Category: Middle East

EU Neighbors Jointly Rebuke Belarus for Illegal Migrant Surge

WARSAW—The leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia came together on Saturday to condemn Belarus for allowing migrants to illegally cross its borders into the European Union. “All European Union member states have a duty to protect borders and to stop illegal entries,” read a Polish government statement published after a video conference of the…


Greece Erects Steel Wall Along Turkish Border Over Afghan Migration Fears

Greece has completed the construction of a 25-mile (40-km) long steel wall and a new surveillance system along the border with Turkey amid concerns about a possible surge of illegal immigrants trying to reach Europe following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan this month. “Our borders remain secure and inviolable. The new boundary wall has been completed…


Pakistan Suicide Bomber Targets Chinese Workers, 2 Kids Die

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Aug. 20 near a vehicle carrying Chinese workers in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing two Pakistani children playing by the roadside, the interior ministry and police said. A Chinese and two other Pakistanis were wounded in the attack in Baluchistan province. Hours after the bombing, the separatist Baluch Liberation…


Pakistan Suicide Bomber Targets Chinese Workers, 2 Children Die

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Aug. 20 near a vehicle carrying Chinese workers in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing two Pakistani children playing by the roadside, the interior ministry and police said. A Chinese and two other Pakistanis were wounded in the attack in Baluchistan province. Hours after the bombing, the separatist Baluch Liberation…


US Tells Americans to Avoid Traveling to Kabul Airport Because of ‘Potential Security Threats’

Americans in Afghanistan were told Saturday not to go to the airport in Kabul to evacuate unless they receive a specific message to do so. “Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this…


Family Begs for Return of American Captured by Taliban

Relatives of an American being held captive the Taliban terrorist group is calling on the Biden administration to secure his release. Mark Frerichs was kidnapped by the Taliban in January of 2020 while working as a contractor in Afghanistan. The Taliban took over the country this month after the United States pulled out most of its…


EU Says No Recognition of Taliban, No Political Talks

BRUSSELS—The European Union has not recognized the Taliban, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, nor is it holding political talks with the militants, a week after they seized control of Afghanistan. The Taliban completed a lightning takeover of Afghanistan on Sunday, walking into the capital Kabul without firing a shot. The…


UK in Race to Evacuate Britons and Afghans as Biden Sets Rescue Deadline

The UK is in a race against time to help British nationals and supportive Afghans leave Afghanistan as the U.S. president suggested rescue missions must be completed within 10 days. President Joe Biden, at a press conference on Friday, signalled U.S. efforts to rescue American citizens could wrap up at the end of the month,…


Europe Fears Afghan Refugee Crisis After Taliban Takeover

HANGEDIGI, Turkey—From above, the new border wall separating Turkey from Iran looks like a white snake winding through the barren hills. So far it only covers a third of the 540-kilometer (335-mile) border, leaving plenty of gaps for migrants to slip across in the dead of night. Traffic on this key migration route from central…


Aug. 31 Afghanistan Deadline Fueling ‘Chaos and Panic,’ Bipartisan Lawmakers Say

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers with military backgrounds took part in a roundtable on Aug. 20 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, urging the White House to extend its evacuation efforts beyond the Kabul airport, while arguing the Aug. 31 deadline is helping to fuel the chaos on the ground. Four members of Congress…