KABUL, 09 April 2022, (TON): The Islamic Emirate denied the reports of a US airstrike on a weapons cache in the southern province of Helmand and said “Islamic Emirate’s forces gathered mines and detonated them near the Shorab area of the province.”

Earlier, Modern Diplomacy reported that a US drone targeted a weapons cache of the Islamic Emirate in the Shorab area of Helmand.

The Modern Diplomacy cited some intelligence reports, suggesting that the Islamic Emirate’s “weapons depot at Shurab Airport in Helmand province was destroyed in an airstrike.”

Modern Diplomacy said “a heavy explosion at a weapons depot at the Shurab military base took place on Wednesday last week, a source close to the Taliban said the blast was not caused by fire, it was an airstrike that targeted the depot.” 

But the Islamic Emirate denied the airstrike in Helmand. 

Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate said “the rumors that indicate an airstrike was conducted in Shurab of Helmand and that it inflicted casualties, are not true. However, old mines were gathered from several parts of Helmand, and we detonated them.” 

KABUL, 09 April 2022, (TON): Beijing said “it appreciated the recent decision of the Islamic Emirate to decree a nationwide ban on poppy cultivation” and said “it is ready to further deepen counter-narcotics cooperation with Afghanistan as well as with regional countries.”

China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told “China appreciates the measures taken by the Afghan interim government.”

He also stated criticism of the US 20-year presence in Afghanistan. 

He said “the two decades of US presence in Afghanistan is two decades of death and displacement of innocent Afghan civilians and two decades of unchecked local drug proliferation.” 

Lijian added “we stand ready to further deepen counter-narcotics cooperation with Afghanistan and other regional countries to safeguard the healthy and tranquil life of all our peoples.” 

NEW DELHI, 09 April 2022, (TON): Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully flight-tested a propulsion system that enables a missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds.

The Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet booster was tested at the integrated test range in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

Officials said “the successful trial of the SFDR is expected to help the DRDO in extending the range of air-to-air missiles.”

The SFDR-based propulsion enables a missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds.

The defence ministry said the flight testing of the SFDR was successful and it demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system.

NEW DELHI, 09 April 2022, (TON): Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a four-day visit to the US beginning April 11 primarily to participate in the fourth edition of the India-US '2+2' ministerial dialogue.

Announcing the visit on Friday, the defence ministry said Mr Singh is also scheduled to travel to the US Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii after his trip to Washington DC.

Mr Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold the '2+2' dialogue with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 11 in Washington.

In a statement, the defence ministry said Mr Singh will visit the US between April 11 and 14.

It said "the 2 2 dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains and chart out the way forward.”

The ministry said Mr Singh will separately meet US Defence Secretary Austin in the Pentagon to discuss defence cooperation including defence industrial collaboration and capability building through military-to-military engagements.

KABUL, 09 April 2022, (TON): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “it has summoned diplomats of the Iran embassy in Kabul to share concerns about the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran.”

A MoFA statement said “the second deputy political minister of political affairs of the Foreign Ministry, Faizanullah Nasiri, met officials from the embassy of Iran in Kabul and discussed the misconduct of the Iranian border forces with the Afghan refugees.”

According to the ministry “the Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation said that more than 2,200 Afghan refugees were deported by Iran in the last day and the number of Afghan deportees by Iran surpassed 14,000 last week.”

Sayed Abas Badrifar, Iran embassy’s press counselor said “around seven to eight million Afghan nationals went to Iran. The Afghan government should facilitate an environment so the people (Afghans) will not go to Iran.”

A deportee said “I went there and saw that the Iranian citizens and government were misbehaving with the us and I was forced to come back to my country.” 

DHAKA, 09 April 2022, (TON): Russia’s membership to the Human Rights Council was suspended after the United Nations General Assembly voted 93 to 24, with 58 abstentions, including Bangladesh, to adopt a resolution.

Other South Asian countries Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives also abstained.

The brief resolution that was approved expresses grave concern at the “ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of  human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation.”

Explaining their decision not to support the resolution, some countries called it premature, noting that there are ongoing investigations into whether war crimes have occurred, or said it would undermine the credibility of the Human Rights Council and the UN.

Others said “the resolution reflected American and European geopolitical agendas and what opponents called Western hypocrisy and selective outrage about human rights.”

DHAKA, 09 April 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and the United States have discussed steps to promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to a message received in Dhaka “US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman had a meeting with Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen and discussed bilateral economic, commercial and security collaboration.”

US department of state spokesperson Ned Price said “deputy secretary Sherman emphasized the importance of protecting human rights, the rule of law, and freedom of expression.”

Bangladesh and the United States celebrated the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-US relations on April 4.

NEW YORK, 08 April 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia described a move by the UN General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council as an escalatory step “further aggravates an already tense situation.”

The Kingdom stressed that human rights issues should not be subject to selectivity, double standards or politicization.

The Saudi deputy permanent representative to the UN, Mohammed Abdulaziz Alateek said “the move was not only a form of politicization, it was unilateral in nature in that it gives certain states more rights than others.”

The General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the 47-member Human Rights Council over “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.”

In the vote on the motion, led by the US, 93 countries voted in favor, 24 against and 58, including Saudi Arabia, abstained.

BEIRUT, 08 April 2022, (TON): The International Monetary Fund said “it had reached a staff-level agreement with Lebanon for a four-year extended fund facility that would however only get full approval from the fund if Beirut enacts a series of reforms.”

An agreement with the IMF is seen as vital for Lebanon to begin exiting a crippling economic and financial meltdown that marks its most destabilising crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.

IMF said in a statement “the extended fund arrangement would run over 46 months and Lebanon had requested access to the equivalent of around $3 billion.”

Lebanese authorities had agreed, prior to the IMF board considering whether to approve the deal, to complete eight reform measures.

RIYADH, 08 April 2022, (TON): Foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council states held their 151st session in Riyadh to discuss a number of developments.

The session was chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the chairman of the current session of the ministerial council, with the participation of GCC Secretary-General Nayef Al-Hajraf.

Al-Hajraf said “the meeting would discuss a number of reports on developments in implementing the decisions of the Supreme Council issued by the 42nd summit in Riyadh.”

He also said “the ministers would discuss agreements and reports submitted by the ministerial and technical committees.”