UN in talks about possibly handing over Afghan teaching projects to Taliban

June 15, 2023
By 
Reuters
June 15, 2023

June 15 (Reuters) – The U.N. children’s agency said it was holding discussions with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban over “timelines and practicalities” for a possible required handover of its education programmes and that classes would continue in the meantime.

Aid officials say that the Taliban had signalled international organisations could no longer be involved in education projects, in a move criticised by the U.N. but not yet confirmed by Afghan authorities.

UNICEF said it had received assurances from the education ministry that its community-based classes, which educate 500,000 students, would continue while they discussed the matter.

“As the lead agency for the education cluster in Afghanistan, UNICEF is engaged in constructive discussions with the de facto Ministry of Education and appreciates the commitment from the de facto minister to keep all … classes continuing while discussions take place about timelines and practicalities,” UNICEF’s Afghanistan spokesperson, Samantha Mort, told Reuters.

“In order to minimise disruption to children’s learning, it is imperative that any handover to national NGOs is done strategically and includes comprehensive assessment and capacity building.”

A spokesperson for the Taliban did not respond to request for comment. The Ministry of Education has not publicly confirmed the policy.

The Taliban, who took power in 2021, have closed most secondary schools to girls, stopped female students attending universities and stopped many Afghan women working for aid groups and the United Nations in accordance with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

International organisations have been heavily involved in education projects, and UNICEF made an agreement with the Taliban to run community classes before they took over the country.

Two humanitarian sources told Reuters this month that aid agencies had been told provincial authorities had been directed to stop the involvement of international organisations in education projects, possibly within weeks.\

The U.N. spokesperson in New York said the move would be a “horrendous step backwards”.

UNICEF runs many community-based classes including for 300,000 girls, often in homes in rural areas.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan after a 20-year insurgency against U.S.-led forces with a speed and ease that took the world by surprise.

Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Nick Macfie
UN in talks about possibly handing over Afghan teaching projects to Taliban
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UNICEF: 16M Children Need Protection and Humanitarian Assistance

June 15, 2023
Fatema Adeeb
Tolo News
15 June 2023

The Ministry of Economics said that children in the country need humanitarian aid and support in the education sector.

UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan Fran Equiza said that “16 million children” are in need of protection and humanitarian assistance.

Fran Equiza added that in Afghanistan, children’s rights are eroded every day and too many kids are burdened with responsibilities way beyond their age.

“That smile gives me hope. This smile and this child-friendly space, in a country with almost 16 million children, need protection and humanitarian assistance. In a country in which way too many kids are burdened with responsibilities way beyond their age, and children’s rights are eroded every day,”

The Ministry of Economics said that children in the country need humanitarian aid and support in the education sector, and the world should support the current government in both areas.

“Afghan children need support in two areas, in the area of humanitarian aid and in the area of education. We request the international community support the Islamic Emirate in both areas,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, the deputy minister of the Economy.

Meanwhile, some children in the capital said that because of their families and life, they face hard labor and they ask the Islamic Emirate to pay more attention to the rights of children.

“We call on the Islamic Emirate to pay attention to children so we can learn and be someone in the future,” said Najib, a child.

“I don’t want to work, I want to learn and become a pilot,” said Fahim, a child.

Earlier, the head of the labour organization in Afghanistan announced the increase in the number of child labourers in the country and said that the battles of several decades and the poverty of families are considered the main reasons for child labor.

UNICEF also said that In Afghanistan, 1 in 5 children is engaged in child labour, and it considered the political change in the country to be one of the factors influencing the increase in child labor.

UNICEF: 16M Children Need Protection and Humanitarian Assistance
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ICRC: Unemployment has Damaged Lives of Millions of People in Afghanistan

June 15, 2023
Hadia Ziaei
Tolo News
15 June 2023
The ICRC called on the international community and development organizations to resume investing in Afghanistan.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a report that the number of unemployed people has significantly increased over the past two years in Afghanistan.

According to the report, “in addition to other humanitarian crises, unemployment has damaged the lives of millions of people in Afghanistan. People living with disabilities are among the most affected.”

The ICRC called on the international community and development organizations to resume investing in Afghanistan.

“The ICRC welcomes any decision that will enable Afghan families to better cope with the dire economic condition and calls on the international community and development organizations to resume investing in Afghanistan, to prevent the situation from worsening further,” the report reads.

“A large part of this aid is necessary to be used for large infrastructural and economic projects in order to make the employment environment favorable for the people and to reduce the economic problems of the people,” said Darya Khan Baheer, an economist.

In the meantime, some residents of Kabul asked the Islamic Emirate and relief organizations to provide work opportunities.

“The Islamic Emirate should increase employment opportunities for poor and destitute people,” said Saifullah, a resident of Kabul.

