The ruling marks a setback for some victims who had previously sought to claim a portion of the Afghan assets through legal action against groups like al-Qaeda.
The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that victims of the September 11 attacks and the U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa cannot access $3.5 billion in frozen assets of Afghanistan’s central bank.
This amount represents half of the $7 billion in Afghan foreign reserves frozen at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York after the fall of the previous government and the rise of the Islamic Emirate in August 2021.
In February 2022, former U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order allocating half of the assets to aid the Afghan people, while leaving the other half open to legal proceedings. However, with this new court decision, the victims will also be unable to access the second half of the funds.
Mir Shakib Mir, an economic analyst, stated: “The reserves held in the U.S. Federal Reserve belong to the people of Afghanistan and the Afghan central bank. These funds were largely accumulated by the Central Bank during the republic era and were either entrusted or invested in the U.S. The Afghan people, the central bank, and these reserves have no connection to the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks.”
According to Reuters, the ruling marks a setback for some victims who had previously sought to claim a portion of the Afghan assets through legal action against groups like al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that the 9/11 victims have no connection to the Afghan people’s assets, which rightfully belong to them.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “The 9/11 victims have no relation to the Afghan people’s assets. These frozen funds are the rightful and logical property of the Afghan people and must be released as soon as possible and handed over to the Central Bank.”
Abdul Zuhor Mudaber, another economic expert, added: “The freezing of Afghan funds by the U.S. is an economic crisis. Any step that leads to the release of these funds would benefit the Afghan people and be a valuable move.”
Despite ongoing political and legal pressure, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called on the U.S. to unfreeze the assets and allow the central bank to access them, yet the request remains unanswered.
9/11 Victims’ Relatives Lose Legal Battle Over Afghan Reserves
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday marked the fourth anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the chaotic withdrawal at the end of the Afghanistan War by signing a proclamation honoring the fallen.
Surrounded by about 35 family members of those killed, including one wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap, Trump used the somber occasion to decry his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, for allowing the attack to happen.
Tuesday is the anniversary of the bombing that also killed more than 100 Afghans at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021. Trump called it “one of the dumbest days in the history of our country by the previous administration.”
“That was a terrible day,” Trump said. “And I think it was the worst day, and in many ways the most embarrassing day, in the history of our country.”
Biden’s White House was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban takeover.
Trump made the suicide bombing and Biden’s handling of it a frequent topic as he campaigned for president. The relatives of some of the U.S. service members killed also appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention in July 2024.
On the third anniversary of the attack, Trump was invited by family members of some suicide bombing victims to Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60, a hallowed section where U.S. forces killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried.
In a statement marking the third anniversary of the attack, Biden called the 13 Americans who died “patriots in the highest sense” who “embodied the very best of who we are as a nation: brave, committed, selfless.”
“Ever since I became Vice President, I carried a card with me every day that listed the exact number of American service members who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan — including Taylor, Johanny, Nicole, Hunter, Daegan, Humberto, David, Jared, Rylee, Dylan, Kareem, Maxton, and Ryan,” Biden said in a statement in August 2024.
Also on hand for Monday’s proclamation signing were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, who told victims’ relatives that Trump’s action was “a rectification of a wrong” because Biden “lost your loved ones through incompetence” and his government “never actually put pen to paper to say we’re grateful for your sacrifice.”
Trump has ordered a new Defense Department review of what occurred during the withdrawal of U.S. forces, and Hegseth said he expected that to be complete by the middle of next year.
“The military needs to answer for what happened in Afghanistan,” Hegseth said.
Trump honors fallen US service members and criticizes Biden to mark Afghanistan bombing anniversary
Afghan migrants say the forced deportations have left families facing fear, uncertainty, and a livelihood crisis.
Amid the continued forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan, concerns have grown among migrant families.
Afghan migrants say the forced deportations have left families facing fear, uncertainty, and a livelihood crisis.
Atiqullah Mansoor, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, told TOLOnews: “The fear of arrest and forced deportation remains among migrants as the next month approaches. Afghan migrants request the Pakistani government to extend their cards for at least one year so they can resolve their affairs more easily.”
