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Govt says Taliban destroyed 260 office buildings in 106 districts
The chairman of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC) Nader Nadery said Thursday a study has found that the Taliban has destroyed or set fire to 260 government buildings in 106 districts in recent weeks.
This comes amid heightened tension across the country as the Taliban continue to seize districts.
Addressing an event on Thursday, Nadery said the findings show that the Taliban has plundered equipment and property belonging to public institutions.
“Taliban have proposed a three month ceasefire but in return they want the release their 7,000 prisoners and the removal of their leaders’ names from the UN blacklist, which is a heavy demand by them,” Nadery said.
The survey findings are as follows:
1. Plunder of equipment and property of public institutions
“In 82 districts the rate of equipment looted was reported to be 100% in 18 districts; between 70% and 90% in 14 districts; from 50% to 60% and in 35 districts up to 50%.”
2. Displacement of thousands of public service workers
“Nearly 4,000 public service workers have been affected by the Taliban’s takeover of the districts, and many have fled their areas to provincial capitals due to poor security conditions and high threats against them.”
3. Deprivation of basic government services to millions of citizens
“More than 13 million Afghans have been deprived of basic government services and development projects such as rebuilding water supply networks, roads, retaining walls, building schools, building bridges, digging wells, building hospitals, building cold storages and other projects.”
4. 50,000 civil servants affected
“More than 50,000 civil servants are … unable to attend their duties.
5. In the Taliban-controlled districts of Takhar province alone, 112 development projects planned for this year have been completely stopped.
6. Restrictions on women health care providers
In a small number of the districts under their control, the Taliban have allowed female employees working in the health service sector to travel to work on condition they wear a full hijab and have a legal Mahram (relative to accompany them).
7. In the Taliban-controlled districts of Paktia province, only women working as midwives have been allowed to continue working and need to wear a full hijab and have a Mahram.
Nadery said attacking and injuring civilians and civilian facilities is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law.
A cessation of hostilities and a political agreement for a common future for all Afghans is the way to prevent these crimes from continuing, he said. The continuation of the war makes the Afghans losers.
On the other hand, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said in response to Nadery’s remarks that the claims were untrue.
Mujahid said in a voice message to the media that the Taliban was providing better security than government.
This comes after a substantial spike in violence has been recorded across the country since the US and NATO troops started withdrawing.
In the past few weeks, the Taliban has seized dozens of districts, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of Afghans fleeing their homes.
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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.”
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.
The Afghan national accused of shooting two U.S. National Guard members in Washington, D.C., is facing new federal charges that could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty, authorities said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced that Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with transporting a firearm and a stolen weapon in interstate commerce with intent to commit a serious crime, Fox News reported on Wednesday. One Guard member, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, was killed in the November 26 attack, while Andrew Wolfe was seriously injured.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said moving the case from Superior Court to federal court allows for a careful review of whether the death penalty is warranted. She noted the impact on Beckstrom’s family and said Wolfe faces a lengthy recovery.
Lakanwal remains charged under D.C. law with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill and multiple firearms offenses. An FBI affidavit states the revolver used in the shooting was stolen from a Seattle home in May 2023 and later given to Lakanwal in Washington state, where he also purchased additional ammunition.
Investigators say Lakanwal searched locations in Washington, D.C., including the White House, shortly after buying the ammunition. The shooting occurred near the White House on November 26, according to court records.
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