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US NSA discusses militant attacks based in Pakistan
U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice met Pakistan’s prime minister on Sunday to press concerns over attacks launched by militants based in Pakistan, officials said.
The visit to Islamabad, part of an Asian tour that included an earlier stop in China, comes amid uncertainty over whether the United States will release $300 million in military aid to Pakistan.
Media reports have suggested the money could be held back if the United States determines Pakistan is not doing enough to combat the Haqqani network, which has launched some of the deadliest attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.
Rice “will address areas of mutual interest and of concern, including terrorist and militant attacks emanating from Pakistani soil”, a senior U.S. official who asked not to be identified told Reuters.
The official said Rice’s visit was not in response to recent escalating tension between Pakistan and arch-rival India, who canceled planned peace talks last weekend. Nine people were killed during an exchange of fire on Friday along a border disputed by India and Pakistan.
The United States has urged Pakistan and India to get reconciliation talks back on track.
Rice met Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday and was expected to meet General Raheel Sharif, the army chief of staff, later in the day.
“Dr. Rice expressed deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by Pakistan in the efforts to root out terrorism and extremism and the success achieved so far,” a statement from Sharif’s office said.
Pakistan’s military has been waging a fierce offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and its radical Islamist allies in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, since last year.
Some have questioned whether the leadership of the Haqqani network, which is allied with but separate to the Taliban, had been allowed to leave to avoid the brunt of the assault.
The United States is also keen to gain Pakistan’s help in resurrecting peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the government in Kabul.
The tentative process toward negotiating an end to almost 14 years of war in Afghanistan was thrown into disarray last month with the revelation that long-time Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had been dead for two years.
First Published by: Reuters
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Dozens of needy families in west Kabul receive Bayat’s Ramadan aid
Dozens of needy families in the western suburbs of Kabul have been given much needed food aid for Ramadan by Bayat Foundation.
Foundation officials said the campaign is conducted during the holy month of Ramadan in order to help those in need.
The aid packages include essential food items such as flour and oil.
Residents in the west of Kabul, who received the packages, welcomed Bayat Foundation’s initiative but appealed for more assistance from other organizations.
Bayat Foundation is considered to be a key charitable organization in the country and has done valuable work in the past twenty years. The foundation has assisted victims of natural disasters, implemented public benefit projects, and helped the needy in different seasons.
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1402, a difficult year for Afghan women and girls
As this solar year, 1402 draws to a close, the suspension of high school and higher education for girls continues, despite repeated calls to the Afghan government to reconsider this decision.
This year, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials repeatedly said they plan to reopen schools above grade 6, and universities, to girls – once plans were finalized. However, nothing has come of this.
In many meetings, both in Afghanistan and outside the country, repeated requests were made to the IEA to provide education for everyone – and some officials of the Islamic Emirate even expressed their dissatisfaction over the decision.
Representatives of the United Nations and countries of the world have repeatedly emphasized that the right to education should be given to women and girls, but these requests were not accepted by the Islamic Emirate.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: “Supporting the rights of women and girls is a central part of our foreign policy. Over the past three years, we have put forward concrete strategies, policies and programs to support women and girls around the world. It’s not just rhetoric, it’s action.”
Spokespersons of the Islamic Emirate said many times in interviews with the media that schools and universities for girls would reopen. However, they did not say when the wait for girls would end.
Now, almost three years after schools, above grade 6, were closed to girls, the hope is that in the new academic year there will be changes in the policy of the Islamic Emirate and the school bell will ring with a good news for girls.
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US urges Pakistan to exercise restraint after airstrikes in Afghanistan
The United States on Monday urged Pakistan to exercise restraint in its counter-terrorist offensive in Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre called on both sides to address differences through dialogue.
This came after Islamabad carried out airstrikes early Monday on what they claim were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Khost and Paktia provinces in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate in turn responded and said they targeted Pakistan’s military posts along the Durand Line.
Jean-Pierre meanwhile said: “We are aware of the reports, obviously, that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to an attack in Pakistan on Saturday at a military post. We deeply regret the loss of life and injuries sustained during the attack in Pakistan and the loss of civilian lives during the strikes in Afghanistan.”
“We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil. We urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counterterrorism efforts. We urge both sides to address any differences through dialogue. We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm the United States or our other partners or allies,” she continued.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday said “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” were carried out inside the border regions of Afghanistan, hours after Kabul said airstrikes conducted on its soil had killed eight people.
The dead included five women and three children in the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Monday the attack was a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory,” he said in a statement.
While Pakistan blames Afghanistan for sheltering the TTP responsible for the rise of such attacks, the ruling Taliban has denied these allegations.
In response to the Pakistani military’s air strikes the IEA claimed it carried out attacks on “Pakistani military centers with heavy weapons” and warned Islamabad of repercussions.
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