U.S. President Donald Trump in his United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) speech on Tuesday said he will end the war in Afghanistan and withdraw troops from the country.

“America is fulfilling our destiny as peacemaker,” he said in a pre-recorded message, praising U.S.-led diplomatic efforts that normalized relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the signing of the Serbia and Kosovo pact, and the ongoing peace talks in Qatar to end the Afghan war.

“As we speak, the United States is also working to end the war in Afghanistan, and we are bringing our troops home,” the president said.

Talking about the “peace through strength” destiny of the U.S., Trump said that they were militarily “stronger now than ever before.”

“Our weapons are at an advanced level, like we’ve never had before, like, frankly, we’ve never even thought of having before, and I only pray to God that we never have to use them.”

He pointed to the “tired voices” who have proposed “failed solutions” and instead pursued “global ambitions at the expense of their own people.”

“Only when you take care of your own citizens will you find a true basis for cooperation. As president, I have rejected the failed approaches of the past, and I am proudly putting America first, just as you should be putting your countries first. That’s okay. That’s what you should be doing,” he concluded.

Provincial officials said the special forces of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) carried out operations on Tuesday night, killing four Islamic State operatives in Nangarhar.

The Nangarhar governor’s office said in a press release on Wednesday that the operations were conducted in PD4 of Jalalabad city, the provincial capital in the Biz Ekmalati area.

The four IS-K operatives were responsible for carrying out targeted attacks in the easter parts of the country and organising suicide bombers.

The officials said some ammunition and cash was also recovered by the security forces.

The governor’s office added that the operation was meant to detain the men, but they resisted and took cover in civilian homes, using women and children as shields.

During the face-off, a suicide bomber also detonated an IED which also caused some damage to the nearby area.

The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) said they will now include the mother’s name in the electronic identity cards (e-Tazkira) but it will be at the requester’s discretion and is optional.

In a press conference on Wednesday, NSIA head Ahmad Javid Rasouli said after the endorsement of the presidential decree making changes to the Population Registration Act, the mother’s name can now be included on all Afghan’s ID cards.

“The inclusion of the mother’s name in the e-Tazkira takes place based on the requester’s discretion and is optional,” said Rasouli.

“However, if the e-Tazkira requester is not happy with the inclusion of the mother’s name, a new ID will be printed and issued to them without it.”

Rasouli added that previous IDs are still valid, and people are not required to re-apply for new ones.

In his address at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called for a global ceasefire and said he was hopeful for peace after the start of the intra-Afghan talks.

“In Afghanistan, the launch of the Afghanistan peace negotiations is a milestone after years of effort” Guterres said.

“How to reach a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire will be on the agenda. An inclusive peace process with women, young people and victims of conflict meaningfully represented offers the best hope for a sustainable solution.”

“Now is the time for a collective new push for peace and reconciliation,” he charged.

“I appeal for a stepped-up international effort – led by the Security Council – to achieve a global ceasefire by the end of this year. We have 100 days. The clock is ticking.”

He said there was “only one winner of conflict during a pandemic – the virus itself.”

He said that in areas where terrorist and violent extremist groups are present, they may “exploit” the pandemic and further cripple the country.

From the 213 samples tested in laboratories in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said that 49 new cases of Coronavirus were reported.

The MoPH said one person had succumbed to the virus while 34 more had recovered.

The current confirmed number of cases in Afghanistan reached 39,145 with 32,610 recoveries and 1,446 deaths.

New cases were reported in the provinces of Herat (17), Daykundi (10), Balkh (9), Kabul (6), Badakhshan (5), Paktia (1) and Wardak (1).