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Russian envoy says no direct threat to Russia from Taliban in Afghanistan
Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said Monday that there is no direct threat to Russia from the Taliban activities in Afghanistan, Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Tuesday.
“There is no immediate direct threat [to Russia] from the Taliban,” Dmitry told Rossiya-24 television channel when he was asked whether the Taliban’s activities could threaten Russia directly.
Tass also reported that according to Zhirnov, the Taliban is not strong enough to seize Kabul and other big cities in the country.
In his words, the situation in Kabul is quite tense. “There is an increased terrorist threat here, and it is clear that this is the capital city of a country in a state of war. Nevertheless, no serious changes for the worse have been observed in Kabul since May,” Zhirnov said.
“Russia’s, US’, China’s and Pakistan’s representatives are working on the settlement of the situation in that country via the Extended Troika mechanism,” he said adding that “we are pursuing a policy to push the conflicting parties to result-oriented talks that would put an end to the civil war.”
His comments come after at least 17 Afghan forces fled to Tajikistan on Sunday after a group of Taliban launched an attack on a border checkpoint in Afghanistan’s Kaldar district in Balkh province, Tajikistan’s state news agency reported.
The forces entered Tajikistan through its Shahrtuz border outpost. The Shahrtuz district is in the very southwestern corner of the country, where the border intersects with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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