The daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan was abducted in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, held for several hours and brutally attacked. The interior ministry of Pakistan has denied the claims.

Daughter of Afghanistan envoy kidnapped and tortured in Pakistan

In a shocking development,&nbsp;daughter of Afghanistan Ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil, was kidnapped in Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday.

The 27-year-old went missing at around 2.30 pm&nbsp;(local time) near Rana Market in Islamabad. Her shoes and&nbsp;mobile phone are missing.&nbsp;

Just hours after the incident, Afghanistan summoned Pakistan's Ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan and lodged a "strong protest" apart from expressing "deep concerns" over the incident.

In a statement after the summoning, Afghan foreign ministry said that it "explicitly called on the Pakistani government to take immediate action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime and ensure the full security and immunity of Afghan diplomats and their families in accordance with international conventions."

Ambassador Alikhil's daughter is currently in a hospital and according to a report by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science in Islamabad,&nbsp;she has swelling in various parts of her body.&nbsp;

Earlier, in a strongly worded statement, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep regret" &amp; it said that it "strongly condemns this heinous act". The Afghan foreign ministry expressed its "deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular missions in Pakistan."

Ambassador Alikhil's daughter was assaulted in a taxi which she had taken while returning from market. Her hands and feet were tied when she regained consciousness. Her dupatta had tissue paper and rupees 50 note with message “your turn is next“ and “communist”.

Pakistan has reacted to the development.&nbsp;Its foreign ministry has said&nbsp;it had&nbsp;increased&nbsp;the security of the Afghan envoy and his family.

"Law&nbsp;enforcement agencies are trying to trace and apprehend the culprits to be brought to justice," the ministry said in a statement&nbsp;

Pakistani PM Imran Khan has directed the country's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to utilize all resources to apprehend the persons involved in the incident. A deadline of 48 hours has been given for law enforcement agencies to apprehend the culprits.

This is not the first time diplomats and their families have met danger. Indian diplomats have been in the past faced harassment in&nbsp;Islamabad. This has included&nbsp;power supply&nbsp;being cut, internet connection being slowed down.

In response to a question on the safety of Indian diplomats in Islamabad in aftermath of the abduction of Afghan envoy's daughter, Indian sources said, "we have been issuing alerts to our High Commission personnel on regular basis"

In a shocking development, daughter of Afghanistan Ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil, was kidnapped in Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday. The 27-year-old went missing at around 2.

In a shocking development, daughter of Afghanistan Ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil, was kidnapped in Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday. The 27-year-old went missing at around 2.30 pm (local time) near Rana Market in Islamabad. Her shoes and mobile phone are missing. Just hours after the incident, Afghanistan summoned Pakistan's Ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan and lodged a "strong protest" apart from expressing "deep concerns" over the incident. In a statement after the summoning, Afghan foreign ministry said that it "explicitly called on the Pakistani government to take immediate action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime and ensure the full security and immunity of Afghan diplomats and their families in accordance with international conventions." Ambassador Alikhil's daughter is currently in a hospital and according to a report by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science in Islamabad, she has swelling in various parts of her body. Earlier, in a strongly worded statement, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep regret" & it said that it "strongly condemns this heinous act". The Afghan foreign ministry expressed its "deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular missions in Pakistan." Ambassador Alikhil's daughter was assaulted in a taxi which she had taken while returning from market. Her hands and feet were tied when she regained consciousness. Her dupatta had tissue paper and rupees 50 note with message “your turn is next“ and “communist”. Pakistan has reacted to the development. Its foreign ministry has said it had increased the security of the Afghan envoy and his family. "Law enforcement agencies are trying to trace and apprehend the culprits to be brought to justice," the ministry said in a statement Pakistani PM Imran Khan has directed the country's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to utilize all resources to apprehend the persons involved in the incident. A deadline of 48 hours has been given for law enforcement agencies to apprehend the culprits. This is not the first time diplomats and their families have met danger. Indian diplomats have been in the past faced harassment in Islamabad. This has included power supply being cut, internet connection being slowed down. In response to a question on the safety of Indian diplomats in Islamabad in aftermath of the abduction of Afghan envoy's daughter, Indian sources said, "we have been issuing alerts to our High Commission personnel on regular basis"

Daughter of Afghanistan envoy to Pakistan kidnapped in Islamabad

Just a day after his daughter was abducted in Islamabad Afghanistan has recalled its envoy to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil. All senior diplomats have been recalled. Silsela Alikhil, daughter of the ambassador was abducted for a few hours near Islamabad's Rana market.

Amrullah Saleh, First Vice President of Afghanistan said in a strongly worded statement that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had instructed Afghan foreign ministry to recall its envoy and all senior diplomats&nbsp;

"The abduction of Afghan ambassador's daughter &amp; her subsequent torture has wounded the psyche of our nation. Our national psyche has been tortured," he said

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President <a href="https://twitter.com/ashrafghani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashrafghani</a> instructed <a href="https://twitter.com/mfa_afghanistan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mfa_afghanistan</a> to call back our ambassador from Islamabad along with all senior diplomats. The abduction of Afgh ambassador's daughter &amp; her subsequent torture has wounded the psyche of our nation. Our national psyche has been tortured.
— Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmrullahSaleh2/status/1416785508873740291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Silsela was assaulted in a taxi which she had taken while returning home from the market. Her hands and feet were tied when she regained consciousness. Her dupatta had tissue paper and rupees 50 note with message “your turn is next" and “ communist”.

The development has increased tensions between Kabul and Islamabad who share less-than-cordial ties. On Saturday Pakistan's Ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan was summoned by Afghan foreign ministry and a "strong protest" was lodged over the issue.

In a statement after the summoning, Afghan foreign ministry said that it "explicitly called on the Pakistani government to take immediate action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime and ensure the full security and immunity of Afghan diplomats and their families in accordance with international conventions."

According to a report by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science, Islamabad ambassador's daughter had swelling on various parts of her body.&nbsp;

Earlier, in a strongly worded statement, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep regret" &amp; "strongly condemns this heinous act". The Afghan foreign ministry expressed its "deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular missions in Pakistan."

Pakistan reacted to the development with its foreign ministry saying it had beefed up security of the Afghan envoy and his family and in a statement said, "law enforcement agencies are trying to trace and apprehend the culprits to be brought to justice."

