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Khalilzad in Kabul to remove obstacles ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad visited Kabul on July 29 and discussed the ongoing efforts to resolve the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations with the Afghan leaders.
In a statement released on Thursday, the US Embassy in Kabul said that Khalilzad met with President Ashraf Ghani, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, former President Hamid Karzai and other officials.
د افغانستان د اسلامي جمهوريت جمهوررئیس محمد اشرف غني نن ماښام د افغان سولې لپاره د امریکا متحدو ایالتونو د بهرنیو چارو وزارت ځانګړي استازي ډاکتر زلمي خلیلزاد سره وکتل. pic.twitter.com/VMvIQDeegO
— ارگ (@ARG_AFG) July 29, 2020
“He discussed ongoing efforts to resolve the remaining issues ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, including the need to keep violence down by all sides after the historic Eid al-Adha ceasefire and the final prisoner releases,” the statement said.
Khalilzad underscored the need to stop the bloodshed and seize this historic opportunity for peace.
“Ambassador Khalilzad also provided updates on regional and international efforts in support of intra-Afghan negotiations,” the statement concluded.
It comes as Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, said on Thursday the group has released 82 prisoners of the Afghan government from its captivity.
Shaheen noted that it has completed the process of releasing Afghan government prisoners, reaching a total released of 1000 inmates.
On Wednesday, Shaheen called on the Afghan government to reciprocate by releasing the remainder of the 5,000 Taliban prisoners, as per the US-Taliban agreement signed earlier this year in Doha.
The group has also declared a three-day ceasefire over Eid al-Adha and ordered its not to carry out any attacks against the Afghan forces.
In a statement on Twitter, the group said fighters have been ordered not to conduct any attacks on Afghan security forces unless in retaliation for attacks against them.
“The ceasefire will be conducted for Afghan people to enjoy a prosperous and peaceful Eid,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Bahador Aminian, Iranian Ambassador to Kabul said that his country has also spoken with the Afghan government and the Taliban so that the two sides remove their disputes to pave the way for the intra-Afghan negotiations.
“The Afghan government officials should be united in order to achieve peace and we have pushed for putting aside their differences over the republic political system, and Iran has called on both sides to end the violence,” Bahador told Ariana News.
Tajik authorities say their border guards clashed with militants who crossed into Tajikistan’s Khatlon region from Afghanistan on Tuesday night.
Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said in a statement that militants intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border outposts.
Three militants were killed and two Tajik soldiers died in the clash. From the scene, three firearms—an M-16 rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle—three foreign-made pistols equipped with suppressors, ten hand grenades, one night-vision device, explosives, and other military equipment were seized, according to the committee.
This was the third reported attack from Afghanistan into Tajikistan in the past month, with the previous ones targeting Chinese nationals.
The Islamic Emirate previously said it assured Tajikistan it was ready to tighten border security and conduct joint investigations.
Business
Afghanistan’s first aluminum can factory launched in Herat with $120 million investment
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, laid the foundation stone of the “Pamir” aluminum can production company at the industrial parks of Herat on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s first aluminum can manufacturing plant was officially launched on Thursday in Herat province, marking a significant step toward industrial development and economic self-reliance.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, laid the foundation stone of the “Pamir” aluminum can production company at the industrial parks of Herat on Thursday.
According to officials, the Pamir factory is the first of its kind in Afghanistan and is being established with an investment of $120 million. The project will be built on 16 jeribs of land within Herat’s industrial zones.
Once completed, the factory is expected to create employment opportunities for around 1,700 Afghan citizens. Officials say the project will play a key role in boosting domestic production, reducing reliance on imports, and strengthening the national economy.
Authorities described the launch of the project as a clear sign of growing investment in the industrial sector and ongoing efforts to promote economic self-sufficiency in the country.
Latest News
Medvedev: IEA posed less threat to Russia than western-backed groups
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) caused less harm to Russia than Western-backed civic organisations that, he claims, sought to undermine the country’s unity.
In an article published in the Russian journal Rodina, Medvedev wrote that while the IEA had long been designated as a terrorist organisation, its actions did not inflict the same level of damage on Russia as what he described as Western-supported institutions operating under the banner of academic or humanitarian work.
“Let us be honest: the Taliban (IEA) movement, long listed as a terrorist organisation, has caused modern Russia far less damage than all those pseudo-scientific institutions whose aim is to dismantle our country under the guise of aiding the oppressed,” Medvedev stated.
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Medvedev’s remarks come amid a shift in Russia’s official stance toward Afghanistan. In April, Russia’s Supreme Court suspended the ban on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which had previously been included on the country’s list of terrorist organisations.
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