Unexploded Ordnance Claims 137 Lives in 2024: Official

December 16, 2024
Hadia Ziaei
Tolo News
15 Dec 2024

Rustamkhil also stated that 57 teams are actively working to raise public awareness about the dangers of mines.

The Directorate of Mine Action Coordination says that since the beginning of 2024, 137 people have been killed and 330 others injured as a result of unexploded ordnance detonations.

Nooruddin Rustamkhil, the head of this directorate, told TOLOnews that during this period, 150 square kilometers of land across the country have been cleared of unexploded mines.

He said: “Since the start of 2024, nearly 240 incidents have occurred nationwide, resulting in a total of 470 victims. Among them, 386 are children who have either been martyred or injured.”

The breakdown of fatalities caused by mines and unexploded ordnance in 2024 is as follows:
•    10 men
•    2 women
•    103 boys
•    22 girls
The breakdown of injuries caused by mines and unexploded ordnance in 2024 is as follows:
•    53 men
•    16 women
•    226 boys
•    38 girls
Rustamkhil also stated that 57 teams are actively working to raise public awareness about the dangers of mines.

Sadeq Shinwari, a military affairs expert, said: “Relevant organizations must collaborate in neutralizing mines and unexploded ordnance to prevent further casualties.”

Hadi Quraishi, another military expert, said: “Public awareness must be enhanced so people can avoid these dangers. Additionally, demining should be conducted according to existing maps showing mined areas.”

According to statistics provided by the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination, since the beginning of the current year, $37.87 million has been allocated to the directorate, and 2,500 individuals are actively working to clear the country of mines.

Unexploded Ordnance Claims 137 Lives in 2024: Official
read more

Rina Amiri: Our efforts over the last three and a half years have not been effective

December 14, 2024
Khaama Press

Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan’s Women, spoke at a conference in Spain about the deteriorating situation for Afghan women.

She emphasized that despite international efforts over the past three and a half years, the condition of Afghan women has only worsened. Amiri stated, “Please do not weaken each other. We must unite and support one another, even when we have differences.”

The conference, titled “Listen to Us,” took place on Friday in Madrid at the Spanish Foreign Ministry. It was attended by the Spanish Foreign Minister, over fifty Afghan women’s rights activists, and special representatives from various countries. The goal of the gathering was to examine the state of women’s rights in Afghanistan and to garner international support for improving their conditions.

 

 

Amiri’s remarks highlight the growing concern over the lack of progress in addressing the needs and rights of Afghan women, particularly since the Taliban’s return to power.

Despite continued global advocacy and humanitarian efforts, Afghan women remain under increasing repression and face limited access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.

The conference also provided a platform for Afghan women activists to voice their struggles and call for greater global action. It underscored the importance of solidarity and unity among women’s rights groups, international organizations, and governments to pressure the Taliban regime to uphold basic rights for women.

Rina Amiri’s message resonates as a call for renewed commitment to Afghan women’s rights and a reminder of the power of collective action. With the situation continuing to deteriorate, it is essential for the international community to remain steadfast in its support for Afghan women, ensuring that they are not forgotten in the face of political instability and ongoing conflict in the region.

Rina Amiri: Our efforts over the last three and a half years have not been effective
read more

Islamic Emirate Denounces Extension of UN Sanctions Monitoring Mission

December 14, 2024
 TOLOnews
TV Network
15 Dec 2024
According to the UN, all 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of extending the committee’s mission.

The Islamic Emirate has condemned the extension of the UN Sanctions Committee’s monitoring mission, saying that sanctions on its officials are unjust and that continuing such sanctions will yield no results.

Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, emphasized that repeating failed policies is illogical and that the interim government seeks normalized relations with the international community.

“We consider the decision to extend the sanctions unjust and denounce it. These sanctions violate the rights of the people, and they have proven ineffective in the past. Continuing such measures benefits no one. Relying on failed experiences is not logical,” said the Deputy Spokesperson.

Previously, the United Nations Security Council, through a unanimous resolution, extended the mission of its sanctions monitoring committee for 14 more months.

