Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) announced on Tuesday during a ceremony that the 22.75-megawatt Naghlu solar power generation facility in Surobi district of Kabul has been put into operation.

At the ceremony, Abdul Bari Omar, Chief Executive Officer of DABS, said that the project consists of two sections—power generation and transmission—and has been completed at a cost of more than $18 million.

Omar added that in the modern era, electricity is as vital as blood circulation in the human body, and that in the path toward the country’s economic and political independence, efforts have been made to utilize multiple sources of energy production.

“In the present era, electricity is as important as blood flow in the human body. On the path to economic and political independence, we have turned to the use of diverse energy sources,” said Omar, adding that “alongside numerous economic benefits, the construction of the Naghlu solar power plant demonstrates the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to environmental protection, which is a very important priority in preventing air pollution.”

At the same ceremony, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Administrative Prime Minister, said that Afghanistan currently needs more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity for residential use and more than 10,000 megawatts for the industrial sector.

According to Hanafi, in the past only about 200 megawatts of electricity were produced in the country; however, following the return to power of the Islamic Emirate, investment has been made in producing more than 1,200 megawatts of electricity within just one year.

Meanwhile, several other officials of the Islamic Emirate at the ceremony described sufficient electricity production in Afghanistan as crucial for political stability, economic growth, and social welfare.

Afghan government announced on Tuesday that a provincial-level delegation has been tasked to investigate a recent clash between local residents and a gold mining company in Chah Ab district of northern Takhar province.

Humayoun Afghan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said that the confrontation resulted in human casualties as well as financial losses.

He said that a comprehensive report will be presented to the media after the investigation is completed.

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, has voiced concern over the situation of women in Afghanistan, calling on the international community not to turn a blind eye to ongoing violations of their rights.

Amina said in a post on X on Sunday that millions of Afghan women and girls continue to face severe restrictions on their basic rights, including access to education, employment, security and freedom of movement.

“The world must not turn a blind eye to these violations,” she wrote, stressing that women’s rights are human rights everywhere.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Islamic Emirate has suspended education for girls beyond the sixth grade and imposed wide-ranging restrictions on women’s participation in the workforce and public life.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate maintain that their policies regarding women are based on Sharia law and have repeatedly described the issue as an internal matter of Afghanistan.