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistans-interior-minister-afghan-envoy-daughters-kidnapping-case-to-be-solved-in-72-hours-398849">Pakistan’s Interior Minister: Afghan envoy daughter's kidnapping case to be solved in 72 hours&nbsp;</a>

This is not the first time diplomats and their families have been a target. Indian diplomats have been in past, faced harassment in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The harassment included apparently deliberate power outages and slowing down internet.

In response to a question on the safety of Indian diplomats in Islamabad in aftermath of the abduction of Afghan Envoy's daughter, Indian sources said, "we have been issuing alerts to our High Commission personnel on regular basis".

Just a day after his daughter was abducted in Islamabad Afghanistan has recalled its envoy to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil. All senior diplomats have been recalled.

Just a day after his daughter was abducted in Islamabad Afghanistan has recalled its envoy to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil. All senior diplomats have been recalled. Silsela Alikhil, daughter of the ambassador was abducted for a few hours near Islamabad's Rana market. Amrullah Saleh, First Vice President of Afghanistan said in a strongly worded statement that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had instructed Afghan foreign ministry to recall its envoy and all senior diplomats "The abduction of Afghan ambassador's daughter & her subsequent torture has wounded the psyche of our nation. Our national psyche has been tortured," he said President @ashrafghani instructed @mfa_afghanistan to call back our ambassador from Islamabad along with all senior diplomats. The abduction of Afgh ambassador's daughter & her subsequent torture has wounded the psyche of our nation. Our national psyche has been tortured. — Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) July 18, 2021 × Silsela was assaulted in a taxi which she had taken while returning home from the market. Her hands and feet were tied when she regained consciousness. Her dupatta had tissue paper and rupees 50 note with message “your turn is next" and “ communist”. The development has increased tensions between Kabul and Islamabad who share less-than-cordial ties. On Saturday Pakistan's Ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan was summoned by Afghan foreign ministry and a "strong protest" was lodged over the issue. In a statement after the summoning, Afghan foreign ministry said that it "explicitly called on the Pakistani government to take immediate action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime and ensure the full security and immunity of Afghan diplomats and their families in accordance with international conventions." According to a report by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science, Islamabad ambassador's daughter had swelling on various parts of her body. Earlier, in a strongly worded statement, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "deep regret" & "strongly condemns this heinous act". The Afghan foreign ministry expressed its "deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular missions in Pakistan." Pakistan reacted to the development with its foreign ministry saying it had beefed up security of the Afghan envoy and his family and in a statement said, "law enforcement agencies are trying to trace and apprehend the culprits to be brought to justice." Also Read | Pakistan’s Interior Minister: Afghan envoy daughter's kidnapping case to be solved in 72 hours This is not the first time diplomats and their families have been a target. Indian diplomats have been in past, faced harassment in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The harassment included apparently deliberate power outages and slowing down internet. In response to a question on the safety of Indian diplomats in Islamabad in aftermath of the abduction of Afghan Envoy's daughter, Indian sources said, "we have been issuing alerts to our High Commission personnel on regular basis".

Afghanistan recalls envoy to Pakistan over daughter abduction incident

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday recalled all Afghan diplomats from Islamabad, Pakistan, following the kidnapping and assault on an envoy's daughter in the Pakistani capital.

News Alert: Afghanistan recalls its diplomats from Islamabad after kidnapping incident

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Silsila Alikhil has been admitted to a hospital and is under medical care after being released from captivity.

Afghan envoy's daughter abducted, tortured in Islamabad

Taliban has said that it has sent a "message" to international terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that the soil of Afghanistan will not be used against "any other country". Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, the Taliban's Spokesman for International Media Suhail Shaheen has said that they "don’t have any ties with" the 2 Pakistan-based terror groups.

Taliban says it doesn't has ties with Pak Based Terror groups like LeT, JeM

Afghan politicians met Taliban representatives in Qatar on Saturday (July 17). Both sides called for peace even as fighting went on in Afghanistan between Taliban and Afghan government. As US-led international forces began their withdrawal May onwards, Taliban has been aggressively launching offensives, taking districts and border crossing and encircling provincial capitals.

In Doha, negotiators have been meeting since September but they have failed to make sizeable progress. Foreign troops are to exit completely from Afghanistan by September 11.&nbsp;

In southern Kandahar, Taliban has seized Spin Boldak, an area that borders Pakistan. However, the Afghan government claimed that it had regained control of the border crossing.

Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday (July 16) while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in the area.

Officials on the Pakistan side of the border said the crossing had opened on Saturday, allowing hundreds of Afghans stranded in Pakistan during the fighting to return.

More than 2,000 people were displaced in Kandahar this month, according to the United Nations' humanitarian agency, and Kandahar's provincial governor on Friday evening declared a curfew in Kandahar city at night due to the fighting.

The U.N. refugee agency estimates 270,000 Afghans have been displaced inside the country since January, bringing the number of people forced from their homes to more than 3.5 million.

(With inputs from agencies)

Afghan politicians met Taliban representatives in Qatar on Saturday (July 17). Both sides called for peace even as fighting went on in Afghanistan between Taliban and Afghan government.

Afghan politicians met Taliban representatives in Qatar on Saturday (July 17). Both sides called for peace even as fighting went on in Afghanistan between Taliban and Afghan government. As US-led international forces began their withdrawal May onwards, Taliban has been aggressively launching offensives, taking districts and border crossing and encircling provincial capitals. In Doha, negotiators have been meeting since September but they have failed to make sizeable progress. Foreign troops are to exit completely from Afghanistan by September 11. In southern Kandahar, Taliban has seized Spin Boldak, an area that borders Pakistan. However, the Afghan government claimed that it had regained control of the border crossing. Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday (July 16) while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in the area. Officials on the Pakistan side of the border said the crossing had opened on Saturday, allowing hundreds of Afghans stranded in Pakistan during the fighting to return. More than 2,000 people were displaced in Kandahar this month, according to the United Nations' humanitarian agency, and Kandahar's provincial governor on Friday evening declared a curfew in Kandahar city at night due to the fighting. The U.N. refugee agency estimates 270,000 Afghans have been displaced inside the country since January, bringing the number of people forced from their homes to more than 3.5 million. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghan politicians, Taliban meet in Doha

A day after Afghanistan President and the Pakistan Prime Minister traded barbs over the support to the Taliban, another disturbing incident has come to light. The daughter of Najibullah Alikhel Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan was kidnapped and tortured by unknown individuals.