According to a UN statement, this committee monitors sanctions such as travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes imposed on individuals associated with the Islamic Emirate.

The UN statement read: “UN Security Council UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTS resolution renewing mandate of Afghanistan Sanctions Committee monitoring team. The sanctions regime imposes assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo on Taliban-associated individuals and groups. All 15 members voted in favor.”

Political analyst Salim Paigir commented on the sanctions: “All members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan continue to travel abroad. They may not have substantial assets to worry about, so these decisions have not, and likely will not, yield any meaningful or logical outcomes.”

According to the UN, all 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of extending the committee’s mission.

The extension comes as, over the past year, several Islamic Emirate officials, including the Prime Minister, his administrative, political, and economic deputies, and acting ministers of interior, defense, education, higher education, and others, have traveled to neighboring countries.

Islamic Emirate Denounces Extension of UN Sanctions Monitoring Mission
read more

Mujahid: Niklasson Unable to Normalize EU- Islamic Emirate Relations

December 14, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
15 Dec 2024

This comes as Tomas Niklasson’s mission as the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan has officially ended.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said the role of the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan was not effective in normalizing relations between the Islamic Emirate and EU member states.

Commenting on the conclusion of Tomas Niklasson’s mission, Mujahid stated that the new special representative appointed by the European Union for Afghanistan needs to reflect the realities of Afghanistan.

This comes as Tomas Niklasson’s mission as the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan has officially ended.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate remarked: “He was unable to normalize Afghanistan’s relations with the European Union or change the perceptions within the EU that remain from the wartime era. This is not a significant achievement.”

Over the past three years, no European country has accepted a representative of the Islamic Emirate in its embassies.

Some political analysts believe that to expand relations with the global community, especially the European Union, the Islamic Emirate must address international demands while maintaining national interests.

Salim Paigir, a political analyst, stated: “Normalizing relations between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the European community is not tied to one individual. The Islamic Emirate must consider some of the requests made by the European community, just as the European community must recognize the demands of the Islamic Emirate.”

During his five-day visit to Kabul, the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan held meetings with Islamic Emirate officials, representatives of the United Nations, journalists, and businessmen.

Discussions in these meetings revolved around alternative crops for farmers, EU humanitarian aid, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue’s regulations, and increasing trade with European countries.

Bilal Omar, a political analyst, remarked: “The European Union, during its presence in Afghanistan, has implemented various programs, particularly those supporting migrants, addicts, and infrastructure development. However, in terms of negotiations and resolving major issues, the EU has not been able to meet the expectations of the Afghan people.”

Tomas Niklasson was appointed as the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan in 2021.

Mujahid: Niklasson Unable to Normalize EU- Islamic Emirate Relations
read more

What I Learned From a Reclusive Taliban Commander

December 13, 2024

Azam Ahmed, a former Kabul bureau chief, made several trips back to Afghanistan, searching for the untold stories of a war gone wrong.

The New York Times

The Taliban commander wore sunglasses and a heavy wool coat, as if he might leave at any moment. Between us, on a plastic-covered table doused in fluorescent light, sat an untouched mountain of lamb and rice.

It was our first encounter, in the winter of 2022, and he had chosen a guesthouse on a busy street to meet. The shouts of merchants and the grind of traffic wafted through an open window as I explained why I had tracked him down.

More than a decade earlier, 150 Taliban fighters had laid siege to an American base in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range. Nine soldiers died and two dozen were wounded in what became known as the Battle of Want (also referred to as Wanat), one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces in the entire war.

This man, Mullah Osman Jawhari, had led that assault.

It was a miracle that he was alive, frankly. During the war, midlevel Taliban commanders were regularly killed. But here he was.

I’d read every after-action report about the Battle of Want, every Lesson Learned. But now that the fighting was over, I wondered what we’d missed. Maybe I could gain some insight into how the war had ended so poorly for the United States (and for many Afghans, most especially women).