Shabana, another Afghan migrant in Pakistan, spoke about the hardships of life there: “The biggest problem Afghan migrants face in Pakistan is how to gather their belongings and assets in such a short time and return to Afghanistan. My request to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is to use all available resources to support Afghan migrants.”
Some other Afghan migrants in Islamabad, who have immigration cases, criticized the United Nations and refugee support agencies for neglect.
Nargis, an Afghan migrant residing in Pakistan, said: “Our request to the U.S. government is to resume and expedite the processing of our cases and provide educational opportunities for us and our children.”
Nazar Nazari, a migrant rights activist, said: “It is essential that refugee support organizations demand an immediate halt to deportations from host countries and facilitate tripartite dialogues between Afghanistan, host countries, and international institutions.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has announced that between August 1 and 15 of this year, over 106,000 Afghans have been returned from Iran and Pakistan, with 83.7% from Iran and 16.3% from Pakistan.
Afghan Migrants Face Uncertainty Amid Forced Deportations
This strategy has been formulated in 15 sectors, based on Sharia rulings, scientific standards, and reliance on domestic capacities.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, stated Afghanistan’s development strategy has been finalized by the leader of the Islamic Emirate and will now enter the implementation phase.
According to him, this strategy has been formulated in 15 sectors, based on Sharia rulings, scientific standards, the country’s actual conditions, and reliance on domestic capacities.
The 15 main pillars of Afghanistan’s development strategy are as follows:
Rule of Sharia law and ensuring Islamic justice
Good governance and management of international relations
Reform of the public sector, ensuring transparency and accountability
Strengthening and expanding regional and international relations
Strengthening security, public order, and border protection
Law enforcement, combating crime, and strengthening local governance
Urban development and rural progress
Economic and social development
Effective and sustainable use of natural resources and provision of energy
Growth of agriculture and livestock
Improving financial management and expanding electricity payments
Improving health services and ensuring food security
Development of education, human resources, and culture
Growth of telecommunications and information technology
Development of transport and transit infrastructure
The office of the deputy prime minister for economic affairs has asked all ministries and government agencies to align and implement their policies, programs, and projects within the framework of this five-year strategy in order to ensure greater coordination, effective prioritization, and optimal management of national resources.
Regarding the usefulness of this strategy, Abdul Zahoor Mudaber, an economic expert, said: “A strategic program and plan generally define a vision and outlook, under which several key components find their place, including political stability, security stability, and regional economic connectivity.”
According to Islamic Emirate officials, governance based on Islamic rulings, ensuring nationwide security, safeguarding territorial integrity, creating job opportunities, and economic growth are considered the key objectives of this national strategy.
Islamic Emirate Releases a 5-Year Development Strategy for Afghanistan
Trump stressed that American forces should have been stationed at Bagram Air Base instead of Kabul airport.
Four years after the deadly attack at Kabul airport, questions and criticism over how the United States withdrew from Afghanistan remain unresolved inside the country.
Donald Trump, strongly criticizing former U.S. Former President Joe Biden, described the withdrawal from Afghanistan as “the most embarrassing day in the history” of the U.S.
Trump stressed that American forces should have been stationed at Bagram Air Base instead of Kabul airport.
He said: “They were in the wrong place. Bagram was the place to be, a big, massive airfield with hundreds of acres surrounding it. Nobody can get near it. And who would not have done that? But we had a bunch of incompetent people running our country.”
The former president also emphasized that he intended to keep Bagram Air Base.
Trump once again claimed that China has taken over the base.
He added: “We would have kept Bagram, which is the air base, one of the largest runways in the world, one of the most powerful. You can land anything on it, many, many feet thick. You don’t build them that way anymore. You can’t. But we left it and now China is occupying that air base. This was the most incompetent administration in history. The Biden administration.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of Defense also emphasized that reviews regarding the withdrawal are underway.
Pete Hegseth said these reviews will be completed by mid-2026.
The U.S. Defense Secretary stated: “Sean Parnell, an Afghanistan vet is leading it and we’re doing it on behalf of the American people. So I would anticipate, middle of 2026. That’s how thorough of you were doing hopefully a little bit sooner, but we’re going to everything in understanding what happened.”
On August 26, 2021, during the final days of America’s presence in Afghanistan, an explosion occurred at the gate of Kabul International Airport, killing more than 100 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. soldiers.
