The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan.

A separatist militant group from a neighbouring province later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The allegations of cheating to obtain pilot licenses in Pakistan come in the wake of the May 22 crash of a PIA Airbus A320 in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport

Initial reports have said the Pakistan International Airlines jet crashed after an apparent engine failure.

The plane crashed near Jinnah International Airport, in the poor and congested residential area known as Model Colony. PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafiz Khan said the aircraft destroyed or heavily damaged 18 homes.

In just one day, locust swarms can eat the same amount of food as 35,000 people.

The government's handling of the virus has been strongly criticized by scientists and doctors who fear the outbreak will gather pace among a population of around 210 million and overwhelm the country's struggling health system.

Some of the doctors said they were maltreated by the police and that some of their colleagues were beaten. The physicians declined to give their names, fearing reprisals.

The Middle East has confirmed over 85,000 cases of the virus and over 3,700 deaths, most of them in Iran.

Outside of Iran, which has reported just over 50,000 cases, confirmed coronavirus numbers have been relatively low in the Middle East compared to Europe, the United States and Asia.