Daesh in Afghanistan Could Threaten US Interests in 6 Months: CENTCOM

March 18, 2023
Mohammad Farshad Daryosh
TOLOnews’ Reporter
17 March 2023

Meanwhile, the US democratic Senator Jack Reed said that the President Joe Biden pledged that Afghanistan will not become a harbor of terrorist groups.

The head of US Central Command, Michael Kurilla, said that Daesh In Afghanistan will be able to attack American or Western interests outside the country in less than six months “with little to no warning,” as reported by Star and Stripes.

He made the remarks on Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee, saying that Daesh is rapidly developing the ability to conduct “external operations” in Europe and Asia.

“My commanders estimate that they can do an external operation against US or Western interests in under six months with little to know warning. In a classified session, I would talk about why I made that assessment. It is much harder for them to be able to do that against the homeland,” he said.

The Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid rejected Kurilla’s remarks on Daesh’s ability to attack the US within six months and said that the group is being eliminated in Afghanistan.

“We deny these allegations. Afghanistan is not a place for anyone to threaten other countries anymore or make problems. Daesh is being eliminated in Afghanistan. Daesh has been hit hard and the world also knows it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the US democratic Senator Jack Reed said that the President Joe Biden pledged that Afghanistan will not become a harbor of terrorist groups.

“The Biden administration has maintained its commitment to ensure that Afghanistan cannot be used as a base for ISIS, al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups to conduct attacks against United States or its allies,” he said.

The political analysts gave various opinions in this regard.

“Daesh neither has the goal to attack US interests nor the capacity to do so. It even doesn’t have the capacity to attack the weak countries. It is only a misery for the people of Afghanistan,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military veteran.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate killed two key members of the Daesh group within the last month.

Daesh in Afghanistan Could Threaten US Interests in 6 Months: CENTCOM
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Kabul Reacts to UNSC Resolution on Afghanistan’s Situation

March 18, 2023
Mohammad Farshad Daryosh
TOLOnews’ Reporter
18 March 2023

Mujahid said the assessment should not be for producing propaganda against the system and based on false information.

In response to the new UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution concerning the call for an “independent assessment to address the challenges in Afghanistan,” the Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the current government would cooperate with it if the assessment is aimed at fostering cooperation.

Mujahid said the assessment should not be for producing propaganda against the system and based on false information.

“We hope that the assessment is for cooperation with the Afghan people and the system, not for producing propaganda against the system and based on false information,” Mujahid said.

The UN Security Council has issued a resolution based on which the challenges in Afghanistan will be assessed independently.

According to the UAE ambassador to the UN, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, a delegation will independently assess Afghanistan’s situation in terms of security, terrorism, drug production, social concerns, improving governance, and upholding the rule of law based on this resolution.

“Afghanistan has been on an extremely alarming trajectory since August 2021. So, our hope is that the assessments will offer credible suggestions as to various relevant international regional actress can coalesce around the shared vision for the country and how we can advance that vision in the Security Council,” Nusseibeh said.

The UN Secretary-General is asked in the resolution put out by Japan and the United Arab Emirates, to conduct an independent assessment that provides recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach to the Afghan situation among different actors in the international community.

“If the international community adopts a committed approach toward Afghanistan, I can say that we will witness a new chapter in the approach of the international community toward Afghanistan,” said university lecturer Sayed Jawad Sajadi.

“The assessment of the UN will show that unfortunately in Afghanistan, girls do not have access to education and women’s work is restricted, poverty has increased and people are thinking about emigration. All of this should be corrected,” said Tariq Farhadi, a political analyst.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted two resolutions concerning the situation in Afghanistan. The first resolution was the renewal of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the second resolution requests that the Secretary-General conduct an independent assessment that provides recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach among different actors in the international community in order to address the current challenges facing Afghanistan.

Kabul Reacts to UNSC Resolution on Afghanistan’s Situation
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Ministry of Vice, Virtue Says Govt Not against Women’s Rights

March 18, 2023
Nazir Shinwari
Tolo News
18 March 2023

Akif Muhajir, said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to upholding women’s rights in accordance with the Sharia law.

The Ministry of Vice and Virtue said that some groups are attempting to portray the current government as an enemy of women’s rights and girls’ education.

In a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, the acting minister of vice and virtue, discussed relations between the two countries and the situation of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, Akif Muhajir, said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to upholding women’s rights in accordance with the Sharia law.

“Some groups are attempting to portray us as enemies of women’s rights and education with their propaganda, despite the fact that Islam is the only religion to explicitly state that women have rights and are part of humanity. We are committed to upholding all the rights of women, in accordance with the Sharia laws,” Muhajer added.

