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Haqqani visits Dasht-e-Leili massacre site in Jawzjan
Minister of Interior Affairs Sirajuddin Haqqani visited Dasht-e-Leili in Jawzjan province, where a large number of prisoners of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) were shot or suffocated to death in 2001.
Upon reaching there, Haqqani performed the noon prayer, recited the Holy Quran and prayed for the souls of those who were killed, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Haqqani said the “martyrs” of Dasht-e-Leili are the “nameless soldiers” of Islam who were killed in oppression. “This great caravan of the martyrs of Islam has only one name and that is ‘The martyrs of Dasht-e-Laili’,” Haqqani said.
“Their sacred blood took their murderers, humiliated and disgraced them. These murderers will be dealt with severely by the Almighty Allah; History will not forget these war crimes,” Haqqani said.
The local authorities of Jawzjan province announced plans to build a wall, a minaret, and a mosque at the site of the incident in order to “preserve the sanctity of the blood of the martyrs,” the Interior Ministry’s statement said.
Haqqani gave directives for its implementation and also provided financial assistance for this purpose.
The Dasht-e-Leili massacre occurred in December 2001 during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan when 250 to 2,000 IEA prisoners were shot or suffocated to death in metal shipping containers while being transferred by Junbish-e Milli soldiers under the supervision of forces loyal to General Rashid Dostum from Kunduz to Sheberghan prison in Afghanistan.
Some of the prisoners were survivors of the Battle of Qala-e-Jangi in Mazar-e-Sharif. In 2009, Dostum denied the accusations.
According to all sources, many of the prisoners died from suffocation inside the containers, and some witnesses claimed that those who survived were shot. The dead were buried in a mass grave.
The allegations have been investigated since 2002 by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). PHR conducted two forensic missions to the site under the auspices of the United Nations in 2002. In 2008, PHR reported that the grave had been tampered with.
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Afghanistan expresses condolences over deadly gas facility blast in Qatar
At least thirteen people were killed and 66 people injured after an explosion at Qatar’s core LNG processing site of Ras Laffan on Sunday, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaab said on Monday.
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Qatar embassy holds roundtable on Afghanistan’s relations with international community
The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Kabul held a roundtable discussion on Afghanistan’s relations with the international community, bringing together representatives from the United Nations and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was attended by Georgette Gagnon, Acting Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs, as well as Scott Smith, Head of UNAMA’s Political Affairs Division.
The Afghan side was represented by Zakir Jalaly, Head of the Second Political Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Abdul Hai Qanit, Director of the Strategic Studies Center at the ministry.
According to a statement issued by the Qatari Embassy, discussions focused on the future of Afghanistan’s relations with the international community and explored ways to support and strengthen those ties.
The roundtable reflects ongoing diplomatic efforts to encourage dialogue and engagement on Afghanistan’s international relations amid evolving regional and global dynamics.
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Belgium issues visas to IEA delegation for EU meeting
Belgium said on Monday it had issued five visas to an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) delegation to attend an EU meeting on migration in Brussels, in what would be the first time the EU has hosted the IEA since it returned to power in Afghanistan five years ago.
The visas are restricted in both geographical scope and duration, allowing travel only to Belgium and for a single day, a Belgian foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that the date of the visit would not be disclosed for security reasons.
Two European officials said the delegation had been granted one-day visas valid only on Tuesday, June 23, Reuters reported.
The Commission last month invited IEA officials to Brussels to discuss deportations of Afghan migrants.
The Commission said the meeting is technical and does not constitute recognition of IEA rule.
“Member States are looking into ways to return persons who have committed serious crimes and who are possibly a security threat. So this is the initiative that the Commission is now following up on,” Commission spokesman Markus Lammert told the EU’s daily press briefing on Monday.
According to a letter seen by Reuters and addressed to Abdul Qaher Balkhi, an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman, it will focus on “the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the European Union”.
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