Nato members are expected to reaffirm their commitment to the mission in Afghanistan at the military alliance's annual summit in Brussels this week, an official has told The National.
They will also be expected to “confirm their commitment to support the financial sustainment of the Afghan security forces beyond 2020, and to reaffirm their support to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process”, the official said.
The Nato-led Resolute Support mission trains, advises and assists the Afghan security forces and the country’s institutions amid a years-long insurgency by the Taliban and, more recently, ISIS.
The UAE, which has contributed troops to the mission, is expected to attend the high-level meeting, which will be held on the sidelines of the Nato on summit on July 11-12.
“The meeting on Afghanistan will be attended by the leaders of all Nato allies and operational partners contributing troops to our Resolute Support Mission, as well as by representatives from Afghanistan, the UAE, the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank,” the Nato official said.
Nato's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan and the commander of the Resolute Support mission are also expected to attend.
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The UAE was the first Arab country to contribute troops to the Nato-led mission in Afghanistan. The Armed Forces have served alongside American Green Berets in the southern province of Helmand.
Last month, Kabul accepted the UAE’s offer to send more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces, bringing an ally from the Muslim world into the battle against militant groups. US officials have emphasised that the mission in Afghanistan includes members from the Middle East, as well as the West.
“This is not just an American mission,” Gen John Nicholson, Nato’s senior commander in Afghanistan, said last month.
He said the inclusion of regional nations such as the UAE had played a role in ramping up diplomacy and weakening the insurgency.
The Resolute Support mission involves about 15,000 troops in Afghanistan, but the size of the UAE presence has not been revealed.
The full strength of the UAE’s contribution could be decided at this week’s summit.
Afghanistan continues to be racked by civil war despite the latest peace hopes heightened by the recent Eid ceasefire. The truce was short-lived and the Taliban resumed operations against Afghan forces after refusing President Ashraf Ghani's offer of an extended period of quiet.
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that there was still hope for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
"Many of the Taliban now see that they can't win on the ground militarily," he said during an unannounced visit to Kabul. But, he added: "Make no mistake, there's still a great deal of work to do."
It was Mr Pompeo's first visit to Afghanistan since he took office in April.
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
