Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, condemned the shooting of Hazaras in Daykundi, calling it “atrocious.”
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stated in a press briefing that Antonio Guterres emphasized the protection of civilians in Afghanistan.
During the press conference on Friday, September 13, Dujarric added that Guterres expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of this attack.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also released a statement on Friday, September 13, expressing sympathy with the victims’ families and calling on the Taliban to investigate and be held accountable for the incident.
In Thursday’s armed attack on Hazara civilians in the village of Qorodal, located between Ghor and Daykundi provinces, at least 14 people were killed and four others wounded.
Hours after the attack, ISIS claimed responsibility, stating they had killed 15 people in the assault.
This incident highlights the ongoing violence and insecurity that ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan continue to face. It underscores the need for stronger international action and pressure to ensure the protection of civilians and accountability for such atrocities.
The global community must rally to support justice for the victims and work towards a peaceful and inclusive Afghanistan where such acts of violence are no longer tolerated.
UN Chief denouces horrific attack on Hazaras in Daykundi, Afghanistan
According to new intelligence reports, Osama bin Laden’s son, who was reported to have been killed in 2019, is alive and is allegedly taking control of al-Qaeda while planning attacks against Western targets.
The Daily Mail, citing defense experts, reported that Hamza bin Laden is alive and secretly leading the terrorist organization. According to the reports, his brother Abdullah is also connected to the group. Al-Qaeda is reportedly regrouping and preparing for future attacks on the West.
In September 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that Hamza bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in an area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
However, on Thursday, the Mirror reported, based on intelligence analysis, that Hamza bin Laden survived the U.S. attempts to kill him.
Colonel Richard Kemp, the former head of British forces, has warned that Hamza is using Afghanistan’s territory, where “he seems to have a wide and open field for activity” and “intends to avenge his father’s death and achieve victory.”
It is noteworthy that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, was later killed in a 2011 operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The report suggests that Hamza, along with his brother Abdullah bin Laden, is secretly leading and reviving al-Qaeda.
Under Hamza bin Laden’s leadership, al-Qaeda has reportedly established around 10 training camps in Afghanistan and has built ties with other anti-Western terrorist groups.
The report states that Hamza bin Laden, 34, spends most of his time at a terrorist base in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province. The report claims that the Taliban leaders are reportedly aware of Hamza bin Laden’s efforts to revive al-Qaeda and regularly meet with him.
Yet, the Taliban has not issued any comment regarding the report.
Despite the assumption that Saif al-Adel now leads al-Qaeda after Ayman al-Zawahiri’s death, the Mirror reports that Hamza bin Laden is becoming a prominent figure in the group’s resurgence, aiming to carry on his father’s legacy and planning attacks on Western targets.
The resurgence of al-Qaeda under Hamza bin Laden’s leadership raises concerns about the group’s renewed strength and capacity to orchestrate global terror attacks. The possibility of coordinated efforts with other terrorist organizations, like ISIS, amplifies the threat.
Reports claim that the situation is eerily similar to the conditions that preceded the 9/11 attacks, highlighting the growing threat to global security.
Hamza, son of Osama bin Laden, alive and preparing attacks on the West
Human Rights Watch emphasized the need to protect at-risk communities in Afghanistan, including the Hazaras. The organization noted that since the Taliban took power in August 2021, ISIS has claimed responsibility for at least 17 attacks against Hazaras, resulting in over 700 deaths and injuries.
Human Rights Watch pointed to the recent killing of 14 Hazaras in Daikundi, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, stating that ISIS-K has killed and injured thousands of Hazaras and other religious minorities since its emergence in Afghanistan in 2015.
In 2021, Human Rights Watch concluded that ISIS-K’s attacks and other targeted assaults against the Hazara community constitute crimes against humanity.
On Friday, September 13, Human Rights Watch reiterated the call from Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, for investigations into ISIS attacks in the country. The organization emphasized the urgent need for the Taliban to take effective measures to protect all at-risk communities, including Hazaras and other Shia Muslims.
Human Rights Watch highlighted the need for survivors and victims’ families to receive support in their pursuit of justice.
The organization stressed that the UN Human Rights Council should heed the calls of Afghan and international human rights groups to create a comprehensive international accountability mechanism for violations in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, September 12, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for killing 15 civilians in Daikundi in a statement.
The growing violence against the Hazara community highlights the urgent need for a coordinated international effort to ensure their protection. Without effective intervention, the situation risks further escalating, with devastating consequences for the vulnerable populations in Afghanistan.