Afghan Envoy Najibullah Alikhel's daughter kidnapped in Islamabad

Pakistan on Saturday allowed "up to 4,000 Afghans" into Afghanistan through its border. The strategic town across the border in Afghanistan is held by Taliban. AFP quoted a border official as saying that the move was taken on "humanitarian grounds".

Pakistan partially opened its southern crossing on Saturday. Thousands of Afghans were left stranded in the Pakistani town of Chaman after militants captured Spin Boldak from Kabul's forces on Wednesday.

"We have opened the Chaman border... allowing crowds of up to 4,000 Afghans including women and children to cross over to Afghanistan to celebrate Eid al-Adha with their families, purely on humanitarian grounds," a border official, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

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&nbsp;

People would be allowed to cross until the evening, with the possibility the border would open again tomorrow, the official added.

Muhammad Tayyab, a local paramilitary official, said the decision was taken because of "relative calm on the other side", but said the crossing would remain closed to trade.

An AFP photographer said the gates were rushed by families as soon as they opened.

Qudratullah, 30, who lives in neighbouring Kandahar province in Afghanistan was returning after taking his father to Karachi for a heart bypass three months ago.

"I have to come back (to Pakistan) for a routine check-up of my father, but let's see if I am able to come back or not," he said.&nbsp;

Muhammad Khan, 50, who works as a labourer in Quetta, said he had been waiting at the border trying to reach Afghanistan for the Muslim holiday Eid.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/taliban-denies-role-in-indian-photojournalist-danish-siddiquis-death-report-398624">Taliban denies role in Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui’s death: Report&nbsp;</a>

"I will definitely try to come back after Eid because there is unemployment in Afghanistan and I will not be able to get any job there," he said.

Afghan forces on Friday launched an operation to try and take back control of Spin Boldak.

Following fierce skirmishes, dozens of wounded Taliban fighters were brought across the border and were being treated at a Pakistan hospital, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported.

On Saturday, the Taliban's white flags could still be seen flying over the crossing.

(With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan on Saturday allowed "up to 4,000 Afghans" into Afghanistan through its border. The strategic town across the border in Afghanistan is held by Taliban. AFP quoted a border official as saying that the move was taken on "humanitarian grounds".

Pakistan on Saturday allowed "up to 4,000 Afghans" into Afghanistan through its border. The strategic town across the border in Afghanistan is held by Taliban. AFP quoted a border official as saying that the move was taken on "humanitarian grounds". Pakistan partially opened its southern crossing on Saturday. Thousands of Afghans were left stranded in the Pakistani town of Chaman after militants captured Spin Boldak from Kabul's forces on Wednesday. "We have opened the Chaman border... allowing crowds of up to 4,000 Afghans including women and children to cross over to Afghanistan to celebrate Eid al-Adha with their families, purely on humanitarian grounds," a border official, who did not want to be named, told AFP. × People would be allowed to cross until the evening, with the possibility the border would open again tomorrow, the official added. Muhammad Tayyab, a local paramilitary official, said the decision was taken because of "relative calm on the other side", but said the crossing would remain closed to trade. An AFP photographer said the gates were rushed by families as soon as they opened. Qudratullah, 30, who lives in neighbouring Kandahar province in Afghanistan was returning after taking his father to Karachi for a heart bypass three months ago. "I have to come back (to Pakistan) for a routine check-up of my father, but let's see if I am able to come back or not," he said. Muhammad Khan, 50, who works as a labourer in Quetta, said he had been waiting at the border trying to reach Afghanistan for the Muslim holiday Eid. Also Read: Taliban denies role in Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui’s death: Report "I will definitely try to come back after Eid because there is unemployment in Afghanistan and I will not be able to get any job there," he said. Afghan forces on Friday launched an operation to try and take back control of Spin Boldak. Following fierce skirmishes, dozens of wounded Taliban fighters were brought across the border and were being treated at a Pakistan hospital, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported. On Saturday, the Taliban's white flags could still be seen flying over the crossing. (With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan allows thousands to cross into Afghanistan through border

"War is the only alternative to intra-Afghan deal," says US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, while attending the regional connectivity conference in Tashkent. He also said that the recent gains by the Taliban were unexpected.

War is the only alternative to intra-Afghan deal, says US special envoy to Afghanistan

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist, Danish Siddiqui was killed in a Taliban strike when he was on a reporting trip along with Afghan security personnel.

Kandahar: India condemns killing of journalist Danish Siddiqui at UNSC

A 10-member delegation of Afghan politicians to visit Doha to hold talks with Taliban, amid escalating violence in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Afghan peace conference in Islamabad has been delayed over support to the Taliban.

Intra-Afghan talks in Doha: New quad group for Afghan peace process

Government officials in a western Afghan province said that they had negotiated "an indefinite ceasefire" with the Taliban to prevent further attacks on the capital of the province. A spokesman for the Taliban however denied any ceasefire agreement and said that they have left the city to avoid civilian casualties.

Officials, Taliban strike ceasefire deal in western Afghan province

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Tashkent and discussed the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan in the face of the withdrawal of US forces from the country.

Indian EAM meets Ashraf Ghani  in Tashkent, discusses situation in Afghanistan

Russia on Friday said that it wanted to help kickstart peace talks between warring sides in Afghanistan. This has come after fierce clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban near Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Talibam seized the border area on Wednesday. It is the second-largest crossing on Pakistan border. This is one of the most important objectives the Taliban have achieved

"I would like to confirm Russia's interest in facilitating dialogue between Afghanistan's warring sides with the aim of ending the years-long war and establishing Afghanistan as a peaceful, independent and neutral state," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He was speaking at a conference with senior Central Asian officials in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

Rapid US exit from Afghanistan can be a security headache for Russia. It fears that spiralling fighting in Afghanistan may push refugees into its Central Asian backyard and destabilise its southern defensive flank.

Russian officials have previously called on all sides of the Afghanistan conflict to show restraint and said that Russia and the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military bloc will act decisively to prevent aggression on Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan if needed.

