KABUL (Pajhwok): Casualties fell to all-time low or five people in Afghanistan last week when the world focused on stabilizing the country’s deteriorating economic situation.
Highlights of last week
- Talks between Kabul and Washington launched in Doha.
- A 15-member diplomatic group from Saudi Arabia open consulate in Kabul.
- The World Bank is working to share $280 million from the frozen assets of Afghanistan to WFP and UNICEF.
- The World Bank tries to give $500 million from Afgahnistan’s frozen assets to aid organizations.
- Russia says Afghanistan’s assets should be unblocked.
- UNAMA provides $16 million to the Afghan Central Bank.
- Former President Ashraf Ghani and some politicians banned from political activities in the UAE: Wasiq
- A total of four people were killed and one injured countrywide last week.
Attacks and civilian casualties:
According to reports, before September when Afghanistan was experiencing intense fights and dozens of people were losing their lives on a daily basis, the war came to an end with the collapse of the former government and announcement of the new caretaker administration.
There have been three deadly attacks since August 15 this year, killing and injuring a total of 561 people.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for all the three attacks. One of the attacks took place in Kabul, another in Kunduz and third in Kandahar province.
However, during the last three months, 26 people have been killed or injured each week on average.
In the last three months, casualties toll fell twice to nine people compared to five people or lowest casualties last week.
According to reports, four civilians were killed and a fifth injured in separate incidents across the country last week.
A former government judge was killed in KhasKunar district of Kunar province and a former policeman was killed in ZaziAryub district of Paktia province, and a bomb blast in Kabul injured four people, including a child.
No group has claimed responsibility for these attacks so far.
A person killed his wife in the 18th police district of Kabul while a person was killed in the first police district of Lashkargah, capital of Helmand province.
Officials say the husband of slain woman has been arrested in connection with the woman’s murder, and local officials have arrested four people in LashkarGah’s first district in connection with the Helmand incident.
The previous week, 16 people were killed and four others wounded in various incidents in the country.
Talks in Doha
One top news of the week was talks between Kabul and Washington in Doha. The talks took place on November 8 and 9 and the two parties decided to continue their meetings.
No specific decision has been made in these talks so far. Afghan officials termed the talks as productive.
Mulavi Amir Khan Mottaqi, acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, held talks in Doha with nominated ambassadors and envoys of 16 countries for Afghanistan on security, humanitarian, economic, political and health issues.
Muttaqi also held meetings for two days with representatives of the European Union. The EU emphasized on formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
The Afghan delegation told the representatives of EU to follow the path of cooperation with Afghanistan instead of putting pressure on it.
Opening embassies and political interaction with Afghanistan
There was also some progress in the past week in terms of political engagement with Afghanistan’s caretaker government.
A 14-member diplomatic team from Saudi Arabia arrived in Kabul and started consular services to Afghans at its embassy. Some Arab media outlets have reported that the Saudi embassy in Kabul will reopen soon.
Indian media outlets have reported that Indian officials are considering ways to reopen their embassy in Kabul.
The UAE reopened its embassy in Kabul, on November 20, and Japan and Germany, as well as EU, said they were examining the situation in Afghanistan and would reopen their embassies in Kabul.
This comes as a special UN committee decided last week that Afghanistan’s seat in the General Assembly should not be given to Afghanistan’s caretaker government for now.
However, SuhailShaheen, who is nominated to the seat by the caretaker government called the move “unfair” and said he hoped the position would be handed over to the Afghan government’s new envoy.
World turns attention to stabilize Afghanistan’s economy
After the US froze nearly $10 million in Afghan assets and imposed some sanctions on Afghanistan, the country faced severe economic difficulties, but now the international community is focusing on curing this precarious economic situation. .
The World Bank is finalizing a plan to release $500 million in frozen aid to Afghanistan.
The World Bank has confirmed that it is considering to donate money from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) to the UN’s aid agencies.
In addition, the World Bank is providing $280 million from Afghanistan’s frozen assets to the World Food Program (WFP) and to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to avert the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Russia has called for assistance to Afghans and called on Western banks to unblock frozen Afghan assets to help Afghan government respond to humanitarian needs.
Reports say that, UNAMA hasprovided $16 million for humanitarian assistance to Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB). South Korea has announced$32 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) has said that Afghanistan should be assisted for averting humanitarian crisis in this country
Turkey also said last week that its investors are interested in investing in Afghanistan and some of them will travel to Afghanistan in the near future.
Ex- Afghan resident and some politicians banned from political activity in UAE
AhmadullahWasiq, spokesman for Afghanistan’s caretaker government, said the UAE had banned political activity of senior government officials, including former President Ashraf Ghani who are currently living in the UAE.
He said that Ashraf Ghani, former Balkh governor, Atta Mohammad Noor and former Afghan National Security Council Adviser HamdullahMohib were the target of political restriction in UAE.
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