BAGHDAD, 29 June 2021, (TON): Italian Foreign Minister Di Maio has said that he is delighted to welcome you here to Rome, to the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which I have the privilege of co-chairing with Secretary of State Blinken.

This he said during the opening session of D-ISIS meeting in Rome. He said that the State Department for the excellent teamwork and the partnership with the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation which has brought us here. 

The pandemic has shown us that only if we focus on multilateralism and international cooperation that we can adequately tackle the challenges ahead.

And this coalition is an example.  It brings together different continents.  It capitalizes on the contribution of each member.  It is flexible enough to take into account different viewpoints

KABUL, 29 June 2021, (TON): Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, at a press conference said that the Afghan people will defend the country if war is imposed on them.

Abdullah said “peace was always the demand of the people of Afghanistan, but if the war has been imposed on them, they have no choice but to defend themselves.”

He said “my message in the last meeting with Taliban representatives in Moscow was that both sides will not reach a result by force–by war. This will not be possible if the Taliban try to reach their target militarily.”

In a meeting with US President Biden in Washington, Abdullah said that Biden pledged that the US will be with the people of Afghanistan in the peace process and will also continue to support the Afghan security forces.

The US president also emphasized the need for political consensus. Abdullah said that the US will end its military presence in the country but will continue its assistance to Afghanistan.

 President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah met with Biden at the White House and the US president promised a “sustained” partnership, said the Afghan leaders.

NEW DELHI, 29 June 2021, (TON): New Delhi said “they had chased away two more drones from a military area in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), a day after a blast at an airbase that was suspected to have been delivered by commercially available quad-copters.

Both drones flew away after troops fired on the craft around midnight, Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, a spokesperson for the Indian military said in a statement.

He said “a major threat thwarted by the alertness and proactive approach of troops. The security forces are on high alert and the search operation is in progress."

Sunday's blast, blamed on freedom fighters and which left two people injured, has caused concern in security circles as it could mark the first time that drones have been used in such an attack in India.

Vijay Kumar, a senior police official in the occupied region, said ”the incident posed a new threat for security agencies.”

He said "certainly it is a big challenge but can be handled technologically.

New Delhi has for decades been battling separatists in the IIOJK, which has a Muslim majority population.

While it is not clear who the drones were operated by in Sunday's attack, security officials said they were unlikely to have been launched from across the Pakistan border some 14km away.

ISLAMABAD, 29 June 2021, (TON): The Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson rejected the remarks of Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Office regarding TTP’s activities in Afghanistan and said that TTP has launched several gruesome terrorist attacks inside Pakistan using Afghan soil without any retribution from its hosts over the last many years.

MOFA spokesperson said “the assertions of the Afghan side are contrary to facts on ground and various reports of the UN, which also corroborate the presence and activities of over 5000-strong Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan TTP in Afghanistan.”

The 12th Report of the UN Monitoring Team, issued in June 2021, acknowledges TTP’s distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives and notes its location within Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan.

TTP following its orchestrated reunification with its splinter groups with the help of Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs), its continued presence in Afghanistan with impunity and its cross-border attacks against Pakistan pose a persistent threat to our security and stability.

Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, without any discrimination is unwavering and unambiguous.

KABUL, 29 June 2021, (TON):  After nearly two decades, the Dutch military involvement in Afghanistan will come to an end this month.

According to a media source, the Ministry of Defense has presented two Dutch mission flags to the National Military Museum in Soesterberg to mark the occasion.

In a speech, interim Defense Minister Anke Bijleveld said “we are leaving with mixed feelings. We see the images of Taliban progressing.”

Bijleveld expressed concern “the security situation is worrying, and some of the progress may be lost.”

The flag ceremony gathered dozens of people, but 25 seats were left vacant to honor the 25 Dutch troops who died in Afghanistan.

According to Bijleveld, there was also a moment of silence for the many Afghans who have died, the soldiers and colleagues.

