KABUL, 03 July 2021, (TON): An American official said that in a sign of imminent withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, US and NATO forces have left the largest air base in Afghanistan.”

Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield.

The official said, who asked not to be identified "all coalition forces are off Bagram," without specifying when the last foreign troops left the base, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Kabul.

He did not say when it will be officially handed over to Afghan forces.

A senior Afghan official, on condition of anonymity, told media "we still have not been informed of any official handover of the base to Afghan forces."

The US military and NATO are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan, bringing home an unspecified number of remaining troops by a deadline of September 11.

MALE, 3 July, 2021 (TON): The spread of hostility towards India by those adversarial to the government and the ruling MDP should be stopped, urged Speaker of the Parliament and former President Mohamed Nasheed.

On Friday, Nasheed tweeted noting that there is “hostile” and “disrespectful” rhetoric being spread in the Maldives against India. His tweet follows a request made by the Indian High Commission in the Maldives to the Foreign Ministry to take action against some of the local media for publishing articles that directly affected the integrity of the Indian High Commission and diplomatic staff.

In his tweet, Nasheed stressed that the opposition and rivals of the government and MDP should maintain a certain standard when speaking about foreign diplomats appointed to work in the Maldives. He also called on such individuals to stop circulating “hostile” and “disrespectful” information about India.

However, India is one of the closest allies of the current administration and the ruling party, MDP, Nasheed’s statements come as many members of the public raised their concerns over the request of the India High Commission to take action against online news outlets in the Maldives.

KINSHASA, 3 July, 2021 (TON): Following the recent attack that took 9 lives at least, the United States Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Mike Hammer visited Beni.

A military spokesman said, some of the victims were killed in their homes while others were taken to the centre of the neighborhood before being shot and beaten with machetes or pieces of concrete.

Mike Hammer said on the situation, "It's a very complicated situation. There is no easy solution. It will be an issue that will take some time (to solve), but if the efforts are there, with good coordination and all together - as I said - the Congolese government, the security and intelligence authorities with Monusco (the UN Mission in the DRC), with the support of other countries and the international community, it is possible to improve the situation and that's what we want."

The attack follows explosions on Sunday that hit a Catholic church and a market in Beni. Four people were injured in the blasts, claimed by a regional offshoot of the Islamic State.

However, local residents have since taken to the streets in protest of the violence -- carrying the body of one of the victims as they marched to the town hall to demand that the police and military provide better protection to the civilian population.

KINSHASA,02 July 2021, (TON): At least 10 people have been killed in an overnight raid in the city of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in an attack blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed group.

Residents said “a group of attackers had set several houses on fire in the middle of the night in the city’s Beu district, firing upon people as they exited the buildings and attacking some with machetes.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but officials blamed ADF for the attack in the Rwangoma neighbourhood.

Lieutenant Anthony Mualushayi told media “overnight, there was an attack by ADF enemies. We lost around 10 civilians.”

An AFP correspondent saw 10 bodies in the morgue of Beni’s general hospital.

With reports of missing people, there are fears the death toll could rise.

The most violent of an estimated 122 armed groups in the mineral-rich eastern DRC, many of them a legacy of two regional wars from 1996 to 2003, has never claimed responsibility for attacks.

TEHRAN, 02 July 2021, (TON): State media reported “Iran’s Supreme Leader appointed hardline cleric Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei as the new head of the judiciary, a body that enforces Islamic laws and is accused by rights groups of cracking down harshly on dissent.”

Ejei, a long-term judicial official and former intelligence minister, replaces Ebrahim Raisi, who is due to become president in early August after winning a June 18 election.

Ejei’s appointment by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes as Iran faces renewed criticism by Western human rights groups and international bodies over the election of Raisi, who is accused by critics of a series of abuses during his judicial career. He denies wrongdoing.

In a statement, Khamenei urged Mohseni Ejei to “promote justice, restore public rights, ensure legitimate freedoms, and oversee the proper implementation of laws, prevent crime, and resolutely fight corruption.”

The U.N. investigator on human rights in Iran has called for an independent inquiry into allegations of state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by Raisi as Tehran deputy prosecutor.

KABUL, 02 July 2021, (TON):  Taliban attack on Ghorian district in Herat was pushed back by security forces, Governor Abdul Saboor Qani said, adding that the fighters of the group had gathered from different parts of the western province to attack the area. Qani said hundreds of Taliban’s armed members took part in the attack and 20 of them were killed in last night’s clashes.

The governor said “a Taliban’s suicide car bomber was targeted by security forces before reaching its target.” The local security officials also said that more than 20 Taliban were killed in the attacks and more than 10 others were wounded. Local officials have not commented on possible government forces casualties in the attack.