Russia on Wednesday urged Afghan officials to launch proper negotiations with the Taliban about the country's future before it was too late.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia on Friday said that it wanted to help kickstart peace talks between warring sides in Afghanistan. This has come after fierce clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban near Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Russia on Friday said that it wanted to help kickstart peace talks between warring sides in Afghanistan. This has come after fierce clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban near Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Talibam seized the border area on Wednesday. It is the second-largest crossing on Pakistan border. This is one of the most important objectives the Taliban have achieved "I would like to confirm Russia's interest in facilitating dialogue between Afghanistan's warring sides with the aim of ending the years-long war and establishing Afghanistan as a peaceful, independent and neutral state," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He was speaking at a conference with senior Central Asian officials in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Rapid US exit from Afghanistan can be a security headache for Russia. It fears that spiralling fighting in Afghanistan may push refugees into its Central Asian backyard and destabilise its southern defensive flank. Russian officials have previously called on all sides of the Afghanistan conflict to show restraint and said that Russia and the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military bloc will act decisively to prevent aggression on Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan if needed. Russia on Wednesday urged Afghan officials to launch proper negotiations with the Taliban about the country's future before it was too late. (With inputs from agencies)

Want to help start Afghan peace talks: Russia

India has raised the killing of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extending condolences. Danish died during clashes in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province. The district has seen increased violence as the Taliban gained control in Kandahar.

India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said,"We condemn the killing of Indian Photo Journalist Danish Siddiqui while he was on a reporting assignment in Kandahar in Afghanistan yesterday. I extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family."

The Indian envoy to Kabul Rudrendra Tandon is in touch with Afghan authorities to bring back his mortal remains. The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi is keeping his family informed about the developments.

The Indian foreign secretary's remark came during a debate on “Protection of Civilians in armed conflict: Preserving humanitarian space" at the top UN body. He also extended condolences to the families of the 99 humanitarian workers who were reported to have been killed over the last year and he strongly condemned attacks against humanitarian personnel.

He called for "ensuring accountability" for "serious violations of international humanitarian law" which he pointed "remains one of the key challenges before us". On the issue of terrorism, he highlighted,"that it "further compounds the twin problems of violence against humanitarian personnel and lack of accountability" and "access to new and emerging technologies has enhanced the capacities of terrorist groups to obstruct humanitarian action, including safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian agencies".

The foreign secretary is on a visit to New York for UNSC consultations ahead of India's presidency of the body next month. He had also addressed the body yesterday on the Libya debate.

During Friday's debate, he said, "sanctioning individuals and entities perpetrating serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel, is an effective tool for the Council to check and cease violations" but these "measures should have wider regional and international support, in the absence of which, there may be further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis and shrinking of the humanitarian space".

India has raised the killing of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extending condolences. Danish died during clashes in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.

India has raised the killing of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extending condolences. Danish died during clashes in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province. The district has seen increased violence as the Taliban gained control in Kandahar. India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said,"We condemn the killing of Indian Photo Journalist Danish Siddiqui while he was on a reporting assignment in Kandahar in Afghanistan yesterday. I extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family." The Indian envoy to Kabul Rudrendra Tandon is in touch with Afghan authorities to bring back his mortal remains. The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi is keeping his family informed about the developments. The Indian foreign secretary's remark came during a debate on “Protection of Civilians in armed conflict: Preserving humanitarian space" at the top UN body. He also extended condolences to the families of the 99 humanitarian workers who were reported to have been killed over the last year and he strongly condemned attacks against humanitarian personnel. He called for "ensuring accountability" for "serious violations of international humanitarian law" which he pointed "remains one of the key challenges before us". On the issue of terrorism, he highlighted,"that it "further compounds the twin problems of violence against humanitarian personnel and lack of accountability" and "access to new and emerging technologies has enhanced the capacities of terrorist groups to obstruct humanitarian action, including safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian agencies". The foreign secretary is on a visit to New York for UNSC consultations ahead of India's presidency of the body next month. He had also addressed the body yesterday on the Libya debate. During Friday's debate, he said, "sanctioning individuals and entities perpetrating serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel, is an effective tool for the Council to check and cease violations" but these "measures should have wider regional and international support, in the absence of which, there may be further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis and shrinking of the humanitarian space".

India condemns killing of Danish Siddiqui at UNSC

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran khan on Friday expressed disappointment over remarks of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani concerning the negative role of Islamabad in the Afghan peace process.

Ghani-Imran rift: 'Unfair to blame Pakistan for Afghanistan's situation', says Pak PM

The Taliban has offered a three-month ceasefire in exchange for releasing 7,000 jailed fighters. Is this a ploy to consolidate their gains? Palki Sharma tells you why a terrorist talking peace is never genuine.

Gravitas: Taliban offers ceasefire: A ploy to regroup?

Powerful photos by Danish Siddiqui, Indian journalist killed in Afghanistan

For Beijing, a stable and cooperative administration in Kabul would pave the way to an expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan and through the Central Asian republics.

Will China gain from Taliban-led Afghanistan?

Malnutrition is being deemed as Afghanistan's silent emergency. As per data released by UNICEF, Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest rates of stunting in children under five, that is 41 per cent.

The rate of wasting, the extreme manifestation of severe acute malnutrition, in Afghanistan is extremely high at 9.5 per cent.&nbsp;

A total of one in three adolescent girls suffers from anaemia, while only half of the Afghan babies are exclusively breastfed in their first six months. Also, only 12 per cent of Afghan children aged 6-24 months receive the right variety of food in the quantity needed for their age.

The pandemic has further contributed to the problem as there is an increase in the number of wasted children in Afghanistan and this situation remains a priority.

Not just children but the mothers are equally malnourished. Harmful diets of the mother results in a harmful cycle – malnourished infants grow up to become stunted mothers, generation after generation. "This is a cycle we must break", says UNICEF.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-ranks-94-in-hunger-index-experts-blame-poor-implementation-siloed-approach-336085">Also read | India ranks 94 in Hunger Index; experts blame poor implementation, siloed approach</a>

Afghanistan’s health system still faces several challenges. Some cultural practices and preferences related to food limit the potential development of the next generation of Afghanistan leaders.&nbsp;

Knowledge of good diets is still limited. Over the next year, UNICEF will support the Government in rolling out an intensive information campaign. Also, nutrition services are part of all government health services however there are areas that are less accessible for regular services leaving some children at high risk.&nbsp;

UNICEF is helping by providing health and nutrition mobile services, however, these could be expanded further.&nbsp;

Mothers are not aware of their own nutritional needs. "We need to improve their knowledge of, and access to, a healthy diet for themselves and their families", says UNICEF. The organization aims at supporting the government in training and supporting nutrition counsellors, community health workers, midwives and other health workers can teach families how to make small improvements in their eating habits that can result in big health gains.

