their candidates representing “change” but in very different ways. The iconic Tropicana casino was imploded to make way for a proposed $1.5 billion stadium to house the Oakland Athletics ahead of the team’s planned move to Sin City in 2028.

Persons: Milton, Hurricane Milton, Sheriff Keith Pearson, ” Pearson, “, Tom, Helene, Dan ”, Hurricane Helene, Dow Jones, pare, Nasir Ahman Tawhedi, Tawhedi, Biden, Harris, Donald Trump riled, Kamala Harris, Trump, Marxist ”, ” Trump, “ Somebody, ‘, ”, ➡️ Trump, ➡️ Harris, Glock, Josh Shapiro, Elon Musk, Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego, Maya Huter, — Rich Bellis, you’re, Elizabeth Robinson Organizations: CIA, Las, Hurricane, Field, Tampa Bay Rays, West Palm Beach, Florida National Guard, Hurricane Milton, NBC, Federal, Wall Street, FBI, U.S ., ISIS, Republican, Trump, Harris Former, Marxist, Democratic Party’s, ➡️, Democratic Rep, Arizona Senate, Tropicana, Oakland Athletics, Sin City, Walmart Locations: Florida, An Afghan, Milton, Siesta, St . Petersburg, West Palm, Lucie County, U.S, Tampa, Hurricane, Afghanistan, Scranton , Pennsylvania, Harris, Scranton, Colorado , California , Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Sin

☆ Trump is veering off the battleground map to blue states: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

In today’s edition, politics reporters Matt Dixon and Allan Smith explore why Donald Trump is set to campaign in heavily Democratic states in the final stretch of the 2024 race. Trump plans rallies in solidly Democratic states in the race’s final weeksBy Matt Dixon and Allan SmithGet ready for Donald Trump’s blue state extravaganza. With less than four weeks until Election Day, the Republican presidential nominee is scheduled to hold rallies in staunchly Democratic states he has virtually no chance of winning. President Joe Biden won those states by an average of 20 points in 2020, with his 13-point Colorado win the closest. “Choosing high-impact settings makes it so the media can’t look away and refuse to cover the issues and the solutions President Trump is offering,” a senior Trump campaign adviser said of the strategy.

Persons: Matt Dixon, Allan Smith, Donald Trump, Chuck Todd, Trump, Allan Smith Get, Donald Trump’s, It’s, Joe Biden, George W, Bush, ”, —, Kamala Harris, Matthew Bartlett, Read, There’s, Chuck → 🗞️, ove, Rea, Deb Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, Democratic, Republican, Trump, GOP, New York —, White, sce, ics Locations: Colorado , California , Illinois, New York, Colorado, Madison Square, New York City, California, Arizona , Georgia, Michigan, Nevada , North Carolina , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, Poli

Hurricane Milton makes its way toward Florida. Hurricane Milton plows toward FloridaFlorida is, once again, bracing for a direct hit as Hurricane Milton approaches the state and the window to evacuate closes. A storm surge of up to 15 feet is forecast along a stretch of the coast that includes Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota. Florida is especially vulnerable to storm surge because “it doesn’t take much to push water over land that would be dry,” said Cody Fritz, the Storm Surge Unit Team Lead at the National Hurricane Center. “Where?”Follow our live blog for the latest forecasts and information about Hurricane Milton.

Persons: Milton, Harris, Trump, Hurricane Milton, ”, Cody Fritz, Helene, they’re, “, ‘, ’ ”, Mark Prompakdee, Read, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Chuck Todd, Elon Musk, Josh Shapiro, Musk, Trump’s Butler, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Joe Biden, Lisa Marie Presley, it’s Grazer, Ethel Kennedy, Robert F, Kennedy, Tama, David Ingram, — Elizabeth Robinson, Elizabeth Robinson Organizations: NBC, National Hurricane Center, Storm Surge, Twin, NBC News, Hurricane, More Hurricane Milton, Trump, Democratic, Trump ”, Saints, Republicans, White, Tech, Pennsylvania Gov, Washington D.C, U.S . Defense, Israeli, ISIS, Border Patrol, Biden, Alaska Locations: Florida, Arizona, Hurricane, Florida Florida, Tampa, St, Petersburg, Sarasota . Florida, St . Petersburg, Twin City, Hurricane Milton, More, battlegrounds, Phoenix, Utah, Ohio, Trump’s Butler , Pennsylvania, Washington, U.S, Iran, Afghan, Oklahoma, America, San Francisco