Trump Calls Afghanistan Withdrawal ‘Most Embarrassing Day in U.S. History’
Some 2,000 Afghans stranded in Pakistan after Germany paused scheme to admit them
Pakistan aims to expel Afghan refugees by September 1 deadline
Government had faced several lawsuits challenging freeze on admissions
BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Germany is set to lift its months-long ban on the entry of vulnerable Afghan nationals it had pledged to admit, a foreign ministry official said on Tuesday, after mounting legal pressure at home and a deportation push by Pakistan.
Around 2,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Germany under a programme for those deemed at risk under Taliban rule have been stranded in neighbouring Pakistan for months, after Berlin froze the scheme amid a pledge to curb migration.
“In Pakistan, individuals are at different stages of the departure process. The various verification procedures are currently resuming,” the official said. “Personnel from the competent authorities are on the ground in Pakistan to continue the admission procedures.”
The decision comes following several lawsuits by groups and dozens of affected Afghans challenging the freeze.
The interior ministry, which had put the programme on hold in the first place and was blocking its resumption, said Afghan nationals who were promised admission under earlier programs were undergoing individual case reviews.
“Afghans for whom the Federal Republic of Germany has been legally obliged by binding court decisions to issue visas and allow entry will gradually be admitted to Germany,” a ministry official said.
Only Afghans with binding admission approvals will be allowed in after security checks, the official said, noting that numbers were unclear and exit permits from Pakistan would still be required.
Matthias Lehnert, a lawyer representing Afghans who had challenged the suspension, told Reuters he had informed the affected families of the news and that they were “overjoyed”.
“These are all proceedings that were enforced through the courts. In that sense, the federal government is doing the absolute minimum,” Lehnert added.
URGENCY
The sense of urgency has increased as Pakistan moves to expel Afghan refugees ahead of a September 1 deadline, including those in Germany’s relocation programme.
Lehnert, who won four cases against the government, said the courts had ruled in principle that people could rely on Berlin’s admission commitments and were at serious risk of deportation to Afghanistan if not flown to Germany.
“That’s why it’s really scandalous that the government isn’t acting in all the other cases and continues to drag things out.”
Families with court rulings will be flying out of Pakistan soon but the details have not yet been disclosed, said Eva Beyer, media and advocacy officer for aid organisation Kabul Luftbruecke (Kabul Air Bridge).
“Some of them have been waiting for many, many months, some even for years, to be able to leave (Pakistan),” she told Reuters, adding that the Afghans would be flown to Germany on regular commercial airlines, not charter flights.
Reporting by Riham Alkousaa Editing by Miranda Murray and Gareth Jones
Germany to resume entry of vulnerable Afghans after legal, diplomatic pressure
Natalia Gherman said that the group is actively working to recruit new members and raise funds through propaganda tactics and online campaigns.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee has stated that the Khorasan branch of ISIS (ISIS-K) continues to pose a significant threat to Afghanistan, Europe, and Central Asia.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Natalia Gherman said that the group is actively working to recruit new members and raise funds through propaganda tactics and online campaigns.
“ISIS-K remains a significant threat in Afghanistan and also in Europe and in Central Asia, where it actively seeks to recruit and fundraise, relying on propaganda tactics and online campaigns. ,” Gherman said.
While political analysts have differing views on the matter, some in Afghanistan describe international claims about ISIS presence as part of a negative propaganda campaign against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Political analyst Amanullah Hotaki said: “The international community has run out of excuses, so now they point to ISIS. Previously, they made similar claims about al-Qaeda. Now, they talk about ISIS. My suggestion to our own government, the Islamic Emirate, is to address issues like girls’ education, women’s rights, skilled professionals, and political disputes with the world.”
Another analyst, Abdul Nasir Shafiq, told TOLOnews: “ISIS was a quick project for Iraq and Syria, it grew fast and collapsed fast. Now, the U.S. wants to use ISIS-K to scare regional and militarily powerful countries.”
The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly insisted that ISIS has been contained in Afghanistan and has dismissed previous UN Security Council member concerns over the presence of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups in the country as baseless.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, also emphasized that countries should not try to portray Afghanistan as unstable without providing concrete evidence.