Human Rights Watch urges protection for Hazara community in Afghanistan
Stanekzai also called on all Afghans, both inside and outside the country, to unite under one flag and work for the prosperity of Afghanistan.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Deputy Foreign Minister, stated today (Saturday) at an event in Kabul that the wars of the past four decades, initiated by the former Soviet Union and the United States, have destroyed all of Afghanistan’s infrastructure, and it is now necessary to rebuild these structures.
Stanekzai described education as the only path to the progress and development of the country, adding that if the citizens of a country are equipped with knowledge, they can advance their nation in all areas.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also called on all Afghans, both inside and outside the country, to unite under one flag and work for the prosperity of Afghanistan.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai added at the event: “To have a strong and organized army and an independent policy, knowledge and education are essential. Any country that is adorned with the jewel of knowledge will, God willing, be able to progress.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister also emphasized that no one has the right to prevent citizens from traveling to and from the country.
Meanwhile, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, blamed the countries of the East and the West for Afghanistan’s miseries and stated that these countries must take responsibility for rebuilding Afghanistan.
Khalil Rahman Haqqani added: “Those who have destroyed Afghanistan and its modern and scientific centers are now responsible and must be held accountable to rebuild the scientific and religious centers they destroyed.”
Abdul Basit Haqqani, head of Kabul’s Education Department, said: “The brave and fighting nation of Afghanistan has, in the year 1402 [solar calendar], contributed over 8 million afghani in cooperation with the oppressed people of Afghanistan living in villages, specifically in the education sector.”
This program was organized by a charitable organization in Kabul, with the participation of some officials of the Islamic Emirate and representatives from various countries, including Japan, Turkey, and Qatar.
Officials of this charity foundation stated that through various projects in the health, education, and agriculture sectors, they aim to play their part in the country’s reconstruction.
Mohammad Qais Arghandiwal, the head of one of the charitable foundations, said: “We must learn from our people, our country, and our government, find a new and ultimately the best way, so we can implement our projects in various sectors.”
Statistics show that currently, 2,477 non-governmental organizations are active in the country, providing humanitarian aid, emergency assistance, and semi-developmental support for infrastructure projects, among which 278 are managed by foreign entities.
Stanekzai: Education Key to Afghanistan’s Progress
According to this organization, this issue has affected the livelihoods of 7 million people, including women and low-income workers.
The International Crisis Group has reported that following the decree of the Islamic Emirate’s leader, poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has decreased by 95%.
According to this organization, this issue has affected the livelihoods of 7 million people, including women and low-income workers.
The report also states that farmers have lost $1.3 billion dollars or 8% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023.
The International Crisis Group’s report mentions: “By UN estimates, the halt to opium farming has affected the livelihoods of almost seven million people. These individuals are unlikely to find other work in a stagnant economy burdened with sanctions. Farmers have lost an estimated $1.3 billion annually, or 8 percent of GDP in 2023.”
“My request to the government is to provide us with something in return for poppy cultivation so that we can strengthen our economy. Whether it is wheat, maize, or mung beans, it does not improve our economy,” said Noor Mohammad, a farmer.
“We have repeatedly requested the Islamic Emirate to provide us with an alternative to poppy cultivation, but they have not adequately addressed our request,” said Eid-ul-Mateen, another farmer.
Another part of the report states that the anti-narcotics strategy benefits many foreign players and creates opportunities for donors to support Afghanistan’s economic stability and create jobs in non-agricultural sectors.
Regional countries should support Afghanistan’s integration into transport networks and trade arrangements for their own benefits and the stability of their neighborhood.
“If the international community, international organizations, and the Islamic Emirate genuinely want to bring poppy cultivation and drug production in our country to zero, they must first establish political engagement and allow international aid to flow into our country,” said Ahmad Khan Andar, a military analyst.
Meanwhile, Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said efforts are ongoing to provide alternative crops to farmers in the country.
Fitrat said: “Last week, the first meeting took place. It is hoped that after the activities of this commission, the farmers who have been affected by the ban on poppy cultivation — and it is a clear fact that the majority of the Afghan people are farmers — will be provided with alternative crops to meet their needs.”
The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly highlighted that drug cultivation in the country has almost reached zero.
Poppy Ban: Economic Impact and Calls for Alternatives
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has called for $603 million to support critical winter preparations in Afghanistan.
The funds are needed to address urgent needs as winter approaches.
OCHA has highlighted 171 districts as high-priority and 277 as medium-priority areas for aid. They stressed that $104 million is needed immediately to stockpile supplies before winter arrives, ensuring that help can reach affected areas on time.
The UN reported that nearly 24 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid. Despite the growing demands, the agency faces a major funding shortfall, with only about 25 percent of the required budget currently secured.
