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UN Mission’s Mandate in Afghanistan Extended for Six Months

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until 17 September 2019, expressing support for the country’s full assumption of its own security, governance and development, consistent with priorities outlined in the Transformation Decade (2015-2024).

Unanimously adopting resolution 2460 (2019) – tabled by Germany and Indonesia – the Council called upon all local and international parties to coordinate with the Mission’s efforts to promote the security and free movement of United Nations personnel throughout Afghanistan.  UNAMA’s mandate will now run until 17 September 2019.

Stressing the critical importance of the Mission’s continued presence, the Council requested that the Secretary-General include an evaluation of its progress towards implementing its mandate in his quarterly reports.

Adela Raz Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the UN underlined her country’s commitment to taking charge of its own destiny, a struggle long supported by the Council.

 While the adoption of today’s resolution allows UNAMA to continue its mandated activities, she said, it is nevertheless regrettable that the nature of negotiations on the draft led to divergence among Council members and ultimately to a mandate extension of only six months.  “Afghanistan stands at a critical juncture,” she emphasized, citing the approaching presidential election to be held in July. 

 The country is committed to ensuring a credible and transparent electoral process that will mark yet another important step forward, she said, adding that the government is working towards an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process focused on enhancing development, governance, the rule of law and the promotion of human rights.  “We expect the Security Council to remain firmly engaged in our stabilization efforts in the way forward,” she stressed.

Jonathan R. Cohen (United States) expressed strong support for UNAMA’s role in the peace process, electoral reforms, and coordination of international assistance, citing the intense diplomatic engagement of his country’s special envoy.  

He said he was, therefore, deeply disappointed that the Council was unable to renew UNAMA’s mandate for a year as China held it hostage and insisted on making it about Chinese political priorities, thereby forcing a technical rollover. 

National initiatives cannot be allowed to derail negotiations on international peace and security issues, he emphasized. 

 China’s Belt and Road Initiative suffers corruption and lack of transparency, he said, adding that he looks looked forward to a more complete resolution that would extend UNAMA’s mandate for a longer period. 

He also expressed hope that China will focus on how best to advance peace and security, rather than inappropriately promoting self-serving issues.

However, Wu Haitao (China) said that noting that UNAMA’s mandate remains unchanged, adding that his delegation made reasonable suggestions on reconstruction, the fight against terrorism, reconciliation and regional cooperation.  

China supports a technical rollover, but only as a temporary arrangement, he emphasized. 

Describing comments by the representative of the United States on China’s Belt and Road Initiative as “at variance with the facts”, he said the framework has been widely welcomed in the six years since its launch, with more than 123 countries having signed cooperation agreements.

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ISIS-K leader reportedly living in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

Sanaullah Ghaffari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajar, is reportedly the ISIS-Khorasan (Daesh) branch leader and is holed up in Pakistan, Reuters reports.

The 29-year-old took over as leader in 2020 and under his leadership the group has carried out extreme attacks as a means of recruiting, Reuters reported.

Reuters noted that little was known about Ghafari before the deadly 2021 ISIS attack on Kabul Airport, which killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American soldiers.

But after Friday’s deadly attack in a concert hall in Moscow, which left 139 people dead, Ghaffari’s group has come under intense scrutiny.

Reuters reports that Ghaffari is said to have been involved in several attacks in Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Pakistani officials said months ago that Ghaffari had been killed in Kunar province in Afghanistan in June last year, but Reuters has reported that he did not die and instead fled to Pakistan and lives in the border province of Baluchistan.

Abdul Matin Qani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan, says that Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan for more than two years and has lost its operational capacity.

The last attack carried out by Daesh in Afghanistan was the attack on the Kabul Bank office in Kandahar last week which left three dead and 12 wounded.

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IPL: Sunrisers thump MI in record breaking match

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

It was raining records at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday with the hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clinching a 31-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 8 of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Sunrisers’ batting rewrote the record books on a batting belter after the posted 277 for three.

SRH now have the highest team score in the history of the IPL – beating Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) 263 for five from the 2013 season.

In reply, MI made a spirited effort, and at one stage, were contenders to do the near impossible. In the slog overs, the enormity of the target proved a bit too much, and SRH clinched victory, but not without numerous nervous moments.

To put into perspective the carnage we witnessed – Heinrich Klaasen’s 23-ball half-century was the slowest fifty of the SRH innings.

Travis Head, playing his first match for SRH, raced to the milestone in 18 balls. Abhishek Sharma got there even faster – in 16 balls – to record the quickest fifty by an SRH batter in IPL history.

While Sunrisers notched up the highest total in the 16-year history of the IPL, just as incredibly, Mumbai Indians almost paid them back with the same coin, their batters coming out with a nothing-to-lose attitude.

The sixes kept rolling off the Mumbai bats too, helping them keep up with the asking rate for most of the chase, eventually however, they ran out of steam and finished on 246 for 5, the highest IPL total in a losing cause.

As ESPNcricinfo reported, never were more runs scored in a men’s T20 match (523). Never were most sixes hit in a men’s T20 (38). At the end of the close to four-hour six-fest, only two bowlers returned with an economy rate of under ten an over.

Thursday, March 28 : Match 9

Thursday’s match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur sees Rajasthan Royals go up against Delhi Capitals.

Fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television to watch the match live from 6.30pm. Alternatively the match can be screened live on arianatelevision.com

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Magnitude 5.2 quake jolts Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

An earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan on Thursday afternoon, the National Center for Seismology reported.

The quake was at a depth of 70km and epicentered in the mountainous north-eastern area of Ashkāsham.

The jolt was felt across the region including in Kabul, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

In October last year, over 2,000 people were killed when four 6.3-magnitude earthquakes struck in Herat province.

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