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Pakistan military rescues five telecom workers kidnapped near Afghan border

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Pakistan's military rescued five telecommunications workers kidnapped by Islamist militants last month close to the Afghan border in a series of operations in which two soldiers were killed, the military said on Friday.

Northwest Pakistan's border regions have become relatively peaceful after years of violence but Pakistani Taliban militants have been more active recently amid concern that surging violence in Afghanistan will spill over the frontier.

No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 16 men installing a mobile telephone tower in the Kurram ethnic Pashtun tribal district on June 26.

Ten of the workers were later released but one man was beheaded and the militants demanded a ransom for the last five.

"To rescue the remaining 5 abducted labourers, security forces launched series of intelligence based operations in highly inhospitable terrain under extreme weather conditions," the military said in a statement.

The rescue was on Thursday. The military did not say which militants group it believed was behind the kidnapping but said civilians in the area fully supported "the security forces in fighting the menace of terrorism".

Communities along the border have recently been holding rallies to call on the government to protect them from Pakistani Taliban militants who over the past year have formed an alliance with other outlawed groups.

The militants have launched a series of attacks on the Pakistani security forces, government officials and suspected collaborators, as well as kidnapping and extorting money, government officials say.

Three soldiers were killed when militants attacked a checkpost near the border on July 5. The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility.

Pakistan has said the Pakistani militants could take advantage of growing instability in Afghanistan and operate along the border more freely as the Afghan Taliban take ground from government forces.

Afghanistan has for years accused the Pakistani military of providing covert support for the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan denies that.

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Suhail Shaheen meets with Chinese ambassador to Qatar

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The head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) political office in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, met with China’s ambassador to Qatar late Monday for talks on bilateral relations, good neighborliness, and trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.

“About the Wakhan road, the export of Afghanistan's fresh fruit to China, the reconstruction of cold stores, China's assistance in the field of medical equipment to the Ministry of Health and good neighborliness between the two countries were discussed,” Shaheen said in a voice message.

China and the Islamic Emirate have been rapidly expanding relations in recent months.

Experts, meanwhile, have said that other countries need to engage with the IEA, as China is doing, in order for Afghanistan to come out of isolation.

Shaheen also met with Katharina Ritz, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation to Afghanistan.

He discussed numerous issues including humanitarian assistance, health sector challenges and climate change.

Both sides emphasized that ICRC activities need to be expanded, considering the needs of the people.

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IFRC reports over half of Afghanistan’s population needs urgent humanitarian aid

Afghanistan ranks among the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change and disaster risks

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The International Federation of Red Crescent (IFRC) has reported that Afghanistan continues to face prolonged and complex humanitarian crises.

IFRC said in a report published on Tuesday, that about 23.7 million people, more than half of Afghanistan’s population, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

According to the IFRC, natural disasters, the growing impact of climate change, population displacement, economic challenges, and food insecurity are the main factors contributing to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan ranks among the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change and disaster risks. 

The country is also prone to earthquakes, with nearly 400 tremors recorded in the last three years, including significant quakes, such as the 6.3 magnitude in Herat Province in October last year.

The compounding effects of disasters in the country have exacerbated the already fragile situation in Afghanistan, the IFRC’s report read. 

These successive disasters have pushed more Afghans into poverty and heightened their vulnerability. 

In addition, Afghanistan’s economic crisis is widespread, with more than half of households experiencing an economic shock. 

The country’s economy is heavily dependent on foreign aid and remittances, which have declined significantly since the political change in 2021. 

This has resulted in high levels of unemployment, challenging people’s coping mechanisms and thwarting the already fragile economy’s ability to adapt to shocks, the report read.

The IFRC said more than 85 percent of the country’s population is now living below the poverty line.

 

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Maldives recalls envoy to Pakistan over meeting with Afghanistan envoy

The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting had not been sanctioned by the government

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The Maldives government has recalled its top diplomat in Pakistan after he had an unauthorized meeting with an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan envoy in Islamabad. 

The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting between the Maldives High Commissioner Mohamed Thoha and IEA envoy Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb on Friday had not been sanctioned by the government.

Maldives media reported that the foreign ministry stated: “Consequently, appropriate action has been taken by the government of Maldives.” 

Thoha’s name has also been removed from the website of the Maldives mission in Islamabad, and an official source told AFP that he had been recalled.

Since regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, no country has yet officially recognized the government.

However, the IEA has been making inroads into the diplomatic arena and has official missions now stationed in a number of regional countries. 

 

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