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Afghan war crimes suspect says he is a victim of mistaken identity

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A 76-year-old Afghan man accused of being the commander of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul in the 1980s, where he allegedly abused political opponents, on Wednesday told The Hague court it was a case of mistaken identity.

“I am not the person that you are talking about,” the suspect, who said he did not remember his own name but was identified in court as Abdul Rafief, told judges.

According to the charges summarized by the judges, Rafief is accused of living in the Netherlands under a false name and that he is actually Abdul Razaq Arif who served as commander of the Pul-e-Charki prison between 1983 and 1990, Reuters reported.

Afghanistan’s Soviet-backed government was fighting a guerrilla war against mujahideen at the time, following the Soviet invasion in 1979.

Prosecutors say Rafief was responsible for political prisoners in the jail, who were allegedly held in inhumane conditions in the facility. Guards under his command allegedly beat, tortured and executed prisoners, Reuters reported.

During the hearing Rafief referred all questions from the judges about his identity to his lawyers and said he was ill, dizzy and could not remember anything.

Rafief came to the Netherlands seeking asylum in 2001 and has become a Dutch national. He is being tried under “universal jurisdiction” principles, which say suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity can be prosecuted abroad if they cannot be tried in the country where they were allegedly committed.

The Netherlands has already successfully tried three high ranking officials of the Afghan military intelligence service for similar crimes in the same period in Afghanistan.

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Traffic accident in Badakhshan leaves 12 dead, 3 injured

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Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the Badakhshan Provincial Police Command, said that 12 people were killed and three others were seriously injured in a traffic accident in Arghanjkhwah district of the province.

Kamgar added that the incident occurred at noon on Saturday in the Samdar area of Arghanjkhwah district.

According to him, the victims include men, women and children.

He explained that the incident happened when a Flancoach -type vehicle veered off the road due to poor road conditions and plunged into a ravine.

The injured were transferred to health centers for treatment, and the condition of some of them has been reported as critical.

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Afghanistan to grant one- to ten-year residency to foreign investors

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has approved a plan to grant foreign investors residency permits ranging from one to ten years in exchange for investment in the country.

The decision was endorsed during a regular meeting of the Economic Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

According to a statement from the deputy PM’s office, a designated committee has been tasked with determining the length of residency based on the volume of investment, which will be categorized under specific criteria.

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Traffic police receive new cars

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The Ministry of Interior has announced the delivery of several new, modern cars to the General Directorate of Traffic Police, replacing the older fleet that consisted mostly of trucks.

According to a ministry statement, the new vehicles, equipped with special traffic police colors, markings, and modern equipment, are expected to play a key role in maintaining traffic order in cities and on main roads, preventing accidents, and providing faster services to the public.

 

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