12 killed, 11 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week, Canberra pledged to compensate the families of those unlawfully killed or harmed by Australian forces in Afghanistan, while Human Rights Watch called for the lifting of restrictions on Afghan women.

Government officials, addressing the National Labour Conference in Kabul, vowed to create job opportunities for 1.4 million people across the country.

Last week’s key events:

• Russian ambassador: Moscow may open more consulates in Afghanistan
• Kabir welcomes China, Russia stance on interaction with IEA.
• HRW calls for end to curbs on Afghan women
• Durani: IEA should take steps against TTP
• Fitrat: No threat to Pakistan from Afghanistan
• Australia to compensate Afghan victims of war crimes
• National labour event vows to create 1.4m jobs

Casualties

Last week, 12 people were killed and 11 others wounded in various incidnets of violence across the country.

According to local officials, two people were killed and six others injured in an explosion in an old iron warehouse in Parwan province.

An old mortar shell explosion in Kunar province killed a child and injured three others. One child was killed in a similar incident in Ghazni and a woman was found dead in Kandahar.

Officials said unidentified gunmen killed three individuals and injured a fourth in Faryab province. Two persons were stabbed to death in Uruzgan and Faryab and a child was shot dead mistakenly with a shot gun in Ghazni.

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

At least eight people were killed and 15 more wounded in Afghanistan in the previous week.

Interaction with IEA

Last week, Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said Moscow would focus on its own interests in recognising the current caretaker government in Afghanistan and removing the “Taliban” from the list of banned groups.

The ambassador also suggested Russia could open more consulates in Afghanistan.

Moscow did not rule out opening more consulates in Afghanistan in the future, Zhrinov said in an interview with TASS news agency.

Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir welcomed China and Russia’s postion on interaction with Kabul, hoping positive engagement with Afghanistan would lead to stability and security in the region and the world.

Turkmenistan accepted Fazal Mohammad Saber as the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Ashgabat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Kabul announced on Saturday.

HRW call & Finance Week

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to lift restrictions on women and girls.

In a post on X, HRW said: “As the Paris Olympics begin, millions of women and girls in Afghanistan are being denied the right to education and sports.”

Speaking at the “Islamic Finance Week” launched by UNDP Afghanistan, the UNAMA head reiterated they were promoting meaningful participation of women in all aspects of financial and economic sectors.

The United Nations Development Program wrote they had launched a project called “Afghanistan’s access to finance” in 2024, whose goals were to support Islamic banking and women’s access to finance.

This project is being launched at a time when Afghanistan is still facing banking sanctions and an asset freeze, which is believed to have prevented the implementation of development schemes in the country.

Islamabad claim, Kabul reaction

Asif Ali Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, has called on the Islamic Emirate to take effective measures against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at a gathering at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad.

Durrani claimed terrorism originated from Afghanistan, which was a grave concern for all states, especially neighbouring countries.

However, IEA deputy spokesman Hamidullah Fitrat responded: “Afghanistan is currently safe and there is no threat to any country from Afghanistan. Also, no group is allowed to operate in Afghanistan.”

Australia promises compensation

Australia is looking for ways of compensating the families who were unlawfully killed or abused by Australian forces in Afghanistan.

Compensation was one of the recommendations from the damning 2020 Brereton report, which found “credible information” that Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were involved in serious crimes.

The crimes included the “murder” of 39 prisoners and civilians between 2005 and 2016, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

The regulations, quietly published on Thursday, shows a new Afghanistan Inquiry Compensation Advocate will assess a claim if the chief of the Defence Force (CDF), Admiral David Johnston, referred it to them based on a series of criteria.

National Labour Conference

Last week, at the end of the National Labour Conference, agreements were signed between 15 government agencies in various fields and promises made that in the next five years, more than 1.4 million people will be provided direct and indirect job opportunities.

sa/mud