February 17, 2025

Delegation says Taliban seeks ‘dignified’ global interaction as it builds ‘strong’ and ‘developed’ Afghanistan. A Taliban delegation has arrived in Japan on what is the first visit by the group that rules Afghanistan, according to media in the East Asian country. The delegation, consisting of foreign affairs, education, economy and health officials, arrived on Sunday for a weeklong visit, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported. The visit is a rarity for the Taliban, whose diplomatic trips have previously remained close to Afghanistan since regaining power in 2021. The Taliban representatives are expected to seek humanitarian support and potentially discuss diplomatic ties with Japanese officials. Latif Nazari, a deputy minister at the Taliban’s economy ministry, described the visit as part of the group’s efforts to become an “active member of the international community”. “We seek dignified interaction with the world for a strong, united, advanced, prosperous, developed Afghanistan and to be an active member of the international community,” Nazari, who is part of the delegation, wrote in a post on X on Saturday. Advertisement Citing Afghan diplomatic sources, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said the Taliban representatives plan to “exchange views with Japanese government officials”. Rare trip outside the region While the Taliban government makes regular visits to neighbouring and regional countries, including Central Asia, Russia and China, it rarely travels outside the region. It has officially visited Europe only for diplomacy summits in Norway in 2022 and 2023. Japan’s embassy in Kabul temporarily relocated to Qatar after the fall of the previous foreign-backed government and the takeover by the Taliban in 2021. But it has since reopened and resumed diplomatic and humanitarian activities in the country. The Taliban’s visit to Japan comes just days after ISIL (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing outside the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in Kabul, the latest in a series of attacks by the group. Japan’s embassy condemned the attack, posting on X on Sunday that “these attacks of terror must cease immediately”. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/17/afghanistans-taliban-makes-debut-diplomatic-trip-to-japan

Two others also injured in attack strongly condemned by PM Shehbaz Sharif A levies soldier embraced martyrdom while two others were injured after terrorists attacked a security checkpost in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Sunday. The terrorists fled the scene after retaliatory fire from the brave levies personnel, a spokesperson of the provincial government said, adding that the authorities concerned launched investigations into the militants’ attack. The deceased’s body and the injured personnel had been shifted to a hospital in Quetta for medico-legal formalities and medical treatment, the spokesperson added. The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned a terrorist attack on Levies check post in Kalat. The prime minster prayed for the high ranks of shaheed personnel and for the bereaved family to bear the loss with fortitude, PM Office said in a press release. The premier also paid tribute to martyred personnel, Ali Nawaz, and prayed for the early recovery of the injured. He said the terrorists were the enemies of the development and progress of Balochistan province and reiterated that terrorists’ nefarious designs would not be allowed to succeed. “The Levies personnel has laid down his life for the defence of the country,” he said and saluted the martyred personnel for sacrificing his life for the sake of peace in the country. The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank. The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants. KP remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP’s settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants. The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1283441-levies-soldier-martyred-in-terror-attack-on-checkpost-in-balochistan-s-kalat