The European Union has welcomed the appointment of Rabab Fatima as the new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, saying it looks forward to working with her on issues related to the country.

“The EU looks forward to working with her in Kabul and international fora, including future steps for the ‘Doha process’,” Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X on Friday.

He added that “the world must not forget Afghanistan,” emphasizing the need for continued international engagement with the country.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

According to a statement issued by the UN spokesperson’s office on Wednesday, Fatima will succeed Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan, who has led the mission in Afghanistan in recent years.

The European Union Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva has hosted a meeting on Afghanistan, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the Afghan people amid what it described as one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises.

In a post on X, the delegation said EU Ambassador Deike Potzel held talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Barham Salih, following the latter’s recent visit to Afghanistan.

“EU continues to stand with the Afghan people, provides life-saving assistance and supports Afghan women’s rights,” the delegation said.

The EU has been one of the largest humanitarian donors to Afghanistan, funding emergency assistance through United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations. The bloc has repeatedly called for continued humanitarian access and the protection of the rights of Afghan women and girls while maintaining support for vulnerable communities across the country.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 10.7 million women and girls are expected to require humanitarian assistance this year, making them among the populations most severely affected by the country’s prolonged humanitarian crisis.

Following reports claiming that Yaftal-e-Paeen district in Badakhshan province had fallen, Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Emirate, visited the district and said that most of the alleged rioters had been arrested, while the remaining individuals would soon be detained.

Fitrat stressed that there were no security problems in Badakhshan and said that anyone attempting to disrupt security in the province would face a decisive response from the security forces.

Fitrat added that young people should cooperate with the country’s security forces and not be deceived by those who had fled Afghanistan.

He further stated that it was possible that foreign intelligence agencies had exploited the emotions of young people and played a role in disrupting security in Yaftal district of Badakhshan province.

However, he added that he could not confirm this possibility with complete certainty.

On Friday night, while the district’s senior officials were on leave, a number of irresponsible and ill-intentioned individuals attacked the Yaftal district headquarters. He said the attackers were neutralized and arrested within a few hours after security forces arrived.