Taliban fighters have killed at least 26 Afghan policemen in heavy fighting in both northern and central provinces overnight, days before parliamentary elections that the militant group have pledged to disrupt with violence.
The latest clashes took place against the backdrop of increasingly positive signs of progress between the US and the Taliban after direct talks last week. Zalmay Khalilzad, the new US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, met with officials from the group in Doha, where the Taliban embassy is stationed.
In the northern province of Samangan, Taliban fighters attacked security checkpoints late Monday, killing 13 members of the local police force, including deputy police chief Khawanai Taheri.
Samangan police spokesperson Munir Rahimi confirmed to The National that Taliban forces overran police checkpoints in the Dari Soof area of the province.
“The local police had planned an operation in that area to clear the Taliban presence to conduct safe elections,” he said.
“But the Afghan forces were overpowered by the Taliban fighters resulting in at least 13 casualties,” he said, adding that the Afghan soldiers also inflicted at least 30 casualties among the Taliban fighters. The area remains contested.
In the central province of Daikundi, hundreds of Taliban fighters equipped with heavy weapons attacked checkpoints in Kajran district and fought an hours-long battle in which eight Afghan soldiers and five police were killed, Ali Akbar Nateqi, the provincial governor's spokesman said.
The Taliban's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Taliban attacks have been taking place with increased frequency across Afghanistan in the last month ahead of the much-delayed parliamentary elections scheduled for October 20. The Taliban continue to shun the electoral process in Afghanistan, despite the ongoing peace negotiations with the United States administration.
In a statement released last week the Taliban referred to the upcoming elections as “bogus” and “not in our broader national interest”.
“It is the demand of our faith and intuition that this process should be considered unreliable, reprobated and prevented from taking place,” the statement read.
The statement further instructed its fighters to “to halt this American-led process throughout the country by creating severe obstacles”.
The Afghan government has deployed nearly 50,000 Afghan forces to secure the elections, the Ministry of Interior spokesperson confirmed.
“We have enough troops to deal with any security threat, and more than 50,000 security personnel including police, army and intelligence have been deployed and put on high alert,” he told the local media.
Despite this, reports from several provinces indicated that as many as 2,000 polling stations remain inaccessible due to security.
While most of these attacks are targeted towards the security forces, the Taliban has not shied away from targeting local candidates and their supporters. An explosion at an election rally of parliamentary candidate Nazifa Beg, last Saturday, in Takhar province claimed 44 casualties.
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Afghan voters to get a giant ballot paper in Kabul
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Suicide bomber strikes election rally in southern Afghanistan
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At least 12 civilians were killed after a bomb on a motorcycle detonated amidst the rally crowd. Two parliamentary candidates – Mohammad Nasir Mubaraz from Kandahar and Salem Mohammad Achakzai from Helmand – were also killed during their campaigns over the last three weeks.
The overall civilian casualties for the year also reflected the deteriorating security situation in the country. The latest report by the United Nations said there have been 8,050 civilian casualties – 2,798 dead and 5,252 injured—since January. Of these 366 civilian casualties – 126 deaths and 240 injured – were from election-related violence. The UN body has expressed concern over the vulnerability of civilians and civilian infrastructure during the election days.
A report by Ali Yawar Adili of the Afghan Analysts Network noted that the Taliban along with the growing Islamic State in Afghanistan has directly threatened election workers and security services.
“Nationwide, disenchantment with elections themselves, after the disastrous 2014 poll, has been coupled with a resurgent [Taliban], who by controlling more districts than four years ago have been able to prevent millions of Afghans from even registering to vote,” he observed.
“Some Afghans have felt it is a risk too far to participate,” he said.
However, despite mounting threats from the Taliban, over 2,500 candidates have nominated themselves for elections, and over 8 million Afghans have registered to vote across the country.
Idrees Stanikzai, a candidate from Kabul, is among the many candidates who chose to continue fighting even as threats to their safety have increased. "I would rather be killed fighting for this country and my values, rather than live and die like a sheep," he told The National.
The same sentiment was echoed among Afghan voters who have persistently demanded these election be held for the last three years.
“We have sacrificed so much and so many lives over the last few decades for democracy, and now we have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process,” pointed out Professor Zekrullah Faiq, who teaches at Kabul University.
“Of course, I will go to vote, and show the world and the insurgents that we are not afraid,” he added.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.