10 killed, 3 wounded in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani last week said disengagement with the Afghan caretaker government could lead to a ‘bigger chaos.’

Religious scholars and tribal leaders held a gathering in Kabul on Wednesday and asked the caretaker government to interact with the world keeping in view Sharia, independence and contemporary demands.

Key events of last week:

Qatar: No interaction with Islamic Emirate will lead to chaos in Afghanistan
UNAMA: Basic soloution be found to issues between Afghansitan and the international community.
Religious scholars, elders meeting: Both Kabul and international community should take steps for interactions.
Anas Haqqani: Islamic Emirate ready for interaction with the world
OIC: Islamic world wants stable Afghanistan and is against war
UNSC: ISIS activites and capabilities strengthening in Afghanistan
Mujahid: Daesh suppressed in Afghanistan.
Islamic world scholars delegation asks IEA to allow girls’ schools and not prevent women from working
Japan and UK pledge $134.5m to Afghanistan

Casualties

Last week, 10 people were killed and three others were injured in various incidents of violence across the country.

A minor girl was killed and two others were injured when a hand grenade was lobbed into a house in Nangarhar. One child was killed in a blast caused by an unexploded shell in Sar-i-Pul province.

According to reports, unidentified gunmen killed one person in Faryab, one each in Bamyan and Baghlan. A body was found in Logar and a husband stabbed his wife to death in Baghlan.

Local officials say a 16-year-old girl was killed with a shot gun mistakenly, one individual was killed as a result of a clash over cattle grazing, one person was killed and his wife wounded as a result of a clash with shepherds in Faryab.

Note: These figures are based on reports reaching Pajhwok Afghan News. Some incidents may have gone unreported or sources could have provided incorrect numbers.

In the previous week, 15 people had been killed and 16 others injured in different incidents across the country.

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

Interaction between Kabul, world stressed

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that disengagement with the “Taliban” will create a “bigger chaos.”

Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Al Thani said that after the foreign forces’ withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power, there was an “absence of a clear roadmap for the way forward for Afghanistan.”

Scott Smith, UNAMA deputy head for political affairs, said to create trust between the caretaker government and the world, including US, dialogue should be continued in order to provide a foundation for healthy and positive relations.

He added: “Our effort is to lead to permanent dialogue and understanding and to find a basic solution to the debatable issues between Afghanistan and the international community.”

Maulvi Abdul Kabir believed in interaction and dialogue to resolve issues and will not allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s soil against any country or interfere in its internal affairs.

Anas Haqqani, a prominent member of the Islamic Emirate, said that the Islamic Emirate was open for interaction with the world.

A delegation of scholars of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said in a meeting with Maulvi Abdul Kabir that the Islamic world wanted permanent stability in Afghanistan and was not in favor of war.

Allegations about Daesh, reactions

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has said the Islamic State’s existence has developed into a threat in Afghanistan and some other countries, but the Islamic Emirate spokesman said the group’s operational capabilities have been neutralized.

Zabihullah Mujahid said claims about the existence of 20 militant groups in Afghanistan, spread of arms and increasing capabilities of Daesh are baseless and in fact boosting Daesh morale and fueling instability in the region.

He added: “Anyone who makes such baseless claims, they either lack enough information or want to give Daesh morale through such propaganda and fuel instability in the region”.

He said IS activities had been reduced to zero in Afghanistan during the past one year and despite that such an international organization was spreading a baseless and negative propaganda without evidence. “This brings into question the credibility of this global organization”, Mujahid said.

Human rights, girls’ education

An Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) delegation held talks with top Islamic Emirate officials on a wide range of topics.

The delegates met a number of Afghan scholars, caretaker ministers and officials, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The largest Islamic bloc said the delegation also met ambassadors and representatives of OIC member states in Afghanistan.

OIC said meetings would continue between ulema, Afghan scholars and IEA officials on various topics and concerns cited in resolutions of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

In addition, former ambassador of the Islamic Emirate in Islamabad, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, said that 95 percent of Islamic Emirate leaders did not agree with the decrees of their leadership regarding restrictions on education and work of women.

Reactions to instalation of security cameras

The Ministry of Interior said over 62,000 cameras had been put in place in the capital and other important locations to ensure security.

Amnesty International (AI) has reacted to the installation of more than 62,000 cameras by the caretaker government in Kabul and some other areas.

In its reaction, AI slammed the installation of the cameras as a violation of fundamental rights of the Afghan people.

But MoI spokesperson Abdul Matin Qani rejected the AI statement on his X account.

Qani wrote: “When US and NATO forces were carrying out surveillance operations with cameras in all zones of the country for intelligence gathering, why no one voiced concerns about those violations?”

He argued everyone knew the installation of security cameras was a requirement that was common in Afghanistan and other parts of the world.

Qani reaffirmed the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to enforcing security, protecting people’s rights and taking into account all Shariah principles.

According to him, the cameras in Kabul were installed by MoI with the help and advice of the public.

Humanitarian aid, signing contracts worth 6.55 million dollars

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that Japan is helping Afghanistan with 9.5 million dollars in agriculture. America says it continues to support Afghans.

However, World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan has warned that if they do not receive necessary funds to deliver aid, the number of people in Afghanistan who need humanitarian aid may increase.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) on Thursday inked contracts for seven large-scale mines worth $6.557 billion with winning bidders.

The contract for Mes Ainak copper mine in Logar province with an investment of 411 million dollars was signed with a private company Toyar, the contract for Ghoryan iron mine in Herat province was signed with Watan Derakhshan company, which would invest $2.8 billion.

The second block of Ghoriyan mine with an investment of $874 million was signed with Sahil Sharq Maneh company and a Turkish company.

The contracts include four blocks of the iron ore mine in Ghorian district of Herat province. Watan Dorokhshan Company, which includes Azaran Industrial Structures Company as a shareholder, was awarded the first block. Sahil Middle East Mining & Logistics Company, whose partners are Dara-e-Noor, an Afghan company, and Epcol, a Turkish company, was awarded the second block. Shamsh, an Afghan company, with GBM and AD Resources, British companies, was awarded the third block. Bakhtar Steel Company, with Ahya Sepahan and Parsian Iranian companies, was awarded the fourth block.

In addition, one block of the lead and zinc mine in Tulak district of Ghor province was awarded to Afghan Invest Company. The Samti gold mine in Chah Ab district of Takhar province was awarded to the China-Afghanistan Company with Zarawar Afghanistan Private Company being shareholder. The second Mes Ainak mine in Logar province was awarded to Turia Private Company.

sa/ma

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10 killed, 3 wounded in Afghanistan last week