Meanwhile, a number of female students criticized the closure of secondary schools and universities in the country and asked the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools and universities for women and girls.

“I ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools and universities for women and girls. We are worried about our fate and future,” Halima, a student told TOLOnews.

“Educational centers should not be closed to us. We ask the Islamic Emirate not to play with our future,” said Sadaf, another student.

“Schools and universities should reopen as quickly as possible, and women should be permitted to work in order to end the current situation in Afghanistan,” said Fazl Hadi Wazin, a university lecturer.

According to the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, Iran’s envoy to Kabul said the issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan is an internal issue, and that Iran would not interfere in Afghanistan’s matters. The Islamic Emirate should address this issue properly, he said.

Ministry of Vice, Virtue Says Govt Not against Women’s Rights
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UN seeks independent ideas on tackling Afghanistan’s Taliban

March 17, 2023

By EDITH M. LEDERER

Associated Press

March 16, 2023

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday calling for independent recommendations on how a united international community should address the enormous challenges confronting Afghanistan — above all the Taliban’s drastic curtailment of education and work for women and girls, but also terrorism and the country’s dire humanitarian and economic situation.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Japan and the United Arab Emirates, asks U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish an independent panel to assess the situation in Afghanistan and make proposals for a “coherent approach” for key players inside and outside the United Nations dealing with the political, humanitarian and development issues. It ordered the assessment to be provided to the Security Council no later than Nov. 17.

United Arab Emirates Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh was asked afterward whether the Security Council and the U.N. Secretariat have run out of their own ideas to address the future of Afghanistan. She called the Afghan situation very complex and said council members hope the ideas from the independent assessment will help bolster the council’s thinking “and the thinking of the international community around an international strategy.”

“Afghanistan has been on an extremely alarming trajectory since August 2021,” Nusseibeh said. “So, our hope is that the assessment will offer credible suggestions as to how the various relevant international and regional actors can coalesce around a shared vision for the country, and how we can advance that vision in the Security Council.”

She said the unanimous approval of the resolution by the 15-member Security Council, which remains paralyzed over Ukraine because of Russia’s veto power and divided on other issues, shows that unity is possible on Afghanistan.

The resolution listed a host of challenges facing Afghanistan that need to be addressed, including human rights, especially of women and girls, the dire humanitarian situation, the problems of religious and ethnic minorities, security and terrorism, narcotics production, social, economic and development needs, promoting dialogue and improving governance and the rule of law.

The Taliban seized power in mid-August 2021 amid the chaotic departure of U.S. and NATO troops after 20 years. As the Taliban did during their previous rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, they gradually reimposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. Girls are now barred from school beyond the sixth grade and women are banned from most jobs, public spaces such as parks, and gyms.

The Security Council also unanimously adopted a second resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan — UNAMA — until March 17, 2024.

Its mandate includes fostering an inclusive political dialogue, monitoring and reporting on human rights, facilitating humanitarian assistance, addressing economic and social challenges and countering terrorism and narcotics.

“The role of UNAMA is becoming more important and indispensable at this time of crisis,” Japan’s U.N. Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro told the council before the vote.

After the vote, U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood called UNAMA “a lifeline for the people of Afghanistan,” saying it “is critical to working toward the peace and stability that we all agree is so important for Afghanistan and the world.”

UN seeks independent ideas on tackling Afghanistan’s Taliban
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UN extends Afghanistan mission by another year

March 17, 2023

Al Jazeera

17 Mar 2023

The United Nations Security Council renews UNAMA and asks for recommendations on working with the Taliban-ruled country.

The United Nations Security Council has renewed the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year while also asking for recommendations on the best way for the international community to continue its work in the Taliban-ruled country.

The 15-member council on Thursday unanimously adopted two resolutions, both drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

The first “stresses the critical importance of a continued presence of UNAMA” and other UN agencies within Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule since the group took control of Kabul in August 2021.

Thursday’s resolution, which extends the mission until March 17, 2024, does not change the UNAMA’s mandate, as defined by last year’s resolution, “in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan”.

The second resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to conduct an “integrated, independent assessment” of the situation in the country, and report back to the UNSC by November 17 with “forward-looking recommendations for an integrated and coherent approach among relevant political, humanitarian, and development actors”.

The report should include information on addressing “humanitarian (challenges), human rights and especially the rights of women and girls, religious and ethnic minorities, security and terrorism, narcotics, development, economic and social challenges, dialogue, governance and the rule of law”, the resolution said.