Taliban has not commented on the attack, Afghan forces retook the control of Shinwari district in Parwan. Sources said that security forces have left several districts including Alasai district in Kapisa, Kaldar district in Balkh, Feroz Nakhchir district in Samangan and Gilan district in Ghazni. But the Ministry of Defense said that reinforcements have been sent to Ghazni province to repel Taliban attacks and also that security forces managed to break the siege of Hesarak district in Nangarhar province.

ISLAMABAD, 02 July 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Imran Khan lauded the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for offering a unique model of governance, terming it an alternative to Western democracy.

The premier's remarks came as he addressed Chinese journalists on the occasion of Beijing marking the centenary of the ruling party.

PM Imran sad "until now, we had been told that the best way for societies to improve was through Western democracy.”

He said "the CCP has introduced an alternative model and they have beaten all Western democracies in the way they have highlighted merit in society."

The prime minister observed that a society can only achieve success when it brings about a system to hold the ruling elite accountable.

He further added that the CCP achieved better without democracy. Their system for sifting through talent and bringing it up is better than the democratic system."

WASHINGTON, 02 July 2021, (TON): US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has said that I’d like to start by saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the German soldiers who were injured in a bomb attack in Mali just a few days ago.

He said “this is yet another example of the dangers of our brave servicemen and -women take each and every day. We hope for their speedy recovery, and we also send our warm wishes to their families at this difficult time.”

He added that now, Madam Minister, I’d like to thank you for being here. You were the very first of my European counterparts whom I met on my first trip to Europe as secretary of defense, and I’m happy to welcome you here to Washington. I’m also looking forward to escorting you down to Norfolk later to visit one of our aircraft carriers and see some of our fleet.

Austin further said that you and I were able to meet with our French and British counterparts in Brussels a few weeks ago for the first Euro Quad Ministerial since 2014, and as the challenges of the pandemic begin to ease, it’s a real pleasure to be able to meet in person twice in one month, which is extraordinary. I’m looking forward to a highly-productive discussion today about a range of issues, and the strong defense relationship between our countries. As I said in Berlin, Germany is one of our staunchest allies, and strengthening our bilateral relationship is a top priority for the Biden administration.

NEW DELHI, 02 July 2021, (TON): Political and civil society representatives from Ladakh’s Kargil district Thursday met MoS Home G Kishan Reddy and demanded full statehood for Ladakh and restoration of Article 370 and 35A.

A delegation of Kargil Democratic Alliance, a coalition of political, social and religious organisations in Kargil, had an over two-hour meeting with the junior minister at North Block. The minister is learnt to have assured the delegation that the ministry will study their demands and convey the same to the top political leadership.

The meeting comes days after political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir met PM Narendra Modi and demanded full statehood for the Union territory apart from discussing restoration of Article 370.

Politician and social activist Sajjad Hussain, a member of the delegation sais “we want full-fledged statehood for Ladakh. We spent two and a half hours with the honorable minister and have put forth our demand. We also want restoration of Article 370 and 35 A. We are residents of border areas and we want to become the strength of the nation. But August 5 decisions have created a trust deficit. We also spoke about safeguards for our culture, identity, language, land and jobs. Kargil and Skardu (in Gilgit Baltistan) route opening was also discussed. The minister assured us that our demands would be looked into.”

NEW DELHI, 02 July 2021, (TON): Army chief General M M Naravane said that the Indian military is developing capabilities to effectively deal with the threats posed by weaponized drones.

The army chief said on recent drone attack at the Indian Air Force station in Jammu "we have put in place certain measures and all troops are sensitised to this evolving threat. We are developing capabilities to deal with drone threats both in kinetic and non-kinetic realm, whether by state-sponsored elements or by states themselves."

He said "easy availability of drones definitely increases complexity and challenges for the security forces.”

The army chief asserted that there is strong counter-terrorism and counter-infiltration grid in place in Jammu and Kashmir.

In what was the first instance of Pakistan-based terrorists deploying drones to strike vital installations, two bombs were dropped at the IAF station in the early hours of Sunday, causing minor injuries to two airmen.

The explosions took place around 1.40am within six minutes of each other. The first blast ripped off the roof of a single-storey building at the technical area of the airport manned by the IAF in Satwari on the outskirts of Jammu. The second one was on the ground.

The aerial distance from the Jammu airport to the international border is 14km.

General Naravane said that there has been no infiltration along the Line of Control after the ceasefire agreement was reached between India and Pakistan.