7 killed, 2 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Three countries announced nearly $4.4 million in aid to Afghanistan last week, when Afghan officials visited Qatar, Iran and Uzbekistan.

Also last week, the United Nations said in a survey that women’s access to various services in Afghanistan has been restricted, but the Islamic Emirate rejected the report as baseless.

Last week’s key events

• Afghan officials travel to Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan
• Osmani meets Pakistani businessmen in Iran, says politics be separated from trade
• Deportation of Afghan refugees: Hanafi asks UN to fulfill its responsibility
• UNAMA vows continued assistance for returning refugees
• UN survey: Restrictions on Afghan women intensify, IEA rejects claim
• Representatives from 20 countries attend meeting on Afghanistan in Baku
• Sweden, South Korea, France pledge nearly $4.4m in aid to Afghanistan

Casualties

Seven people were killed and two others were injured in separate incidents of violence in Afghanistan last week.

Last week, Sayed Tayeb Hammad, Nangarhar police spokesman, in a statement said: “Three Mujahideen were martyred and two others were injured by their cook at a checkpoint in Sherzad district of Nangarhar.”

Local officials in eastern Kunar province had said a student was stabbed to death during a dispute between students at Kunar University and unidentified gunmen shot dead a mother and her young son in Badakhshan and a 20-year-old man in Balkh.

In the previous week, seven people had been killed and five others injured in various incidents in Afghanistan.

Before the regime change in 2021, hundreds of civilians, insurgents and security forces would get killed and maimed in clashes and bomb blasts every week.

Afghan delegation visits Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan

Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi visited the Qatari capital Doha and discussed Qatar’s support for the Afghan people, better management of humanitarian aid, and scientific and cultural cooperation with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Affairs Maryam bint Ali Al-Musnad, and Minister of Higher Education Lolwa Al-Khater.

In response, Qatari officials emphasized their country’s support for the Afghan people and continued efforts to achieve security, stability, prosperity in Afghanistan.

According to reports, last week, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Maulvi Sadri Azam Osmani, led a delegation to Iran to participate in the 7th International Exhibition of Export Capabilities (Iran Expo) and met with various officials and businessmen there.

During these meetings, they discussed attracting foreign investors, developing the agriculture and livestock sector, strengthening economic relations, and providing facilities for the export and import of agricultural products, as well as solving the problems of Afghan refugees.

Similarly, Maulvi Osmani, while meeting a number of Pakistani businessmen in Iran, said that politics should be kept separate from trade and economy and that creating a gap between the two countries would cause economic harm to both sides.

According to reports, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Maulvi Ahmadullah Zahid led a delegation to Uzbekistan to further cement bilateral trade relations and economic cooperation.

Baku hosts 20-nation Afghanistan summit

Last week, a summit on Afghanistan, titled “Afghanistan; Regional Connectivity, Security and Development,” was held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s State Security Service Chief Ali Naqiov said that one of the main goals of the conference was to present a unified position against the destructive efforts of “terrorist groups and forces” that are creating chaos in Afghanistan.

He said Afghanistan must find its place in the system of international relations and ensure peace in the country.

Representatives from other countries also expressed their hope that the summit would create the necessary opportunities in this regard and that the international community would support lasting stability in Afghanistan.

Afghan Refugees

Last week, Afghan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, in a meeting with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, said that the expulsion of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries was against good neighborliness and international principles.

He called on the United Nations to fulfill its responsibility in this regard.

Fletcher said that Afghans needed assistance and cooperation, and the United Nations was trying to provide assistance to Afghans in various fields.

In addition, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Rural Development and Rehabilitation of Afghanistan Mullah Mohammad Yunus Akhundzada said that they will provide assistance to returning Afghan refugees in areas of clean water, health care and other.

The UNAMA head said she will attract more financial resources for the purpose.

Hundreds of families are arriving in the country through Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings every day after Pakistan launched the second phase of forced deportation of Afghan refugees.

The returning refugees are complaining about their mistreatment at the hands of Pakistani police.

The representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan says nearly 144,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan.

Human Rights

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher visited a hospital in southern Kandahar province said said the health sector in Afghanistan had been badly damaged due after the suspension of international aid.

He asked policymakers to visit hospitals like the Kandahar hospital to see the negative effects of the suspension of aid.

He said three million people in Afghanistan have been deprived of health services in the past few months due to the aid cuts.

Last week, the United Nations Women’s Organization published the results of a survey that Afghan women and girls face difficulties in accessing humanitarian aid, livelihoods, health, and education services.

The report said cultural and social restrictions, a shortage of female workers in some sectors and economic difficulties have increased women’s problems.

However, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, in response to the report, called these statements far from reality and emphasized that laws were implemented based on Sharia principles.

The spokesman for the ministry, Saif al-Salam Khaybar, said: “This report is not only far from reality, but a clear violation of Islamic values and an insult to our Sharia..”

Aid continues

Last week, Sweden announced $2.2 million in aid to Afghanistan, South Korea $1 million in aid and France announced €1 million in aid.

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