After twenty years, all 10,000 foreign troops, including the 160 Dutch soldiers who remained on the ground, are leaving the country.

MOGADISHU, 28 June 2021, (TON): Twenty-one men have been executed in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland after they were convicted of being members of the Islamist fighters group al-Shabab.

They were sentenced by a military court in Galkayo and shot by a firing squad.

State radio said “18 of the men had carried out assassinations and bombings over more than a decade.”

As they were being executed the group attacked a town in another part of Somalia, reportedly killing soldiers.

Similar death sentences have been handed down by courts in other parts of Somalia before.

But this is reported to be the largest number of executions of al-Shabab members ever in Puntland.

The authorities in Puntland had vowed to bring to justice any members of al-Shabab or people found assisting the group in its attacks.

TEHRAN, 28 June 2021, (TON): Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Hossein Salaami announced that Iran enjoys unmanned aerial vehicles with long range of 7,000 kilometers.

They can fly, return home, and make landings wherever they are planned to, General Salami said “at a ceremony of unveiling the Noora COVID-19 vaccine developed by Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.

The IRGC is a pioneer not only in the area of military technology but in many other fields including medical sciences.

He went on to say that no country and no nation can achieve the peaks of success without dealing with difficulties.

A nation that could create spectacular successes under economic, technical, and scientific sanctions is undoubtedly an incredible one, General Salaami underlined.

Further, he appreciated doctors, nurses, and medical personnel for showing the country an excellent and successful one.

KABUL, 28 June 2021, (TON):  Press center of the border troops of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan said “as a result of the Taliban attack on the Ukchuk border point of the Kaldor district of the Afghan province of Balkh, 17 government servicemen retreated to the territory of Tajikistan.”

He said the interlocutor of the agency  “as a result of a fierce clash that lasted until 12:50 local time (11:50 Moscow time), 17 government servicemen were forced to retreat to Tajikistan through the 1st post of the Shakhritus border detachment to save lives and personnel.”

According to him, the Tajik border guards, guided by the principles of humanism and good neighborliness, allowed the Afghan military who broke through the state border to freely enter their territory.

He added “the situation in this border area remains tense, with fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces continuing.”

RIYADH, 28 June 2021, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s defense forces intercepted two explosive-laden drones. The Houthis continue to deliberately target civilians and civilian objects, the coalition added.

According to a statement “the coalition is taking the necessary measures to deal with the militia’s attacks on the Kingdom.

According to Saudi authorities “the Iran-backed group has launched ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones towards Saudi Arabia multiple times in recent months, most of which have been thwarted.”

Meanwhile, dozens of Houthi fighters were killed in raids launched by Arab Coalition fo-rces in west Marib in Yem-en, the Yemeni army said.

The Yemeni army said its forces destroyed two drones that belong to the Iran-backed Houthi militia while the Arab Coalition destroyed several of the militia’s armored vehicles.

Fighting between the internationally-recognized Yemeni forces and the Houthis intensified on Sunday, according to local sources.

KABUL, 28 June 2021, (TON): President Ashraf Ghani said that Afghans will not be compelled to submission by force and that the Taliban should agree to a ceasefire and enter a political process.

Addressing a press conference following his meetings with US President Joe Biden, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other American officials and lawmakers, Ghani said that the Afghan forces are prepared to ensure the country’s security and that he respects the decision by the United States to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

He said “force is not a way to compel an Afghan to submission. We still call on them to have a ceasefire and to engage in a political process because a political settlement is the ultimate mechanism of ending a war. As Lincoln said the best way of treating an enemy to turn him into a friend.”

Ghani said that a new chapter has been opened in Kabul-Washington relations following the announcement of the withdrawal of troops from the country.

He added “we respect this decision, it is dealing with a new chapter of our friendship; our strategic relationship and our people-to-people relationship and government to government relationship that we have focused on.”

Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation who accompanied President Ghani in his trip to the US, said the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will not stop talks with the Taliban unless the group shuts the doors for negotiations.