CAIRO, 13 September 2021 (TON): Egyptian and Indian naval forces carried out a naval exercise with the participation of the Egyptian frigate (Alexandria) and the Indian frigate (INS TABAR), within the scope of the Northern Fleet’s operations in the Mediterranean.

The training comes, according to a statement by the Egyptian military spokesman, as a continuation of the joint exercises conducted by Egypt’s naval forces with global forces, which aim to enhance the combat capabilities of naval units and their crews and support maritime security and stability in the region.

The training activities began with a pre-sailing conference to coordinate the activities to be implemented, in addition to becoming acquainted with the joint forces of both sides.

The exercises included naval combat activities, including ones to confront atypical maritime threats, analysis of the situation images (surface, air), joint protection exercises for a vital target at sea, transportation exercises, and training on maritime security procedures in the areas of operations in the Mediterranean.

This exercise is the second of its kind conducted by the Indian frigate (INS TABAR) with units of the Egyptian Navy in the Northern Fleet.

It supports the joint endeavor to exchange experiences between the Egyptian and Indian navies, and confirms the capabilities of the Egyptian Navy in working and coordinating with global naval forces to secure international navigation and transportation lines and support maritime security efforts in the region.

KABUL, 13 September 2021 (TON): Officers said that Afghan police at Kabul airport have returned to work manning checkpoints alongside Taliban security for the first time since the group seized power.

When the Taliban swept into Kabul last month ousting the government, police abandoned their posts, fearful of what the incoming group would do.

But two officers said they had returned to work on Saturday after receiving calls from Afghan Taliban commanders.

An AFP correspondent at the airport saw border police members deployed at several checkpoints outside the main buildings of the airport, including the domestic terminal.

One of the police force members told “I came back to work yesterday more than two weeks after being sent home."

Another officer said “I received a call from a senior Taliban commander who asked me to come back.”

“Yesterday was great, so happy to serve again.”

The Taliban say they have granted a general amnesty to everyone who worked for the former government, including the army, police and other security branches.

WASHINGTON, 13 September 2021, (TON): resident Joe Biden, speaking unexpectedly during a visit to the Pennsylvania site of one of the 9/11 plane crashes, again defended the widely criticized withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"Could Al-Qaeda come back (in Afghanistan)?" he asked in an exchange with reporters outside a Shanksville fire station. "Yeah. But guess what, it's already back other places.

"What's the strategy? Every place where Al-Qaeda is, we're going to invade and have troops stay in? C'mon."

Biden said “it had always been a mistake to think Afghanistan could be meaningfully united.”

Biden said “American forces had achieved their central mission when a special forces team killed Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011 in a compound in Pakistan.”

The US intervention in Afghanistan began after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, eventually drawing the US, joined by key allies into its longest war.

Biden had begun his day Saturday in Manhattan, attending a televised ceremony marking the September 11 attacks there.

He had not been scheduled to make public remarks. But asked by a reporter about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and a subsequent drop in his poll numbers, he shrugged it off.

ISLAMABAD, 13 September 2021 (TON): The opening ceremony of trilateral exercise "Brotherhood" being hosted by Azerbaijan was held at Baku on Sunday, the military said.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the exercise will be conducted in the counter-terrorism domain from September 11 to 22, 2021.

It added "special forces from Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey are participating in the subject exercise.”

This is the first such drills among the three brotherly countries. The goal of the exercise is to improve cooperation among the special forces and to share knowledge and experience, according to Azerbaijan's defence ministry.

In February, Pakistan hosted a joint military exercise, titled Ataturk-XI 2021, between Pakistani and Turkish special forces at the Special Service Group Headquarters in Tarbela.

ISPR had said “the three-week-long exercise focused on counter-terrorism operations including cordon and search techniques, built-up area clearance drills with combat aviation support, hostage rescue. Freefall by paratroopers and martial arts were also practised during the training.”

Pakistan and Turkey historically have enjoyed close cooperation but the recent regional developments further brought the two countries closer.

Both countries had also agreed to deepen their defence cooperation and stressed the need for the early implementation of the “Pakistan-Turkey Strategic Economic Framework”.

RIYADH, 13 September 2021 (TON): The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (Masam) dismantled 1,184 mines in Yemen during the second week of September.

The figure comprised seven antipersonnel mines, 641 anti-tank mines, 527 unexploded ordnances, and nine explosive device.

Masam is one of several initiatives undertaken by Saudi Arabia on the directive of King Salman to help ease the suffering of people in Yemen.

Saudi and international experts are removing mines planted by the Houthi militia in Marib, Aden, Al-Jawf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale, and Saada.

