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Abdullah calls for ‘system support’ as clashes close in on Kabul

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(Last Updated On: June 30, 2021)

Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), said Wednesday that clashes between security forces and the Taliban have reached the entrance gates of the capital, Kabul, and that “people have to support the system”.

Addressing the sixth session of the HCNR’s Leadership Committee meeting, Abdullah stated that as the international forces are close to completing their withdrawal process, a security vacuum has been created.

He said the Taliban could intensify violence if a unified political consensus is not created.

Abdullah stated that the group is playing for time; and that Afghan leaders have to determine their priorities.

“While we want peace, war is approaching the gates of the Afghan capital; I think a declaration of the full support of the elders is necessary,” Abdullah said.

The HCNR chairman also called for more international mediation amid stalled peace talks in Doha, Qatar.

“The contact teams are in touch with each other. Mediation by the United Nations and Qatar has also increased, and [hopefully] this will lead to the acceleration of the peace process,” he added.

This comes as clashes have continued to intensify across the country.

In the latest development, Taliban militants seized control of six district centers – in Takhar, Kapisa, Balkh, Samangan, Ghazni, and Kandahar provinces – in the past 24 hours, local sources told Ariana News.

According to the sources, Farkhar district in Takhar, Alasay in Kapisa, Kaldar in Balkh, Feroz Nakhchir in Samangan, Gelan in Ghazni, and Khakrez in Kandahar province fell to the Taliban in this time.

Kaldar, in Balkh, fell to the Taliban last week but Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in cooperation with local uprising forces, led by the province’s former governor, Atta Mohammad Noor, regained control of the district on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, the Taliban released a video claiming the group had recaptured the district center.

Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said early Wednesday the ANDSF had pushed back the Taliban in many areas across the country.

“We have captured many areas and have launched heavy attacks on the enemy,” said Aman.

Local sources, meanwhile, told Ariana News that the Taliban have also recaptured Mirzaka district in Paktia, Dawlat Abad in Faryab, Shortepa and Kaldar in Balkh, Chah Ab, and Hazar Smoch in Takhar and Tala wa Barfak in Baghlan.

“Seven out of 14 districts are under Taliban control in the province,” said Shafiqullah Ahadi, an activist in Baghlan.

Sources in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces also said that the security situation had deteriorated in their provinces.

“Taliban have surrounded Takhar province, but operations have not started so far,” said Sayed Sayyed Salahuddin Burhani a member of Takhar provincial council.

“Taliban attempt to seize more areas,” said Ziaullhaq, an MP.

In addition, the Taliban has also reportedly seized control of the Khakrez district in Kandahar province and heavy clashes are ongoing in Grishk, Garmsir, Marjah, Nad Ali, and Nawa districts of Helmand province, as well as in the provincial capital Lashkhargah.

“Taliban want to capture districts, and Lashkargah city will also fall if the government does not help,” said Attaullah Haq Bayan, head of Helmand provincial council.
Afghan Commandos meanwhile have retaken control of the Imam Sahib Port in Kunduz after the Taliban seized the port last week.

Abdul Hadi Nazari, a spokesman for the 217th Pamir Military Corps, said at least 13 Taliban had been killed in the operation.

The Taliban has not yet commented.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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