The Latest: China hosts virtual meeting on Afghanistan

BEIJING — China says it volition big a virtual gathering of Central and South Asian authorities leaders to sermon the concern successful Afghanistan.

The gathering of members of the China and Russia dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organization is scheduled for Thursday. Afghanistan is an perceiver subordinate of the grouping, but it wasn’t wide if immoderate representatives from the Taliban enactment would beryllium attending.

China hasn’t said whether it volition admit the caller Afghan authorities who person excluded extracurricular parties and women, though it has courted its enactment and kept its Kabul Embassy open.

The authorities and authorities media person accused the United States of destabilizing Afghanistan done what it calls a hasty and chaotic withdrawal of its troops, adjacent arsenic the Taliban swiftly overcame Afghan authorities forces implicit caller weeks.

China has utilized the Shanghai Cooperation to boost its lasting successful Central Asia done governmental dialog and associated subject exercises, aimed mostly astatine diminishing U.S. power successful the region.

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Beijing has besides called connected the Taliban to clasp to its pledge to restrain militants seeking independency for the traditionally Muslim northwestern portion of Xinjiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the radical to support borderline crossings open, portion offering $31 cardinal successful humanitarian assistance, on with 3 cardinal doses of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

— Afghan killed by drone praised by co-workers successful US assistance group

— Friction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies

— Iran resumes commercial flights to Afghanistan

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— Indiana Marine killed successful Afghanistan remembered arsenic hero

— AP Interview: UN exile main says Afghan stableness needed

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Impoverished Afghans surviving successful a long-abandoned subject compound successful the confederate metropolis of Kandahar accidental they’re devastated by the Taliban bid to expel them from their homes.

Several 100 staged a rally against the bid connected Monday, saying they person obscurity other to spell and that they had years agone paid erstwhile Afghan soldiers nether the array for the land.

The Taliban came to the compound aft the rally and forced respective of the protesters to leave. Their existent whereabouts are not known.

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Rabia, an Afghan widow who goes by 1 name, says she lives successful a two-room mud location successful the compound with her 5 children. She told The Associated Press she volition enactment enactment until the Taliban supply her with different spot to live.

“The Taliban privation maine to permission everything I built and bought behind, wherever would I spell with my children?” she said.

The Taliban person ordered implicit 2,500 families successful the compound to permission their houses and each their belongings truthful that Taliban fighters tin determination in.

“The families person received a deadline to permission with conscionable the apparel connected our backmost arsenic soon arsenic possible” said Imran, different nonmigratory of the compound.

Fazil Mohammad, 1 of the archetypal Afghans who settled successful the compound said has nary wealth to spell determination else. “I cannot adjacent spend a structure present to determination into that.” He said helium was blessed erstwhile the Taliban took over, citing corruption of the erstwhile government, but that helium is present disappointed.

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The compound was abandoned successful 2001, aft the U.S.-led penetration to oust the Taliban, erstwhile Afghan soldiers who lived determination moved into facilities astatine the Kandahar airport. Over the years, the compound grew arsenic displaced Afghans settled there, bought pieces of onshore and built houses.

The Taliban media main for Kandahar, Rahmatullah Naraiwal, said Wednesday that the Afghan families whitethorn proceed surviving successful the compound, pending a reappraisal of the substance by the Taliban leadership.

However, helium said they are not allowed to clasp rallies and that their protestation was illegal. The Taliban are prepared to wage them but cannot supply them with an alternate spot to stay, helium added.

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