I wanted to see the war from the other side, to offer readers a view they might otherwise never see — a Lessons Learned from the only group that had not been asked: the Taliban.

After the war in Vietnam, whose parallels to Afghanistan are so myriad as to be cliché, decades passed before the United States engaged its former enemy. By that time, many of its military leaders were dead. Parts of history were lost, and likely forever, scholars say.

I had made this pitch to Mullah Osman twice before. The first had been through his bodyguard, who dressed like a Special Forces commando; the second, through an aide-de-camp, an untapped suicide-bomber-in-waiting whose services were no longer required.

Finally, I was seated before Mullah Osman himself.

When I finished, he said nothing. He didn’t even nod.

We stared at the rapidly cooling food in front of us until he motioned for his bodyguard to make ready. We were going to Want.

Today in Want, the relics of the former American base remain, worn and frayed like a faded memory, its once-hard edges melting into the earth like a Dali painting.

He showed me the Taliban’s supply lines and firing positions, and he recreated the siege. But as Mullah Osman and I talked over the next several days, months and year, he convinced me that the Battle of Want had actually begun years earlier — the Americans just didn’t know it.

But then, American airstrikes, aimed at suspected militants, began killing innocent people.

That story is depressingly familiar. But this one had a twist: The Americans had killed and maimed the very people who supported them most.

Taliban recruitment began to pick up, Mullah Osman said, as the Americans turned allies into enemies.

“There were no Taliban here when the war started,” he told me on that first trip to his native village of Waygal, which sits deep in the valley, beneath soaring mountains dusted with snow. “It was only after the U.S. entered and built their bases and killed innocents that the people rose up and decided to fight back.”

Nuristan, a rugged region in northern Afghanistan, was never meant to be a focal point of the war on terror. It was not a natural bastion of Al Qaeda, or the Taliban. In fact, during their first turn at governance, in the 1990s, the Taliban had barely entered the area.

In my travels through the valley, I met American allies who had been disfigured by airstrikes, whose families had been wiped out. These people were reminders of how little the United States understood about the war it was fighting.

The Americans, it turned out, were wrong about Nuristan being an terrorist haven. But their bases became magnets for militants, like an insurgent “Field of Dreams”: The Americans built them, and the Taliban came.

By the time Mullah Osman led his team through the mountains to attack the base in Want, the valley had turned against the Americans, with tragic results.

Azam Ahmed is international investigative correspondent for The Times. He has reported on Wall Street scandals, the War in Afghanistan and violence and corruption in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. 

What I Learned From a Reclusive Taliban Commander
read more

UN Security Council criticizes Taliban ban on Afghan women’s medical education

December 13, 2024
BY EDITH M. LEDERER

Associated Press

 December 13, 2024

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council said Friday it was deeply concerned about the recent decision by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to ban women from medical education, which could leave millions of women and girls without health care in the future.

The council criticized “the increasing erosion” of human rights under the Taliban, especially for women and girls who have been denied access to education beyond the sixth grade, economic opportunities, participation in public life, freedom of movement and other basics.

Authorities previously had not confirmed reports that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered educational institutions to stop providing medical courses for women. In Afghanistan, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors and health professionals.

In a resolution adopted unanimously Friday, the Security Council criticized not only the medical education ban but the Taliban’s “vice and virtue” directive issued in August that further restricts women’s rights, including prohibiting their voices from being heard in public.

The resolution also extends the mandate of the U.N. expert team monitoring sanctions against the Taliban for 14 months.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew following two decades of war. No country officially recognizes them as Afghanistan’s government.

The U.N. has said that recognition is almost impossible while bans on female education and employment remain in place and women can’t go out in public without a male guardian.

U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, told the council this week that women and girls are “facing progressive erasure from almost all walks of life.”

She said the Taliban announcement in early September that female students would be barred from attending medical institutes and classes of higher education will have serious consequences.

“If fully implemented, this would have deadly implications for women and girls in particular, but also for men and boys, entire communities and the country as a whole — by denying Afghans a functioning health care system that is open to all.”

