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UK to probe claims its special forces killed Afghan civilians

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The UK will hold an independent inquiry into allegations that its special forces killed dozens of civilians in Afghanistan between mid-2010 and mid-2013, the country's Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday.

The announcement by British officials follows a July report by the BBC that alleged troops from the country's elite Special Air Service (SAS) had killed 54 people in suspicious circumstances during night raids in Afghanistan, euronews reported.

The official statement released by the Ministry of Defence said that it had "established an independent statutory inquiry to investigate and report on allegations of wrongdoing by British armed forces in relation to their conduction of deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan." The inquiry, led by senior judge Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, will be limited to the window of time between mid-2010 and mid-2013.

Beside determining whether the special forces were guilty of committing extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan, the inquiry will also look at the adequacy of the response to the allegations.

"The UK's armed forces rightly hold themselves to the highest possible operational standards," Junior defense minister Andrew Murrison said.

"Operations must be conducted within the clear boundaries of the law and credible allegations against our forces must always be investigated thoroughly."

Murrison told parliament on Thursday that the ministry's decision had been informed by two cases -- currently the subject of judicial reviews in Britain -- brought by families who allege their relatives were killed by the SAS in 2011 and 2012 in Afghanistan and that the circumstances were not properly investigated.

The inquiry won't be the first looking into allegations of misconduct involving the SAS and British forces in Afghanistan. But no evidence has been found so far to support claims, euronews reported.

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Eight Afghan migrants die as boat capsizes off Greek island

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Eight Afghan migrants died after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off Greece's eastern island of Rhodes on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Greek authorities said that the capsizing was the result of the boat’s maneuvering to evade a patrol vessel.

A total of 18 migrants — 12 men, three women and three minors — all Afghan nationals, were rescued, Greece's coast guard said Saturday. The dead were also from Afghanistan, it said.

Some migrants remained hospitalized, with one in critical condition, authorities said.

Two Turkish citizens, ages 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. The boat sank after capsizing, the coast guard said.

The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.

Seven migrants were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.

 

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Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires meets with IEA deputy foreign minister

Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

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The Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Per Albert Ilsaas, on Saturday met with IEA’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, in Kabul.

Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

In addition to focusing on bilateral political, humanitarian, and other pertinent issues, the two sides expressed hope that continued engagement would lead to constructive solutions to related issues.

This comes two weeks after the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi expressed disappointment regarding the decision by the Norwegian government to downgrade diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.

Balkhi said in a post on X that such decisions should not be linked with internal affairs of other countries.

“Diplomatic engagement is most effective when it fosters mutual understanding and respect, even amidst differing viewpoints,” he stated.

“Access to consular services is a fundamental right of all nationals. We strongly urge all parties to prioritize this principle in the spirit of international cooperation,” he added.

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A new polio vaccination campaign is set to launch in Afghanistan

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.

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The “Afghanistan Polio-Free” organization announced that a new round of polio vaccinations will begin on Monday, December 23, in various provinces of Afghanistan.

The organization did not specify which provinces will be targeted or how long the vaccination campaign will last.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.

On December 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement reporting a 283% increase in polio cases in Afghanistan. According to the WHO, the number of positive environmental samples for wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan in 2024 reached 84, compared to 62 cases in 2023.

The Ministry of Public Health claimed in November 2024 that no new cases of polio had been reported in Afghanistan for the year.

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