Kabul, October 18 – Afghanistan has withdrawn from the upcoming T20 Tri-Nation Series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka following the killing of three Afghan cricketers in a deadly attack in Paktika province, calling it a “cowardly act orchestrated by the Pakistani regime.”

As per agency report, the series was scheduled to take place between November 17 and 29 in Rawalpindi and Lahore. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced its withdrawal in a strongly worded statement, expressing deep sorrow over the deaths of players Kabir, Sibgatullah, and Haroon. The cricketers, along with five others, were killed in Paktika’s Argun district while returning from a friendly match in Sharana, the provincial capital. Seven others were reportedly injured in the incident.

The ACB condemned the attack, terming it a grave loss for Afghanistan’s sporting community, particularly for its cricket fraternity. The board stated that in solidarity with the victims and as a mark of protest, Afghanistan would not participate in the tri-nation tournament to be held in Pakistan next month. The statement further expressed prayers for the martyrs and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

Reports indicate that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, specifically targeting the districts of Argun and Bermal, which also led to the collapse of a ceasefire between the two neighboring countries.

Star Afghan spinner Rashid Khan condemned the airstrikes, expressing grief over the civilian casualties caused by what he described as unjust and inhumane attacks. In a statement shared on social media platform X, Rashid said that targeting civilian areas was immoral and a violation of human rights. He affirmed his support for the ACB’s decision to boycott the upcoming series with Pakistan, emphasizing that nothing was more important than the dignity of his nation.

Former Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib also voiced outrage, calling the attack in Paktika’s Argun district a cruel act that claimed the lives of several innocent civilians and cricketers. He described it as an assault on Afghanistan’s pride and freedom, asserting that such acts would not weaken the Afghan spirit.

All-rounder Samiullah Shinwari expressed sorrow over the loss of the young players, stating that the attack by Pakistani forces after a friendly match was a tragic moment for the entire country and the cricket community. He extended condolences to the families of the victims and to the people of Paktika, vowing that their sacrifice would never be forgotten.

Washington – Amid escalating tensions and heavy cross-border shelling between Pakistan and Afghanistan, US President Donald Trump has made a striking statement claiming that he can resolve the ongoing conflict between the two neighboring countries. As per agency report, Trump made the remarks while speaking to the media before departing for Egypt, where he asserted that ending wars has become one of his specialties.

The US President said this would be the eighth war he would help bring to an end, adding that he was aware of the ongoing clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He remarked that he had told his aides to wait for his return, as he was in the process of resolving another war and was confident that he could settle this one too. Trump emphasized that he is “an expert at ending wars,” highlighting his past record of mediating long-standing international conflicts.

Speaking further, Trump referred to India’s Operation Sindoor and mentioned that several global conflicts had been ongoing for decades, with one lasting 31 years, another 32 years, and yet another 37 years, resulting in millions of deaths. He claimed that he managed to resolve most of them within a single day, calling it “a great achievement.”

Trump also commented on Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that his own efforts were not motivated by the pursuit of awards but by a desire to save lives. He revealed that Machado had personally called him to express that she accepted the prize in his honor, recognizing his contribution to peace efforts.

During his media interaction, Trump mentioned several international disputes he claimed to have successfully mediated during his leadership, including those between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Rwanda and Congo.

Kabul : A massive avalanche ripped through a village in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province on Monday, leaving at least 25 people dead and burying an estimated 30 alive under a thick blanket of snow and debris.

The village of Nakare in Tatin Valley was struck overnight, with homes collapsing under the sudden weight of snow and rubble. Rescue efforts are currently underway, but harsh weather conditions and blocked roads are posing significant challenges.

"About 20 houses have been razed to the ground," said Jamiullah Hashimi, the provincial head of information and culture. "Many families have been displaced. There has been widespread destruction in the village."

Helicopters are unable to land in the area due to heavy snowfall, further hampering rescue efforts. "It is noteworthy that this is a rugged mountainous area in Nuristan province located on the border of Pakistan," said Maulvi Mohammad Nabi Adel, head of public works. "It is susceptible to natural disasters."

Officials fear the death toll could rise as rescue crews work tirelessly to clear the debris and locate survivors. "25 to 30 bodies are still buried under the debris of six houses," Hashimi added.

Tragically, this is not the only avalanche to strike Afghanistan in recent days. An avalanche in Panjshir province also claimed the lives of two miners, with one additional person injured.

This devastating event highlights the vulnerability of many Afghan communities to natural disasters, particularly in mountainous regions. With snowfall expected to continue, concerns remain for further avalanches and their potential impact.

Moscow, Jan 21 (IANS) Taliban on Sunday said that the Russian business jet which crashed in Afghanistan in Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan had seven Russians on board.

Taliban Spokesman Abdul Wahid Rayan said that the crash happened due to the engine failure.

“The plane crashed due to an engine failure. There were seven Russians on board. The aircraft belonged to a Moroccan firm,” Abdul Wahid Rayan wrote on X.

Tolo News reported that the head of local Information and Culture Department Zabihullah Amiri said that a search team has been sent to the area.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency or Rosaviatsiya has said that the aircraft was a Falcon 10 corporate jet and registered with a Russian company.

“The plane was en route from Gaya in India to Moscow’s Zhukovsky Airport, via Uzbek capital Tashkent. The aircraft initially departed from Thailand’s Utapao Airport,” Rosaviatsiya said.

It said that there were four crew members and two passengers on board.

