Turkish Envoy: Afghanistan’s Time Has Come, Ankara Supports Afghan People

Cenk Ünal said that Ankara will support the people of Afghanistan.

The Turkish ambassador to Kabul, Cenk Ünal, said that after years of conflict, the time has come for Afghanistan to try to gain international status.

Speaking at a gathering of the Turkish Education Foundation, attended by the Azerbaijani ambassador, some officials from the Islamic Emirate and merchants, Cenk Ünal said that Ankara will support the people of Afghanistan.

“The people of Afghanistan are capable, and they can overcome these challenges as well. Turkey will stand by the people of Afghanistan in this regard,” he said.

The Turkish ambassador emphasized that Ankara, along with its other aid to Afghanistan, also contributed to the education sector and called on the officials of the Islamic Emirate to pay attention to education in Afghanistan.

“To achieve the goal and a bright future, science and knowledge are important, and I think that the authorities of Afghanistan should also pay attention to this matter,” Cenk Ünal stated.

“The Turkish Education Foundation operates in 52 countries around the world with 247 schools and educational centers, providing education for 52,000 students. Afghanistan holds the second place among these countries with 45 schools and educational centers, and ten dormitories, hosting 5,222 students engaged in education,” said Nevzat Şimşek, a board of trustees member of Turkish Education Foundation.

The deputy minister of Education said that in recent decades, due to war and insecurity, Afghanistan’s educational system has been damaged.

He called on all countries and organizations active in the education sector to cooperate with Afghanistan in this area.

“We call on all institutions and organizations that are active in the education sector to help us cooperate in repairing and uplifting the education system that has been damaged during the war and occupation in recent years,” said Sebghat Ullah Wasel, the deputy minister of Education.

The deputy minister of Education also pledged further efforts to provide educational opportunities for the citizens of the country and he emphasized that there will soon be a plan to expand knowledge in the country. They also requested that Turkey support Afghanistan’s education in implementing this plan.

Turkish Envoy: Afghanistan’s Time Has Come, Ankara Supports Afghan People
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Kabul Rejects US Media Claim of Daesh Threat to Diplomatic Areas

The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the group does not have the capability to attack diplomatic missions in the country.

The Islamic Emirate, in response to a New York Times report on the threat of Daesh’s Khorasan branch attacking the embassies of China, India, and Iran in Afghanistan, said that Daesh is being strongly pursued by the forces of the Islamic Emirate.

The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the group does not have the capability to attack diplomatic missions in the country.

Zabihullah Mujahid also said attempts by foreign countries to increase anxiety with the aim of reducing diplomatic activities of other countries in Kabul will be “unsuccessful.”

“Daesh in Afghanistan is under intense surveillance by security forces. This means they are being actively pursued, and we are very aware of their activities. Insh Allah, they do not have the capability to carry out any attacks in diplomatic areas because diplomatic areas are under special security, and special forces are assigned there,” he said.

Following the bloody attack by Daesh on a concert hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow, the New York Times reported that the group has now threatened to attack the embassies of China, India, and Iran in Afghanistan.

“The ISIS affiliate that American officials say was behind the deadly attack in Moscow is one of the last significant antagonists that the Taliban government faces in Afghanistan, and it has carried out repeated attacks there, including on the Russian Embassy, in recent years,” the report reads.

“Daesh in Afghanistan is not as much as it is made out to be, except by the hands of some major intelligence groups that Daesh is followed by in the region, you understand that regional intelligence efforts strive to make this issue prominent. Therefore, it can be seen as a bigger issue,“ said Mohammad Matin Mohammad Khil, a military analyst.

“One of the objectives that the United States pursues in this matter is threatening Russia. This recent attack is indicative of the same trend that the United States wants to use Daesh in this region to threaten Russia and create some troubles for Russia, especially through its borders in Central Asia,” said Rashid Qutbzadeh, a political analyst.

Daesh has also claimed responsibility for the attack near the Kabul Bank office in Kandahar, which, according to official reports, resulted in three deaths and twelve injuries. However, some sources have reported higher casualty figures for this event.