An Afghan national living in Oklahoma was charged this week with conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack on Election Day on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was arrested Monday in connection with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and getting firearms and ammunition to execute a violent attack in the United States on behalf of the terrorist group. Tawhedi made his initial appearance Tuesday in the federal courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell. According to court documents, Tawhedi indicated in seized communications that he planned his attack for Election Day, on Nov. 5. Tawhedi allegedly made efforts to liquidate his family’s assets, resettle family members abroad, and obtain AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, according to court documents.

Persons: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Tawhedi, Suzanne Mitchell, General Merrick Garland Organizations: Islamic State, ISIS, U.S, AK, Justice Department Locations: Afghan, Oklahoma, United States, Oklahoma City , Oklahoma

☆ Afghan national charged with Election Day terrorist plot in US
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Justice Department announced charges Tuesday against an Afghan national who was allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in support of ISIS on Election Day in the United States. The juvenile has also been arrested, according to court documents. The indictment comes as the Justice Department has publicly – and repeatedly – said its focus is on protecting the November presidential election from foreign threats. Tawhedi’s alleged plot, which prosecutors say was aimed at targeting “large gatherings of people,” was foiled less than a month before voters head to the polls. They also cited a video found on the phone that prosecutors say showed the 27-year-old telling his child about the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife.

Persons: Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, Tawhedi, –, Tawhedi’s, ”, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Garland, ” Tawhedi Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Afghan, ISIS, FBI, Justice Department, White Locations: United States, Oklahoma, Afghanistan, Oklahoma City, Washington

☆ Pakistan extends visas for 1.45 million Afghans but denies deportations on hold
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pakistan is extending the stay of nearly 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees – but its mass deportation of “illegal immigrants” will continue, authorities said. The fate of 1.45 million refugees whose PORs expired at the end of June had previously been in doubt, with many fearing they’d be deported. But Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disputed the UN’s claims that Islamabad had put on hold its plan announced last October to deport undocumented Afghan refugees. Trucks transporting Afghan refugees and their belongings are seen along a road heading toward the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border on November 3, 2023. More than 3 million Afghan refugees, including registered refugees and more than 800,000 undocumented people were living in Pakistan as of March 2024, according to UNHCR data.

Persons: ”, Shehbaz, they’d, ” Filippo Grandi, Mumtaz Baloch, Abdul Majeed, They’re, Moniza, ” Kakar, Asif Hassan, Ruwanpathirana Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Pakistan’s, of Foreign Affairs, Trucks, Getty, Pakistan, Afghan, UNHCR, Taliban, UN, ” Police, South Asia, Amnesty International Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Islamabad, AFP, Karachi, South

☆ Afghanistan enjoys historic run to T20 World Cup semifinals: ‘Cricket is the only source of happiness back home’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Ben Morse | Masoud Popalzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Afghanistan fans celebrate the team's win against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup. Gurbaz is the leading run scorer at the T20 World Cup. “That Afghanistan team got into the semis for the first time,” the 25-year-old told the International Cricket Council (ICC) website. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”Khan (middle) celebrates the dismissal of India's Rishabh Pant at the T20 World Cup. And in a statement posted online, the Afghanistan Cricket Board expressed its “disappointment” towards Australia’s decision and “reiterates its stance on neutral and politics-free cricket across the globe.”

