War in Afghanistan

Since Taliban fighters seized control of Afghanistan last year after ousting the US-backed government, the number of bombings has fallen but the jihadist and Sunni ISIL has continued with attacks -- often against Shiite targets.

Earlier this week, at least six people were killed in twin blasts that hit a boys' school in a Shiite neighbourhood of Kabul.

It is disingenuous given how Turkey both legitimized & encouraged the Taliban in Afghanistan & has positioned itself as a hub for Russian sanctions evasion

Afghanistan's main universities have reopened six months after the Taliban returned to power, but only a trickle of women went back to now-segregated classes.

The Taliban insist they will allow girls and women to be educated this time around, but only in segregated classes and according to an Islamic curriculum.

Turkish deputy foreign minister on Feb. 25 announced the evacuation plan for Turkish nationals in Ukraine via land borders.

"We have started our evacuation operations by land from Ukraine," Yavuz Selim Kıran wrote on Twitter.

Additional US troops on alert in Eastern Europe will not be part of the 8,000 US troops ready to support the NATO Response Force, said Defense Secretary John Kirby.

The United States has put 8,500 troops on High Alert to be Sent in Europe

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered Pentagon officials on Jan. 27 to undertake reforms to reduce the number of civilian deaths from military strikes after multiple unjustified fatal incidents.

Brussels – EU foreign ministers were clear as they met in Brussels on Monday that any aggresion by Russia against Ukraine will have political consequences and a high economic cost, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, while Slovenian FM Anže Logar added that there was a general awareness of the gravity of the situation.

International donors agreed to release $280 million in aid to Afghanistan, the World Bank has said, after repeated warnings that more than half the population face "acute" food shortages this winter.

The United States on Dec. 4 led a group of Western nations and allies in condemnation of the Taliban over the "summary killings" of former members of the Afghan security forces reported by rights groups, demanding quick investigations.

National Geographic magazine's famed green-eyed "Afghan Girl" has arrived in Italy as part of the West's evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said on Nov. 25.