Last week saw violence claiming 18 lives in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some sources once again asked the caretaker government last week to reopen education centers for teenage girls in the new academic year that started on Tuesday.  The two former presidents of Afghanistan again stressed on a national dialogue in the country.

Last week’s major events

• Uzbekistan says supported Afghanistan in international forums, meetings
• World should recognize Afghanistan caretaker government: IEA officials
• Blinken: Several Americans detained in Afghanistan
• Islamic Emirate: No Americans detained in Afghanistan
• New academic year starts without millions of teenage girls
• Once again various domestic and foreign sources call for opening of doors of education for girls
• Karzai, Ghani emphasize on national dialogue in Afghanistan.

Casualties

Last week, 18 people were killed and 22 others were injured in separate incidents of violence nationwide.

Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said three Daesh militants were killed during an operation on their hideout in the Arzan Qimat area in the limits of the 12th security district of Kabul.

Six members of a family were killed in a hand grenade blast in Ghor and in a similar incident, two children lost their lives and five others were injured in Badakhshan province.

One child was killed and five others were injured in Ghazni province when an unexploded ordnance went off and two people were injured in a similar blast in Parwan province.

Unknown gunmen killed two people in Jawzjan and three people in Faryab and one person was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Jawzjan province.

In Badghis, one person died after accidently shooting himself with his gun. In Khost province, one person was killed and six others injured during an armed clash between two families over land ownership.

A charred body of a child was found in Zabul province and one of the victims of last week’s explosion in Balkh died in hospital.

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

In the previous week, 16 people were killed and 27 others were injured in various incidents of violence across the country.

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

World’s interaction with Kabul

Two days ago, Abdulaziz Kamilov, Uzbekistan National Security Council advisor, heading a delegation, arrived in Kabul and met with deputy prime minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Kamilov said his country had supported Afghanistan in international forums and meetings and wanted cooperation with the caretaker government of Afghanistan.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the international community should increase interaction with the caretaker Afghan government if it wanted to protect human rights in Afghanistan.

Last week, deputy prime minister for political affairs Mullah Abdul Kabit met UNAMA deputy head Markus Potzel and asked the international community to take steps towards recognizing the Islamic Emirate.

Similarly, acting Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi called for the lifting of curbs the west, particularly the US, had imposed on Afghanistan and for world’s interaction with Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate has so far dispatched diplomats to 14 countries and is eyeing to take charge of more embassies and consulates of Afghanistan in other countries.

Different statements on Daesh presence in Afghanistan

CENCOM commander for Middle East, General Michael Corella, says Daesh threats have increased in Afghanistan and the group may also threaten the United States.

However, IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the statements of the American officials about Daesh strength in Afghanistan as untrue.

He added the rebel group had been suppressed and the interest of the American authorities in the matter and representing the group bigger itself aided and abetted Daesh insurgents, something must be stopped.

Americans detained in Afghanistan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says they are working to assist 44 Americans waiting for exiting Afghanistan.

Blinken said this while testifying before Congress, where members of the opposition Republican Party faulted the US exit from Afghanistan in 2021.

They requested the release of a State Department internal dissent cable.

Blinken, in response to a question, said that the caretaker government was detaining “several Americans”.

Asked how many Americans remained in the war-torn country, the secretary of state responded: “There are several Americans whom the Taliban are detaining. We are working to secure their freedom.”

The top US diplomat added: “The families have asked that we protect their identities and not speak publicly about their cases.”

However, Zabihullah Mujahid rejected his claim, saying no American citizen was with them and no American had been arrested recently.

School year starts without millions of teenage girls

The new academic year started on March 21, but classes of girls above sixth grade did not resume.

The Ministry of Education said in a statement about girls’ education that female students from class first to six attended their classes.

For girl students, a safe educational environment and necessary facilities must be provided by observing all Sharia principles. All teachers, administrative staff and service staff should be female.

However, the statement said nothing about girls’ secondary and high school education.

The United Nations has said that the new school year started in Afghanistan while more than one million girls remain deprived of education.

Markus Potzel, UNAMA deputy head, during a meeting with deputy prime minister for political affairs Maulvi Abdul Kabir once again called for opening the doors of education centers for girls.

Zalmay Khalilzad, former US special representative for reconciliation in Afghanistan, recently asked the caretaker government to fix the date for reopening of girl schools and universities in near future.

UN experts, who met in Geneva, Switzerland, last week said it was not justifiable to ban girls from education in Afghanistan. They asked the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools for girls.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also expressed concern about the continued closure of schools for girls and requested the opening of secondary schools for girls.

Former president Hamid Karzai also asked the Islamic Emirate to open the doors of schools and universities for girls.

However, caretaker government says all women will be allowed to study until a plan is drawn up in this regard within the framework of Islamic law.

Emphasis on national dialogue

Former President Ashraf Ghani said in a message on the occasion of the new solar year that the Afghans were tired of wars and were demanding permanent stability, something they were deprived of for the last 50 years.

“Now more than ever, it is necessary that we all work towards this goal by starting a national dialogue.”

His predecessor Hamid Karzai once again asked the caretaker government to start the dialogue between Afghans without delay.

Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation in the previous government, stressed on unity and national partnership between Afghans, saying the Afghans could come out of the difficult times by by accepting each other.

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