UN Chief Calls for Afghan Ceasefire and Inclusive Peace

Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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UN Chief Calls for Afghan Ceasefire and Inclusive Peace

Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Tuesday for an "immediate, unconditional ceasefire" in Afghanistan to create a conducive environment for Doha peace talks with the Taliban.

"An inclusive process, in which women, young people, and victims of conflict are meaningfully represented, offers the best hope of sustainable peace," Guterres told an Afghanistan conference in Geneva. "Progress toward peace will contribute to the development of the entire region, and is a vital step towards the safe, orderly, and dignified return of millions of displaced Afghans."

Top officials including the UN secretary-general and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were taking part in the largely virtual pledging conference for Afghanistan on Tuesday, the latest effort to drum up aid and support for a country where Taliban fighters are making inroads against the government.

The gathering in Geneva, co-hosted by Finland, was expected to draw diplomats, civil society advocates, and international organizations from over 70 countries in the first such event in four years.

"Today is the day to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Afghanistan," said Tatiana Valovaya, the head of the UN office in Geneva that is co-hosting the conference.

The pledging conference, overshadowed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeks to lay out objectives for the next four years for Afghanistan is expected to generate billions for the poor and insurrection-wracked nation.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urged the international community to continue supporting Afghanistan on Tuesday even as he acknowledged that donors are likely to cut aid under the strain of Covid-19.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown us all into a state of global uncertainty," Ghani said from Kabul.

"We are exceptionally grateful that at a time of such collective suffering... your commitment to Afghanistan remains strong.

"We ask our international partners to help us do more with less... Financial resources -- aid -- will continue to be critical to our growth for the foreseeable future."

The European Union pledged to maintain its commitment of 1.2 billion euros ($1.43 billion)to Afghanistan.

"In 2016, the EU showed its strong commitment to Afghanistan by pledging 1.2 billion euros over a four-year period," said Jutta Urpilainen, the European Commissioner in charge of International Partnerships.

"It is my pleasure to announce today that we are ready to keep this level of support for the next four years." ($1 = 0.8413 euros)



7 more Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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7 more Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday, Reuters reported.

“We pray for God’s mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out “inspections and evaluations” and attend a ceremony as the soldiers were flown to their hometowns for burial.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guler commended the troops' “great courage and sacrifice,” adding: “Our grief is immense and our feelings are beyond words.”

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region” — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.