“I have strongly urged the de facto authorities to reconsider,” Otunbayeva said.

UN Security Council criticizes Taliban ban on Afghan women’s medical education
read more

Faiq urges Taliban to honor people’s demands and international obligations

December 13, 2024
Khaama Press

Nasseer Ahmad Faiq, Acting Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, Urges Taliban to Respect the Wishes of the People and the International Community.

Faiq, the Acting Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, called on the Taliban to respect the demands of the Afghan people and the international community. He made this statement during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Afghanistan, held on Thursday, December 12.

In his speech, Mr. Faiq expressed deep concern about the widespread human rights violations in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. He emphasized the need for an end to the Taliban’s repressive policies and for the government to respect the will of the people.

“The meeting is being held in the context of Afghanistan’s collapsing economy, with millions being forced to flee the country,” Mr. Faiq said in his address. He also highlighted that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is critical, with 23.7 million people in urgent need of assistance, according to aid organizations.

Faiq warned the United Nations Security Council about the severe consequences of reducing funding for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. He stressed that these funds need to be increased to address the growing crisis in the country.

Meanwhile, Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Head of UNAMA, also expressed concerns at the Security Council regarding the human rights, economic, and security situation in Afghanistan.

The international community, especially the United Nations, must take immediate action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s failure to respect the rights and wishes of the Afghan people continues to undermine any prospects for peace and stability in the region. Without increased support for humanitarian efforts and concrete action to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hub for terrorism, the country’s future remains uncertain.

The international community must remain committed to providing aid and pressure the Taliban to respect human rights and ensure a better future for all Afghans.

Faiq urges Taliban to honor people’s demands and international obligations
read more

CSTO meeting held on Afghanistan’s security situation

December 13, 2024
Khaama Press

Kazakh Media Reports CSTO Meeting on Afghanistan’s Security and Political Situation Held in Moscow

Kazakh media outlets recently reported that a meeting on the military-political situation in Afghanistan was held in Moscow by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

According to the reports, the meeting was chaired by Talgat Kaliev, the special representative of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions focused on the continued instability in Afghanistan, especially the rise of extremist groups like ISIS. Delegates emphasized the need for a united response from the CSTO countries to address these security challenges and prevent further destabilization in the region.

Meanwhile, Russian news agency Interfax reported that the Russian Parliament (Duma) recently passed a draft law allowing the government to remove the Taliban from the list of banned organizations.

The bill would give the Russian government the legal authority to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist groups, provided the group meets certain conditions. This change follows the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and raises questions about Russia’s approach to engaging with the group diplomatically, despite its previous designation as a terrorist organization in 2003.

The move has sparked debate, especially considering the rise of ISIS in Afghanistan and Central Asia’s heightened security concerns.

Central Asian countries, particularly Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have expressed growing concerns over the spread of ISIS and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan. The region is on high alert, fearing that the security vacuum left by the Taliban’s takeover could lead to an increase in cross-border militant activities.

The increasing presence of ISIS in Afghanistan poses a significant threat not only to Afghanistan’s stability but also to the broader Central Asian region.

ISIS’s growing influence in Afghanistan is a major concern for Central Asian states, many of which share long borders with Afghanistan. The international community and regional powers are under pressure to address this threat, with cooperation and intelligence-sharing becoming essential to prevent the further spread of terrorism.

CSTO meeting held on Afghanistan’s security situation
read more

UNAMA Chief at UNSC Calls for Engagement With Interim Govt

December 13, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
13 Dec 2024

Japan’s representative noted that the implementation of such decisions would negatively impact Afghanistan’s social and healthcare systems.

The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN special envoy on Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva stressed the importance of engaging with Afghanistan’s interim government during the 4th meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Afghanistan.

Roza Otunbayeva, while providing details on human rights issues, media, security, and the economic challenges faced by the Afghan people, stated that the citizens of the country are calling for engagement with the Islamic Emirate.