UN Warns ISIS-K Still Threatens Afghanistan, Europe, and Central Asia
The bank’s data further show that banking sector financing has increased by 71 percent compared to the previous year.
Da Afghanistan Bank says that in the past four years, the value of the Afghani has increased by 21 percent against foreign currencies, especially the US dollar.
Bank officials state that efforts are underway to stabilize the country’s economy, which include strengthening the Afghani’s value, expanding the banking sector, and boosting financial support.
The bank’s spokesperson added that they have been able to protect the Afghani’s value by implementing appropriate monetary policies and to prevent severe fluctuations in the currency market.
Hasibullah Noori, the spokesperson of Da Afghanistan Bank, said: “In the past year, the Afghani has had a 0.79 percent positive change against foreign currencies, particularly the dollar, which indicates the stability of the Afghani. Our effort is to maintain the Afghani’s stability in a better way and not allow severe fluctuations to occur in this regard.”
He emphasized that important progress has been made in the banking sector and in relations with international banks. Currently, the institution is in contact with 200 international banks and is working to further expand global banking interactions, so traders can conduct international financial transactions more easily.
Some economic analysts, pointing to the banking restrictions of the past four years, say that expanding relations with international banks could play a key role in reducing the impact of these restrictions.
They stress that in order to preserve the Afghani’s value, it is necessary to explore alternative financial reserves or backing.
Trader Omid Haidari said: “The current problem we face in Afghanistan’s banking sector is the lack of support from private banks for our national traders. Whenever we deposit money in private banks, they do not release it for months. We request the leadership of the Islamic Emirate to establish a clear mechanism and sign agreements with private banks so that we can withdraw our money on time.”
Economic analyst Abdul Ghafour Nezami also said: “Afghanistan is currently on the threshold of economic transformation and has taken major steps in this regard. We are witnessing the launch of major projects and investments, which should strengthen the stability of the Afghani day by day. At the same time, the Afghani’s value must be raised against other foreign currencies.”
According to Da Afghanistan Bank, during the past year, 26,000 people received financing through small-scale financial support, and another 16,000 were financed through the banking sector.
The bank’s data further show that banking sector financing has increased by 71 percent compared to the previous year.
Da Afghanistan Bank: Afghani Value Up 21% Against Foreign Currencies
As China pushes to expand the CPEC, Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions continue to cast a shadow over trilateral diplomacy
Islamabad, Pakistan – With clasped hands and half-smiles, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban posed as they gathered in Kabul on Wednesday for a trilateral meeting.
It was the second such meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar and their Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in 12 weeks, after they huddled together in Beijing in May.
That May meeting had led to the resumption of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan after a period of high tension between them. It also set the stage for talks on extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – into Afghanistan. The BRI is a network of ports, railroads and highways aimed at connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.
But as China plans to expand its footprint in the region, its attempts to forge peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan reflect its unease over the security of its interests even along the existing CPEC, say analysts.
And while Beijing is a vital partner to both Islamabad and Kabul, experts believe its influence over both remains untested, as does China’s willingness to take on the risks that it might confront if it seeks to bring Pakistan and the Taliban, once thick allies but now embittered neighbours, back into a trusted embrace, they say.
Shifting regional dynamics
The Beijing conclave took place under the shadow of a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, but much has changed since then on the regional chessboard.
In recent months, Pakistan – long seen as China’s closest ally and reliant on its northeastern neighbour for military and economic support – has strengthened ties with the United States, Beijing’s main global rival.
China, for its part, has resumed engagement with India, Pakistan’s arch adversary and its key competitor for regional influence. India has also continued to deepen ties with the Afghan Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since August 2021, following the withdrawal of US forces.
Pakistan and Afghanistan, meanwhile, remain at odds. Islamabad was once the Taliban’s chief patron. Now, it accuses the group of providing a safe haven to groups carrying out cross-border violence, while Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of human rights violations by expelling Afghan refugees.
Amid this, China has positioned itself as mediator, a role driven largely by the CPEC, the $62bn infrastructure project running from the Pakistan-China border in the north to Gwadar Port in Balochistan.