“We are all aware the situation in Afghanistan is extremely challenging, and that our options are actually very limited, but the status quo is not sustainable,” UAE’s UN ambassador, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, said.

She noted that, given the Taliban’s tightening restrictions on women and girls, some people, “including many Afghan women”, have accused the global community of lacking a “coordinated international political strategy” for dealing with the challenges within the country.

The Taliban, which seized power in August 2021 as the United States-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

But it has banned women and girls from attending high school and university, visiting parks and working for aid groups.

The UNSC expressed concern in the resolution over the lack of progress made by the Taliban on its expectations.

It emphasised “the importance of the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, and upholding human rights, including those of women, children, minorities, and persons in vulnerable situations”.

The UN has made its single-largest country aid appeal ever, asking for $4.6bn in 2023 to deliver help in Afghanistan, where it says two-thirds of the population – some 28 million people – need it to survive.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
UN extends Afghanistan mission by another year
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Defense Ministry: Force Consists of Over 100,000 Troops

March 14, 2023
Fatima Adib
Tolo News
14 March 2023

The Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Defense said that its forces have reached between 100,000 and 150,000 troops.

The ministry’s spokesman, Enayatullah Khwarazmi, said that facilities and equipment have been provided for these forces, and their salaries will be paid at the designated time.

“We have between 100,000 and 150,000 armed and equipped troops to provide security, guard our borders, protect our trenches–and our border forces are active,” Khwarazmi noted.

“They should have used all the staff from the (former) government departments, including civil and military ones, and included them in the government so they work on rebuilding and providing peace and stability in Afghanistan,” said Samar Sadat, a military expert.

Khwarazmi added that former soldiers are also included in the structure of the ministry’s forces.

“They are obliged to use professionals and specialists from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, intelligence, and intelligence agencies who have sufficient experience,” said Sarwar Niazi, a military analyst.

According to some military analysts, the current government needs the support of other nations to maintain and supply this army.

“Foreign nations must make secret pledges to assist supplying their army, otherwise the Taliban will not be able to do so in the current situation,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst.

“It has been nearly two years that the Taliban have controlled Afghanistan. Have we imported a tank, a cannon, or an airplane from other countries? Or are we in agreement on this? And besides this, professional education is necessary, but it is something we sadly lack,” said Mohammad Zalmai Afghanyar, a military analyst.

There were 350,000 security and defense troops up until August 2021, when the previous government ended.

Defense Ministry: Force Consists of Over 100,000 Troops
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‘Talented’ Ex-Officials Will be Given Jobs If They Return : Commission

March 13, 2023
Nazir Shinwari
Tolo News
13 MMarch 2023

According to the commission, more than 500 people including ministers, governors and political figures have returned to the country.

The “Commission for the Return and Communications with Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures” said that talented and honest former officials and political figures who return to Afghanistan will be provided with jobs.

According to the commission, more than 500 people including ministers, governors and political figures have returned to the country.

“The government is committed to considering capacity, talent and honesty of Afghan figures. They may join certain areas of the government because hundreds of thousands of former government officials are currently included in the government,” said Ahmadullah Wassiq, a spokesman for the commission.

“Until now, 513 Afghan figures including ministers, governors and deputy governors, have returned to their country via the “Commission for the Return and Communications with Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures,” Wassiq said.

The political analysts believe that the commission should change its method and create a trusting environment for the professional figures.

“The solution is that the Taliban should extend their embrace and change their policy and pave the way for intra-Afghan negotiations,” said Stana Gul, political analyst.

“To pave the way for the return of Afghans, the schools for girls should be reopened and work access for women should be facilitated,” said Torek Farhadi, political analyst.

“If the Islamic Emirate is really working in this regard, they should invite the eligible and professional figures to Afghanistan,” said Amanullah Ghalib, former head of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat.

‘Talented’ Ex-Officials Will be Given Jobs If They Return : Commission
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Taliban health ministry launches annual polio vaccination drive

March 13, 2023

By Reuters Staff

MARCH 13, 2023

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan has launched its annual polio inoculation campaign aimed at reaching 9 million children, the health ministry said on Monday, the second year in a row the vaccination drive has taken place under Taliban rule.

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries with endemic polio, an incurable and highly infectious disease that can cause crippling paralysis in young children.

Polio has been virtually eliminated globally through a decades-long inoculation drive. But insecurity, inaccessible terrain, mass displacement and suspicion of outside interference have hampered mass vaccination in Afghanistan and some areas of Pakistan.

Nek Wali Shah Momin, director of Afghanistan’s National Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for Polio Eradication, said many more areas could now be reached since the Taliban took over and fighting stopped. The EOC is led by the health ministry and includes international agencies including the World Health Orgnization and the U.N. children’s agency.

