SECURITY
Nearly a Dozen Soldiers among 65 Killed in Helmand
Helmand: At least 54 Taliban fighters and 11 soldiers have been killed during a clash in the Garmser district of southern Helmand province. A well-placed government official based in Helmand told that the Taliban conducted a coordinated attack on the district centre and police headquarters on Friday night. In retaliatory gunfire, 54 insurgents were killed and many others wounded, the source said. Pajhwok
POLITICAL
Hekmatyar, HIA no longer on UN sanction List
Kabul: The United Nation Security Council (UNSC) on Saturday removed the name of Gulbadin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), from the blacklist. In September 2016, President Ashraf Ghani’s administration and an HIA team signed a landmark peace deal after two years of talks. Efforts had since been launched to remove Hekmatyar from the sanctions list. “On February 3, the Security Council Committee removed his name from the sanctions list,” a statement from the UN body said. Pajhwok
Kabul Seeks Oslo help in Controlling River Waters
Kabul: President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said controlling the country’s waters was his government’s priority and it sought help in this regard from Norway, a statement from the Presidential Palace said. The president was talking to Norwegian foreign minister BorgeBrande, who called on him at the palace this afternoon, the statement said. Pajhwok