Kabul Rejects US Media Claim of Daesh Threat to Diplomatic Areas
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Afghanistan’s school year starts with more than 1 million girls barred from education

By Euronews with AP

Having stormed back to power in 2021, Afghanistan’s fundamentalist regime has restored many of the draconian policies it enforced in the 1990s.

Afghanistan’s school year has begun, but girls will not be visible in many of its classrooms.

The Taliban has barred female pupils from attending classes beyond the sixth grade, making it the only country with formal restrictions on female education.

The UN children’s agency says more than 1 million girls are affected by the ban. It also estimates 5 million were out of school before the Taliban takeover thanks to a lack of facilities and other factors.

The Taliban’s education ministry marked the start of the new academic year with a ceremony that female journalists were not allowed to attend. The invitations sent out to reporters said: “Due to the lack of a suitable place for the sisters, we apologise to female reporters.”

During a ceremony, the Taliban’s education minister, Habibullah Agha, said that the ministry is trying “to increase the quality of education of religious and modern sciences as much as possible.”

The minister also called on students to avoid wearing clothes that contradict Islamic and Afghan principles.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, said they were trying to expand education in “all remote areas in the country.” However, the Taliban have been prioritising Islamic knowledge over basic literacy and numeracy with their shift toward madrassas, or religious schools.

The Taliban previously said that girls continuing their education contravened their strict interpretation of Islamic law, and that certain conditions were needed for their return to school. However, they have made no progress in creating said conditions.

When they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, they also banned girls’ education.

Despite initially promising a degree of moderation in its policies after sweeping back to power, the group has also barred women from higher education, many public spaces, and most jobs.

The ban on girls’ education remains the Taliban’s biggest obstacle to gaining international recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.

Although Afghan boys have access to education, NGO Human Rights Watch has criticised the Taliban, saying their “abusive” educational policies are harming boys as well as girls.

In a report published in December, the group said there has been less attention to the deep harm inflicted on boys’ education. Many qualified teachers, particularly women, have left, and attendance has been hurt by regressive curriculum changes and an increase in corporal punishment.

Afghanistan’s school year starts with more than 1 million girls barred from education
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Putin says gunmen who raided Moscow concert hall tried to escape to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement

Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities arrested the four men suspected of carrying out the attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday during an address to the nation. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine.

Kyiv strongly denied any involvement in Friday’s attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, and the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility.

Putin didn’t mention IS in his speech, and Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault in order to stoke fervor in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year.

A U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press that U.S. agencies had confirmed that IS was responsible for the assault and that they had previously warned Moscow an attack could be imminent.

Putin said authorities have detained a total of 11 people in the attack, which also injured more than 100 concertgoers and left the venue a smoldering ruin. He called it “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and said Russian authorities captured the four suspected gunmen as they were trying to escape to Ukraine through a “window” prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border.

Russian media broadcast videos that apparently showed the detention and interrogation of the suspects, including one who told the cameras he was approached by an unidentified assistant to an Islamic preacher via a messaging app channel and paid to take part in the raid.

Russian news reports identified the gunmen as citizens of Tajikistan, a former Soviet country in Central Asia that is predominantly Muslim and borders Afghanistan. Up to 1.5 million Tajiks have worked in Russia and many received Russian citizenship.

Putin also said that additional security measures have been imposed throughout Russia, and he declared Sunday a day of mourning.

Some commentators on Russian social media questioned how authorities, who have relentlessly suppressed any opposition activities and muzzled independent media, failed to prevent the attack despite the U.S. warnings.

The attack came two weeks after the U.S. embassy in Moscow issued a notice urging Americans to avoid crowded places in view of “imminent” plans by extremists to target large Moscow gatherings, including concerts. The warning was repeated by several other Western embassies.

Investigators on Saturday were combing through the charred wreckage of the hall for more victims, and authorities said the death toll could still rise. Hundreds of people stood in line in Moscow early Saturday to donate blood and plasma, Russia’s health ministry said.

