Russian aviation authorities said on Sunday a Russian-registered plane with six people thought to be on board disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the virus is still endemic, and in recent years more than 200 polio vaccination workers have been killed.
ISIS harbors a virulent hatred for Shi'ites -- Iran's dominant sect and targets of its affiliate's attacks in Afghanistan -- who it views as apostates.
Since it took over in 2021, the Taliban has claimed that it is merely aligning Afghan society to Islamic values, but women and girls are being left with ever-fewer options.
MILITARY AFFAIRS: In some circles, 9/11 has also become synonymous with US overreach and wasting decades of blood and treasure in forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The repatriation of refugees should be done voluntarily and without any pressure or violence,” UNHCR says.
"We need help from any party that wants to support us, including Israel," Ahmed Massoud, head of Afghanistan's National Resistance Front, said.
A tide of human rights violations have been inflicted against those in Taliban custody since the Islamist group took over the country.
The Taliban, which regained power in August 2021, announced a ban the following April on the production of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's main opium producer.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain tense, with the Torkham border crossing closed on Wednesday after an exchange of fire.
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