The Taliban has released a statement urging Russia and Ukraine to use “restraint” and find a “peaceful” way to resolve the conflict.
The new government in Afghanistan expressed concern about the potential loss of civilian life if the situation continues to escalate.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and expresses concern about real possibility of civilian casualties,” the statement, which the Taliban government spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi posted on Twitter, began. “The Islamic Emirate calls for restraint by both parties. All sides need to desist from taking positions that could intensify violence.”
Statement concerning crisis in #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/Ck17sMrAWy
— Abdul Qahar Balkhi (@QaharBalkhi) February 25, 2022
The Taliban added that “in line with its foreign policy of neutrality,” Afghanistan calls for “both sides of the conflict to resolve the crisis through dialogue and peaceful means.”
“The Islamic Emirate also calls on parties to the conflict to pay attention to safeguarding the lives of Afghan students and migrants in Ukraine,” the statement continued.
Fox News notes that there are at least 149 Ukrainian scholarships, fellowships, and grants for Afghan students, according to the website We Make Scholars.
Less than a year ago, the Taliban took over Kabul after President Joe Biden withdrew American troops in August 2021. They had promised to grant amnesty to those involved with the previous government.
Last month, the United Nations announced that they have received “credible allegations” that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces, and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the takeover began.
Russian forces entered the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday following reports of the nation’s army shelling the separatist-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Both sides have blamed each other for violating the ceasefire agreement.
On Monday, Russia recognized the independence of the “People’s Republics” Donetsk and Lugansk, both of which remained technically part of Ukraine, but largely under Moscow’s rule.
“The self-proclaimed ‘People’s Republics’ of Donetsk and Luhansk were formed in spring 2014, following Ukraine’s pro-Western opposition protests and a change of leadership in Kyiv. Today, these areas take in about a third of the Donbas region and the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. Like Germany’s Ruhr Valley, these areas were very densely populated. Some six to seven million people used to live there,” DW explained.
The report added that “since the conflict broke out, millions of people have left the separatist areas. A majority of the civilians fled to Ukraine, hundreds of thousands to Russia.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has called on all citizens to join the military and has lifted age restrictions.
“Today, Ukraine needs everything. All procedures for joining are simplified,” the ministry tweeted. “Bring only your passport and identification number. There are no age restrictions,” the department tweeted.
✅Офіційна заява Командувача Сил ТрО Юрія Галушкіна:
‼️Сьогодні Україні потрібні всі. Всі процедури приєднання до ТрО спрощені. З собою мати лише паспорт та ідентифікаційний код. Вікових обмежень немає.
Якщо у вас на місцях будуть проблеми, посилайтесь на цю офіційну заяву.
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 25, 2022
