Military exercises led by Russia near the border Afghan

The Taliban government issues passports, discusses exporting to China, and awaits the arrival of aid

Russia, Tajikistan Conduct Joint Exercise near Tajik-Afghan border

The Taliban government resumed issuing passports to Afghan citizens, and began efforts to export pine nuts to China, and while Kabul expected the arrival of UN aid at a later time, a Russian-led military bloc began conducting maneuvers on the Tajik-Afghan border.

The Afghan Interim Government began issuing passports to some categories, according to a prior plan prepared for this purpose.

Under this plan, patients, students, journalists, athletes and some government employees will obtain passports in the first stage, with passports issued to others at a later stage.

The head of the Passport Department, Alem Gul Haqqani, said, "The passport is a right for every Afghan, and we will give it to everyone who deserves and has the identification papers for that, and we have no problem, and we will spare no effort to secure passports for those who request them."

He explained that the government issues 4,000 passports daily, and will not prevent anyone from traveling abroad.

In front of a post office, Afghan citizen Zabihullah Barwani said, "I came here and they said that you need documents from the hospital, the Ministry of Health and others to prove your mother's illness. It took 4 days to collect the necessary documents."

As for Haseeb, he sees himself as one of the lucky ones. He has received his family's passports and will seek to get out of the country.

On the economic side, the Afghan Foreign Minister discussed with the Chinese ambassador in Kabul the resumption of the export of pine nuts from Afghanistan to China.

A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry conveyed the Chinese side's affirmation of its readiness to provide assistance in this field.

Russians at the border

In a related matter, a security bloc led by Russia began today, Monday, the largest military exercises in years near the Tajik-Afghan border.

The exercises come amid cross-border tension ahead of talks between Afghanistan's new Taliban leaders and major regional powers.

The defense ministries of Russia and Tajikistan said that more than 5,000 soldiers - more than half of them Russian - will participate in the exercises conducted by the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

In contrast to Afghanistan's other northern neighbors who recognized the leadership of the Taliban and began to establish working relations with Kabul; Tajikistan has refused to recognize the movement, and there are reports of military build-ups on both sides of the border.

The 6-day exercises follow a series of smaller-scale exercises that Russia and its Central Asian allies conducted on the Afghan border last August and September.

Russia fears the possibility of "radical Islamists" infiltrating it from the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, which Moscow considers a defensive fortress on its southern borders.

Russia operates a military base in Tajikistan, a republic of the former Soviet Union. Russia recently confirmed that it would help Tajikistan in the event of any infiltration of its territory across the border.

A high-ranking Taliban delegation is due to visit Moscow this week for talks that will also include China, Pakistan, India and Iran, although a senior Russian official was quoted as saying he did not expect any major results from the visit.

100 tons

On the humanitarian side, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced sending more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Uzbekistan, in preparation for sending it to the needy in Afghanistan.

A statement issued by the UNHCR office in Central Asia said that the aid - which was sent during the last three days - arrived at an airport that symbolizes on the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

The statement added that the aid arrived on board 3 planes, and includes basic needs that will be transported to the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, via trucks.

The first batch of UN aid to Afghanistan arrived at the Uzbek Tarmuz airport in mid-October.