Friedrich Merz, who is projected to become Germany’s next chancellor, has been cautious about the debate about European troops in Ukraine after the peace deal.

“We have learnt that you should not go anywhere if you do not know how to get out. We have to learn from the experience in Afghanistan,” he said in an interview.

Some European leaders have proposed sending European troops to Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia.

Moscow, however, has rejected the proposal.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is trying to establish a border post on Pakistani territory.

Shafqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, made the remarks at a press conference a week after Pakistan closed the key Torkham crossing to travellers and trade.

He called on the Islamic Emirate to resolve issues through bilateral mechanisms such as the Joint Coordination Committee.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman also said the international community should address the issue of US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan.

“The question of weapons left behind by the US remains a serious concern for us for one particular reason, that those weapons are being used by the terrorists for attacks inside Pakistan,” Khan said, noting that Islamabad had been raising the issue with American officials.

This comes as US President Donald Trump has called for the return of American military equipment left in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate, however, has said the equipment now belongs to Afghans and would not be returned. The Islamic Emirate has also dismissed concerns about the use of such equipment against other countries.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman also sought clarity from the US on its policy about the resettlement of Afghan refugees in third countries.

“If a country is not willing to take them back, and if any of them lack valid visas or residency status, they would be deemed illegal. In such cases, our policies governing undocumented individuals will determine our course of action,” he said.

A large number of Afghan migrants are in Pakistan for the purpose of resettling in the United States. Pakistan has announced that it will deport illegal immigrants.

The Islamic Emirate in a statement on Friday strongly condemned the attack on Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which resulted in the death of Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, the deputy administrator of the seminary. 

According to the statement issued by IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the “martyrdom” of Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani is described as a “great loss for scholarly and religious institutions.” 

The Islamic Emirate also expressed condolences to Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani’s family, friends, and students.