The Latest: Albania says another group of Afghans arrives
Sep 24, 2021, 1:04 PM | Updated: Sep 25, 2021, 11:11 am
Taliban fighters enjoy a boat ride in the Qargha dam, outskirt of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
TIRANA, Albania — Albanian authorities say that another group of Afghans on Saturday arrived in the country fleeing their homeland after the Taliban took power there.
The Foreign Ministry said that 259 children, women and men have arrived from Mazar Al Sharif “following coordination with our partners.”
“Now they have a safe shelter once again reconfirming Albania’s seriousness and commitment to save hundreds of Afghans,” it said in a statement.
Albania has accommodated all the 903 Afghans who have come so far in hotels.
The government has said it may house up to 4,000 Afghans temporarily, before they travel on to countries for longer-term settlement.
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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:
— Taliban official: Strict punishment, executions will return
— Under Taliban, thriving Afghan music scene heads to silence
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
KABUL, Afghanistan — A Taliban official says a roadside bomb has hit a Taliban car in the capital of eastern Nangarhar province wounding at least one person.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing Saturday. The Islamic State group affiliate, which is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan, has said it was behind similar attacks in Jalalabad last week that killed 12 people.
Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Hanif said the person wounded in the attack is a municipal worker.
An official at Nangarhar provincial hospital said the bomb killed a Taliban militant and wounded seven others, including four civilians. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to media.
The Taliban have battled with IS since its emergence in Afghanistan in 2014. The burgeoning IS affiliate has claimed responsibility for most recent attacks, including the horrific bombing outside the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service personnel and 169 Afghans during last month’s chaotic evacuations.
— Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul
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