Persons: – couldn’t, Ashraf Ghani, Mullah Amir Muttaqi, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah, Rashid Khan, ” Khan, cramp, Jonathan Trott, Ricardo Mazalan, Raees Ahmadzai, Khan –, Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ramon Espinosa, Trott, Khan, Nabi, Noor Ahmad –, bamboozled, Gurbaz, “, ”, India's Rishabh Pant, Randy Brooks, Barney Ronay, Suhail Shaheen, ” Shaheen Organizations: CNN, Pakistan, Afghanistan Cricket Board, Bangladesh, AFP, Getty, Australia, Afghan national cricket team, International Cricket Council, ICC, Afghanistan, United, Guardian, ACB, FIFA, International Olympic Committee Locations: Australia, Afghanistan, Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Bangladesh, “, AFP, Taliban, United States, Doha

☆ The pilot seat could have caused a Boeing 787 to suddenly drop midair. It wouldn't be the first time a similarly bizarre event happened to a widebody aircraft.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Latam Airlines Boeing 787 dropped midair Monday, injuring at least 50 people. If true, that would be reminiscent of when a military Airbus A330 suddenly nose-dived in 2014. A pilot-seat mishap sent a military Airbus A330 plummetingTen years ago, on February 9, 2014, a Royal Air Force Airbus A330 plummeted 4,400 feet in about 30 seconds. The Boeing 787 system involved has a fly-by-wire system, but instead of a side-stick, the planemaker has installed the traditional yoke. A Singapore Airlines Boeing 787 flight simulator shows the fly-by-wire system uses a yoke instead of the Airbus' side-stick.

Persons: —, Paul Crouch, RAF Brize, armrest, Taylor Rains Organizations: Latam Airlines Boeing, Airbus, Service, CNN, Street, Royal Air Force Airbus, British military's Voyager, RAF, RAF Brize Norton, UK's Military Aviation Authority, Military Aviation, Boeing, Singapore Airlines Boeing Locations: Sydney, Auckland , New Zealand, Kabul, Bastion, Afghanistan

☆ Pakistan's top court begins hearing challenge to expulsion of Afghans
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

More than 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan since Oct. 1, after Pakistan vowed to expel more than a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a row with Kabul over charges that it harbours anti-Pakistan militants. Children born to Afghan families in Pakistan could not be sent back due to their birthright, Gilani said. Pakistan is home to more than 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented. Islamabad has not heeded calls from international bodies and refugee agencies to reconsider its deportation plans. Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: I've, Umar Ijaz Gilani, Gilani, Asif Shahzad, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Western, South, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, ISLAMABAD, Kabul, Taliban, U.S, Karachi, Islamabad

[1/2] Afghan nationals rest at a camp after returning from Pakistan at the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, November 14, 2023. Islamabad last month announced it would expel over a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a row with Kabul over charges that it harbours anti-Pakistan militants. Over 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan since Oct. 1. The agency has said the Afghans' return should be voluntary and that Pakistan should identify vulnerable individuals who need international protection. Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented.

Persons: Abdul Khaliq Sediqi, Afghanis, Babar Baloch, Asif Shahzad, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, UNHCR, UNHCR Police, Wednesday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Kabul, Karachi, Taliban, U.S

☆ Deportation drive sparks 'sense of panic' among Afghan refugees in Pakistan: UNHCR
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad last month announced it would expel over a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a row with Kabul over charges it harbours anti-Pakistan militants. Pakistan says documented refugees are exempt, but the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said even those with the right documents were being targeted. She reiterated that the return of Afghans should be voluntary and that Pakistan should identify vulnerable individuals who need international protection. Pakistan says harassment of documented refugees is rare and it is taking action against perpetrators. "With over six million people already internally displaced throughout the country, Afghans returning from Pakistan face a precarious, uncertain future," IOM said.