Malnutrition is being deemed as Afghanistan's silent emergency. As per data released by UNICEF, Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest rates of stunting in children under five, that is 41 per cent.

Malnutrition is being deemed as Afghanistan's silent emergency. As per data released by UNICEF, Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest rates of stunting in children under five, that is 41 per cent. The rate of wasting, the extreme manifestation of severe acute malnutrition, in Afghanistan is extremely high at 9.5 per cent. A total of one in three adolescent girls suffers from anaemia, while only half of the Afghan babies are exclusively breastfed in their first six months. Also, only 12 per cent of Afghan children aged 6-24 months receive the right variety of food in the quantity needed for their age. The pandemic has further contributed to the problem as there is an increase in the number of wasted children in Afghanistan and this situation remains a priority. Not just children but the mothers are equally malnourished. Harmful diets of the mother results in a harmful cycle – malnourished infants grow up to become stunted mothers, generation after generation. "This is a cycle we must break", says UNICEF. Also read | India ranks 94 in Hunger Index; experts blame poor implementation, siloed approach Afghanistan’s health system still faces several challenges. Some cultural practices and preferences related to food limit the potential development of the next generation of Afghanistan leaders. Knowledge of good diets is still limited. Over the next year, UNICEF will support the Government in rolling out an intensive information campaign. Also, nutrition services are part of all government health services however there are areas that are less accessible for regular services leaving some children at high risk. UNICEF is helping by providing health and nutrition mobile services, however, these could be expanded further. Mothers are not aware of their own nutritional needs. "We need to improve their knowledge of, and access to, a healthy diet for themselves and their families", says UNICEF. The organization aims at supporting the government in training and supporting nutrition counsellors, community health workers, midwives and other health workers can teach families how to make small improvements in their eating habits that can result in big health gains.

Malnutrition now termed as Afghanistan's 'silent emergency'

Afghanistan's Defence Ministry has said that airstrikes in the Badakhshan province have killed at least 20 Taliban insurgence. This comes as the Taliban has been gaining ground across the country, taking control of numerous districts and border crossings.

Afghan defence: 20 Taliban terrorists killed in airstrikes in Badakhshan province

Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh on Thursday accused the Pakistan Air Force of warning Afghan security forces that it would retaliate against any move to remove the Taliban fighters in the strategic border region of Spin Boldak.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, he wrote, "Breaking: Pakistan air force has issued an official warning to the Afghan Army and Air Force that any move to dislodge the Taliban from Spin Boldak area will be faced and repelled by the Pakistan Air Force. Pak air force is now providing close air support to Taliban in certain areas".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-government-says-it-has-retaken-pakistan-border-crossing-from-taliban-398244">Also read |&nbsp;Afghan government says it has retaken Pakistan border crossing from Taliban</a>

In another tweet, he wrote that he was “ready to share evidence” about the warning from the Pakistani military to the Afghan side. He added that Afghan aircraft “as far as 10 kilometres from Spin Boldak R warned 2 back off or face air to air missiles”. 
There was no immediate response to the allegation from the Pakistani side.

Meanwhile, a senior Afghan government official said that the government forces had retaken control of a major border crossing with Pakistan from the Taliban. However, Taliban dismissed the claim saying that they still control the border crossing.

Taliban fighters captured the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday, the second most important crossing on the border with Pakistan and a major source of revenue for the Western-backed government in Kabul.

But Afghan forces retook the area's main market, the customs department and other government installations in the border town a few hours later on Wednesday, as per the government officials in Kandahar province.

Government forces, who had initially fallen back to minimise civilian and security personnel losses, were conducting clearing operations, the official said.

Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh on Thursday accused the Pakistan Air Force of warning Afghan security forces that it would retaliate against any move to remove the Taliban fighters in the strategic border region of Spin Boldak.

Afghan vice president Amrullah Saleh on Thursday accused the Pakistan Air Force of warning Afghan security forces that it would retaliate against any move to remove the Taliban fighters in the strategic border region of Spin Boldak. Taking to his official Twitter handle, he wrote, "Breaking: Pakistan air force has issued an official warning to the Afghan Army and Air Force that any move to dislodge the Taliban from Spin Boldak area will be faced and repelled by the Pakistan Air Force. Pak air force is now providing close air support to Taliban in certain areas". Also read | Afghan government says it has retaken Pakistan border crossing from Taliban In another tweet, he wrote that he was “ready to share evidence” about the warning from the Pakistani military to the Afghan side. He added that Afghan aircraft “as far as 10 kilometres from Spin Boldak R warned 2 back off or face air to air missiles”. There was no immediate response to the allegation from the Pakistani side. Meanwhile, a senior Afghan government official said that the government forces had retaken control of a major border crossing with Pakistan from the Taliban. However, Taliban dismissed the claim saying that they still control the border crossing. Taliban fighters captured the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday, the second most important crossing on the border with Pakistan and a major source of revenue for the Western-backed government in Kabul. But Afghan forces retook the area's main market, the customs department and other government installations in the border town a few hours later on Wednesday, as per the government officials in Kandahar province. Government forces, who had initially fallen back to minimise civilian and security personnel losses, were conducting clearing operations, the official said.

Afghan vice president accuses Pak Air Force of trying to help Taliban

Senior Afghan leaders will be arriving in Doha for talks with the Taliban on Friday (16 June) as the insurgent group takes a hard stance on negotiations. The renewed push to reach a peace deal comes as the United States winds down its military presence in Afghanistan.

Senior Afghan leaders to meet in Doha for talks with Taliban

The Biden administration has announced the plan to evacuate Afghan interpreters and translators who aided the US military effort in the nearly 20 years war. Evacuation will begin during the last week of July that will be available first for special immigrant visa applicants.

Evacuation of Afghan interpreters to begin in late July

Uzbekistan is hosting a two-day high-level meeting in the capital city of Tashkent. Around 250 participants and 40 delegates from different countries will assemble for a conference titled 'The International Conference on Central and South Asia'.

Afghanistan: India's foreign minister meets Ashraf Ghani

The Chinese government rarely passes up a chance to accuse the United States of military adventurism and hegemony. In the case of Afghanistan, though, it has changed its tone, warning that Washington now bears the responsibility for the hasty end to its two-decade war there.

