U.S appoints Rina Amiri as special envoy to defend Afghan women’s rights

ISLAMABAD, December 29: The United States on Wednesday appointed an envoy to defend the rights of Afghan women, signalling a key priority as the Taliban ratchet up restrictions. Rina Amiri, an Afghan-born US scholar and mediation expert who served at the State Department under former president Barack Obama, will take the role of special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced. Months after the United States ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan, Blinken said that Amiri will address issues of “critical importance to me” and the rest of President Joe Biden’s administration. – DNA