Persons: Philippa Candler, Philippa Candler's, Gibran Peshimam, Akhtar Soomro, Nick Macfie Organizations: National Database, Commission, Refugees, Organization for Migration, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, KARACHI, Islamabad, Kabul, Geneva, Afghanistan, U.S

☆ UN Human Rights Chief ‘alarmed’ by reported abuse of Afghan refugees in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Akanksha Sharma | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said he is “alarmed” by reports that Afghan refugees are being abused in Pakistan as the country carries out its policy of forced mass deportation. Pakistan, which is home to more than a million registered Afghan refugees, launched a mass deportation drive asking them to voluntarily leave the country by November 1. “Arbitrary arrests and detentions are contrary to Pakistan’s obligations under international law,” Türk added. As of the end of 2022, Pakistan hosted more than 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees and 427,000 people in “refugee-like situations” from Afghanistan, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. But their presence in Pakistan has long been controversial, with police crackdowns and threats of deportation in previous years.

Persons: Volker Türk, ”, Türk, ” Türk Organizations: CNN — United Nations Human, ” CNN, UN, Pakistan police, UN Human, Taliban, United Nations ’ Locations: Pakistan, Islamabad, Afghanistan, Soviet, Kabul, United States

☆ Pakistan Opens New Border Crossings to Expedite Afghans' Repatriation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Saleem AhmedQUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to accelerate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been ordered to leave the country or face expulsion, officials said. Many Afghans have opted to go home voluntarily to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to be expelled. The new crossings were set up at the Afghan border in southwestern Balochistan province in addition to the main crossing in Chaman district, said Jan Achakzai, information minister for the provincial caretaker government. More than 280,000 Afghan nationals have left Pakistan since the new policy was announced in early October, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR). Kabul has also asked Islamabad to give Afghan nationals ample time to leave.

Persons: Saleem Ahmed, Pakistan's, Jan Achakzai, Asif Shahzad, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Reuters, Monday, United Nations, Refugees Locations: Saleem Ahmed QUETTA, Pakistan, Islamabad, Kabul, Afghan, Balochistan, Chaman, UNHCR

☆ Pakistan opens new border crossings to expedite Afghans' repatriation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Saleem Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Afghan nationals with belongings sit atop a truck as they head back with their families to Afghanistan from Pakistan, at the Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Balochistan Province, in Chaman, Pakistan November 10, 2023. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsQUETTA, Pakistan, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to accelerate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been ordered to leave the country or face expulsion, officials said. The new crossings were set up at the Afghan border in southwestern Balochistan province in addition to the main crossing in Chaman district, said Jan Achakzai, information minister for the provincial caretaker government. More than 280,000 Afghan nationals have left Pakistan since the new policy was announced in early October, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR). Kabul has also asked Islamabad to give Afghan nationals ample time to leave.

Persons: Naseer Ahmed, Pakistan's, Jan Achakzai, Asif Shahzad, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Monday, United Nations, Refugees, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, Rights QUETTA, Islamabad, Kabul, Afghan, Balochistan, UNHCR

☆ Pakistan PM says expulsion of Afghans a response to Taliban non-cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last month, Pakistan set a Nov. 1 start date for the expulsion of all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Kakar said 15 suicide bombings in recent months had been carried out by Afghans, and dozens of Afghans had been killed in clashes with Pakistani security forces. A spokesman for the Taliban administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There has been a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants in Pakistan since talks between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani state broke down in 2022. Kakar said that Pakistan had communicated to the Taliban administration that it had to "choose between Pakistan and the TTP".

Persons: Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Kakar, Gibran Peshimam, Alex Richardson Organizations: United Nations, Caretaker, Taliban, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, ISLAMABAD, Western, Islamabad, U.S, Tehreek, Taliban Pakistan, Pakistani

☆ ‘There is no school for girls’: Afghans who fled to Pakistan sent back to a homeland that is foreign to many
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I was born in Pakistan, I’ve lived here for 42 years, I went to school in Pakistan,” said Nasim, who had traveled to the Torkham border crossing from the northern city Peshawar. Nasim, who was born and raised in Pakistan, and is now preparing to return to Afghanistan. International bodies and human rights groups have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster as they return. He hoped the Taliban would greet those forced out of Pakistan and help them find new jobs. The steady deterioration of human rights under the Taliban since its return to power have only confirmed the worst fears of many Afghans.