“The United States, which created the Afghan issue in the first place, should act responsibly to ensure a smooth transition in Afghanistan,” China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said this month at a forum in Beijing. “It should not simply shift the burden onto others and withdraw from the country with the mess left behind unattended.”

While China has not called on President Joe Biden to reverse the military withdrawal he ordered, statements by senior officials made it clear that they would blame the United States for any insecurity that spreads in the region.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia — neither of them close friends of the U.S. president — raised concerns about the withdrawal in a telephone call June 29, citing “the increasingly complicated and severe security situation,” according to Xinhua, the state news agency.

An explosion and vehicle crash that killed nine Chinese workers in Pakistan on Wednesday has punctuated China’s fears of regional instability in the wake of the final U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaos that is now spreading across the country.

China was quick to describe the explosion as an act of terrorism. Pakistan later described it as an accident, but the details remain murky, and China has previously found itself the target of threats from those opposed to its growing economic and diplomatic influence in the region.

Pakistan’s information minister, Fawad Chaudhry, said Thursday that investigators had found traces of explosives, presumably on the bus carrying the Chinese workers.

“Terrorism cannot be ruled out,” he wrote on Twitter.

“They’re certainly feeling nervous,” said Barnett Rubin, a former State Department official and U.N. adviser on Afghanistan who is a senior fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation.

With only a residual military contingent left to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the Taliban have been steadily expanding their political control as Afghan government forces crumble or retreat. This month, Taliban forces seized Badakhshan, the province that reaches the mountainous Chinese border through the Wakhan Corridor.

While that narrow territory poses little direct security threat, China fears that the breakdown of order in Afghanistan could spill out of the country to other neighbors, including Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan.

Wang is traveling through Central Asia this week, with the Afghan situation high on the agenda.

“We don’t want to see a turbulent country around us that becomes such a soil for terrorist activities,” said Li Wei, an analyst at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a research organization in Beijing affiliated with the Ministry of State Security.

The Taliban, when they governed Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, gave haven to some Uyghur fighters resisting Chinese rule in Xinjiang, the predominantly Muslim province in western China that the fighters call East Turkestan.

Twenty-two of those fighters ended up in U.S. custody in the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, only to be released slowly to several other countries, including Albania, Slovakia, Bermuda and Palau. Uyghur militants have also fought in Syria’s civil war, and there are reports that some have returned to Afghanistan.

“If there’s more disorder in Afghanistan, the Uyghurs could get a foothold again, or a bigger one,” Rubin said.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States designated the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization, in part to cultivate China’s support for U.S. efforts in the “war on terror.” The Trump administration revoked the designation last year, saying that there was no evidence that the group continued to carry out attacks. China has cited the threat of Uyghur extremism as a reason for its mass detention camps in Xinjiang.

According to the United Nations, the Uyghur group once maintained links to al-Qaida and organized attacks on targets inside and outside of China, including ones in Xinjiang that killed 140 people in 1998.

Liu Yunfeng, director of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, said this week at a news conference that while there had been no major terrorist attack in China in the past four years, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement continued to promote terrorism from abroad and train fighters “to sneak into our territory.”

“We still need to maintain a high degree of vigilance,” he said, according to a transcript posted by the ministry.

With the U.S. withdrawal on the horizon, China has sought to keep channels open to both the Taliban and Afghan forces, appealing for a peaceful resolution to decades of conflict that predated U.S. intervention. It has been a delicate diplomatic balance.

China has praised the current Afghan government, including what it says are efforts to fight the East Turkestan militants. It also played host to a delegation of Taliban leaders in 2019. While China has said little about the nature of its discussions with the group, it has muted its criticism as the U.S.-led military presence winds down.

In recent statements, Taliban representatives have also sought to assuage China’s concerns about its past support for enemies of Chinese rule, saying a restored Taliban government would pose no threat to the country. In fact, it would welcome Chinese investments.

As the Taliban have steadily gained ground, China has left its diplomatic options open. The Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper that generally reflects the government’s hawkish side, suggested this week that fears about the collapse of the current Afghan government were overstated.

“With the evolving Afghanistan situation, the Taliban is quietly transforming itself to improve its international image, easing the concerns of and befriending neighboring countries,” the newspaper wrote Tuesday.

Such views also reflect China’s close relationship with Pakistan, which provided support for the Taliban leadership during the long U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

After Chinese officials initially denounced Wednesday’s deaths in Pakistan as a terrorist attack, they tempered their remarks when the Pakistani Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that the explosion that sent a truck tumbling into a ravine was caused by a mechanical malfunction.

Exactly what happened remains unclear, however. At least two Pakistani paramilitary soldiers and two other civilians died, while more than 40 people were injured. It was not clear if the soldiers were guarding the workers as they traveled to a Chinese-built hydroelectric project at Dasu, a city in the country’s rural northwest, about 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad.

China has faced terrorist threats in Pakistan before. In 2018, three suicide attackers stormed the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, killing two police officers and two civilians before being killed themselves. The group that claimed responsibility for that attack, the Baluchistan Liberation Army, attacked a luxury hotel in Gwadar a year later, saying they were targeting Chinese guests.

In April, a different group attacked a hotel in Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan, only moments before China’s ambassador was scheduled to arrive. Although it was not clear if the attackers knew of the ambassador’s arrival, the group that claimed responsibility, the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, said its intended targets were “locals and foreigners” staying at the hotel.

After speaking with Pakistan’s foreign minister about the explosion Wednesday, Wang, the foreign minister, called for greater security measures for Chinese construction projects in Pakistan, many of them being built under China’s “belt and road” initiative.

Chinese officials have offered to extend those projects to Afghanistan but have made little progress. Previous Chinese projects there failed to live up to expectations, most prominently a copper mine concession that Chinese companies acquired in 2007.

“If it is a terrorist attack,” Wang said of the episode Wednesday, “the perpetrators must be arrested immediately, and the perpetrators must be severely punished.”

The Chinese government rarely passes up a chance to accuse the United States of military adventurism and hegemony. In the case of Afghanistan, though, it has changed its tone, warning that Washington now bears the responsibility for the hasty end to its two-decade war there.