According to the Ministry of Economy, to reduce poverty in the country, it is necessary to invest in infrastructure projects.

“As much as Afghanistan’s economic infrastructure is strengthened, to that extent we will overcome poverty. Our effort is to direct the international community’s aid to infrastructure and development projects,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, the deputy of the Ministry of Economy.

A International Committee of the Red Cross report stated that nearly twenty million people in Afghanistan, which constitutes 44% of the country’s population, do not have access to sufficient food.

Based on the ICRC report, nearly 20 million Afghans (44 percent of the population) do not have enough to eat, and an estimated 34 million Afghans (79 percent) live in poverty.

ICRC: Unemployment has Damaged Lives of Millions of People in Afghanistan
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Yaqoob Mujahid Denies Internal Disputes Within Islamic Emirate

June 15, 2023
Mohammad Farshad Daryosh
TOLOnews’ Reporter
15 June 2023

The acting defense minister also mentioned US violations of Afghan airspace, saying that US has always done so.

Acting Minister of Defense Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid denied claims of disputes within the Islamic Emirate and said that any disputes that harm the system do not exist in the Islamic Emirate government.

In an interview with TOLOnews, Yaqoob Mujahid emphasized that reports made by international organizations concerning violations of human rights in Panjshir are untrue.

“I have worked and served for a very long time, and I myself have a lot of information in this system. There isn’t any division, opposition, confrontation, or anything else that would be detrimental for the system. This is just a process of propaganda against the system,” he added.

Referring to claims of human rights violations he said: “Where is it in Panjshir? When and how did it happen? In what form and to whom did it happen? It is only based on false reports, slander and propaganda they create and then spread. We request that what is being broadcast, as reliable institutions, should be impartial.”

The acting defense minister also mentioned US violations of Afghan airspace, saying that US has always done so.

According to Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, violating Afghanistan’s airspace is a violation of the Doha Agreement, and Washington has repeatedly violated this agreement.

“Airspace has been violated. It is still occupied by the Americans. I have explained this in the past as well,” Yaqoob Mujahid said.

In response to a question asking where Afghanistan would be in five years, the Acting Minister of Defense said he hoped for the development in the nation and the removal of challenges to education.

Yaqoob Mujahid Denies Internal Disputes Within Islamic Emirate
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Calls in Oslo for Islamic Emirate to Fulfill Commitments

June 15, 2023
Banafsha Binesh
Tolo News
14  June 2023

The meeting was also attended by envoys from the US, UK, Qatar, Italy, India and Pakistan.

Participants at the meeting in Oslo, Norway on the Afghan situation stressed the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and discussed the Islamic Emirate’s commitments to the international community as well as the education of girls, a source told TOLOnews.

The second day of the meeting was held on Wednesday, and members of the Islamic Emirate were in attendance.

The UN Secretary General special envoy for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, attended the meeting, the source said.

According to the source, participants at the meeting also emphasized the need to start an intra-Afghan dialogue, as called for in the Doha agreement.

“There should be good efforts for the political situation and political engagement between the Islamic Emirate and international community. When political engagement is not taking place between the Islamic Emirate and the international community, we can never attract the humanitarian aid of the international community to our country,” said Ahmad Andar, political analyst.

The deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zia Ahmad Takal, told TOLOnews that Abdul Qahar Balkhi from the Foreign Ministry, Shamsuddin Mansour from the Interior Ministry and Rohullah Omar from the Defense Ministry participated in the meeting.

Also, Jafar Mahdawi from Hezb-e-Sar Jangal, Amin Karim from Hezb-e-Islami, and Kawun Kakar and Qahramana Kakar represented the civil society in this meeting.

“The international conference on Afghanistan will have legitimacy when the role of women is significant and women are supported politically,” said Nazillah Hassanzada, women’s rights activist.

The meeting was also attended by envoys from the US, UK, Qatar, Italy, India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the head of the Islamic Emirate’s Political Office in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said that the achievements of the Islamic Emirate and stance of the interim government on various issues will be specified in this meeting.

“The participation of the delegation of the Islamic Emirate’s government in the meetings on Afghanistan is needed so that the realities in Afghanistan and also the stance of the Islamic Emirate is conveyed to the international community,” he said.

The meeting is running from June 13 to 15.

Calls in Oslo for Islamic Emirate to Fulfill Commitments
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Positive Steps Taken on Water Treaty: Tehran

June 13, 2023
Banafsha Binesh
Tolo News
13 June 2023

Kanaani also urged the Islamic Emirate to cooperate regarding the water rights.

The spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said that an agreement has been made and positive steps have been taken regarding the Helmand Water Rights Treaty

Kanaani told a press conference that a delegation from Tehran arrived in Afghanistan and that there have been constructive negotiations between the two sides.

