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Afghan pilot told to rejoin air force or leave US protection
An Afghan major under US protection at an American base fears he could be in danger of being killed by the Taliban after being given an ultimatum following the Pentagon’s reversal on its asylum decision.
Major Mohammed Naiem Asadi, one of Afghanistan’s few elite attack helicopter pilots, his wife and four-year-old daughter had been approved in October to move to the US but this month that decision was overturned.
According to Asadi he has been told he will be forced to leave the US base in Afghanistan on Monday if he does not rejoin the Afghan Air Force, Stars and Stripes reported.
In a letter to US officials, Asadi’s lawyer Kimberly Motley said she was “extremely concerned” the major would be imprisoned and separated from his family if turned over to the Afghan military.
According to Stars and Stripes, the Afghan government has threatened to imprison pilots in the past for attempting to gain asylum in other countries.
For the last month, Asadi and his family have been living under US military protection, but on Sunday afternoon, US and Afghan military officers told Asadi that if he does not rejoin the Afghan Air Force, he will be forced to leave the base, Asadi told Stars and Stripes.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Defense Ministry has said it is committed to protecting him, Asadi said he doubts the Afghan government’s ability and willingness to protect him at a time when the country is witnessing a wave of assassinations by the Taliban.
Asadi meanwhile is said to have killed more Taliban than any other pilot in the Afghan Air Force during thousands of flight hours, Afghan and US military officers told Stars and Stripes.
In the summer, he protected an American pilot who crashed his A-29 Super Tucano attack turboprop in northern Afghanistan, a letter of commendation signed by US Air Force Captain Robert V. Yost said.
Asadi led a flight of two MD-530 attack helicopters that scrambled to protect the crash site in Taliban-contested territory, and Asadi’s efforts were vital to the pilot’s rescue, Yost wrote.
“The incident was just one of countless events where Maj. Asadi’s actions have protected and saved lives,” he wrote.
Asadi applied for asylum in the US under Significant Public Benefit Parole, a temporary status for noncitizens in need of protection. He then passed several background checks, with a US military contractor confirming the authenticity of the Taliban death threats he received, Stars and Stripes reported.
According to Motley, risks to Afghan pilots from the Taliban dramatically increase once it’s known they are applying for a visa to leave the country.
“It is also quite clear that the Afghan government cannot (or will not) protect the Asadi family from the Taliban,” Motley said in her letter. “They simply do not have the capacity or ability.”
Asadi told Stars and Stripes on Sunday he is concerned with what may happen to him and his family should they leave the base.
“It’s very scary for me,” Asadi said. “My wife, she knows too. She is very sad, she didn’t eat lunch or breakfast; we didn’t sleep last night. It’s a very bad situation.”
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UNAMA calls for greater transparency and accountability in Afghanistan’s security institutions
The report also says fear of reprisals, a lack of trust in authorities and barriers to accessing institutions discourage people from reporting alleged misconduct.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to strengthen transparency, oversight and accountability within the country’s security institutions.
In a new 38-page report, UNAMA examines measures taken by the IEA since August 2021 to oversee security institutions and address misconduct by security personnel.
The report says the authorities have taken some steps to promote discipline and oversight, including issuing directives, establishing internal monitoring units and creating new bodies tasked with addressing misconduct by security personnel.
However, UNAMA says these measures have not been accompanied by sufficient public information about complaints, investigations and disciplinary or judicial actions.
The report identifies several bodies responsible for oversight, including the Security and Filtration Commission, the High Directorate of Supervision and Monitoring of Decrees and Edicts, the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Commission for Hearing Complaints, and the Supreme Court.
“The limited amount of public information on complaints received, investigations conducted, and disciplinary or judicial actions taken by relevant de facto bodies undermine confidence and weaken deterrence,” said Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge.
UNAMA documented cases in which IEA authorities arrested and investigated security personnel accused of misconduct and referred some cases to military courts. However, the mission said many complaints reportedly remain unresolved.
The report also says fear of reprisals, a lack of trust in authorities and barriers to accessing institutions discourage people from reporting alleged misconduct. Women, in particular, face additional obstacles because of restrictions affecting their daily lives, UNAMA said.
UNAMA has recommended that the IEA authorities establish and consistently enforce clear rules and codes of conduct for security personnel, in line with international standards. It also called for clearer regulations governing the use of force, arrests, detention, searches and crowd control.
The UN mission further urged the authorities to establish safe, accessible and inclusive complaint mechanisms that allow people to report misconduct without fear of retaliation or discrimination, while protecting victims, witnesses and whistleblowers.
UNAMA also called for regular public reporting on complaints, investigations and disciplinary or judicial measures, as well as stronger systems for collecting and maintaining data on misconduct.
According to the report, greater transparency and consistent accountability could improve professionalism, strengthen public trust in security institutions and contribute to better governance, respect for human rights and Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs has announced that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the purchase of gas under the TAPI project was signed on Monday in Torghundi, Herat province, between the state-owned Afghan Gas Company and
Turkmenistan’s Türkmengaz Company, in the presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of Turkmenistan.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, the MoU will determine the price of gas, the required volume of gas, and the gas distribution process.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, during his visit to Herat province, met with Turkmenistan’s National Leader, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, in Torghundi on Monday to discuss the latest progress on the TAPI project and future economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
According to a statement from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Baradar said during the meeting that work on the TAPI project in Herat is progressing well and that the remaining work is expected to be completed within the scheduled timeframe.
Baradar urged the Turkmen side to reach an agreement on the price of gas and called for the gas pricing formula to be adjusted in a way that would prevent sharp fluctuations in European markets from affecting gas prices.
He also proposed that the gas agreement be concluded for a long-term period, with simple terms and a flexible mechanism for reviewing the contract.
Baradar called for Turkmenistan’s cooperation in constructing a gas distribution and consumption network in Herat, establishing a joint technical and legal commission to address the remaining issues related to the TAPI project, and making joint efforts to create more job opportunities for Afghans through the project.
He said the TAPI project has strengthened strategic cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and stressed the need for the two sides to work together to expand trade by reopening the Aqina border crossing for oil transit, facilitating Afghan transit goods at the Turkmenbashi port, resolving existing obstacles to the reactivation of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, and rebuilding and expanding the Herat–Torghundi railway.
Baradar also called on Turkmenistan to support major economic projects in Afghanistan in the electricity and transport sectors.
During the meeting, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said relations between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have been strengthened on the basis of goodwill and good-neighborly relations, creating opportunities for cooperation in various fields.
Berd Berdimuhamedov added that Turkmenistan is ready to cooperate not only on extending the TAPI pipeline to Herat, but also on constructing a gas distribution network in the province and launching practical work on the TAP project. He said a number of foreign companies have expressed readiness to invest in the TAP project.
He further said Ashgabat is ready to provide all necessary facilities at Turkmenbashi port for Afghan transit and commercial goods.
He also stressed the need for joint efforts to reactivate the Lapis Lazuli Corridor to boost trade between the two countries and the wider region.
He assured the Afghan side that work on projects already launched in Afghanistan’s electricity and railway sectors would be completed on schedule and at an accelerated pace.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to establish a technical committee led by senior officials to follow up on and implement the TAPI, TAP, fiber-optic and railway projects and ensure that work on these projects progresses more effectively.
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