Rosaviatsiya said that the plane was carrying out a medical evacuation from the Thai city of Pattaya of a Russian woman accompanied by her husband, according to the Russian Consulate in Bangkok.

It said that the Falcon 10 is an early business jet from the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation. It was produced between 1971 and 1989, but remains popular on the secondary market.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry in New Delhi said that it does not belong to an Indian carrier.

Initial media reports had incorrectly identified the plane as being an Indian passenger aircraft.

“The plane was neither an Indian scheduled nor a charter aircraft,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

The recent border clashes between Iran and Afghanistan have a really dreaded portent for the future, both at the local and global levels, besides being a pointer to how we have managed our environment resources in a foolish manner.

As per reports from the Iranian Tasnim News Agency, deadly clashes broke out between border guards and the Afghan soldiers in the border area encompassing the Zabul district of Sistan and Baluchestan province on the Iranian side and the Keng district of Nimruz province in Afghanistan.

The deadly clashes resulted in death of two Iranian border guards in clashes with Taliban forces, while the Iranians, on their part, claimed to have killed 12 Taliban soldiers.

Perplexingly, the issue over which tensions between the two neighbours ran high is how to divide the waters of the Helmand River, which the two nations must share.

Iran accuses Afghanistan's Taliban rulers of violating a 1973 treaty by restricting the flow of water from the Helmand River to Iran's parched eastern regions, an accusation denied by the Taliban.

China's Xinhua news agency reported that Iranian MP Hossein-Ali Shahriari, who represents Zahidan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province, charged the Taliban government in Afghanistan with stopping up the flow of the Helmand River and storing extra water in the Kamal Khan Dam and other reservoirs. He complained that the Afghans have recently built new dams that are storing water that would otherwise have flowed to Iran.

Though this development might be a shocking news to many, however this is not a new phenomenon but was bound to happen not just between Iran and Afghanistan but amongst other countries too. Journalist Fatemeh Aman wrote a good summary of this conflict for the Atlantic Council, noting that drought and climate change have exacerbated the tensions over water sharing.

Both countries have built dams on the Helmand and irrigated off it, often to raise water-hungry crops not suitable to this arid environment.

Fatemeh noted that Helmand is the longest river in Afghanistan, constituting over 40 per cent of Afghanistan's surface water. With 95 per cent of the Helmand located in Afghanistan, it is a critical source of livelihood for the country's southern and southwestern provinces. The river further flows into Iran's arid southwest to feed the Hamoun wetlands on the Iranian side and lakes on the Afghan side, but damming, irrigation, and drought have partially dried these up, creating conditions for toxic dust clouds.

As per environmentalists, Iran and Afghanistan are projected to heat up faster than the world average, twice as fast, in fact. Already, poor water management and extra heat have had a devastating effect on the Helmand basin. Extra heat dries out the soil and contributes to more intense and more frequent droughts. It also causes greater and more rapid evaporation of water from lakes and rivers.

The water resources are critical for people living in the increasingly drought-prone Sistan and Baluchestan region; in addition the Sistan wetland ecosystem also supports flamingos, pelicans, and other migratory birds. And while the history of conflict over the Helmand River is long, the scenario is similar to conflicts over water in other regions of the world. Many social scientists foresee water wars as a result. This border clash is a small omen of bigger conflicts to come.

Tensions between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the latter's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and Blue Nile River resources haven't been resolved in years, with both Egypt and Ethiopia threatening a military response at various points.

Last year, Russian troops destroyed a Dnieper River dam that diverted water away from Crimea and into Ukraine. Armed groups in Mali, Somalia and beyond destroyed water infrastructure needed by civilians. Mexico, Chile, Israel and Palestine, Kenya and Peru - the Water Conflict Chronology database lists hundreds of conflicts over water in the modern era, as well as across history.

Journal Sustainability Times quoting UN Statistical Division's data pertaining to 2019, reports that the number of water conflicts by different regions globally as of April 2022 runs up to more than 1100 conflicts.

Environmentalist Laureen Fagan in her report for Sustainability Times further quoted Dr. Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute in the US and author of The Three Ages of Water, as warning that the frequency of water-related conflicts has grown in the past two decades. That's due to violence in the Middle East, growing disputes during severe droughts over access to water in regions like Indian subcontinent and ethnic and community confrontations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Fagan further referred to a February 2023 paper on the database, co-authored by Shimabuku and published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, saying that it's the uneven access to fresh water around the world that makes it a strategic priority during conflict, as is the case along the Iran-Afghanistan border.

Gleick and Morgan are of the view that social, economic, and political challenges associated with freshwater resources pose a variety of severe risks to communities around the world, from water-related diseases, to crop failures, to ecological destruction, to actual violence, the risks and incidences of water-related conflicts in recent years, are on the rise, and the factors driving such violence appear to be worsening. We need to understand the root causes of water conflicts and more effective strategies for reducing their probability and consequences.

Increasing tensions over water resources point out to the emergence of a new dimension to the global geopolitics, adding to the regional and neighbourly rivalries.

Now indeed the time seems to be apt to work cohesively to find a collective solution to the global demand & supply and sharing of water resources, besides taking a conscious, serious and determined approach to care more for our environment instead of just hollow talks, which seem to have become the trend of most global environmental agencies and plans. If indeed we do not act even now, then it may be too late when the real wars due to scarce water resources start erupting across the globe.

(Asad Mirza is a delhi-based senior political commentator.)