“There have been good negotiations with high level officials of the interim government in Afghanistan. It was agreed that the Afghan side will take new positive steps and essential actions should be taken in this regard,” he said. Kanaani also urged the Islamic Emirate to cooperate regarding the water rights. “Fulfillment of this right is a gesture that can point toward strengthened cooperation between the two countries,” Kanaani said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) said that the meetings between the two sides continue to address the issue.

“The occasional meetings between the commissioners of the Islamic Emirate and Islamic Republic of Iran have been continuing. The meetings focus on determining the situation of the year with the appropriate amount of water, normal years and abnormal years,” said Matiullah Abid, a spokesman for the MoEW.

Political analysts suggested that the sides should focus on negotiations to solve the problems.

“If a legal issue is mentioned, it should be solved through legal paths, the legal issues should not become politicized and the issues should not lead to political and military turmoil,” said Wais Naseri, a political analyst.

Positive Steps Taken on Water Treaty: Tehran
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Blinken: ‘We Have Relocated More Than 97,000 Afghans to US’

June 13, 2023
Fatema Adeeb
Tolo News
13 June 2023

In the meantime, a number of Afghan refugees in the Abu Dhabi camp said that their fundamental desire is to be transferred to the US.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that overall more than 97,000 Afghans have been relocated to the United States.

Speaking at a signing ceremony to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the US Department of State and the #AfghanEvac Coalition on Monday, June 12, Blinken said that US is working with AfghanEvac to relocate more Afghans faster.

“So thanks to the leadership that we’ve seen, thanks to our state and local partners, thanks to the generosity of our fellow citizens, we’ve relocated more than 24,000 Afghans to the United States and third countries since September 2021. Overall – (applause) – overall, we have relocated more than 97,000 Afghans to the United States – Afghans who are going to school, who are starting new jobs, who are settling into their communities,” he said.

US Secretary of State further stated: “This job is not yet done. The Memorandum of Understanding that we will shortly sign will allow us to keep sharing information with one another, to coordinate our outreach to additional civil society partners, to guide our ongoing efforts to find more, and better, ways to serve our Afghan partners – both those already here, and those yet to come – and keep pace with their evolving needs.”

“There is still so much more to be done, and I am grateful to be here today to reaffirm that we will continue to do this vital work together,” said Shawn VanDiver, head of AfghanEvac.

In the meantime, a number of Afghan refugees in the Abu Dhabi camp said that their fundamental desire is to be transferred to the US.

“Sadly, even though the US government has announced that it will speed up the process of reviewing the immigration cases of Afghans in the Abu Dhabi camp, we did not see this speed up,” said Feraidon Azhand, an Afghan journalist and refugee in Abu Dhabi.

AfghanEvac is a coalition of more than 200 organizations working alongside the US government to support Afghan relocation efforts.

Blinken: ‘We Have Relocated More Than 97,000 Afghans to US’
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Islamic Emirate Delegation Attends Meeting on Afghanistan in Norway

June 13, 2023
Banafsha Binesh
Tolo News
13 June 2023

The Norwegian Refugee Council meanwhile said that the meeting is a huge opportunity to discuss the challenges of Afghanistan.

Norway’s foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt announced the ministry “invited three people from the civil service in Kabul to participate in this year’s Oslo Forum,” adding “they are not from the political leadership of the Taliban.”

At the forum, which is ongoing now, these representatives are meeting “Afghan civil society and representatives from other countries to talk about the major challenges in Afghanistan,” Huitfeldt said.

Islamic Emirate foreign ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal confirmed that a delegation of the Islamic Emirate is participating in the meeting.

According to Takal, Abdul Qahar Balkhi from the Foreign Ministry, Shamsuddin Mansour from the Interior Ministry, and Rohullah Omar from the Defense Ministry participated in the meeting.

The meeting is due to be held for three days.

“The Norway meeting is organized by NGOs which have the experience of negotiations with the groups—that have a background of violence—and for that, they receive money from their government. Those who traveled from Kabul lack the authority for negotiation,” said Torek Farhadi, political analyst.

The Norwegian Refugee Council meanwhile said that the meeting is a huge opportunity to discuss the challenges of Afghanistan.

“We understand that there will be representatives of many countries at the conference and it is a huge opportunity to discuss the challenges of Afghanistan, including the humanitarian situation. The drivers of humanitarian crisis we are facing here including the dire economic situation can only be solved through dialogue. We hope the dialogue will continue including with the return of diplomats to Kabul, Afghanistan,” said Neil Turner, Country Director for Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, some Afghan women’s rights activists said such meetings will not help the situation of women in Afghanistan.

“This meeting may take one week or three days, such meetings cannot change the condition of Afghanistan, only negotiations happen there,” said Suraya Paikan, a women’s rights activist.

