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Baby handed to US soldiers in Kabul evacuation chaos still missing
A two-month old baby handed over to US soldiers during the chaotic withdrawal process in Kabul in August is still missing.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters, the baby’s father Mirza Ali Ahmadi said it was a split second decision to hand baby Sohail to the soldier over a high fence near the gates of the airport as he feared the infant might get crushed in the chaos.
After handing over Sohail, it took the rest of the family more than a half hour to get to the other side of the airport fence.
Once they were inside, Sohail was nowhere to be found.
Mirza Ali, who said he worked as a security guard at the U.S embassy for 10 years, began desperately asking every official he encountered about his baby's whereabouts, Reuters reported.
He said a military commander told him the airport was too dangerous for a baby and that he might have been taken to a special area for children. But when they got there it was empty.
"He walked with me all around the airport to search everywhere," Mirza Ali said in an interview through a translator. He said he never got the commander's name, as he didn't speak English and was relying on Afghan colleagues from the embassy to help communicate.
Three days went by.
"I spoke to maybe more than 20 people," he said. "Every officer - military or civilian - I came across I was asking about my baby."
He said one of the civilian officials he spoke to told him Sohail might have been evacuated by himself. "They said 'we don't have resources to keep the baby here.'"
Mirza Ali, 35, Suraya, 32, and their four other children, were put on an evacuation flight to Qatar and then to Germany and eventually landed in the United States.
The family is now at Fort Bliss in Texas with other Afghan refugees waiting to be resettled somewhere in the United States.
Mirza Ali said he saw other families handing their babies over the Kabul airport fence to soldiers at the same time.
Mirza Ali said every person he comes across - aid workers, U.S. officials - he tells them about Sohail. "Everyone promises they will do their best, but they are just promises," he said.
An Afghan refugee support group created a "Missing Baby" sign with Sohail's picture on it and are circulating it among their networks in the hopes that someone will recognize him, Reuters reported.
A U.S. government official familiar with the situation said the case had been flagged for all the agencies involved, including the U.S. bases and overseas locations. The child was last seen being handed to a U.S. soldier during the chaos at the Kabul airport but "unfortunately no one can find the child," the official said.
A State Department spokesperson said the government is working with international partners and the international community "to explore every avenue to locate the child, which includes an international amber alert that was issued through the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children."
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G7 envoys urge national dialogue for lasting stability in Afghanistan
Special Representatives of the Group of Seven (G7), including the European Union, have emphasized the importance of a national dialogue for achieving long-term stability in Afghanistan.
Following a meeting on Afghanistan in Geneva, Switzerland, G7 special envoys issued a joint statement calling for the restoration of women's rights and urging the Islamic Emirate to fight terrorism.
The statement reads: "Achieving sustainable peace and stability requires credible governance that represents all segments of Afghan society."
The representatives also expressed concern over the IEA’s decision to ban girls from attending medical institutes, warning that it will have devastating consequences for the citizens, particularly mothers and their infants.
The statement described this ban as unacceptable and called on the Afghan authorities to lift it immediately.
Earlier, countries and international organizations had called for the removal of restrictions on the education and employment of women and girls, emphasizing the need for a national dialogue.
In response to these concerns, IEA has repeatedly stated that it will not allow interference in the internal affairs of the country.
The G7 special envoys also expressed their concern about the recent terrorist attacks in Kabul and the surrounding region, warning that terrorism remains a serious threat to Afghanistan's security. They confirmed the actions of the IEA against Daesh but stressed the need for more decisive measures.
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Afghanistan’s bright future lies in educating girls: Karzai
Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, says the demand of Afghan girls for the reopening of schools and universities is their fundamental right and adds that Afghanistan cannot have a bright future without ensuring access to education for girls.
In a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Karzai said: "The demand and voice of our country’s girls for education and knowledge is a rightful one and crucial for a prosperous Afghanistan."
He further emphasized, "Empowering the youth—both girls and boys—is the only way to achieve self-reliance, break the cycle of poverty, and drive the development and prosperity of society."
Karzai underscored that education is vital for Afghanistan’s growth and development, expressing hope that the doors of schools and universities for girls will be reopened as soon as possible.
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IEA to set up special courts to address pensions
Mawlawi Hebatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has issued a decree to establish special courts to address pensions, Bakhtar news agency reported on Saturday.
According to the decree, the courts must confirm and process pensions in accordance with Sharia and law.
Pensioners have repeatedly voiced concern over delay in payment, saying that their financial challenges are growing.
Earlier this year, IEA's supreme leader banned money being deducted from salaries of government employees for pensions.
He also requested information on the tenure of employees and the total amount deducted from salaries for pensions.
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