Britain's Prince Harry has condemned an attack that killed 10 people working for a mine-clearing charity in Afghanistan.
They worked for the Halo Trust, which is known for the support of the prince and his mother Princess Diana.
Sixteen others were injured in Tuesday’s attack, which was carried out by militants at a camp in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province.
Prince Harry described the attack as “nothing less than an act of barbarism”.
“These workers put their lives on the line every day to make the world a safer place,” he said.
“This brutal act reminds us that we must stand in solidarity with humanitarian aid workers and the communities they serve.”
About 110 men from communities in northern Afghanistan were in the camp after working on nearby minefields.
The prince said they “came from the very communities in which they work”.
“They joined Halo to protect and restore their country and their homes,” he said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned what he said was a heinous attack.
Halo had a strong partnership with the UN aimed at clearing explosives to “better the lives of vulnerable people”, he said.
The Duke of Sussex is a longstanding supporter of the trust, which came to prominence after Princess Diana’s 1997 visit to an Angolan minefield cleared by the charity.
Months after her visit – and her death in a Paris car crash that year – more than 100 countries signed a treaty which banned anti-personnel landmines.
Prince Harry followed in his mother's footsteps in 2019 with a poignant visit to the same site in Angola.
He described how the area had “transformed from desolate and uninhabitable to lively and vibrant” with colleges, schools and businesses.
The attack led to conflicting claims of responsibility. ISIS said it was behind the killings but the Afghan government blamed the Taliban.
The Interior Ministry said the terrorists entered the compound and “started shooting everyone”. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack.
Violence in the country has been on the increase since May when US and Nato forces began to withdraw from the country.
The US has pulled more than 50 per cent of its forces from Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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EA Sports FC 25
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Gremio Everton 95’
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
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Looking for a new family pet? Here are the links to visit when it comes to adopting...
Arabian Saluki Center of Dubai (Ascod)
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The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
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The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BABYLON
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
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Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
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JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
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Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