Roza Otunbayeva said: “As I have stressed before, engagement is not normalization or recognition. It’s a way of consistently communicating the advantages of rejoining the international system. It’s a way of preventing Afghanistan’s isolation or worse a return to conflict. Across Afghanistan many people tell us that they want us to engage more with the de facto authorities.”

During the meeting, representatives from the United States, France, Japan, and several other nations expressed concerns about the increasing restrictions on women’s education.

Japan’s representative noted that the implementation of such decisions would negatively impact Afghanistan’s social and healthcare systems.

Yamazaki Kazuyuki, Japan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said: “Banning women and girls from receiving education at medical institutions, if implemented, this directive would not only further restrict women and girls’ rights to education and access to healthcare, but also have a negative impact on Afghanistan’s social and healthcare system as well as its development. We call on the Taliban not to put this directive in place.”

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Permanent Representative, reiterated the need for an independent assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and supported the appointment of a special representative to implement such an assessment.

The US Permanent Representative to the United Nations said: “Colleagues, it has been a year since this council adopted this resolution, in which we also requested the Secretary-General appoint a special envoy to develop this roadmap to reintegrate Afghanistan into the international community. The United States expects the UN-led Doha process to support this roadmap and promote the Taliban’s adherence to the international community’s expectations.”

The Russian Permanent Representative, reflecting on the efforts of Afghanistan’s interim government over the past three years, stated that his country will continue its support for Afghanistan.

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said: “Afghans need our full support and cooperation now more than ever. The Russian Federation has consistently supported and will continue to support a comprehensive and realistic approach to Afghanistan.”

Discussions on terrorism were also part of this meeting.

At the conclusion of the meeting, 14 countries issued a joint statement calling for an end to restrictions on human rights and conditioning the recognition of the Islamic Emirate on the restoration of women’s rights in the country.

Although the Islamic Emirate did not respond to the comments of the council members, it has previously dismissed the outcomes of such meetings held without its representatives as unrealistic.

UNAMA Chief at UNSC Calls for Engagement With Interim Govt
read more

US Reacts to Attack on Acting Refugees Minister Khalil Rahman Haqqani

December 13, 2024
Mohammad Bashir Soltani
Tolo News
13 Dec 2024

The US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby, referring to the attack on the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation in Kabul, that the US had previously identified ISIS threats in Afghanistan.

Kirby said that the United States has maintained and improved its remote counterterrorism capabilities even after withdrawing from Afghanistan.

John Kirby said: “Since our withdrawal from Afghanistan, the ability to conduct over-the-horizon counterterrorism operations anywhere in the world and we’ve proven our ability to do that including in places like Afghanistan since we left.”

The previous day, during the funeral ceremony of Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, in Paktia province, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that, based on findings from security agencies, six recent attacks in Afghanistan were planned outside the country.

Without naming any specific country, Muttaqi called on those nations to refrain from providing safe havens to terrorists.

The acting foreign minister said: “According to the Islamic Emirate’s investigation, six out of seven attacks were planned outside Afghanistan. Investigations are ongoing to determine the origin of this attack as well. We call on all countries to neither overlook such cruel individuals nor provide them shelter.”

Additionally, the Japanese Embassy in Kabul condemned the attack on the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation and emphasized the need to halt such incidents.

A statement from the Japanese Embassy in Kabul read: “We condemn the heinous attack in the de facto Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on Dec 11, which resulted in the Acting Minister for Refugee and Repatriation and several others killed and wounded. We express condolences to the victims and the families of those who have been affected. This kind of attacks of terror must cease immediately.”

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounced all acts of violence and terrorism aimed at destabilization.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement said: “The UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of international law.”

“Such incidents happen in other countries as well, such as the Moscow incident or the event in Zahedan, Iran. However, it remains imperative for the Islamic Emirate, whose achievements include maintaining security, to take this issue seriously,” Samiullah Ahmadzai, a political analyst remarked.

In Wednesday’s deadly attack on the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting minister, and several of his associates were targeted. The ISIS group claimed responsibility for the attack.

US Reacts to Attack on Acting Refugees Minister Khalil Rahman Haqqani
read more

Recent Posts