In addition to the humanitarian crisis, Afghanistan is grappling with a severe economic downturn marked by widespread poverty and high unemployment.
The forced deportation of Afghan refugees exacerbates these issues, compounding the country’s dire situation. The lack of sufficient aid and economic stability threatens to deepen the crisis, leaving millions more at risk as the harsh winter approaches.
UN appeals for $603 million in winter aid for Afghanistan
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that food insecurity has turned into an escalating crisis in Afghanistan, with 2.9 million children under the age of five facing severe malnutrition.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, stated in a message posted on X/Twitter on Thursday, September 12, that 850,000 of these children are suffering from acute malnutrition. He emphasized that one-third of Afghanistan’s population lives in areas with food insecurity, exacerbated by floods and droughts.
Ghebreyesus highlighted that WHO health workers have treated 21,000 children with acute malnutrition at 140 health centers across Afghanistan. However, he noted that the healthcare services provided are insufficient, and these children require additional support.
He has called on the international community to urgently assist the WHO and its partners in delivering the necessary health and nutritional aid.
Previously, the WHO announced the shipment of approximately 20 tons of medicines and medical supplies to health centers in five northern provinces of Afghanistan. These supplies include pneumonia, measles, cholera kits, as well as surgical and dressing kits.
The situation in Afghanistan represents a severe humanitarian crisis that demands immediate global intervention.
The scale of malnutrition among Afghan children underscores the urgent need for expanded international aid to address both immediate health needs and long-term food security. The global community must come together to provide comprehensive support and alleviate the suffering of millions in Afghanistan.
WHO: 2.9 million children in Afghanistan suffering from malnurition
The Advisory Council on Women of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly criticized the current government’s severe restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, labeling the denial of education for Afghan girls as a serious challenge for Islamic countries.
Amina Al-Hajri, Director General of the OIC’s Department of Cultural Affairs, based in Jeddah, stated that women in Islamic countries are profoundly affected by devastating wars and natural disasters. She emphasized that the prohibition on education for Afghan girls remains a concerning issue.
Al-Hajri also highlighted the harsh conditions faced by women in Palestine, who endure the heavy burdens of ongoing conflict.
The OIC has previously expressed deep concern over the status of Afghan women and has called for the removal of all restrictions imposed by the Taliban. The organization recently proposed to the Taliban government that it would support Afghan girls’ education if the group cooperated.
The OIC criticizes the current government’s ban on girls’ education, which has excluded Afghan girls above the sixth grade from schooling and subsequently barred female students from attending both public and private universities and educational institutions.
These restrictions have led to millions of girls being deprived of education. The United Nations and the international community have repeatedly called for the lifting of these bans on women’s rights to education and work in Afghanistan over the past three years, but the Taliban regime has so far ignored these appeals.
The ongoing restrictions on education and employment for Afghan women and girls represent a significant humanitarian and developmental crisis.
The international community’s calls for change underscore the need for urgent action to address these issues and ensure that Afghan women and girls can access their fundamental rights and opportunities for growth and development.
OIC urges action on education restrictions for girls in Afghanistan
The defence minister, Richard Marles, gave an update to parliament on Thursday on the government’s progress in acting on the longstanding recommendations from the Brereton inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
He addressed the long-debated issue of command accountability, saying this was “the final step in government action emanating from the Brereton report”.
Marles told parliament that any criminal investigations and prosecutions were a separate matter that were being handled “at arms-length from the government” and could still take “years” to complete.
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Marles sent letters to potentially affected individuals – understood to be fewer than 15 people – on Wednesday to notify them about whether their awards were being cancelled or were being retained.
Guardian Australia understands there are fewer than 10 individuals whose awards will be cancelled.
Marles said he would not disclose the names or details due to privacy obligations, but that Australia was holding itself accountable for the allegations.
Maj Gen Paul Brereton, who led a four-year-long inquiry that presented its findings in 2020, found “credible” information to implicate 25 current or former Australian special forces personnel in the alleged unlawful killing of 39 individuals and the cruel treatment of two others in Afghanistan.
Investigations into criminal allegations are the responsibility of a separate body, the Office of the Special Investigator, and there is no information to suggest the actions announced on Thursday relate to those accused directly of committing misconduct.
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Australian defence chief releases report into allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan – video
Brereton wrote in his report that unnamed special operations troop, squadron and task group commanders bore “moral command responsibility and accountability for what happened under their command and control”.
But successive governments have long delayed making a decision on command accountability.