“We will identify and bring to justice all those stood behind the terrorists, all those who staged this atrocity, this assault against Russia and our people,” Putin said. “Russia has repeatedly faced hard, sometimes unbearable, trials, but it always came out even stronger.”

His claim that the attackers tried to flee to Ukraine followed comments by Russian lawmakers who pointed the finger at Ukraine immediately after the attack. But Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied any involvement.

“Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods,” he posted on X. “Everything in this war will be decided only on the battlefield.”

Ukraine’s foreign ministry accused Moscow of using the attack to try to stoke fervor for its war efforts.

“We consider such accusations to be a planned provocation by the Kremlin to further fuel anti-Ukrainian hysteria in Russian society, create conditions for increased mobilization of Russian citizens to participate in the criminal aggression against our country and discredit Ukraine in the eyes of the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.

Images shared by Russian state media Saturday showed emergency vehicles still gathered outside the ruins of Crocus City Hall, which could hold more than 6,000 people and has hosted many big events, including the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant that featured Donald Trump and others.

On Friday, crowds had gathered for a concert by the Russian rock band Picnic.

Videos posted online showed gunmen in the venue shooting civilians at point-blank range. Russian news reports cited authorities and witnesses as saying the attackers threw explosive devices that started the fire, which eventually consumed the building and caused its roof to collapse.

Dave Primov, who survived the attack, told the AP that the gunmen were “shooting directly into the crowd of people who were in the front rows.” He described the chaos in the hall as concertgoers rushed to leave the building: “People began to panic, started to run and collided with each other. Some fell down and others trampled on them.”

After he and others crawled out of the hall into nearby utility rooms, he said he heard pops from small explosives and smelled burning as the attackers set the building ablaze. By the time they got out of the massive building 25 minutes later, it was engulfed in flames.

“Had it been just a little longer, we could simply get stuck there in the fire,” Primov said.

Messages of outrage, shock and support for the victims and their families have streamed in from around the world.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council condemned “the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” and underlined the need for the perpetrators to be held accountable. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the terrorist attack “in the strongest possible terms,” his spokesman said.

IS, which lost much of its ground after Russia’s military action in Syria, has long targeted Russia. In a statement posted by the group’s Aamaq news agency, IS’s Afghanistan affiliate said it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk.

In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, most of them Russian vacation-goers returning from Egypt.

The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, also has claimed several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in the past years. It recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.

On March 7, just hours before the U.S. embassy warned about imminent attacks, Russia’s top security agency said it had thwarted an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by an IS cell, killing several of its members in the Kaluga region near the Russian capital. A few days before that, Russian authorities said six alleged IS members were killed in a shootout in Ingushetia, in Russia’s Caucasus region.

A U.S. intelligence official told the AP that American intelligence agencies had gathered information in recent weeks that the IS branch was planning an attack in Moscow, and that U.S. officials had privately shared the intelligence earlier this month with Russian officials.

Another U.S. official said the IS branch in Afghanistan had long targeted Russia and reiterated that no Ukrainians were involved in the attack.

Both officials were briefed on the matter but weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the intelligence information and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Just three days before the attack, Putin had publicly denounced the Western warnings of a potential terrorist attack as an attempt to intimidate Russians. “All that resembles open blackmail and an attempt to frighten and destabilize our society,” he said at a meeting with top security officials.

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington and Colleen Long in Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.

Putin says gunmen who raided Moscow concert hall tried to escape to Ukraine. Kyiv denies involvement
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Islamic State’s deadly Moscow attack highlights its fixation with Russia

The Guardian

Fri 22 Mar 2024 20.20 EDT

The ISKP regional affiliate has a haven in Afghanistan and carried out recent bombings in Iran, suggesting it has capacity for major atrocities

A claim has surfaced that the attack was carried out by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) a regional affiliate of the IS terrorist organisation. IS has been implicated in some of Russia’s largest recent terror attacks, including the 2017 bombing in the St Petersburg metro that killed 15 and injured 45.