The Chinese government rarely passes up a chance to accuse the United States of military adventurism and hegemony. In the case of Afghanistan, though, it has changed its tone, warning that Washington now bears the responsibility for the hasty end to its two-decade war there. “The United States, which created the Afghan issue in the first place, should act responsibly to ensure a smooth transition in Afghanistan,” China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said this month at a forum in Beijing. “It should not simply shift the burden onto others and withdraw from the country with the mess left behind unattended.” While China has not called on President Joe Biden to reverse the military withdrawal he ordered, statements by senior officials made it clear that they would blame the United States for any insecurity that spreads in the region. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia — neither of them close friends of the U.S. president — raised concerns about the withdrawal in a telephone call June 29, citing “the increasingly complicated and severe security situation,” according to Xinhua, the state news agency. An explosion and vehicle crash that killed nine Chinese workers in Pakistan on Wednesday has punctuated China’s fears of regional instability in the wake of the final U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaos that is now spreading across the country. China was quick to describe the explosion as an act of terrorism. Pakistan later described it as an accident, but the details remain murky, and China has previously found itself the target of threats from those opposed to its growing economic and diplomatic influence in the region. Pakistan’s information minister, Fawad Chaudhry, said Thursday that investigators had found traces of explosives, presumably on the bus carrying the Chinese workers. “Terrorism cannot be ruled out,” he wrote on Twitter. “They’re certainly feeling nervous,” said Barnett Rubin, a former State Department official and U.N. adviser on Afghanistan who is a senior fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation. With only a residual military contingent left to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the Taliban have been steadily expanding their political control as Afghan government forces crumble or retreat. This month, Taliban forces seized Badakhshan, the province that reaches the mountainous Chinese border through the Wakhan Corridor. While that narrow territory poses little direct security threat, China fears that the breakdown of order in Afghanistan could spill out of the country to other neighbors, including Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. Wang is traveling through Central Asia this week, with the Afghan situation high on the agenda. “We don’t want to see a turbulent country around us that becomes such a soil for terrorist activities,” said Li Wei, an analyst at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a research organization in Beijing affiliated with the Ministry of State Security. The Taliban, when they governed Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, gave haven to some Uyghur fighters resisting Chinese rule in Xinjiang, the predominantly Muslim province in western China that the fighters call East Turkestan. Twenty-two of those fighters ended up in U.S. custody in the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, only to be released slowly to several other countries, including Albania, Slovakia, Bermuda and Palau. Uyghur militants have also fought in Syria’s civil war, and there are reports that some have returned to Afghanistan. “If there’s more disorder in Afghanistan, the Uyghurs could get a foothold again, or a bigger one,” Rubin said. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States designated the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization, in part to cultivate China’s support for U.S. efforts in the “war on terror.” The Trump administration revoked the designation last year, saying that there was no evidence that the group continued to carry out attacks. China has cited the threat of Uyghur extremism as a reason for its mass detention camps in Xinjiang. According to the United Nations, the Uyghur group once maintained links to al-Qaida and organized attacks on targets inside and outside of China, including ones in Xinjiang that killed 140 people in 1998. Liu Yunfeng, director of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, said this week at a news conference that while there had been no major terrorist attack in China in the past four years, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement continued to promote terrorism from abroad and train fighters “to sneak into our territory.” “We still need to maintain a high degree of vigilance,” he said, according to a transcript posted by the ministry. With the U.S. withdrawal on the horizon, China has sought to keep channels open to both the Taliban and Afghan forces, appealing for a peaceful resolution to decades of conflict that predated U.S. intervention. It has been a delicate diplomatic balance. China has praised the current Afghan government, including what it says are efforts to fight the East Turkestan militants. It also played host to a delegation of Taliban leaders in 2019. While China has said little about the nature of its discussions with the group, it has muted its criticism as the U.S.-led military presence winds down. In recent statements, Taliban representatives have also sought to assuage China’s concerns about its past support for enemies of Chinese rule, saying a restored Taliban government would pose no threat to the country. In fact, it would welcome Chinese investments. As the Taliban have steadily gained ground, China has left its diplomatic options open. The Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper that generally reflects the government’s hawkish side, suggested this week that fears about the collapse of the current Afghan government were overstated. “With the evolving Afghanistan situation, the Taliban is quietly transforming itself to improve its international image, easing the concerns of and befriending neighboring countries,” the newspaper wrote Tuesday. Such views also reflect China’s close relationship with Pakistan, which provided support for the Taliban leadership during the long U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. After Chinese officials initially denounced Wednesday’s deaths in Pakistan as a terrorist attack, they tempered their remarks when the Pakistani Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that the explosion that sent a truck tumbling into a ravine was caused by a mechanical malfunction. Exactly what happened remains unclear, however. At least two Pakistani paramilitary soldiers and two other civilians died, while more than 40 people were injured. It was not clear if the soldiers were guarding the workers as they traveled to a Chinese-built hydroelectric project at Dasu, a city in the country’s rural northwest, about 100 miles from the capital, Islamabad. China has faced terrorist threats in Pakistan before. In 2018, three suicide attackers stormed the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, killing two police officers and two civilians before being killed themselves. The group that claimed responsibility for that attack, the Baluchistan Liberation Army, attacked a luxury hotel in Gwadar a year later, saying they were targeting Chinese guests. In April, a different group attacked a hotel in Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan, only moments before China’s ambassador was scheduled to arrive. Although it was not clear if the attackers knew of the ambassador’s arrival, the group that claimed responsibility, the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, said its intended targets were “locals and foreigners” staying at the hotel. After speaking with Pakistan’s foreign minister about the explosion Wednesday, Wang, the foreign minister, called for greater security measures for Chinese construction projects in Pakistan, many of them being built under China’s “belt and road” initiative. Chinese officials have offered to extend those projects to Afghanistan but have made little progress. Previous Chinese projects there failed to live up to expectations, most prominently a copper mine concession that Chinese companies acquired in 2007. “If it is a terrorist attack,” Wang said of the episode Wednesday, “the perpetrators must be arrested immediately, and the perpetrators must be severely punished.”

China criticised the Afghan war. Now it worries about withdrawal

Speaking to WION, Afghanistan's Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay said that Kabul could seek military aid from India if there is no peaceful settlement to the conflict.

Gravitas: Taliban's Offensive: Afghanistan may seek military aid from India

Former US president George W.&nbsp;Bush&nbsp;on Wednesday criticised the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan and said civilians were being left to be "slaughtered" by the Taliban.