A senior Pakistani diplomat with direct knowledge of the recent Pakistani interactions with their Chinese and Afghan counterparts said China, as a common neighbour, places a premium on neighbourhood diplomacy. For China, he added, a peaceful neighbourhood is essential.
“China has attached high importance to stability and security to pursue and expand its larger BRI project, so expansion of westward connectivity and development can only succeed when, among others, these two countries are stabilised,” the official told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity.
“Development and connectivity cannot be achieved in the absence of security. Hence its efforts to bring the two neighbours together,” he added.
CPEC under strain
CPEC, launched in 2015 under then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, elder brother of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been hailed by many in Pakistan as a “game-changer” for the country – a giant investment with the potential to create jobs and build the economy.
But the project has slowed down in recent years. Later this month, Prime Minister Sharif is expected to travel to China to formally launch the second phase of the CPEC.
While political upheaval has hampered progress, China’s primary concerns remain the safety of infrastructure and the security of its nationals, who have frequently been targeted.
Separatist groups in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, have long attacked Chinese personnel and installations, accusing them of exploiting local resources. Attacks on Chinese citizens have also occurred in Pakistan’s north.
Nearly 20,000 Chinese nationals currently live in Pakistan, according to government figures. Since 2021, at least 20 have been killed in attacks across the country.
Stella Hong Zhang, assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington in the US, said China has long wanted to bring Afghanistan into the CPEC, to expand the project’s scope and to promote regional integration.
But Zhang, whose research focuses on China’s global development engagement, said it is unclear how convinced Beijing is about investing in either Afghanistan or Pakistan.
The trilateral meeting in Kabul was the sixth iteration of the forum, with the last formal meeting having taken place in May 2023 [Handout/Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
“China might promise investments, but even though we are seeing actions on China’s diplomacy front,” she told Al Jazeera, it is uncertain whether officials in the two nations “will be able to convince China’s state-owned enterprises and banks to invest in further projects in both countries, given CPEC’s disappointing track record and the substantial risks in both countries”.
For Muhammad Faisal, a South Asia security researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, improvement in Pakistan’s internal security is paramount for China.
“This concern is what guides Beijing’s push for improvement in Pak-Afghan bilateral ties since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is operating from the Afghan soil, while Baloch militant groups have also found space in Afghanistan,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Through high-level trilateral talks, Beijing is aiming to narrow Islamabad-Kabul differences and also urge both sides to address each other’s security concerns to avert a breakdown of ties,” he added.
Pakistan Taliban, also known as TTP, founded in 2007, is a group which is ideologically aligned with the Taliban in Afghanistan but operates independently both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Taliban has repeatedly rejected allegations that it allows its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan and has consistently denied any ties with the TTP.
Security challenges
Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both bordering Afghanistan.
Islamabad has repeatedly alleged that Afghan soil is being used by armed groups, especially the TTP, to launch attacks across the porous frontier.
Data from the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) shows that in the first six months of 2025, 502 fighter attacks killed 737 people, including 284 security personnel and 267 civilians.
Compared with the first half of 2024, fighter attacks rose 5 percent, deaths surged 121 percent, and injuries increased 84 percent, according to PICSS.
China, too, has also voiced concern over the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), accusing its fighters of using Afghan territory to launch attacks against China.
Abdul Basit, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said that since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, China has emerged as South Asia’s main geopolitical player.
“Without addressing Pakistan’s Afghan-centric security concerns, BRI’s Pakistan component, CPEC, will remain underutilised and underdeveloped. Hence, China has started the trilateral to help Afghanistan and Pakistan resolve their security issues under a holistic policy which tries to isolate economy and diplomacy from security trouble,” he told Al Jazeera.
Faisal, of the University of Technology Sydney, added that China brings political weight, offering both diplomatic backing at multilateral organisations – particularly on counterterrorism – and the promise of economic inducements.
But he was cautious about Beijing’s long-term leverage. “Beyond underlining the importance of stability via enhanced security coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the outcomes of China’s efforts have been limited, partially due to Beijing’s own security anxieties,” he said.
The senior Pakistani diplomat said China’s BRI and related projects have brought it leverage in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, and expressed optimism that Beijing could bring about change between Pakistan and Afghanistan “armed with the political, diplomatic, economic and financial tools”, even if results have so far been limited.