US intelligence told American news agencies that there’s “no reason to doubt” the IS claims of responsibility.

law enforcement holding guns outside building with sign saying crocus city hall with fire in the air behind them

The group, which is a branch of IS mainly based in Afghanistan, has increasingly focused its attention on Russia since the United States left Afghanistan in 2021. The group was formed in 2015 by members of militant groups, including those from Pakistan and Uzbekistan, and is active in central Asia and Russia. It carried out twin bombings in January in Iran that killed nearly 100 people.

“Isis-K and its allies retain a safe haven in Afghanistan, and they continue to develop their networks in and out of the country,” said Gen Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, during testimony to the House armed services committee in early March.

“Their goals do not stop there. They have called for attacks globally on anyone not aligned with their extremist ideology, and Taliban efforts to suppress the group have proven insufficient.”

The attack in Iran demonstrated the group’s “resiliency and indicates that they retain the capability and will to conduct spectacular external operations”.

Russia’s FSB security service said that on 7 March it had prevented an armed attack by the group on a synagogue in the Kaluga region near Moscow.

“It was established that the militants of an international terrorist organisation are preparing an attack on the parishioners of the synagogue using firearms,” the FSB said in a statement.

a building on fire
Fire and chaos after mass shooting at Russian concert hall

Within hours, the US embassy issued an unusual warning for American citizens to avoid large gatherings and in particular concerts, repeating calls for US citizens to leave Russia. “The embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and US citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the embassy said on its website.

CNN reporters said they had been told that “since November there has been ‘fairly specific’ intelligence that Isis-K wanted to carry out attacks in Russia … US intelligence warned Russia about it”.

Putin changed the course of the Syrian civil war by intervening in 2015, supporting President Bashar al-Assad against the opposition and Islamic State.

“Isis-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years, frequently criticising Putin in its propaganda,” said Colin Clarke of the Soufan Center, according to Reuters.

The claim by the group will largely divert attention by Russian officials that the attack may have originated in Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia who now is deputy head of the security council, said that if Kyiv’s involvement in the attack on the concert hall is proved, all those involved “must be tracked down and killed without mercy, including officials of the state that committed such outrage”.

Ukrainian officials had insisted that they had no link to the attack. “Ukraine certainly has nothing to do with the shooting/explosions in the Crocus City Hall (Moscow Region, Russia). It makes no sense whatsoever,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential administration.

“Ukraine has never resorted to the use of terrorist methods,” he said. “It is always pointless.”

Islamic State’s deadly Moscow attack highlights its fixation with Russia
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They fled Afghanistan after Biden’s withdrawal. Now in the US, they hope Trump wins

The Guardian

With the Afghan new year, or Nowruz, falling during the month of Ramadan this year, Afghans and Afghan Americans around the US who celebrated while fasting prepared with a few traditional dishes to share after sundown last week.

Zuhra, 30, had some of her relatives over to her house in Santa Ana, California. She decorated her dining table green, to celebrate spring, and made haft mewa, an Afghan dish prepared with seven different dried fruits and nuts, which her husband loves.

“Now our life is good,” she said. For years, things had been different.

Two white men wearing suits and ties
Biden administration failures drove the fall of Kabul, say top former US generals

Zuhra, who asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of reprisal for speaking to the press, arrived in southern California in November 2022, a little more than a year after the US’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Back in her home country, Zuhra said, she held a master’s degree in business administration, had a good career working in human resources for US companies and agencies, and owned her home

“We wanted to stay and serve our people,” she said.

But having worked with foreigners, Zuhra and her husband knew they were at risk as soon as the Taliban took over in August 2021. Zuhra had applied years earlier for a special immigrant visa, or SIV, a coveted and hard-to-get visa established in 2006 for Afghans who had been employed by or on behalf of the US government. Congress is considering adding 12,000 new SIVs for Afghans in its latest funding deal negotiations. Fearful of being arrested, she stopped driving or working late, and covered her face to avoid standing out in public.