"I'm afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm... They are going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people and&nbsp;it breaks my heart,"&nbsp;Bush&nbsp;told German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.

Asked whether he thought the withdrawal was a mistake,&nbsp;Bush&nbsp;replied: "Yes, I think it is."

"I've spent a lot of time with Afghan women and they're scared. And I think about all the interpreters and people that help not only US troops but NATO troops," he said.

The former Republican president, who sent troops to Afghanistan in autumn 2001 after the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center, said he believed German Chancellor Angela Merkel "feels the same way".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/return-to-dark-days-taliban-impose-strict-restrictions-on-women-media-in-afghanistans-north-397124">Also read |&nbsp;Return to dark days: Taliban impose strict restrictions on women, media in Afghanistan’s north</a>

Bush&nbsp;said Merkel, who is set to retire from politics later this year after 16 years in power, had brought "class and dignity to a very important position and made very hard decisions".

He recalled talking to Merkel about her childhood in former East Germany.

He said it was "amazing" to speak to someone who had been "trapped in a closed society" when they were young but had gone on to become "chancellor of a democratic free country".

US and NATO forces began withdrawing from Afghanistan in early May and are due to completely pull out by September 11, almost 20 years after they arrived.

Most of the 2,500 US and 7,500 NATO troops who were in Afghanistan when US President Joe Biden detailed the final withdrawal in April have now gone, leaving Afghan troops to fight an emboldened Taliban seemingly bent on a military victory.

The country is facing a crisis as the insurgents snap up territory across the countryside, stretching government forces and forcing many to flee their homes.

The United Nations said on Sunday the rising conflict is causing "more suffering" across the violence-wracked country as it called for continuous financial aid.&nbsp;

Biden has insisted, however, that it is time for US involvement in the war to end and for Afghans to chart their own future.

Former US president George W. Bush on Wednesday criticised the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan and said civilians were being left to be "slaughtered" by the Taliban.

Former US president George W. Bush on Wednesday criticised the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan and said civilians were being left to be "slaughtered" by the Taliban. "I'm afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm... They are going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people and it breaks my heart," Bush told German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle. Asked whether he thought the withdrawal was a mistake, Bush replied: "Yes, I think it is." "I've spent a lot of time with Afghan women and they're scared. And I think about all the interpreters and people that help not only US troops but NATO troops," he said. The former Republican president, who sent troops to Afghanistan in autumn 2001 after the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center, said he believed German Chancellor Angela Merkel "feels the same way". Also read | Return to dark days: Taliban impose strict restrictions on women, media in Afghanistan’s north Bush said Merkel, who is set to retire from politics later this year after 16 years in power, had brought "class and dignity to a very important position and made very hard decisions". He recalled talking to Merkel about her childhood in former East Germany. He said it was "amazing" to speak to someone who had been "trapped in a closed society" when they were young but had gone on to become "chancellor of a democratic free country". US and NATO forces began withdrawing from Afghanistan in early May and are due to completely pull out by September 11, almost 20 years after they arrived. Most of the 2,500 US and 7,500 NATO troops who were in Afghanistan when US President Joe Biden detailed the final withdrawal in April have now gone, leaving Afghan troops to fight an emboldened Taliban seemingly bent on a military victory. The country is facing a crisis as the insurgents snap up territory across the countryside, stretching government forces and forcing many to flee their homes. The United Nations said on Sunday the rising conflict is causing "more suffering" across the violence-wracked country as it called for continuous financial aid. Biden has insisted, however, that it is time for US involvement in the war to end and for Afghans to chart their own future.

Afghanistan troop pullout a 'mistake', says George W. Bush

Afghan Envoy to Sri Lanka M Ashraf Haidari speaks to WION about ongoing Afghanistan turmoil. Watch this report to know more.

Afghanistan Turmoil: Afghan Envoy to Sri Lanka M Ashraf Haidari speaks to WION

A senior Afghan government official said that the government forces had retaken control of a major border crossing with Pakistan from Taliban. However, Taliban dismissed the claim saying that they still control the border crossing.

Taliban fighters captured the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday, the second most important crossing on the border with Pakistan and a major source of revenue for the Western-backed government in Kabul.

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But Afghan forces retook the area's main market, the customs department and other government installations in the border town a few hours later on Wednesday, as per the government officials in Kandahar province.

Government forces, who had initially fallen back to minimise civilian and security personnel losses, were conducting clearing operations, the official said.

However, the official has warned that threat remained high since Taliban fighter outnumber government forces in the area.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his forces still held the border post.

"It is merely propaganda and a baseless claim by the Kabul administration," he told Reuters.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-offer-three-month-ceasefire-in-exchange-of-prisoner-release-398231">Taliban offer three-month ceasefire in exchange of prisoner release</a>

Pakistan, worried about a spillover of fighting, had shut its side of the border at the second busiest border crossing on the main commercial artery between the second Afghan city of Kandahar and Pakistani ports.

Clashes between the Taliban and government forces have intensified as U.S.-led international forces have been withdrawing and the Taliban have captured several districts and other border crossings in the north and west.

(With inputs from agencies)

A senior Afghan government official said that the government forces had retaken control of a major border crossing with Pakistan from Taliban. However, Taliban dismissed the claim saying that they still control the border crossing.

A senior Afghan government official said that the government forces had retaken control of a major border crossing with Pakistan from Taliban. However, Taliban dismissed the claim saying that they still control the border crossing. Taliban fighters captured the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday, the second most important crossing on the border with Pakistan and a major source of revenue for the Western-backed government in Kabul. × But Afghan forces retook the area's main market, the customs department and other government installations in the border town a few hours later on Wednesday, as per the government officials in Kandahar province. Government forces, who had initially fallen back to minimise civilian and security personnel losses, were conducting clearing operations, the official said. However, the official has warned that threat remained high since Taliban fighter outnumber government forces in the area. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his forces still held the border post. "It is merely propaganda and a baseless claim by the Kabul administration," he told Reuters. Also Read | Taliban offer three-month ceasefire in exchange of prisoner release Pakistan, worried about a spillover of fighting, had shut its side of the border at the second busiest border crossing on the main commercial artery between the second Afghan city of Kandahar and Pakistani ports. Clashes between the Taliban and government forces have intensified as U.S.-led international forces have been withdrawing and the Taliban have captured several districts and other border crossings in the north and west. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghan government says it has retaken Pakistan border crossing from Taliban

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