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Anxious Kabul residents ask ‘Who is Next?’

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(Last Updated On: December 23, 2020)
The latest assassination of a public figure, Yousuf Rashid, the CEO of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), has not only drawn widespread condemnation but also continues to increase the levels of concern among Kabul residents in particular. 
 
Rashid was killed in a targeted attack early Wednesday morning. He was gunned down by unknown gunmen outside his house. His driver survived the attack but later died from his wounds in hospital. 
 
A clear increase in targeted assassinations, either through the use of magnetic IEDs against vehicles or by shooting, has emerged over the past few months and public figures, including civil society members, media workers and government officials appear to be the targets. 
 
However, these occurrences are now happening on an almost daily basis and Kabul residents are questioning “Who is next?”
 
In reaction to Rashid’s death, one social media user said simply on Wednesday: “Who is next? Me or you?”
 
Another social media user said on Facebook: “Where are the commanders? Where are the leaders? Those who were claiming to save Afghanistan. Today, if our brother is assassinated, tomorrow is my turn and yours.
 
“One day, come down from these palaces that you have built from the sale of Afghanistan and conducted the rescue Jihad. These governments and puppet regimes cannot stop terrorism,” the post read.
 
Scores of Kabul residents are pointing the finger at the Taliban and have said the group wants a  “silent society” – hence media and civil society members being targeted. 
 
But the Taliban has not claimed responsibility for the attacks and has in fact publicly distanced itself from some incidents. 
 
On the other hand, some people said on social media that Rashid was an outspoken critic of corruption and electoral fraud.
 
US Chargé d’Affaires to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said in response to Rashid’s assassination that he was “appalled by his murder, another in a cacophony of senseless & endless violence.” 
 
Wilson said that his death is a loss to his family, friends and the nation.
 
“Yousuf Rasheed was a dedicated and steadfast advocate for representative democracy in Afghanistan. He worked tirelessly for years to ensure free and transparent elections that engaged all Afghans,” Wilson stated.
 
Mohammad Mirza Katawazai First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly tweeted he was deeply saddened by the killing of Rashid “who was a forward looking progressive young Afghan who wanted a truly functioning democracy in the country.”
 
By Wednesday, Kabul city had witnessed an explosion every day for four days.  
 
The latest explosion on Wednesday morning left one policeman dead and two others wounded. 
 
A spokesman for the Kabul Police HQ, Ferdows Faramarz, said that an IED on a Ranger had exploded in the PD12 district at around 6:55 a.m.
 
“One policeman was killed and two others were injured,” Faramarz said.
 
Soon afterwards, Rashid was gunned down in PD while leaving home. 
 
On Tuesday, a Toyota Corolla belonging to Pul-e-Charkhi doctors was targeted. This also happened in PD 7. 
 
Five people were killed in the explosion, including at least four doctors. 
 
On Monday, one soldier and one civilian were wounded in yet another explosion – this time in PD12. On the same day, at least one civilian was killed in Paghman district in Kabul when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque. 
 
Sunday was another day of chaos when the convoy of vehicles belonging to MP Mohammad Wardak was targeted in PD5. 
 
A car bomb targeted the convoy, killing at least 10 people and wounded more than 50. 
 
Wardak survived the explosion, but extensive damage was also caused to buildings and shops in the area. 
 
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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Kabul police summons Afghan YouTuber Hamayon

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

Afghanistan’s YouTuber Hamayon Afghan was summoned to the police station for publishing a woman’s interview without her permission, Kabul police said.

The spokesman of Kabul Police Khalid Zadran said Friday on X that Hamayon interviewed an old woman and published the report without her permission.

“After the interview, the interviewee’s family complained to the police and the police summoned Hamayon Afghan to the police station,” said Zadran.

Zadran stated that police are working to solve the problem with the two sides’ agreement as soon as possible.

He urges people to avoid posting rumors on the issue.

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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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