An assassination attempt on the first vice-president of Afghanistan

1 Afghanistan

The «Tolo News» TV reported while citing their sources that there was an attempt on the life of the 1st Vice President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, in Kabul. The explosion took place on Wednesday morning. The bomb exploded on the way of the vice presidential convoy. The nearby buildings were severely damaged by the shock wave. At least 10 people died, 15 were injured — the »1TV» reported while citing the security officials. The 1TV reported that Amrullah Saleh suffered minor burns to his face, and he got a hand injury. The vice presidential spokesman announced that 3 bodyguards were injured. The Taliban have declared no involvement in the attack. The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called the terrorist attack «a heinous act of terror». He instructed the authorities to investigate the circumstances of the attack, and also — to mobilize all available resources to help the victims.

2 The USA — The UAE — Israel

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the UAE Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hind al-Uteiba, confirmed that on the next week the delegations from Israel and the UAE will sign an agreement on the full normalization of the relations between the countries. The signing ceremony will take place in Washington. The delegations will be led by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Foreign Minister of the UAE — Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The ‘Reuters’ reported while citing a high-ranking White House spokesman that on 15th of September, Donald Trump will receive the representatives from Israel and the UAE to conduct a ceremony to sign an agreement on the full normalization of the relations between the two countries.

3 The USA — Iraq

The FoxNews reported that the head of the US Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, has announced a reduction of the US military presence in Iraq. It was reported that the USA will pull out 2,200 troops from Iraq. «This reduction allows us to continue to advise and assist our Iraqi partners in eradicating of the last remnants of the ISIS in Iraq, and to ensure their final defeat» — McKenzie explained. It was noted that the reduction from 5,200 troops to 3,000 troops will be implemented in September. Earlier, a senior US administration official stated that Donald Trump will announce a reduction of the military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was noted that at first Donald Trump is expected to announce the further reduction of troops in Iraq, and then, a few days later — in Afghanistan.

4 The USA — Russia

Donald Trump announced during a speech to his supporters in Pennsylvania that it would be nice to improve the relations between the USA and Russia. The speech was broadcast by the American news broadcasters. While speaking about the democrats, he noted that «they always talk about Russia, but never about China». He called them «real maniacs». «Getting along with the countries is very good in general» — Donald Trump concluded. He has repeatedly stated that the USA and Russia have developed «very good relations», and the two countries «need to get along».

5 The USA — Belarus

On Tuesday the US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo stated that the USA, together with their allies, are considering the possibility of an introduction of additional sanctions against Belarus. «The USA are considering additional sanctions, in coordination with our partners and allies. The sanctions are needed to bring justice to those who are involved in the human rights violations and the repressions in Belarus» — the statement explained. The US State Department also called on Minsk to »stop the violence against their own people, release all the unjustly detained persons, and start a constructive dialogue with the true representatives of the Belarusian society».