In a final report to the then defence minister, Peter Dutton, before the 2022 election, an oversight panel raised concerns that “the failure for any accountability to be required from senior officers … is widely resented in the [special forces] and a factor contributing to lowered morale”.
Marles received advice in May 2023 from the then chief of the Australian defence force, Angus Campbell, about the command accountability, including recommendations about stripping some commanders of honours or awards.
Campbell commanded Joint Task Force 633, based in the United Arab Emirates, from January 2011 to January 2012 and made regular visits to Afghanistan in that time, but there is no suggestion he will lose his Distinguished Service Cross.
Australian soldiers ‘thrown under the bus’ over alleged Afghanistan war crimes, SAS body says.
At a press conference on Thursday, Marles was asked why Campbell would not lose that medal. The minister replied that he had “followed Brereton’s report to the letter”.
The report said Joint Task Force 633 “did not have the degree of command and control” over special operations forces in Afghanistan “on which the principle of command responsibility depends”.
But the Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, a former SAS captain who served in Afghanistan, told parliament he disagreed with the Brereton report on “how far it reaches up the chain in assigning responsibility”.
“I believe that our troops were let down by a lack of moral courage that went up the chain of command all the way to Canberra – including in this House,” Hastie told parliament on Thursday.
“From Tarin Kowt to Kabul to Kandahar to Dubai to Canberra, those in the chain of command should have asked more questions.”
The crossbench senator Jacqui Lambie accused the government of “throwing our diggers under the bus” and said it was “insensitive” for Marles to make the announcement just days after the royal commission report into veteran suicide.
Lambie told the Senate: “Yet, in his response, he still managed to forget one key thing: the accountability of the top brass.”
The decision on command accountability is separate from the previous government’s decision to retain the meritorious unit citation for more than 3,000 current or former ADF members who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.
Dutton overruled advice from defence leadership and decided to keep that citation in place. Marles had long insisted that the Labor government would not “rake over old coals in terms of decisions that have been made by the former government”.
Compensation to Afghan victims of alleged Australian war crimes has also been a long-debated issue but is finally progressing with a new regulation setting up a pathway for an Afghanistan inquiry compensation scheme.
The regulation says recipients must be considered by the ADF chief to be “reasonably likely to be the victim of an assault or property damage or a family member of a victim of an unlawful killing” and must not be a member of a terrorist organisation.
The executive director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, Rawan Arraf, said it was “disappointing that it has taken the Australian government over three-and-a-half years to address redress avenues for Afghan victims and their families” and raised concerns about “serious shortcomings of the scheme”.
Australian military officers to be stripped of honours after alleged war crimes under their command
Meanwhile, some citizens of the country have praised the launch of the TAPI project and other initiatives in Afghanistan.
After the commencement of the TAPI project in Afghanistan, it is expected that upon its completion, the country’s gas needs will be met, and Afghanistan’s revenues will increase as well.
This project, which holds significant importance at the regional level, will not only provide employment opportunities for over twenty thousand people but also supply the necessary gas to boost industries reliant on this resource.
Abdul Ghafar Nazimi, an expert in economic affairs, stated: “This project will bring multiple benefits to Afghanistan: economic, political, and social. It will lead to an economic revolution in the country.”
Meanwhile, some citizens of the country have praised the launch of the TAPI project and other initiatives in Afghanistan.
Ahmadullah, a resident of Kabul, said: “The inauguration of TAPI is a positive step, but its implementation is crucial because it will help reduce unemployment by creating jobs.”
Alongside the TAPI project, several other projects have also been launched, including the transfer of 500 kilovolts of electricity from Turkmenistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan, the fiber optic connection from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, and the expansion of the Torghundi port railway.
Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, Deputy of the Chamber of Industries and Mines of Afghanistan, said: “Several economic projects like TAPI, railways, and electricity transfer from Turkmenistan to Pakistan will enhance regional integration and bring about regional security.”
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum stated that the TAPI project, stretching from the Turkmenistan border to Guzara District in Herat Province, covers a length of 153 kilometers and will be completed in two years.
According to information from the ministry, the cost of the TAPI project up to Herat Province is 600 million dollars, which will be financed by Turkmenistan.
Homayoun Afghan, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said: “In Herat, the pipeline is 153 kilometers long, and, God willing, it will be completed in two years. Once completed in Herat, we will have practical access to Turkmenistan’s gas.”
This comes as yesterday the Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate stated at the inauguration of the TAPI project’s implementation in Afghanistan that Turkmenistan’s move would strengthen the relations and friendship between the two countries.
TAPI: A Step Towards Afghanistan’s Self-Sufficiency in Gas
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