But will China act as mediator and guarantor between Pakistan and Afghanistan? The diplomat was sceptical.
“As for guarantorship, I’m not sure whether China is willing or keen to do so. It certainly can play that role because of a high degree of trust it enjoys, but whether it would do so or not remains to be seen,” he said.
Source: Al Jazeera
Can China make Pakistan and the Taliban friends again?
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, met with his British counterpart Andrew McCoubrey.
Four years after the collapse of the republic and the return of the Islamic Emirate to power, Afghanistan remains at the center of regional and global diplomatic discussions.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a meeting with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, emphasized that the two countries share common positions on Afghanistan.
Lavrov stated: “We have a shared position on the need to ensure Afghanistan’s practical inclusion in regional processes. We also discussed resolving the Middle East crisis and the disastrous humanitarian situation in Palestinian territories.”
Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar added: “We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, and Afghanistan. I want to emphasize that India sees dialogue and diplomacy as the main tools for conflict resolution. We also agreed to fight all forms of terrorism together.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, met with his British counterpart Andrew McCoubrey.
He wrote on X: “Met with British Special Representative for Afghanistan, Andrew McCoubrey, today. We discussed the evolving regional dynamics, the situation in Afghanistan, and the importance of continued international engagement for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.”
In response to this meeting, political analyst Saleem Paygir said: “Pakistan and Britain are two countries that have always wanted instability and insecurity in Afghanistan. None of their meetings have been in the Afghan people’s interest, as Pakistan is dependent on the UK. I believe these meetings pursue another sinister plan against the Afghan people.”
However, other political analysts believe the continuation of these meetings and coordination shows that no country can exclude Afghanistan from regional dynamics.
Political analyst Najib Rahman Shamal said: “Special representatives from countries like China, Russia, Pakistan, and others have discussed Afghanistan in various meetings. They have pledged cooperation for peace, establishing an effective government, and combating corruption and terrorism, which is a positive sign.”
It is worth noting that Russia is the only country that has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the past four years.
Afghanistan: Focal Point of Regional, Global Diplomatic Efforts
The United Nations says aid workers are still in a “race against time” to remove rubble and rebuild after the devastating earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last month, killing at least 2,200 people and cutting off remote areas.
The 6.0-magnitude quake on Aug. 31 was shallow, destroying or causing extensive damage to low-rise buildings in the mountainous region. It hit late at night, and homes — mostly made of mud, wood, or rocks — collapsed instantly, becoming death traps.
Satellite data shows that about 40,500 truckloads of debris still needs to be cleared from affected areas in several provinces, the United Nations Development Program said Wednesday. Entire communities have been upended and families are sleeping in the open, it added.
The quake’s epicenter was in remote and rugged Kunar province, challenging rescue and relief efforts by the Taliban government and humanitarian groups. Authorities deployed helicopters or airdropped army commandos to evacuate survivors. Aid workers walked for hours on foot to reach isolated communities.
“This is a race against time,” said Devanand Ramiah, from the UNDP’s Crisis Bureau. “Debris removal and reconstruction operations must start safely and swiftly.”
People’s main demands were the reconstruction of houses and water supplies, according to a spokesman for a Taliban government committee tasked with helping survivors, Zia ur Rahman Speenghar.
People were getting assistance in cash, food, tents, beds, and other necessities, Speenghar said Thursday. Three new roads were under construction in the Dewagal Valley, and roads would be built to areas where there previously were none.
“Various countries and organizations have offered assistance in the construction of houses but that takes time. After the second round of assistance, work will begin on the third round, which is considering what kind of houses can be built here,” the spokesman said.
Afghanistan is facing a “perfect storm” of crises, including natural disasters like the recent earthquake, said Roza Otunbayeva, who leads the U.N. mission to the country.
Afghanistan Peace Campaign![The trilateral meet in Kabul was sixth iteration of the forum, with last formal meeting taking place in May 2023. [Wang Yi, Amir Khan Muttaqi and Ishaq Dar met in Kabul on August 20 for the trilateral dialogue among foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. [Handout/Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/b9a9b174-679d-49b3-91c3-298e5f4b08ea-1755730427.jpeg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80)