Middle East Experience

Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. Pakistan fully supports efforts in that direction, he added.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.According to a foreign ministry statement, Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the remarks in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, about the situation in Afghanistan.The statement says Qureshi told Lavrov that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of critical importance for Pakistan and the region. It said Qureshi informed Lavrov about Pakistan’s outreach to regional countries for consultations on the challenges arising out of developments in Afghanistan.The statement quoted Qureshi as also saying that Pakistan is facilitating the evacuation of foreigners stranded in Afghanistan. Qureshi is expected to leave for Uzbekistan later Tuesday on a visit during which he will also travel to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran to discuss Afghan developments.Read more: Pakistan-Afghanistan cricket series postponed: Pakistan Cricket BoardReasons why the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is problematic to the worldSaudi Arabia FM, Pakistani counterpart discuss bilateral relations in Islamabad
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Pakistan urges ‘inclusive’ deal with Taliban

Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior is set to limit the number of vehicles expats can register, as security sources say many of them own several cars and practice unlicensed trading and selling of vehicles, Kuwaiti daily newspaper Alrai reported.According to the report, hundreds of expats in Kuwait own more than fifty cars each, as they practice the trade of buying, selling and leasing, without a license to do so, which prompted the General Traffic Department to study the legalization of limiting expat car ownership.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A survey carried out by the country’s Traffic Department found that used cars owned by Kuwaiti residents are being traded through buying and selling.Security sources reportedly said many expats practicing vehicle trade are “making huge sums of money” without obtaining commercial licenses which are required to regulate the sale of vehicles, through which annual fees are collected by the Ministry of Commerce.In March, it was reported that over 200,000 Kuwait-based expatriates lost their residencies in one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.Last year, Kuwait’s National Assembly drafted a bill to limit the number of expatriate workers in the country and ban certain types of visa transfers.Read more:Kuwait: Over 200,000 expats lose residency permits in one yearKuwait to reduce expats with new residency law within months: OfficialsKuwait restaurants strike back against over 60 expat ban, warn business under threat
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Kuwait to limit number of vehicles expats can register under their name

Airbnb plans to house 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free, Chief Executive Office Brian Chesky announced in a tweet on Tuesday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up,” Chesky said in a Twitter thread.The company will be paying for the stays, but the CEO said “the generosity of our hosts” has helped in making it happen.Chesky also called on other businesses to help with the crisis as “there’s no time to waste.”The vacation rentals company is working with community partners as well as NGOs and other organizations to “support the most pressing needs,” the company’s co-founder added.Thousands of people have been struggling to flee Afghanistan as the Taliban took over most regions of the country. In addition to foreigners and western army members, families of Afghans who worked alongside Americans and other foreign powers as interpreters and helped with other tasks have escaped the country, becoming refugees. Others are still struggling to leave as the August 31 evacuation deadline approaches.Read more: Ukraine FM denies report of evacuation plane hijacking Reasons why the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is problematic to the worldExtension to Kabul airport evacuation date unlikely: UK defense minister
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Airbnb announces plans to house 20,000 Afghan refugees globally

Israel has confiscated 23 tons of chocolate bars on their way to the Gaza Strip.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel seizes tons of chocolate it claims is being used to fund Hamas

The US had delivered military equipment to the Afghan National Army (ANA) just before the Taliban takeover, with the top 10 most expensive pieces alone totaling over $212 million dollars, according to a July 2021 report from the US government’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.In the past two decades, the US has spent billions of dollars on training and arming Afghan military forces in a bid to bring stability to the country. With the US withdrawing from the country, however, much equipment has been left behind, with some already falling into the hands of the Taliban after the extremist group seized control.The SIGAR report outlined the below top 10 most expensive pieces of military equipment delivered in the second quarter of the year during the months of April and June 2021:1. Six A-29 light attack aircraft: $133,512,7202. Nearly 200 M1151 HMMWV vehicles: $41,499,0003. Close to 100,000 2.75-inch rockets (ammunition): $18,480,4794. Over 60,000 40mm high-explosive rounds of ammunition: $4,563,0005. A total of 88,709 uniform shirts in various sizes: $3,597,1506. Ammunition including 884,880 .50 caliber cartridges: $2,703,6167. Over 300 hydraulic vehicle transmissions: $2,339,5848. Eighty-one diesel engines: $3,145,2339. Over two million 7.62 mm ammunition cartridges: $1,511,70010. Nearly five million 5.56 blank ammunition training cartridges: $1,039,115Videos of the Taliban parading in US-made armored vehicles, wielding US-supplied firearms and climbing on American Black Hawk helicopters after the defeat of Afghan government forces have surfaced in recent days.In its 16-month withdrawal the Pentagon reportedly removed “huge amounts of its own equipment from Afghanistan, and handed some of it to the Afghan army,” AFP reported.Over the course of the last few weeks the Taliban have seized control of most of the country, as well as any weapons and equipment left behind by fleeing Afghan forces.“Everything that hasn't been destroyed is the Taliban's now,” one US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters.However, it remains unclear how much of the US-supplied equipment fell into the hands of the extremist group that took over the country a lot faster than Western powers had expected.Current and former US officials said there is concern those weapons could be used to kill civilians, be seized by other extremists groups such as ISIS to attack US-interests in the region, or even potentially be handed over to adversaries including China and Russia, Reuters reported.Experts said the situation in Afghanistan has shown the US needs to better monitor equipment given to allies.UK-based Conflict Armament Researcher Justine Fleischner told Reuters that the US could have done more to ensure equipment delivered to Afghan forces was closely monitored and inventoried.The Taliban also managed to seize US military biometric equipment, sparking fears it could be used to identify allies of the West, according to media reports.With agenciesRead more: Airbnb announces plans to house 20,000 Afghan refugees globallyTaliban seize US war chest given to Afghan govt: Humvees, helicopters, drones, gunsUN warns Taliban ‘intensifying’ search for citizens who helped US in Afghanistan
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Top 10 most expensive US army equipment sent to Afghanistan before Taliban takeover

Israel fears that Iran and Hezbollah will take advantage of the economic and political crisis in Lebanon to tighten their hold on the country.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iran, Hezbollah, Lebanon top Bennett's agenda with Biden

Tunisia has tightened its security and military presence on its southeastern border with Libya after reports of the possible infiltration by Tunisian extremists..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Tunisia tightens security on Libyan border amid fears of terrorist infiltration

The head of Iran’s prison system acknowledged Tuesday that videos purportedly obtained by a self-described hacker group that show abuses at the Islamic Republic’s notorious Evin prison are real, saying he took responsibility for the displayed forms of “unacceptable behaviour.”..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iran admits videos of Evin prison abuses are true

The European Union has delayed by ten months this year’s funding to the Palestinian Authority.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: EU delays PA funding; salary payment in doubt as crisis deepens

A senior UN official has told the UN Security Council that no progress has yet been achieved in implementing the four-point plan to end the conflict in Yemen, noting that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels had set preconditions for their agreement..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UN reports no progress in Yemen settlement, humanitarian toll worsens