Latest news with #MinistryofInteriorAffairs
Euronews
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Poland blames Russia for arson attack on Warsaw shopping centre
Russia was behind the fire that completely destroyed a shopping centre in Warsaw last May, Poland has suggested. Moscow has in the past denied involvement in alleged arson and sabotage operations across Europe. 'We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed on X. Tusk said some perpetrators have been detained, adding that others have been identified by the authorities. 'We will get you all!' he vowed. The fire broke out at the shopping centre, located in an industrial area on Warsaw's northern edge, on 12 May, 2024. It burned down 1,400 shops, many of which were run by the city's Vietnamese community. Poland's Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior Affairs said the attack was 'organised and directed by a specific person residing in the Russian Federation' in a joint statement released on Sunday. The ministries added that Polish authorities have been working in cooperation with their Lithuanian counterparts, given that a number of people allegedly involved in the Warsaw shopping centre attack reportedly carried out 'acts of diversion' in Lithuania. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Monday that Poland would now close the Russian consulate in Krakow. 'In connection with evidence that it was Russian special services who committed the reprehensible act of sabotage against the shopping centre on Marywilska Street, I have decided to withdraw consent for the operation of the consulate of the Russian Federation in Krakow,' said Sikorski. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded by accusing Warsaw of 'deliberately' seeking to destroy relations between the two nations by 'acting against its citizens". 'An appropriate response to these inadequate steps will follow soon," Zakharova told Russia's state-owned news agency TASS. An EU-Ukraine Task Force to boost defence industries' ties is meeting for the first time on Monday with Brussels keen to replicate Kyiv's innovation and production prowesses since the beginning of Russia's aggression. "Today, we announce the creation of the inter-institutional EU-Ukraine Task Force. And today Ukrainian and European experts of that group will convene for the very first meeting to assist integration of our defence industries, to facilitate development of joint projects or joint procurement processes," Andrius Kubilius, the European commissioner for defence and space, told the second edition of the EU-Ukraine Defence Industry Forum. Supply chain issues and capability areas identified as priorities including explosives and drones are of particular interest for the group. "We need to learn from Ukraine how to create a drone production and operation infrastructure," Kubilius said, adding that when it comes to drones "who needs integration more: Ukraine or Europe? My answer - Europe". According to the Ukrainian government, the country's annual defence production capacity is expected to reach €35 billion this year, a 35-fold increase from 2022 when Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale attack against its neighbour. Europe's industry, meanwhile, initially struggled to ramp up, infamously missing a target to produce one million ammunition rounds within 12 months. It's now on course to produce two million rounds this year. Ukraine's defence companies are not only battle-tested, but also "fast", " modern", and able to produce at "half the price" compared to their European counterparts, Kubilius said. "There is a need for Europeans not only to buy weapons from Ukraine and for Ukraine. There is a clear need for Europeans to buy technologies, know-how of production and of management systems from Ukraine for our own European defence industries," he also said. Alexander Kamyshin, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told the same forum that the conflict will go down in history "as the first world drone war". Ukraine, he added, has had "substantial success in manufacturing all types of unmanned systems" and now has "a solution for AI-driven auto-targeting for aerial strike drones". "The next big thing is the swarms of drones, coordinated attack capability." "We are ready to share what our industry learnt in this war with you, our strategic partners," he said, adding: "We're here to build the arsenal of the free world together." The EU is planning to pour hundreds of billions of euros into the defence sector over the coming four years, including up to €650 billion through additional fiscal space and €150 billion via a new loan programme, called SAFE, aimed at boosting joint procurement of European-made capabilities, and from which Ukraine and its companies can benefit too. Member states are currently negotiating the parameters of SAFE and are expected to conclude talks before the end of the month. It will then take over six months for the first disbursements to come through. The Commission is meanwhile holding a Strategic Dialogue with the EU-based industry this week, followed by an Implementation Dialogue towards the end of May and a simplification omnibus for the sector in mid-June. An Industry Outlook plan, based on national capability targets provided by member states, is meanwhile expected to be released in late June, when EU leaders are also set to approve common European flagship projects in defence. "Peace through strength will come from production power and brain power. To stop Putin, we need to produce more, we need to innovate more, and we need to do that together: in the EU and with Ukraine," Kubilius said.
