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NSA says there’s been no sign of Taliban leader for a year

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(Last Updated On: May 29, 2021)

National Security Advisor (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib said on Saturday that the Taiban’s supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada has not been seen in the last year – which has again raised questions about whether he is dead or alive.

Mohib said in a press conference in Kabul Saturday that intelligence findings indicate that Taliban members have not had any contact with Akhundzada in the past 12 months.

He said: “The Taliban have had no contact with Mullah Hibatullah in the last 12 months. There is no information available whether he is alive or dead. No one has heard his voice and no one has met with him [in this time]. Intelligence information proves it.”

This comes after media reports in February this year indicated that Akhundzada had been killed in an explosion in Pakistan a few months earlier.

In February, Hasht-e-Subh newspaper reported that Akhundzada, along with other Taliban leaders including Mullah Matiullah, the Taliban’s intelligence chief, and Hafiz Abdul Majeed, the group’s head of finance, were killed in an explosion at a safe house in Quetta.

But at the time, the Taliban rejected the claims and said Akhundzada was still alive.

These reports came after Foreign Policy reported in May last year that Akhundzada could possibly be dead after having contracted COVID-19.

Pajhwok Afghan News meanwhile reported that senior government officials said this week that most of the decisions around peace and security are being made by the Taliban’s deputy leader Sarajuddin Haqqani.

However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the reports that he was dead and told Pajhwok that Akhundzada was very much alive.

Mujahid said Akhundzada was merely in a safe place for his security and that he does not make public appearances.

Akhundzada is the Taliban’s third supreme leader. Founded in 1994, the group’s first leader Mullah Mohammad Omar died in a hospital in Pakistan in 2013. However, his death was only announced two years later.

Omar was succeeded by Mullah Mohammad Mansoor, who was killed in a drone strike in 2016.

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Uzbekistan’s humanitarian aid arrives in Balkh

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(Last Updated On: April 25, 2024)

A shipment of humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan was handed over on Thursday to the local officials of Balkh province in the trade port of Hairatan.

Local authorities said the aid, which includes flour, oil, wheat, sugar and meat, has been handed over by Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya governor to the governor of Balkh.

The governor of Surkhandarya stated the purpose of sending this aid was to support the people of Afghanistan and stressed the need for the development of good relations between the two countries.

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Afghanistan’s problems caused more damage to Pakistan than 3 wars with India: Durrani

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(Last Updated On: April 25, 2024)

Islamabad’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Wednesday that Pakistan has suffered more due to Afghanistan’s internal situation than Pakistan has suffered in three wars with India in terms of blood spilt and finances drained.

Durrani said at a one-day International Conference titled “Pakistan in the Emerging Geopolitical Landscape”, which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), that over 80,000 Pakistanis died in the two decades of the War on Terror and that his country was still counting its dead and injured.

“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace to the region. However, such expectations were short-lived,” he said.

He also stated that attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group on Pakistan’s border areas increased by 65 percent, while suicide attacks increased by 500 percent.

“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan. Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks,” he said.

Durrani also said Pakistan had suffered geopolitically since the Soviet Union invaded the neighboring country.

“The post-9/11 world order has negatively impacted Pakistan. Apart from losing 80,000 citizens’ lives, including 8,000 law enforcement agency personnel, the country’s economic opportunity cost is estimated at $150 billion,” Durrani said.

Talking about the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context, Durrani said that while “our eastern neighbor is likely to continue with its anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border poses an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term.”

However, he said Pakistan can overcome its difficulties with Afghanistan, including the TTP challenge.

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Afghanistan now a ‘nexus for diplomatic endeavors’, says IEA

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(Last Updated On: April 25, 2024)

In the wake of dozens of meetings between high-ranking Islamic Emirate officials and visiting officials from foreign countries, and other diplomatic advances, the IEA said on Thursday that in the current geopolitical landscape, Kabul now “serves as a nexus for diplomatic endeavors and political deliberations pertaining to global affairs”.

In a series of posts on X, the IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said diplomatic missions and political delegations from various nations, including Russia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, the European Union, and others, “are evident in the capital, highlighting its strategic importance in fostering Islamic cooperation”.

He said: “Recently, the honorable Minister of Transport of the Islamic Emirate, Mr. Hamidullah Akhundzada, led a significant delegation to Termez, Uzbekistan, for essential discussions aimed at enhancing bilateral relations.

“These discussions encompass a wide range of topics, from trade facilitation to security assurances, indicating a focused effort by the Islamic Emirate to strengthen and broaden its international engagements, thereby ensuring sustained development and stability.

“These initiatives, characterized by diligence and effectiveness, underscore Afghanistan’s enduring commitment to diplomatic engagement and its pivotal role in regional and global affairs,” he said.

Mujahid added that these initiatives “also emphasize the vital connection between diplomatic efforts and economic prosperity, promising favorable outcomes for Afghanistan’s socio-economic landscape.”

He pointed out that despite ongoing challenges, Afghanistan “remains steadfast in its pursuit of prosperity and resilience, defying pessimistic projections and charting a course towards political and economic renewal.”

He said: “Continued efforts are essential to fostering inclusive growth and impactful initiatives, thus advancing Afghanistan’s journey towards sustainable development and increased influence on the global stage.”

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