“Organizing such meetings have not had and will not have a benefit for the people of Afghanistan, particularly for the women in Afghanistan who are deprived of all types of rights,” said Laila Bssim, a women’s rights activist.

Islamic Emirate Delegation Attends Meeting on Afghanistan in Norway
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UNSC Report: ‘Taliban Have Reverted to Exclusionary Policies of Late 1990s’

June 10, 2023
Mohammad Farshad Daryosh
TOLOnews’ Reporter
10 June 2023

Shaheen noted that no threat has been posed to any country from Afghanistan and that it will not happen in the future.

An annual report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team for the UN Security Council Committee has criticized what it considers the return of the Islamic Emirate to “exclusionary” policies of the late 1990s.

According to the report, the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region, and “there are indications that al-Qaida is rebuilding operational capability.”

“The Taliban, in power as the de facto authorities in Afghanistan under Hibatullah Akhundzada, have reverted to the exclusionary, Pashtun-centred, autocratic policies of the Taliban administration of the late 1990s,” the report reads.

The report says that after August 2022, the operations of Daesh’s Khorasan branch are becoming more sophisticated and lethal (if not more numerous) in Afghanistan.

“After so many years of war in Afghanistan, a national discourse is necessary for different political groups to come together and find a solution for the country’s future; otherwise, monopoly of power will remain,” said Torek Farhadi, a political affairs analyst.

“It is hard to judge the veracity of the matter, but if the Taliban don’t clarify this matter, the consequences of these words will return to the Taliban,” said Sayed Jawad Sajjadi, a university lecturer.

The UNSC report noted that the “Taliban have not delivered on the counter-terrorism provisions under the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the United States of America and the Taliban.”

“The link between the Taliban and both Al-Qaida and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains strong and symbiotic. A range of terrorist groups have greater freedom of maneuver under the Taliban’s de facto authorities. They are making good use of this, and the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region,” the report reads.

“The Doha agreement was violated first by the Americans, and then the (Islamic) Emirate was not very committed to it. No doubt, the current Islamic Emirate has some flaws, but the international community was not committed regarding Afghanistan as it ought to have been,” said Mohammad Hassan Haqyar, a political affairs analyst.

“They should not discriminate and have a coherent and transparent fight against terrorism in general if they want to win the trust of the international community and Afghanistan,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military affairs analyst.

Meanwhile, Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office in Doha, called the UNSC report away from the truth and said that all ethnic groups have a share in the current government.

Shaheen noted that no threat has been posed to any country from Afghanistan and that it will not happen in the future.

“We have always said that decisions and judgments about Afghanistan should not be based on the reports of some biased media in the world, but the reports about Afghanistan should be based on the ground realities and they should be corrected,” he said.

This comes as the Illicit drugs expert David Mansfield in a report last week citing satellite imagery, said that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has been reduced to levels not seen since 2001 with cultivation in the south of the country down by at least 80% compared with last year, but in the UNSC report says that it is still too early to make a judgment about this.

UNSC Report: ‘Taliban Have Reverted to Exclusionary Policies of Late 1990s’
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At least 11 killed in Afghanistan mosque explosion

June 10, 2023
Al Jazeera
Published On 8 Jun 2023
At least 11 killed and more than 30 others wounded in blast during memorial for former deputy governor of Badakhshan.

An explosion near a mosque in northern Afghanistan killed at least 11 people at a memorial service for the Taliban’s provincial deputy governor, who died in an attack earlier this week, officials said.

A former Taliban police official was among those killed and more than 30 others were wounded in the explosion near Nabawi Mosque on Thursday, according to Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the interior ministry.

Takor said there were concerns that the number of casualties could rise further.

The explosion happened during the memorial service for Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan who was killed in a car bombing on Tuesday. That attack in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, also killed the deputy governor’s driver and wounded 10 other people.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, saying in a tweet that the bombing of mosques is an act of “terrorism” and goes “against human and Islamic standards”.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the car bombing on Tuesday.

The Taliban administration has been carrying out raids against members of ISIL, which has claimed several major attacks in urban centres.

The group has targeted Taliban administration officials and claimed the killing of the governor of northern Balkh province in an attack in March.

Hundreds attend funeral

Several senior Taliban officials attended Ahmadi’s funeral, which took place on Wednesday, along with hundreds of residents of Faizabad.

The Taliban military chief, Fasihuddin Fitrat, denounced the attacks in Badakhshan and asked people to cooperate with Taliban security forces and report suspicious activities in their areas.

In December, a car bombing killed Badakhshan’s provincial police chief as he was on his way to work.

The ISIL regional affiliate – known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province – said at the time that it had carried out that attack. The group said it had parked an explosive-laden car on the road and detonated it when the police chief was close by.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
At least 11 killed in Afghanistan mosque explosion
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