Eventually, she chose to move to California, home to the largest Afghan community in the US, to be near relatives who settled here decades ago.

But while finally in safety, the family struggled to rebuild their lives.

Zuhra and her husband had a hard time finding work and an affordable place to rent. Even now, she worries that they will be unable to save any money for their four-year-old son’s future.

Numerous Afghans who have found refuge in the US since the US withdrawal have encountered similar challenges.

The non-profit Tiyya Foundation helps newly arrived immigrants in southern California find work and housing. They also help newly arrived immigrants find work, and directly employ some of them – like Zuhra, who works for the organization as a translator.

Beatrice Kihagi, Tiyya’s family services specialist, explains that having community support makes the challenges of living in one of the most expensive parts of the US more manageable. But it remains tough, she said.

Many of these families did well in their home countries, and their kids at times struggle to adjust to their new reality, Kihagi said: “It’s so hard for them because they could see the kind of life they had back at home was much better than here”– financially, at least. Kihagi says this weighs on parents mentally.

Samir, who asked to be identified by an alias for fear of retaliation against his family in Afghanistan, obtained an SIV and moved his family of six to southern California in August 2023. He worked on agriculture and infrastructure projects for USAid, the United States Agency for International Development, across the southern province of Uruzgan.

He described a harrowing journey leaving his home country, crossing Taliban checkpoints, flying through multiple countries and juggling paperwork, an infant and enormous suitcases. “Not the small luggage,” he explained. “The big luggage, because my wife was willing to take everything.”

His children ran around happily as the family attended a recent Tiyya event called “tea and tots” that gathers families for playdates at a park. He said the biggest opportunity he has in the United States is to educate his daughters, which he couldn’t do in Afghanistan. Now, they speak English, he said proudly, and know how to talk to teachers and do their homework. “When it’s morning early, they are happy to get ready very fast to go to school,” he said. He added his wife is slowly becoming excited to learn to drive.

But the first two months in California were difficult. Samir struggled to get housing because landlords asked for proof of income or a co-signer. He said: “I told them, I’m new. I don’t have income. I don’t know anybody.” He said every step was difficult, and the stress and depression weighed on him, until they found an apartment and could begin remaking their lives.

As the US weighs who should occupy the White House come January 2025, Samir said most college-educated Afghans he knows, and those who worked in the country’s former government, don’t like Joe Biden because of how he handled the withdrawal of US troops in 2021. “They left us and our lives in danger,” he said.

Samir said he’s concerned about illegal immigration and worries that people without the proper paperwork – something he waited for – will have a more difficult journey settling in the US, and that they will compete for resources he depends on. “I hope that we will have the president to support the legal immigrants,” he said.

He thinks Afghans who hold US citizenship, and can vote in November, will look at whoever is doing the most to help refugees.

Zuhra said she’s too new to the US to be able to comment on politics, but she’s noticed the contentiousness of the 2024 election. “There’s division here like there was in Afghanistan,” she said.

She said her relatives who are US citizens are leaning towards voting for Donald Trump.

Roien Rahimi came to the U.S. from Afghanistan almost three years ago and now works for an organization that supports refugees’ mental health. He, too, is still struggling, he said. “I have to work even during the weekend, so I can afford the expenses.”

This makes it difficult to pay attention to the political climate of his new home. “Afghan new immigrants, they’re struggling with their life right now. It’s a bit far to think about the election,” he said. He said he doesn’t follow politics much, but spoke favorably of Donald Trump, and mentioned concerns over Joe Biden’s age. “If they bring good life to people of the US, we are happy. That’s what matters,” Rahimi concluded.

They fled Afghanistan after Biden’s withdrawal. Now in the US, they hope Trump wins
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79% of People Lack Access to Clean Water In Afghanistan: UN

However, the Ministry of Energy and Water said that efforts to manage groundwater in the country continue.

Coinciding with World Water Day, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stated that 79% of the country’s population lacks access to sufficient clean water.

In its latest report, UNDP considers drought, economic instability, and past unrest as reasons that have led to the water crisis in the country.

