Erdogan
Khaama: Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Shehbaz Sharif that Turkey supports a return to diplomatic channels in the Middle East crisis and is ready to back efforts to restore a ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey said Erdogan condemned recent “terrorist attacks” in Pakistan during Tuesday’s call and stressed the need for diplomatic engagement to prevent further bloodshed. Click here to read more (external link).
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- Pakistani shelling hits east as border fighting enters seventh day
- Pakistani Border Forces Strike Taliban Positions In Zabul
- UN says border fighting has displaced 66,000 in Afghanistan
- Taliban Claims Dozens Of Pakistani Soldiers Killed Or Wounded
- Pakistan’s Airstrikes and Taliban’s Ground Fire: Who Holds the Key to Ending This War?
- The Taliban-Pakistan War: Young Men Forced to the Front Lines With Coercion and Cash, Families Left Behind in Tears
Khaama: The Government of the United Kingdom said it has suspended the issuance of student visas for citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, as well as work visas for Afghan nationals. Shabana Mahmood said in a statement on Tuesday, March 3, that Britain will continue to offer refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, but the visa system must not be exploited. The Home Office said asylum applications from students of those countries rose by more than 470% between 2021 and 2025. It added that a significant portion of individuals seeking asylum legally had initially entered Britain on student visas. 
The Guardian (UK): For the millions of Afghans living in Pakistan – many of them journalists, activists or former government officials who fled Taliban rule – the rising tension is translating into fear at their doorsteps. Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, says returning to their country will put them at “real risk of violent retaliatory attacks”. 
Amu: At least 110 civilians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Pakistani air and missile strikes since cross-border clashes began six days ago, a Taliban spokesman claimed Tuesday, offering a sharply higher toll than previously reported by the United Nations. Hamdullah Fitrat, Taliban deputy spokesman, told a news conference that 65 of the dead were women and children and that 123 other civilians had been wounded. He said the casualties resulted from airstrikes and mortar fire. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported 42 civilian deaths during the same period, a figure far lower than the Taliban’s claim. 
Ariana: Local officials in Afghanistan’s Kunar province have reported that an airstrike conducted by Pakistani forces in Khas Kunar district resulted in the death of three children. The attack, which struck a return refugee camp in the Hajratabad area, also left another two children injured. 
Amu: Afghanistan’s national cricket team will play a Test match and a three-match One-Day International series against India in June 2026, according to a schedule announced Monday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The one-off Test between Afghanistan and India will be held in New Chandigarh from June 6 to June 10. The ODI series will begin on June 14 in Dharamshala, followed by matches in Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20. All ODI matches will start at 1:30 p.m. local time.