Al Jazeera
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US lifts $10m reward for major Taliban leader Haqqani
The United States has lifted a $10m reward for information leading to the arrest of a major Taliban leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, an Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesperson says. Despite the announcement on Saturday, the FBI still lists the reward on its website, saying Haqqani was 'believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan'. The move comes after the Taliban on Thursday released a US citizen who had been kept in captivity for two years. The release of George Glezmann, who was abducted while travelling as a tourist in Afghanistan in December 2022, marks the third time a US detainee has been freed by the Taliban since January. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Glezmann's release represented a 'positive and constructive step'. He also thanked Qatar for its 'instrumental' role in securing the release. The Taliban has previously described the release of US detainees as part of its global 'normalisation' effort. The group remains an international pariah since its lightning takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. No country has officially recognised the Taliban government although several countries continue to operate diplomatic facilities in the country. The Taliban takeover came as former US President Joe Biden's administration oversaw a withdrawal outlined by the first administration of President Donald Trump. The US president had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020 to end the war in Afghanistan, and he agreed to a 14-month deadline to withdraw US troops and allied forces. The agreement was contentious for leaving out the Western-backed Afghan government, which was toppled during the chaotic US exit from the country in 2021. Haqqani, the son of a famed commander from the war against the Soviets, was head of the powerful Haqqani Network, a US-designated 'terror group' long viewed as one of the most dangerous armed groups in Afghanistan. It is infamous for its use of suicide bombers and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years. The network is also accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom, including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, released in 2014. Haqqani had continued to be on the US radar even after the Taliban takeover. In 2022, a US drone strike in Kabul killed then-al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The house in which al-Zawahiri was killed was a home for Haqqani, according to US officials.
Al Jazeera
03-03-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Pakistani and Afghan forces clash at vital border crossing
At least one person has been killed as Pakistani and Afghan security forces have traded fire at the recently closed main border crossing between the two countries. Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs confirmed on Monday that one member of its security forces had been killed and two injured in the overnight clashes at the Torkham crossing, a vital transit point that Pakistan closed last month after disputing its neighbour's construction of a new border post. Two Pakistani security officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the news agency Reuters that members of their security forces had been wounded in the clashes. The conflict erupted on the first working day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan. The fighting stranded about 5,000 trucks filled with essential goods on both sides of the border in harsh winter conditions. The conflict could exacerbate the challenges confronting the crisis-hit Afghan economy at a time when millions of people are at risk of hunger and about half the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations. In the past, both countries have closed Torkham and the southwestern Chaman border crossing after deadly shootings and crossfire. Pakistan said it faces attacks from Afghan soil – a charge the Taliban government denies. In December, Pakistani military aircraft carried out strikes that killed dozens of people on Afghan territory. Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Kabul, accused Pakistan on Monday of initiating the overnight violence, after which Afghan security forces went into 'defensive mode' and responded after attempts at dialogue failed. A Pakistani official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the Taliban opened fire unprovoked, targeting Pakistan's border post with automatic weapons. Pakistani personnel returned fire, the official said. So far, the closure of Torkham has caused at least $15m in losses, according to Yousaf Afridi, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan's Khyber district, where the crossing is located. Shakirullah Safi, the chief executive of the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Investment in Afghanistan, said Afghan traders were losing $500,000 a day because of the closure.
Express Tribune
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Taliban hint at releasing British couple
The Taliban has told the BBC it will endeavour to release two British nationals who have been arrested and held in Afghanistan "as soon as possible". Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested on 1 February while returning to their home in the country's Bamiyan province. An American national and an Afghan were also arrested alongside the couple, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. In a statement, Taliban official Abdul Mateen Qani said: "A series of considerations is being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible." Earlier in London, their daughter urged the British government to do everything possible to secure their release. Speaking to Times Radio on Monday, Entwistle said her parents had initially kept in touch via text messages following their detention - assuring their four children that they were fine - before losing all contact three days later. (With additional input from Reuters)
BBC News
24-02-2025
- BBC News
Taliban to 'endeavour' to release British couple 'as soon as possible'
The Taliban has told the BBC it will "endeavour" to release two British nationals who have been arrested and held in Afghanistan "as soon as possible".Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested on 1 February while returning to their home in the country's Bamiyan American national and an Afghan were also arrested, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs said."A series of considerations is being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible," they added. Mr and Mrs Reynolds had been running training projects in Afghanistan for 18 years. The reason for their arrest has not been daughter, Sarah Entwistle, told the BBC she had not heard from her parents in more than two UK's Foreign Office said on Sunday it was aware two British nationals had been detained in Afghanistan.
