Pakistan attacks kill 36 says Afghan Taliban

Today’s headlines: Tehran and Washington “suspend” military action following the clashes of recent days; the truce holds; Seoul and Tokyo renew their cooperation on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula; Sheikh Hasina promises to return to Bangladesh by “the end of this year”; Politicians and senior officials have been arrested as part of an anti-corruption campaign led by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN

Pakistan has launched air strikes and sent ground troops into the Afghan provinces along its western border, killing dozens of civilians. The Taliban government in Kabul has condemned what it calls a “cowardly act” and “a crime and an atrocity” that is said to have caused the deaths of at least 36 civilians and left a further 163 injured. According to Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, 29 militants were killed, adding that the raids were a response to “recent terrorist attacks against innocent people”. Furthermore, the Pakistani media authority has suspended the licence of the GeoNews television channel for 15 days over content broadcast during a programme marking Muharram, one of the most sensitive periods in the Islamic calendar.

IRAN – UNITED STATES

The United States and Iran have suspended their respective military actions, following the exchanges of fire in recent days in the Strait of Hormuz, which also involved other countries in the region and threatened to undermine the truce. According to a US official, Washington and Tehran have also agreed to meet tomorrow in Doha, Qatar, to continue talks.

SOUTH KOREA - JAPAN

Seoul and Tokyo reaffirmed yesterday their commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to resume joint search-and-rescue exercises, marking a step forward in security ties between the neighbouring countries. Meeting in the South Korean capital, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi agreed to work towards regional stability both bilaterally and through their partnership with Washington. South Korea and Japan, backed by the United States, have been working to develop closer ties since 2022 and to overcome painful historical differences.

BANGLADESH

Sheikh Hasina has promised to return to her country by “this year”. The exiled former Prime Minister of Bangladesh made the statement in an interview published yesterday, months after being sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity.

Hasina, 78, fled to neighbouring India in August 2024 after a student uprising brought an end to her 15-year rule. She has not been seen in public since, apart from a rare address broadcast to a packed press club in New Delhi in January.

IRAQ

Yesterday morning, security forces arrested politicians and senior officials as part of a wider anti-corruption campaign ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Units from the Elite Counter-Terrorism Service raided homes within Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone during night-time operations, detaining at least 47 suspects, including members of parliament and government officials. Zaidi, who has been in office since May, has pledged to tackle deep-rooted corruption, which remains one of Iraq’s most persistent challenges.

INDONESIA

The Indonesian authorities have charged four people following an anti-government demonstration in the country’s second-largest city. Around 100 people gathered near a government building in Surabaya on 26 June to protest against rising fuel prices and the free school meals programme, which has been marred by mass food poisoning and allegations of corruption. Some demonstrators threw objects, including firecrackers and stones, prompting police to take “firm action” to disperse them. Protests broke out in several cities in early June after the government raised the price of unsubsidised petrol by around 30 per cent, in an attempt to ease pressure on the state budget as the war in the Middle East chokes global oil supplies.

RUSSIA – CHINA

Russian energy giant Gazprom has pledged to launch a new gas export route from the Russian Far East to China in early 2027, as announced by Chairman Aleksey Miller during the annual shareholders’ meeting. He explained that, since last year, Gazprom has become the largest exporter of gas to China. Deliveries via the Power of Siberia-1 pipeline have increased by a quarter compared with the previous year, reaching 38.8 billion cubic metres. For years, however, negotiations between Moscow and Beijing have been dragging on over the actual terms for the construction of the long-announced new Power of Siberia-2 pipeline.

KAZAKHSTAN – ASIA

Kazakhstan plans to build a cargo transhipment terminal in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, as announced by Deputy Prime Minister Serik Žumangarin, by leasing 15 hectares of land. The construction will not be funded from the state budget but carried out by private investors. The agreement is already being finalised, and the terms of the lease have been agreed. Bandar Abbas offers Kazakhstan direct access to the Persian Gulf and, further afield, to India, East Africa, the Gulf States and South-East Asia.