Persons: I’ve, ”, Nasim, “ I’ve, –, “, ” Nasim, Abdul Basit, Sarfraz Bugti, Ravina Shamdasani, Wakil Kohsar, Ghulam Sakhi, we’ve, Raza Muhammad, ” Muhammad, Akhtar Muhammad, Zahid Bahand, can’t, I’m Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, ”, Getty, Security, Authorities, United Nations, Human Rights, Rights Watch, ” CNN, Interior Ministry, “ Police, UN, International Organization for Migration, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taliban Locations: Chaman, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Peshawar, Afghanistan, ”, Quetta, “, Soviet, States, AFP, Afghan, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Balochistan’s, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Kabul

☆ Pakistan speeds up Afghans' repatriation after deadline expires
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Mushtaq Ali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Those arriving in Afghanistan complained of hardships they had to face to move out of Pakistan and uncertainty over their future. We had very bad situation," said Mohammad Ismael Rafi, 55, who said he lived for 22 years in the southwestern Pakistani border town of Chaman where he had a retail business. Pakistani authorities started rounding up foreigners, most of them Afghans, hours before the deadline. Khan, the official, said 19,744 Afghans had crossed the Torkham border on Thursday, 147,949 in total since the government announced the deadline. More than 35,000 undocumented Afghans have left through another southwestern Pakistani border crossing at Chaman.

Persons: Abdul Nasir Khan, Mohammad Ismael Rafi, Rafi, Sarfraz, Khan, Asif Shahzad, Ariba Shahid, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Kim Coghill, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations, Refugees, Kabul, Reuters, Authorities, Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee Council, International, Thomson Locations: burqa, Pakistan, UNHCR, Azakhel, Nowshera, PESHAWAR, Afghanistan, Torkham, Khyber, Pakistani, Chaman, Kandahar, Helmand province, Peshawar, U.S, Karachi, Kabul

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces on Wednesday rounded up, detained and deported dozens of Afghans who were living in the country illegally, after a government-set deadline for them to leave expired, authorities said. According to the U.N. agencies, there are more than 2 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration have become strained over the past two years because of stepped-up attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that is allied with the Afghan Taliban. Since the government deadline was announced on October 3, more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Islamabad and Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Persons: Sarfraz Bugti, ”, Zabihullah Mujahid, ” Mujahid, “, Ahmad Banwari, Banwari, ___ Khan, Rahim Faiez, Abdul Sattar Organizations: ” Interim, Taliban, Afghanistan’s, Pakistani Taliban, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Pakistan, Afghanistan, “, ”, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The New York, Kabul, Nangarhar, Pakistani, Taliban Pakistan, United States, Peshawar, Quetta

☆ Pakistan official: 104,000 undocumented Afghans returned to Afghanistan through Torkham border
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Afghan citizens wait with their belongings to cross into Afghanistan, after Pakistan gives the last warning to undocumented immigrants to leave, at the Friendship Gate of Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Balochistan Province, in Chaman, Pakistan October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Abdul Khaliq Achakzai Acquire Licensing RightsPESHAWAR, Pakistan Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than 100,000 undocumented Afghan nationals have returned voluntary to Afghanistan through the northwestern Torkham border crossing in the last two weeks, a Pakistani government official said on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner Abdul Nasir Khan said the Afghan nationals had traveled from across Pakistan to the border crossing. Pakistan's deadline to expel all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals, is expiring later on Wednesday. Reporting by Mushtaq Ali; Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Abdul Khaliq Achakzai, Abdul Nasir Khan, Mushtaq Ali, Asif Shahzad, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, Rights PESHAWAR

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