Connect with us

Latest News

Assassination of FEFA head sparks widespread criticism

Published

on

Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah along with the foreign community in Kabul have strongly condemned the assassination on Wednesday of Yousuf Rashid, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA).
 
Rashid and his driver were gunned down in PD7 in Kabul on Wednesday morning. 
 
Photos and footage from the scene showed shattered glass and a blood splattered vehicle which was testimony to the barrage of bullets fired at the two men. 
 
The Presidential Palace (ARG) stated in a series of tweets that Ghani has shared his condolences with the families and colleagues of the victims and that he condemned the attack. 
 
The president “vehemently condemns today’s terrorist attack on Mr. Rashid Head of an Election Watch and terms it a cowardly and appalling attack on our freedom and democracy,” ARG tweeted.
 
Abdullah also issued a short statement on Twitter and said that killing is not a solution to the crisis.
 
“The cowardly attack & killing of Yosuf Rasheed, the Executive Director of Free & Fair Election Forum of AFG (FEFA)…Terror & killing is not the answer to the current crisis of the country,” tweeted Abdullah.
 
Mohammad Mirza Katawazai, First Deputy Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) in turn said on Twitter 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.”
 
Meanwhile, foreign embassies in Afghanistan also condemned the attacks and praised Rashid for his hard work and achievements in working to secure a free and transparent election system.
 
US Chargé d’Affaires, Ross Wilson, said: “I am appalled by his murder, another in a cacophony of senseless & endless violence.” 
 
Wilson said Rashid’s death is a loss to his family, friends and the nation.
 
In his tweet, Wilson stated: “Yousuf Rasheed was a dedicated & steadfast advocate for representative democracy in Afghanistan. He worked tirelessly for years to ensure free & transparent elections that engaged all Afghans.”
 
The Netherlands Embassy in Kabul also condemned the attack and shared their condolences with his family and colleagues.
 
The embassy also expressed its concern over the recent and continued attacks on civil society activists in Afghanistan.
 
Sweden meanwhile said it was “appalled by the killing of Mr. Rasheed, head of Sweden’s long-term partner Free Election Afghanistan. Targeting of civil society activists is unacceptable.”
 
Meanwhile, Rashid’s brother, Abdulbaqi Rashid, said Wednesday the Afghan government needs to be held accountable and asked how much longer young Afghans need to be sacrificed.
 
He said that Rashid’s death is not only a loss for his family but for the whole country.
 
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in turn called on the government to provide security to journalists, civil society members and human rights activists in the country.
 
According to the AIHRC the perpetrators should also be held accountable.
 
This comes amid a sharp increase in targeted killings in either shootings or magnetic IEDS across the country in recent weeks. 
 
In light of this the UN on Wednesday warned that assassinations are “taking place at a deeply disturbing rate” across Afghanistan. 
 
In a series of tweets on Wednesday afternoon, UNAMA stated that it “mourns the loss of so many outstanding citizens, condemns those responsible and urges authorities to bring them to account.”
 
The mission emphasized that in the past four days “Afghanistan has seen the killing of an MP, a well known journalist, a group of medics and head of a leading election watchdog.”
 
“Such dreadful attacks are rarely claimed and frequently focus on those working for an open society,” UNAMA stated. 
 
“The UN repeats its call for a sustained reduction in violence. Lives and gains must be protected, with spoilers prevented from undermining the vital peace negotiations, due to resume 5 January.”

Latest News

Khalilzad warns Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions likely to worsen after fresh airstrikes

Published

on

Former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that the latest Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and recent violence inside Pakistan are part of a wider crisis, saying he sees no indication that the situation is about to change.

In a post on X on Thursday, Khalilzad described the Pakistani airstrikes that have killed Afghan civilians and the increasing use of force against civilians in Pakistan as “interconnected tragedies,” implying both effected by Pakistan’s establishment.

“Unfortunately, I do not see any signs of change,” Khalilzad said, adding that current indicators suggested the use of force against Pakistanis would “likely get worse” in the coming days.

His comments came after Pakistan carried out a new wave of airstrikes inside Afghanistan overnight Thursday, saying it had targeted 10 locations used to launch and store drones.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghan territory a day earlier and described them as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate.”

Afghan officials said the strikes killed four civilians. The attacks reportedly hit locations including Kandahar, Khost and Paktia provinces. Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities have denied launching the drones cited by Pakistan and have condemned the strikes.

The latest attacks follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in Kunar and Paktika. Pakistan said those operations killed 28 militants, while the United Nations confirmed that three Afghan civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed, with four others injured.

The renewed airstrikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan.

Afghan authorities reject the allegations and say militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.

Khalilzad has previously called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward both its internal security problems and Afghanistan.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Afghanistan summons Pakistani chargé d’affaires over latest airstrikes

Published

on

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to Kabul and lodged a strong protest against the violation of Afghan airspace and Pakistani military airstrikes on several Afghan provinces.

The ministry handed the Pakistani diplomat a formal protest note following the attacks on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Wednesday night, which reportedly caused civilian casualties.

The Islamic Emirate strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.

The ministry also rejected what it called baseless claims that Afghan territory was being used as a source of Pakistan’s recent security incidents.

It said using such claims to justify military action was an attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion and conceal Pakistan’s internal failures.

The Islamic Emirate further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of avoiding commitments made to regional countries and warned that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Museum dedicated to preserving ‘Jihadi’ artefacts opens in Kandahar

The museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.

Published

on

A museum dedicated to preserving what Afghan authorities describe as “Jihadi artefacts” has officially opened in Kandahar, with officials saying more than 100 items have so far been collected for display.

Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, Director General for the Preservation of Jihadi Artefacts at the Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the inauguration ceremony alongside Qari Ahmadullah Saeed Khosti, Director of Registration for Jihadi Artefacts and Documents.

Mufti Inamullah Samangani, head of the Kandahar Information and Culture Department, and officials from several government departments also attended the ceremony.

According to the official responsible for preserving the artefacts in Kandahar, the museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.

The collection includes weapons that officials say were captured from British, Soviet and US forces, as well as personal belongings and other items associated with people killed during Afghanistan’s conflicts over the past two decades.

Officials said efforts to collect additional artefacts would continue in order to expand the museum’s collection.

The museum is now open to visitors, according to the officials.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Ariana News. All rights reserved!