“Severe drought conditions, economic instability, and the devastating effects of prolonged conflicts have significantly impaired the country’s water infrastructure. The situation is further aggravated by the impact of climate change and extreme weather events, which have led to the destruction of vital water sources and facilities,” the report reads.

However, the Ministry of Energy and Water said that efforts to manage groundwater in the country continue.

The ministry said that in this solar year, 300 projects aimed at water management in various provinces of the country are to be implemented.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Water, the reconstruction work of six major water projects, including the Pashtun dam, Kamal Khan dam, Turi Bakhshabad dam, and Shah and Arous dam, is underway.

“The work on the Kamal Khan dam in Nimroz is 98% complete and is expected to be operational in the current solar year. The work on the Shah and Arous dam in Kabul is 79% complete and is expected to be operational in the current solar year. The first phase of the Bakhshabad dam in Farah will be completed in the current solar year. The work on the Pashtun dam in Herat is 75% complete, and so far, 900 million afghani have been spent on this dam, and it will be operational in the current solar year. The reconstruction work on the Turi Zabol dam has progressed by 90% and will be operational in the current solar year,” the ministry said.

“In terms of water management, the Ministry of Energy and Water has currently started work on more than six dams such as Bakhshabad dam, Band-e-Pashdan dam, Turi dam, and others,” said Matyullah Abed, spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Water.

World Water Day arrives while Afghanistan, despite being rich in water resources, still faces unresolved problems of water scarcity, especially clean drinking water.

“Afghanistan only uses thirty percent of the water produced annually in this country; seventy percent remains unused due to lack of infrastructure, water storage facilities, and water distribution systems,” said Najibullah Sedid, a water management expert.

“A clear solution for managing underground water both within Afghanistan and across borders should be considered where all criteria are taken into account,” said Hamidullah Yalani, another water management expert.

On Thursday the acting Minister of Energy and Water also announced the construction of 11 more check dams at a cost of more than 30 million afghanis in eleven districts of Kabul.

“The benefit of these dams is that they store water and release it into springs and canals for irrigation,” said Abdul Latif Mansoor, the acting minister of Energy and Water.

UNDP in its latest report also stated that in the past two years, 67% of families in Afghanistan have been affected by drought-related problems and another 16% by floods.

79% of People Lack Access to Clean Water In Afghanistan: UN
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Officials: Over 1,200 Drug Factories Destroyed Since Islamic Emirate Return

Some experts said that the Islamic Emirate should educate the public about the harms of drugs and provide alternative crops for farmers.

The Counter-Narcotics Directorate of the Ministry of Interior stated that since the return of the Islamic Emirate, over 1,200 large and small drug processing factories have been destroyed in the country.

Haseebullah Ahmadi, the head of the counter-narcotics office of the Ministry of Interior, said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to fighting drugs in the country and that drug trafficking, cultivation, and trade in the country have nearly reached zero.

Ahmadi said: “About 1,250 alcohol and drug processing factories in various provinces of the country have been destroyed, and the serious fight against the cultivation, trafficking, and trade of drugs in the country continues.”

The head of the counter-narcotics office of the MoI warns that individuals who still engage in the cultivation, trafficking, and the trade of drugs will be referred to judicial and legal authorities.

Haseebullah Ahmadi said: “The Islamic Emirate is committed to the fight against drugs and intends to allow no one to engage in the cultivation, trafficking, and trade of drugs. If someone continues to do so, they will be introduced to judicial and legal authorities.”

Some experts said that the Islamic Emirate should educate the public about the harms of drugs and provide alternative crops for farmers.

Gul Mohammaddin Mohammadi, a political affairs expert, said: “In the fight against drugs, public awareness is needed, and alongside it, alternative programs should be implemented for farmers so that people refrain from cultivating drugs.”

Najib Rahman Shamal, another expert, said: “I hope the interim government of Afghanistan can cooperate and support the neighboring and regional countries in the fight against cultivation, trafficking, and trade of drugs.”

