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Afghanistan May Become a New Shelter for ISIL – Russia Warns
Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday warned that Afghanistan may become a new shelter not only for ISIL militants but for other terrorist groups in the region.
"Afghanistan may become a new shelter not only for militants of the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terror grouping outlawed in Russia) but also for other terror groups," Shoigu said at 7th Moscow conference on international security today, quoted by TASS news agency.
Shoigu claimed that the U.S. years-long presence in Afghanistan has failed to normalize the situation in that country.
"The situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate. The presence of the U.S. and NATO contingent in that country for more than 15 years has failed to bring the situation to normal," he said.
According to Shoigu, the U.S. is seeking to "gain foothold in Central Asia on new terms" to have a possibility to spread its influence to the countries adjacent to Afghanistan."
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai who has been among the critics of the U.S. policies in Afghanistan also attended the Moscow conference which runs from 04 to 05 April.
“..The assumption was that the U.S. and its allies would be able to handle the problem and succeed and that they were sincere in their mission, that hope has been dashed to the ground, unfortunately. 17 years on, Afghanistan is neither peaceful nor safe,” he said.
This comes as recently, the U.S. and NATO forces commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson alleged that Russian weapons were being smuggled across the Tajik border to the Taliban.
He accused Russia of exaggerating the number of Islamic State (IS) fighters in Afghanistan "to legitimize the actions of the Taliban and provide some degree of support to the Taliban".
A Qatari aircraft carrying medical aid and four ambulances touched down on Thursday at Kabul Airport.
The aid, provided by Qatar Fund for Development, was received by Deputy Minister of Public Health Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat and Qatar's Acting Chargé d'Affaires to Afghanistan Mirdef bin Ali Al Qashouti, Qatar's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This aid comes within the framework of the State of Qatar's efforts and its firm commitment to providing support and standing by the brotherly Afghan people, and providing them with their urgent and necessary needs," the statement said.
Afghanistan’s education officials have emphasized the importance of education in society and urged students to make an effort to increase their knowledge of modern sciences.
Speaking at an award ceremony following the national Science Star program, Alhaj Mawlawi Sakhaullah Saeed, Deputy Minister of Education, said students must “strive tirelessly to enrich their scientific knowledge”.
Education officials also pointed out that efforts for the development of modern sciences are ongoing by the Islamic Emirate. Officials said this was especially in line with the balance of military power in the world, which requires an understanding of modern sciences.
Officials emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the development of science education in the country.
On the Science Star program, officials discussed in detail the value and role of such competitions in terms of enhancing students’ scientific knowledge and self-confidence.
They assured students of the continuation of these programs and the preparation and provision of facilities for future contests.
A few months ago, the education ministry rolled out the scientific contest across all 34 provinces in the country to develop and identify talent across the country.
The results were recently announced at a grand ceremony attended by the deputy minister of education and other officials, along with the Education Advisor of the Turkish Embassy, and the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Iran.
The contest itself was run in all 34 provinces. The top student from each province then went through to a second round.
Six finalists were selected for the last round - and battled it out for the top three spots.
Winner of the Science Star this year was Samiullah, son of Mirza Mohammad from Herat province.
Second was Azizullah, son of Ramazan from Bamyan province, and third was Azmatullah, son of Bismillah from Kabul city.
The contest was organized by the education ministry in cooperation with and the financial support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC).
Meanwhile, Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, who was also at the ceremony, said: “Contrary to the propaganda of the enemies, the Islamic Emirate pays special attention to the strengthening of educational centers.”
TIKA officials in turn said their organization continues to cooperate with Afghanistan in various sectors, especially in education.
“We have implemented hundreds of projects in different sectors in Afghanistan over the past twenty years.
“More than a hundred of the projects are in the education sector and we continue this cooperation,” said Fazil Akin Erdogan, head of TIKA.
Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, will visit Pakistan on Thursday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Islamabad said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zahra Baloch, told a press briefing that Kabulov will meet with Foreign Secretary Amina Baloch and hold detailed discussions with Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) Ahmad Naseem Warraich.
“The two sides will review the situation in Afghanistan, and discuss the role of neighboring countries in promoting regional peace and stability,” Baloch said.
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Iranian forces accused of killing over 250 Afghan migrants at border
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