16 people killed, 2 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Kabul last week rejected the massing of thousands of Daesh or Islamic State militants near the Tajikistan border.

Last week, some countries renewed their call for the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and others stressed continued relations with the war-torn nation.

Major events last week

• Russia-led military alliance claims Daesh has stationed 4,000 fighters near Tajikistan border
• Muttaqi rejects Daesh presence near Tajik border, vows to vanquish the group
• IEA leaders say the sustainability of the system depends on fulfilling the nation’s legitimate demands and independence is wasted when nation’s sentiments are misused to reach power and then turn back on the nation
• China and Iran call for inclusive government in Afghanistan
• Bilal Karimi tells foreign countries to maintain ties with Afghanistan as an independent country; Afghans can manage their internal problems themselves.
• China insists on continued engagement with Afghanistan and Turkey says expanding relations with Afghanistan
• US, China, Iran, UN want curbs on women’s education, work lifted
• Last week, $80 million humanitarian aid arrives in Afghanistan

Casualties

Last week, 16 people were killed and two others were injured in separate incidents of violence across the country.

The General Directorate of Intelligence said its special forces raided a Daesh hideout in the 8th security district of Kabul city, killing three members of the group and capturing one alive.

A kidnapper was killed during an armed clash with security forces in northern Balkh province and two people were killed and two others injured when two rival families clashed in eastern Nangarhar province.

In Badghis, unknown gunmen killed two youths and two children were killed in the province when an unexploded ordnance went off and a child died due to a mortar shell explosion in Uruzgan.

A man gunned down his fiancee and her mother in Sari Pul province, a person stabbed his mother to death using a knife in Jawzjan, a 25-year-old woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Logar and the body of a young man turned up in Kandahar province.

These casualties are based on reports reaching Pajhwok Afghan News as some incidents may have gone unreported or sources provided incorrect figures.

In the previous week, according to sources, 18 people were killed and five others were injured in various incidents across the country.

Before the regime change in August 2021, hundreds of civilians, security forces and the insurgents would get killed and wounded every week in the country.

Daesh presence near Tajikistan border

Russia-led military alliance Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) chief Anatoly Sidorov last week claimed that the strength of Daesh fighters in Afghanistan reached 6500 and out of them 4000 were believed to be stationed near the Tajikistan border.

The alliance includes Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia.

However, this claim was rejected by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, saying no threat was posed to any country from Afghanistan’s soil.

Referring to the recent meeting and concerns of Afghanistan’s northern neighbors, Muttaqi said anyone could visit Afghanistan and could see everything closely, asking them to avoid such claims.

He asked the world, particularly neighboring countries, to refrain from making accusations about the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan.

Last week, US State Department spokesman Ned Price asked the caretaker government not to allow the use of Afghanistan’s soil against other countries as per its promises under the Doha agreement.

He said if the Islamic Emirate could not or did not want act on its promises, the US would take action in this regard.

However, Islamic Emirate spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said as a responsible party, the Islamic Emirate was committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan’s territory against other countries and so far there had been no evidence in this regard.

He asked the US to share information with the Islamic Emirate if they had any based on the Doha Agreement.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who visited China last week, accused the US of supporting Daesh and Al-Qaeda in the region.

IEA leaders’ speeches last week

Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani last week renewed IEA’s adherence to its commitments and asked the global fraternity not to seek excuses for denying recognition to the caretaker Afghan government.

Addressing an event in southeastern Khost province, he insisted the IEA was serious about legitimate engagement with the world.

Challenging and questioning the current system had become a fashion, the acting minister noted, calling the trend intolerable.

He said the Islamic system was achieved on the basis of mujahideen’s and the nation’s sacrifices and protecting the system required courage and patience.

He said they should treat the people well and give them their rights if they wanted to strengthen the system.

Acting Defense Minister Maulvi Yaqoob Mujahid said that the system’s stability relied on fulfilling the legitimate demands of the nation. “We should never be arrogant and should always respond to the legitimate demands of the nation.”

Shaikh Shahabuddin Dilawar, acting minister of Mines and Petroleum, during a ceremony marking the withdrawal of Soviet Union forces from Afghanistan said: “Independence is gained with the support of people and individuals who misuse the emotion of its people and get to the reign of power waste independence because the turn their back to the people.”

Islamic Emirate Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid during a ceremony in Kabul University said government officials should have the guts of hearing the objection of the people but these objections should not be at the cost of disgrace to officials.

But later Mujahid in a video clip said: “My speech at Kabul university was directed to the activities of media outlets and objection raised from media outlets, nobody was specifically targeted. Foreign circles wishing to create differences, cracks or any other issues within the ranks of IEA officials will take this dream to their grave. I can assure you there is no contradiction in my speech every leader’s speech is based on its own understanding and the speech is always referred to his own limitation. Nobody should misuse the speeches of others.”

Afghanistan relations with world

China and Iran in a joint statement asked the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government to remove restrictions on women and create an inclusive government.

But Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesperson of the IEA government, said IEA government understood the concerns of other nations was committed to take steps keeping in mind the demands of the people of Afghanistan, supreme national interest and religious obligations.

Karimi said the people of Afghanistan could resolve and administered their internal matters and asked other nations to behave with Afghanistan as an independent nation.

China’s special representative for Afghanistan Yueh Hsiaoyung has discussed bilateral cooperation with Qatari officials on efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

In a series of tweets on Friday, Hsiaoyung wrote that he had held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani diplomats in Doha.

He also held talks with Sohail Shaheen, the head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office in the Qatari capital.

Turkish Ambassador for Afghanistan Cihad Erginay during a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said Ankara relations with Afghanistan was expanding and Turkey will always stand by Afghanistan.

EU Special Representative for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson said in the post IEA rule era change in Afghanistan should be brought through peaceful means at the hand of the people of Afghanistan.

Women’s, girls’ work and education

On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, US Chargé d’Affaires Karen Decker renewed her call for lifting of restrictions on Afghan women.

She tweeted: “I ran up against the tweet limit, not the list of names. Afghan women are being denied the chance to study science. What kind of scientists does Afghanistan need? #Black History Month #LetAfghanGirlsLearn .”

UN Special Representative for Afghan Women Rights Rina Amiri during a meeting with Qatar Deputy Foreign Minister Lola Alkhatar said the most important factor during interaction with IEA officials was how ways could be opened for women education in Afghanistan.

UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammadi termed girls education in Afghanistan a top priority for the international community and said: “It was vital to standby Afghan girls and raise their voice.”

Chinese and Iranian heads of state in a joint statement stressed over girls education and demanded lifting curbs on women’s work in Afghanistan. Save the Children International Organisation said less fortunate women suffered the most from ban on women work in NGOs while Germany announced to resume work on developmental projects in Afghanistan when it benefit Afghan women.

But Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said: “Incumbent government is Islamic and we want to resolve all issues including unemployment, education and others under the framework of Islam and in line with Afghan culture and values. Work is underway pertaining to these issues and hope that soon the problems would be resolved.”

This comes that UN said that Afghanistan stood among 10 nations where education is faced with critical situation.

Continuation of Aid

Last week Afghanistan received two separate packages of 40 million dollars each as part of humanitarian cash assistance.

 World Health Organistion (WHO) said that this year 17 million people in Afghanistan needed health assistance while UNOCHA said 28.3 million people in Afghanistan needed emergency humanitarian assistance this year.

Earlier UNHCR already demanded the continuation of humanitarian assistance with Afghanistan.

Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said Moscow will expand the export of gas and crude oil to Afghanistan and added traded between the two countries jumped by 40pc this year.

Nh/ma

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