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On June 7, AGBU Europe launched an appeal calling on the European Union and European aid organizations to engage with the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) is a landlocked mountainous territory in the South Caucasus, home to 150,000 people. It is one of the several unrecognized states that emerged from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the Republic of Azerbaijan claims sovereignty over NKR. It is one of the most impoverished areas in the periphery, reads the text of the petition on Change.org.

The inhabitants of this small unrecognized state have been under continuous threat of war and isolation for more than 20 years, which has caused considerable hardship. A blockade continues to impact the daily life of the people, who also suffer from the highest mine-related casualty rate in the world, it says.

The EU does not provide direct aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, in contrast to other territories under dispute, such as Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia or Transnistria, which have received substantial benefits from EU engagement and aid.

We call on all those who believe in Europe to sign onto this appeal. We stand ready to work with European institutions as well as with international NGOs to find ways to respond to the needs of the civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh, says Nadia Gortzounian, President of AGBU Europe.

Despite the isolation and economic hardship, Nagorno-Karabakh focuses on the development of democracy. It is making considerable efforts to improve institutions and strengthen civil society.

AGBU Europe has published a video and information package aimed at explaining the case for EU engagement in NKR.

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Petition urges European Union to provide aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh - Public Radio of Armenia

This photo taken on August 11, 2014, shows the machine gun of a U.S. soldier, part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), onboard a Chinook helicopter over the Gardez district of Paktia province.

Shah Marai / AFP/Getty Images

KABUL, Afghanistan -- At least three civilians were killed by gunmen inside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry said that nine others were wounded in the Friday night attack in Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, in a statement released Saturday.

The ministry strongly condemned the attack and called it "an act against Islam and humanity." It said the civilians were attacked while praying.

Play Video

Afghanistan's capital was hit by one of its worst attacks since 2014 on Wednesday. At least 90 people were killed and around 400 were injured in ...

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban and Haqqani network are active in Paktia and neighboring provinces and often target government officials as well as Afghan security forces in the region.

In a separate report from southern Helmand province, at least two border police officers were killed Friday night after their checkpoint was struck by U.S. military forces during a joint operation, said Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor in Helmand.

Zwak said that three other policemen were wounded in the airstrike carried out during the operation against insurgents in the Nad Ali district.

"What we have so far is the initial report of the air strike" said Zwak, adding that an investigation was underway and that the dead toll could rise.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military on the airstrike in Helmand province.

2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Gunmen kill 3 in attack on mosque in Afghanistan - CBS News

Afghanistan has been observing a national day of mourning after three major terrorist attacks across the country killed at least 200 people and wounded more than 600 others in recent weeks.

President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement late on June 9 that national flags will fly at half-mast "to honor the memory of those martyred in the recent terrorist attacks."

The day of mourning on June 10 comes in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the capital, Kabul and the south-eastern Khost and western Herat provinces.

Afghan officials say more than 150 people were killed and 460 others were wounded in a massive suicide truck bombing in Kabul, on May 31.The bombing was the deadliest single attack in Kabul since the ouster of the Taliban following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Police said at least 13 people were killed eight others wounded when a Taliban car bomb targeting a convoy of local militia forces went off in the city of Khost on May 27.

Meanwhile, a blast in a mosque in Herat killed at least seven people and wounded 15 others on June 6, local officials said.

Militant groups, including the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) often claim deadly attacks on military and civilian targets.

The Taliban has expanded its reach over the past two years, seizing control of several districts in different parts of the country.

The government is also struggling to combat an IS affiliate, which has a presence in eastern Afghanistan.

Ghani said on June 6 that over the past two years as many as 11,000 foreign fighters have joined the extremist group.

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Afghanistan Observes National Day Of Mourning For Terror Victims - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

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NPR says attack on its journalists in Afghanistan was targeted - CBC.ca

The desire to bring the boys home after wars end is deeply engrained in the American psyche.

Americans tend to get impatient with long-lasting military commitments overseas and like to see an end in sight. It is an understandable and noble impulse, and reflects the deep connection many Americans feel with family, friends, and neighbors serving in the military.

History has shown, however, that peace and stability often depends on America being willing to accept a presence on foreign soil, and to be committed there for decades into the future after wars have been won.

U.S. military bases in Europe are a case in point. So are the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and Japan.

These bases have been part of a 70-year commitment, begun directly after World War II. This commitment has kept the peace and formed the foundation for an unprecedented period of global prosperity.

Next week, the Pentagon is due to presentPresident Donald Trumpwith itsplanfor future deployments in Afghanistan. The terrorist attack that killed 90 and wounded more than 400 people inKabulon May 31 was a sobering reminder of the countrys fragile security situation.

The United States and its NATO allies currently have 12,500 troops stationed in the country, of which 8,500 are Americans. They are there to help train and shore up the Afghan military.

It is expected the Pentagon will recommend reinforcing the NATO mission with a deployment of an additional 5,000 to keep the Taliban from resurging. There is no doubt that it is in our interestand the interest of the Afghan peopleto remain in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.

Asnotedby the Heritage Foundations Luke Coffey, we have in fact made considerable progress in defanging the Taliban. Coffey writes:

Today, according to the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstructions most recent quarterly report to Congress, the Taliban has control or influence in only 11 out of 407 districts across Afghanistan, equaling only 9 percent of the countrys population.

By contrast, 66 percent of Afghanistans population live under the control or influence of the Afghan government. The remaining 25 percent of the population lives in contested areas.

This is a far cry from the days when it harbored al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that launched the most lethal attack ever against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

Additionally, we have the painful, recent example of what happened in Iraq when President Barack Obama pulled U.S. troops out in 2011 to fulfill his campaign promise.

The Iraqi military on its own was in no way ready to contain the advance of ISIS out of Syria, the JV team as Obama dismissively called the terrorist group.

Today, the world is dealing with the consequences of the horribly misguided U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq (which Obama even had to partially reverse as the consequences became clear).

Let us remain steadfast in Afghanistan. It is in the interest of all that the United States remain committed to denying the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and ISIS another safe haven in that country.

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Why the US Must Stay the Course in Afghanistan | The Heritage ... - Heritage.org