At least three people have been killed and seven injured in an explosion at a hotel in Afghanistan's south-eastern Khost province.
Residents of Khost and Waziri refugees were among those killed on Monday, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The explosion took place about 11am, he said. An investigation was continuing into the nature of the blast.
Khost is the largest city in Afghanistan's south-east, lying on the border with Pakistan. It is rife with militant attacks and houses a number of refugees from Pakistan's Waziristan.
Pakistan, where militant attacks are spilling over from Afghanistan, has complained the Taliban are not doing enough to fight armed groups. The Taliban say they have been cracking down on ISIS cells in the country.
It was not immediately clear who was behind Monday's incident.
The blast happened a day before the two-year anniversary of the Taliban's return to power.
More than 1,000 Afghan civilians have been killed in bombings and other acts of violence since the Taliban took over the capital Kabul in 2021, the UN mission to Afghanistan said in a June report.
Most of the deaths were caused by improvised explosives in areas near mosques and markets.
Afghanistan continues to face security challenges, particularly from ISIS. The UN has said the terrorist group is responsible for most of the attacks.
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Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
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Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
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2/5
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Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