According to the Counter-Narcotics Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, 15,500 hectares of crops used for illicit drugs in various provinces of the country have also been cleared.

Officials: Over 1,200 Drug Factories Destroyed Since Islamic Emirate Return
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Mujahid Urges US Envoy to Consider Afghanistan’s Progress on His Trips

Tolo News
23 March 2024

Mujahid added that the interim government has had good achievements in the areas of security, economy, and anti-corruption.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said that the US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West should take into account the current progress in Afghanistan during his travels to countries in the region and meetings with officials from various countries.

Mujahid added that the interim government has had good achievements in the areas of security, economy, and anti-corruption.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate told TOLOnews: “Our position is that the advances in security and stability in Afghanistan should be considered and supported, as this will lead to various dimensions and also lead to regional security and the alleviation of concerns.”

This comes as the US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West recently traveled to India and discussed the development of diplomatic relations with Afghanistan with some officials of that country.

West said on X: “Great to return to India and connect with close colleagues about the way ahead in Afghanistan. Spent valuable time with HE Foreign Secretary Kwatra and Joint Secretary JP Singh. India continues to deliver critical humanitarian aid and medicine to the Afghan people, and we discussed 2024 needs. Also exchanged views on development of a unified diplomatic approach in support of collective interests.”

Sayed Ishaq Gilani, leader of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan, told TOLOnews: “The major countries are in no hurry like us; they want to investigate something, gather general opinions, and then act again. The best thing will be to facilitate discussions with Afghans.”

Bilal Fatemi, a political expert, referring to Thomas West’s trip, said: “Not only humanitarian aid to Afghanistan is being discussed in this trip, but it is above that, and they just make it appear as if the topic is aid to Afghanistan.”

Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, is expected to travel to the United Arab Emirates after his trip to India this week.

Mujahid Urges US Envoy to Consider Afghanistan’s Progress on His Trips
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UNSC on Kandahar Attack: Terrorism Is Unjustifiable Anywhere

The United Nations Security Council condemned the “heinous terrorist attack” in Kandahar on Thursday, March 21.

The Security Council in a statement drafted by Japan said that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is one of the most serious threats to peace and security in Afghanistan and the world.

“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace and security in Afghanistan as well as in the world. The members of the Security Council underline the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,” the statement reads.

Concurrently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and the embassies of Japan and Turkey for Afghanistan have also condemned this attack.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan in its statement has called terrorism a common concern of both countries and has called for a bilateral attention to this matter.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry in a statement strongly condemned the terrorist attack that took place in Kandahar on Thursday.

The statement said that Pakistan reiterates its strong condemnation of terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations.” Terrorism is a “shared concern that both countries need to address through collective efforts,” the statement said.

“The Government and the people of Pakistan extend their sincere condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the early recovery of the injured. Pakistan reiterates its strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Terrorism is a shared concern that both countries need to address through collective efforts,” the statement said.

“Unfortunately, 40 years of war in the region have created extremist groups, and there is no doubt that some countries use these groups for their strategic interests,” said Tariq Farhadi, international relations analyst.

Meanwhile, The United Nations Assistance mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and The US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri have also called for accountability for the perpetrators of such attacks in Afghanistan.

“UNAMA unequivocally condemns yesterday’s Islamic State (KP)-claimed attack in Kandahar that left dozens killed or wounded. Such abhorrent acts, during Ramadan or any other time, should have no place in Afghanistan,” said UNAMA on X.

“Daesh is an oppressive phenomenon that does not see the right path and targets civilians; however, their hideouts have been destroyed, and they themselves are on the verge of extinction. Insha Allah, the Islamic Emirate has ordered its forces to be active against all Daesh actions in all areas,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.

Although the Islamic Emirate has not yet shared the casualty figures of this event, the spokesperson for the Kandahar Security Command had previously stated that three people were killed and twelve were injured in this incident. However, some sources have told TOLOnews that the number of fatalities is higher than that reported.

UNSC on Kandahar Attack: Terrorism Is Unjustifiable Anywhere
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