The Taliban have killed or wounded more than 400 Afghan security staff in the past week, the interior ministry said on Sunday, accusing the insurgents of increasing attacks before planned peace talks.
Violence had dropped across much of Afghanistan since the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire on May 24 to mark the Eid Al Fitr holiday, but officials have accused the insurgents of stepping up attacks in the past few days.
“In the past one week, the Taliban carried out 222 attacks against the Afghan security forces, resulting in the death and injury of 422” people, interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said at a press conference.
He accused the Taliban of attacking religious scholars to put “psychological pressure” on the Afghan government.
Bomb attacks on mosques in Kabul that killed two prayer leaders this month were the work of the insurgents, Mr Arian said.
“This has been the goal of the Taliban, to target religious scholars, especially in the past two weeks,” Mr Arian said.
He accused the militants of being an “umbrella group for other terrorist networks”.
Four people, including a prayer leader, were killed on Friday when a blast ripped through a mosque in Kabul during a service.
No group claimed that assault, which occurred about a week after an ISIS-claimed attack at a mosque on the edge of Kabul’s heavily fortified Green Zone killed a prominent prayer leader.
The Taliban condemned both attacks.
After initially reporting a drop in overall violence following the ceasefire, National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal on Sunday said the Taliban “have not reduced, but rather increased their attacks across the country”.
The council on Saturday also charged that the insurgents had killed 89 civilians and wounded 150 in the past two weeks.
The accusations come after the government and Taliban signalled that they were getting closer to launching long-delayed peace talks.
President Ashraf Ghani has vowed to complete a Taliban prisoner release, a condition for beginning the negotiations with the insurgents aimed at ending almost two decades of war.
The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities since February, when they signed a deal with Washington meant to pave the way for the talks.
But seven police officers were killed when their checkpoint was attacked in central Afghanistan on Friday, officials said, blaming the Taliban for the assault.
The attack happened late on Friday in the district of Pasaband, in Ghor province, said district police chief Fakhruddin, who goes by one name.
“They killed seven police officers and wounded one. One policeman is missing,” he said.
The suspected Taliban attackers had seized guns and ammunition, he said.
The attack was confirmed by the deputy governor of Ghor, Habibullah Radmanish, who also blamed the insurgent group.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
Naga
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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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