A total of 273,954 mines have been cleared since the start of the project. More than 1.2 million mines have been planted by the Houthis, claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians.

Masam has 32 de-mining teams to protect civilians and ensure that urgent humanitarian supplies are delivered safely. It trains local de-mining engineers, gives them modern equipment and helps mine victims.

ISLAMABAD, 13 September 2021 (TON): At least 14 people, including women and children, died on Sunday morning after a cloudburst caused heavy rains across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Hazara and Malakand divisions.

A majority of the casualties occurred when lightning struck a trio of houses located in a remote area named Jhatka within Judba tehsil in Torghar, according to the region's Assistant Commissioner Azhar Zahoor.

He said that the houses collapsed after being hit by lightning, burying 13 people under their rubble,. A dozen dead bodies have been recovered from the debris so far as rescue work remains ongoing.

The assistant commissioner said “I am personally supervising the rescue operation and the injured have been moved to the hospital and roads are also cleared for traffic. The affected families will be facilitated, and tents and foods will be provided to them.”

Zahoor said that a cattle pen was also damaged due to the heavy rain, while a tractor slipped, killing its driver.

Meanwhile, the roof of a house collapsed in Abbottabad's Kakul area and buried seven members of a family underneath its rubble. Three bodies have been recovered and two injured retrieved from the debris as the rescue operation continues.

COLOMBO, 13 September 2021 (TON): The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Yury Materiy with the objective of introducing his Embassy's new Defence Attache, Aleksey A. Bondarev called on the Chief of Defence Staff, Commander of the Army and Head, NOCPCO, General Shavendra Silva at the Army Headquarters.

Recalling long standing bonds of goodwill and cooperation between both nations as well as militaries during cordial interactions that ensued, the Ambassador and General Shavendra Silva had a cordial discussion on matters of relevance with special focus bilateral exchange programmes, training modules, etc. Both of them underlined the need to sustain sound relations in future, too.

While introducing the new Russian Defence Attache, the Ambassador maintained that Russia would always stand by Sri Lanka and assist her development in whatever way possible in future too.

The new Defence Attaché to the Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka, appreciative of the audience granted, presented a memento to General Shavendra Silva towards the end of the interaction.

DOHA, 13 September 2021 (TON): A Taliban spokesman said “Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held talks with the Taliban-appointed prime minister on Sunday, in the highest level foreign visit to Kabul since the group seized the capital last month.

Qatar is considered one of the countries with the most influence over the Taliban and played a pivotal role in the massive US-led airlift of its own citizens, other Western nationals and Afghans who helped Western countries.

The Qatari capital Doha was also the home of the Taliban's political office which oversaw the negotiations with the United States that eventually led to the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

A Taliban spokesman said that Sheikh Mohammed met Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund and a number of other senior ministers.

"The meeting focused on bilateral relations, humanitarian assistance, economic development and interaction with the world," according to a statement from Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen.

Sunday's meeting in the presidential palace, was attended by a number of other Afghan ministers including deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Defence Minister Yaqoob Mujahid, Interor Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq.

KHARTUM, 13 September 2021 (TON): The country’s military department said “the Sudanese authorities want to amend the agreement on the construction of a Russian naval base in Port Sudan on the shores of the Red Sea.”

He added “Khartoum expects to receive economic assistance from Moscow on condition of lease for five years with the possibility of signing an agreement for 25 years.”

At the same time, the interlocutor of the agency noted that Russia has not yet responded to the proposal.

In June, the chief of staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Muhammad Usman al-Hussein, announced a possible revision of the agreement.

The agreement to create a Russian navy station in Sudan became known in November 2020. In accordance with the document, the maximum number of personnel at the base will not exceed 300 people. No more than four Russian ships will be able to stay there at the same time.

In 2017, Omar al-Bashir, then the country’s president, said that he had discussed with Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu the possibility of creating such a facility on the Red Sea.

DHAKA, 13 September 2021 (TON): Bangladesh ambassador to Serbia Md Shameem Ahsan discussed the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers with Serbian labour, employment, veteran and social affairs minister Darija Kisic Tepavcevic during a recent meeting at her office in Belgrade.

The minister told the ambassador that the Serbian companies were highly interested in hiring skilled and semi-skilled workers from Bangladesh through legal channels.

Acknowledging the historic bonds between Dhaka and Belgrade and the huge potential to strengthen bilateral ties especially in labour and employment, the ambassador and the minister discussed the possible signing of a memorandum of understanding.

According to the National Employment Agency of Serbia, 30 work permits were recently issued to Bangladeshi workers.