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NDS chief tells senators Taliban behind 99 percent of attacks

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Last Updated on: December 30, 2020

Ahmad Zia Siraj, head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), told Afghanistan’s Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) on Tuesday that Taliban are responsible for “99 percent of attacks in Afghanistan”.

This comes after senators summoned security officials to appear before them and answer questions on the security situation in the country. 

According to Siraj, 18,200 attacks happened in Afghanistan in the past year. He said the Taliban were responsible for 99 percent of these attacks. 

Siraj said the Taliban, especially its affiliated group Haqqani Network, are also behind the spate of targeted killings in the country.

On the issue of former slain journalist Yama Siawash, Siraj said that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack. He said however that investigations into the assassination are still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Massoud Andarabi, Interior Minister, said that the ministry will punish police personnel whose vehicles are targeted in magnetic IEDs. 

He said the ministry will now shift the focus of the police services from “guarding doors to enforcing laws”. 

Andarabi also said the Taliban had planned to overrun more areas in provinces but were prevented from doing so. As a result they turned their attention to targeted killings of individuals in Kabul. 

Andarabi said the Taliban is also hoping to gain leverage with the peace process by putting pressure on government through tactics involving IED bombings and targeted killings in Kabul and other attack in provinces. 

This comes amid a sharp increase in targeted attacks in the country, especially in Kabul, in recent weeks. Insurgents have singled out public figures including civil society activists, government figures and journalists in their assassination spree. 

Despite numerous people having been killed in the past few months in targeted attacks, no group ever steps forward to claim responsibility for the attacks. 

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Tajikistan says two soldiers killed in clash with militants near Afghan border

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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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