While the Taliban have in recent months banned many female NGO workers and stopped women attending universities and most high schools, the doctor said female vaccinators were working on the campaign.

He said women were crucial to accessing children who were often at home with their female caregivers who were usually not comfortable interacting with male vaccinators.

In areas where vaccination teams had to travel longer distances, Momin said authorities had required female staff to have a male chaperone. He said they had recruited and trained male family members of the female vaccinators to join the teams’ vaccination efforts.

Some militant factions have targeted vaccination efforts in the past. In 2022, eight workers were killed in attacks in northern Afghanistan.

“The support of all Afghans, including parents, community leaders, ethnic elders, and religious leaders, is critical to eradicate polio and we want them to take part in the fight,” the Taliban’s acting health minister Qalandar Ebad said.

Some health experts said the role of the Taliban, whose stated goal is to impose their strict interpretation of Islamic law, could help encourage acceptance of vaccination in conservative areas around the region.

“Religious leaders’ role in the polio elimination drive in both Pakistan and Afghanistan is crucial … the active participation of the Taliban in polio campaigns is a very positive and major development,” said Rana Jawad Asghar, an epidemiology expert and CEO of Pakistan-based consultancy Global Health Strategists and Implementers.

Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Editing by Alison Williams

Taliban health ministry launches annual polio vaccination drive
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Islamic Emirate Reacts to UN Report

March 11, 2023
Banafsha Binesh
Tolo News
11 March 2023

The deputy spokesman of the foreign ministry said that the current government also wants good interactions with the world.

The Foreign Ministry welcomed aspects of the report of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council, particulary his call for the world to interact patiently with the Islamic Emirate. 

The deputy spokesman of the foreign ministry said that the current government also wants good interactions with the world.

The ministry rejected claims that 23 armed groups are active in Afghanistan.

“Murders and, arrests (in report) are not true, and we also reject the claim that 23 armed groups are active,” said Zia Ahmad Takal, a deputy spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, the deputy spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry said he appreciated some aspects in the report, like the noting of improved governance, accountability and access to services through the formation of Ulema councils, efforts for national reconciliation and unity with former administration officials and minorities, and curbing arms trafficking and narcotics cultivation and trade.

Meanwhile, some political analysts said that the world’s interaction with the Islamic Emirate is useful for the country.

“We hope that the Islamic Emirate is recognized by the world, so the Islamic Emirate can fight against terrorists,” said Janat Fahim Chakari, a political analyst.

Meanwhile, the UNAMA mission in Afghanistan is currently set  to end on March 17, but the UN secretary general recommended to the Security Council that it extend UNAMA’s mission for 12 months.

Islamic Emirate Reacts to UN Report
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IPI Report: UNSC Expected to Renew UNAMA Mandate

March 11, 2023
Fatema Adeeb
Tolo News
11 March 2023

Several experts in international relations believe that UNAMA plays an important role in Afghanistan’s political, human rights, economic and social sectors.

The International Peace Institute (IPI) said in a report that the UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in March 2023.

According to the report, the Security Council members remain divided over what the appropriate level of political engagement between the UN and the current government of Afghanistan should be.

“The upcoming mandate renewal negotiations will unfold amid a worsening economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Security Council members remain divided over what the appropriate level of political engagement between the UN and de facto authorities should be, especially after the lack of progress in getting the Taliban to change course on its policies restricting the rights of Afghan women and girls,” the report reads.

“UNAMA has three roles in Afghanistan: the implementation of humanitarian aid–40 million dollars of US money periodically arrives and goes through UNAMA–the issue of human rights, which is the topic of Richard Bennett’s report, and the third is to start a dialogue between Afghans, which has not yet begun, and Roza Otunbayeva is responsible for it,” said Tariq Farhadi, a political analyst.

Several experts in international relations believe that UNAMA plays an important role in Afghanistan’s political, human rights, economic and social sectors.

“The continuance of UNAMA’s operation in Afghanistan is very important because of the economic, political, and human situation in Afghanistan,” said Wali Frozan, international relations expert.

“The non-renewal of UNAMA’s mandate will cause other difficulties and the world’s attention to the people of Afghanistan will decline, and this would be a tremendous blow to the poor people of Afghanistan,” said Wahid Faqiri, another international relations expert.

Earlier, the UN Secretary General António Guterres recommended to the members of the UN Security Council to extend the UNAMA mission in Afghanistan for another year.

IPI Report: UNSC Expected to Renew UNAMA Mandate
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