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Erdogan visits Azerbaijan for Karabakh victory parade

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(Last Updated On: December 10, 2020)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Azerbaijan Thursday to join in celebrations to mark the anniversary of the nation’s victory against Armenia following their six-week war over control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Azerbaijan’s army paraded military hardware and weapons seized from Armenia through the capital Baku ahead of Erdogan’s arrival to rehearse for a large-scale victory parade on Thursday.

France24 reported the Turkish leader’s visit to Azerbaijan was an opportunity to celebrate together the “glorious victory” against Armenia for control of the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region, Erdogan’s office said.

Erdogan was scheduled to hold talks with Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and preside over the military showcasing that is the culmination of nationwide festivities for the victory, France24 reported.

The Turkish president’s visit came weeks after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a deal with Russia to end clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh after a string of Azerbaijani victories in its fight to retake the disputed region.

Azerbaijan’s historic win was an important geopolitical coup for Erdogan who has cemented Turkey’s leading role as a powerbroker in the ex-Soviet Caucasus region.

Turkey backed Azerbaijan during the six weeks of fighting that erupted in late September and left more than 5,000 people dead and Ankara was accused of sending mercenaries from Syria to bolster Baku’s army, but denied the charge.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International on Thursday said in a statement that both Azerbaijani and Armenian forces committed war crimes during the recent fighting.

According to Amnesty International videos showing the decapitation of captives and the desecration of corpses had been analyzed and verified.

Amnesty International analysed 22 videos that depict extrajudicial executions, the mistreatment of prisoners of war and other captives, and desecration of the dead bodies of enemy soldiers.

Two videos show extrajudicial executions by decapitation by Azerbaijani military members, while another video shows the cutting of an Azerbaijani border guard’s throat that led to his death, the statement read.

“During the recent Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, members of the military on both sides have behaved horrendously, displaying a complete disregard for the rules of war,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Research Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“The depravity and lack of humanity captured in these videos shows the deliberate intention to cause ultimate harm and humiliation to victims, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

“Both Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities must immediately conduct independent, impartial investigations and identify all those responsible. The perpetrators – as well as any commanding officers who ordered, allowed or condoned these crimes – must be brought to justice,” he said.

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1402, a difficult year for Afghan women and girls

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(Last Updated On: March 19, 2024)

As this solar year, 1402 draws to a close, the suspension of high school and higher education for girls continues, despite repeated calls to the Afghan government to reconsider this decision.

This year, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials repeatedly said they plan to reopen schools above grade 6, and universities, to girls – once plans were finalized. However, nothing has come of this.

In many meetings, both in Afghanistan and outside the country, repeated requests were made to the IEA to provide education for everyone – and some officials of the Islamic Emirate even expressed their dissatisfaction over the decision.

Representatives of the United Nations and countries of the world have repeatedly emphasized that the right to education should be given to women and girls, but these requests were not accepted by the Islamic Emirate.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: “Supporting the rights of women and girls is a central part of our foreign policy. Over the past three years, we have put forward concrete strategies, policies and programs to support women and girls around the world. It’s not just rhetoric, it’s action.”

Spokespersons of the Islamic Emirate said many times in interviews with the media that schools and universities for girls would reopen. However, they did not say when the wait for girls would end.

Now, almost three years after schools, above grade 6, were closed to girls, the hope is that in the new academic year there will be changes in the policy of the Islamic Emirate and the school bell will ring with a good news for girls.

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US urges Pakistan to exercise restraint after airstrikes in Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: March 19, 2024)

The United States on Monday urged Pakistan to exercise restraint in its counter-terrorist offensive in Afghanistan.

Addressing a press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre called on both sides to address differences through dialogue.

This came after Islamabad carried out airstrikes early Monday on what they claim were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Khost and Paktia provinces in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate in turn responded and said they targeted Pakistan’s military posts along the Durand Line.

Jean-Pierre meanwhile said: “We are aware of the reports, obviously, that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to an attack in Pakistan on Saturday at a military post. We deeply regret the loss of life and injuries sustained during the attack in Pakistan and the loss of civilian lives during the strikes in Afghanistan.”

“We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil. We urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counterterrorism efforts. We urge both sides to address any differences through dialogue. We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm the United States or our other partners or allies,” she continued.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday said “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” were carried out inside the border regions of Afghanistan, hours after Kabul said airstrikes conducted on its soil had killed eight people.

The dead included five women and three children in the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Monday the attack was a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory,” he said in a statement.

While Pakistan blames Afghanistan for sheltering the TTP responsible for the rise of such attacks, the ruling Taliban has denied these allegations.

In response to the Pakistani military’s air strikes the IEA claimed it carried out attacks on “Pakistani military centers with heavy weapons” and warned Islamabad of repercussions.

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IEA’s foreign ministry summons Pakistan’s charge d’affaires over airstrike

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(Last Updated On: March 18, 2024)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires over Islamabad’s airstrike inside Afghanistan in the early hours of Monday morning.

The ministry presented the charge d’affaires with a letter of protest and advised the new civilian government to curb anti-Afghanistan actions and to not ‘complicate’ relations between the two Muslim countries.

The ministry also condemned the airstrikes, in Paktika and Khost, and warned Islamabad it has a long history of fighting foreign powers and that it will not tolerate military action on its territory.

The ministry said in a statement that Pakistan’s new civilian government and the people of Pakistan should not allow some circles to complicate the relations between the two neighboring Muslim countries.

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