6 killed, 11 wounded in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Interaction with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) was stressed at the Mascow-Farmat meeting, with Russia calling increasing activities of non-regional actors in the region worrisome.

UNSC also expressed concern over continued restrictions on girls’ education in Afghanistan. But IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the UN Security Council discussions focused on only two ‘small and domestic topics’ (women’s education and work) in Afghanistan.

Key events of last week

• The Moscow format meeting stressed the need for interaction with IEA and lifting of sanctions on Afghanistan.
• Russia: Surge in activities of non-regional players in Afghanistan and the region is matter of concern.
• UNSC expressed concerns over continued restrictions on Afghan women and girls.
• Mujahid: Discussions at the UN Security Council focused on only two ‘small and domestic topics’.
• Mujahid: IEA has good ties with regional countries and enjoys official interaction with other nations.
• The US provided 8.5 million dollars to Afghanistan, Ukraine and Burma in the fight against tuberculosis.

Casualties

Last week, six people were killed and 11 more wounded in various incidents across the country.

Two people were killed and six others wounded as a result of a clash between two families in Nangarhar. Another five individuals were injured in a similar incident in Nuristan.

According to reports, last week, one person was killed with an axe in Kapisa, a landmine claimed the lives to two people in Faryab and an an 11-year-old boy lost his life in a blast in Jawzjan.

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, eight people had been killed and two 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.

Moscow-format talks

On Friday, the latest Moscow-format meeting was held in the Kazan city of Tatarstan.

Friday’s session was the fifth gathering of the Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan. The forum was created in 2017 for consultations among special representatives of Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China, Pakistan, Kyrgezstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Its first meeting was held on April 14, 2017 with the participation of deputy ministers and special representatives of 11 countries, including the Afghan side.

In November last year, Moscow-format meeting was held without Afghanistan’s representatives. But this rime around, Mnister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi was invited to attend the Kazan meeting.

Addressing the gatherng, Muttaqi said the IEA government was ready for positive engagement based on legitimate mutual interest and hoped that all countries would use the opportunity in their own national interest.

He hoped the regional and international community should appreciate the ground realities and the prevailing situation.

According to Muttaqi, in the past 45 years, an undefined formula of inclusiveness and other foreign scripts have yielded no result in Afghanistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western countries of inflicting irreparable damage on the people of Afghanistan and called on them to bear the main burden of the country’s post-conflict reconstruction.

The representative of Kyrgyzstan acknowledged the caretaker Afghan government’s many achievements, including the strengthening of the aghani, controlling inflation, fighting against corruption and progress in many other areas.

The Chinese representative said in the last two years, the government of Afghanistan had taken effective steps in areas of security, economic recovery and the social sector The US should remove the sanctions imposed on Afghanistan, he demanded.

The representative of the United Arab Emirates said they wanted a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and interact and cooperate with it.

UNSC meeting

Last week, UNSC hold a special session on Afghanistan. UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) head Roza Otunbayeva expressed concern about the restrictions on human rights in Afghanistan, especially the education of women and girls, at the meeting. She emphasised on interaction and dialogue with IEA.

But Zabihullah Mujahid said: “Discussions at the UN Security Council focused on only two ‘small and domestic topics’ (women’s education and work) in Afghanistan.”

Mujahid alleged security, a nationwide amnesty, peace, stability, economic development, the creation of security forces, preparation of the budget based on domestic revenue, the promotion of education and dozens of other developments were not discussed at all.

Undecleared official interaction

Afghanistan wants a constructive interaction with the international community and neighbouring countries. Its unannounced interaction with some regional and other countries …

In addition, Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi said at the Moscow-format meeting that Afghanistan had witnessed the beginning of extensive political relations and interaction with many countries, especially regional states.

He said China had introduced a nw ambassador to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in accordance with diplomatic formalities, with the Islamic Emirate hoping that other countries would also accept Afghan diplomats to lay the foundation of effective engagement.

Assistance

The United States Agency for International Development donated 23 million dollars to some countries, including Afghanistan, whose people are at risk of tuberculosis. An amount of 8.5 million dollars of the aid was allocated to Afghanistan, Ukraine and Burma.

The World Health Organisation expressed concern about the budget shortage in Afghanistan, saying eight million Afghans could be deprived of health services.

Also, WFP said Afghanistan was the second country in the world after Sudan, where many (over 6 million) people were facing starvation.

This UN agency has warned several times of a budget shortage, saying $1 billion was needed to support 15 million poor Afghans in the upcoming winter.

sa/mud

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