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British minister says officials speak regularly but UK ‘some way off’ recognizing IEA

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(Last Updated On: January 11, 2024)

Britain’s foreign office minister of state, Andrew Mitchell, said Wednesday the UK is “some way off” moving to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan although officials from both sides speak regularly.

Responding to calls from former minister Tobias Ellwood for the UK to re-engage with the IEA and reopen the Kabul embassy, Mitchell said the UK government has a “pragmatic dialogue” with the IEA but needs to “keep the pressure on them to change their approach”.

He also said the government will keep “very much under review” calls to reopen the UK embassy in Afghanistan, but he noted the security and political situation does not currently allow them to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul.

Speaking in Westminster Hall, Mitchell said the IEA’s “increasingly repressive” policies have had a “devastating impact” on women and girls in Afghanistan while minority groups face “discrimination and attacks”.

He said the basic expectations, as made clear by UN resolutions, include ensuring Afghanistan will “no longer be used as a base for terrorist activities”.

Mitchell told MPs: “Our senior officials speak regularly to the Taliban (IEA), including to secure the release of four British national detainees last October.

“Officials also visit Kabul when the situation permits, including a visit last month from the British charge d’affaires to Kabul, where he met a wide range of senior Taliban figures.

“Regardless of the complexities of the relationship, the UK government has helped lead the way in securing the Afghan people.

“In respect of (Mr Ellwood’s) plea about the embassy, we will note what he has said and keep that very much under review.”

Mitchell also said the UK has dispersed more than £600 million since 2021 in aid for Afghanistan.

Mitchell added: “Our intention since August 2021 has been to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul when the security and political situation allows. We do not believe that is the case at the moment but officials continue to visit and we’ll keep this under close review.

“We’re clear that we must have a pragmatic dialogue with the Taliban (IEA) however this does not amount to recognition. We are some way off moving to recognise the Taliban and we need to keep the pressure on them to change their approach.

“This does not stop us from having an impact on the ground and directly helping the people of Afghanistan in any pragmatic way.”

The IEA has not yet commented on Mitchell’s address to British MPs.

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Three road construction projects launched in Kabul

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(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

Three road construction projects worth about one billion Afghanis started in capital Kabul on Saturday.

The projects were inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The projects are: the second phase of Kotal Khairkhane road, the first part of the Shahid square to Qasaba, and the Airport road to Gumruk.

In the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Baradar said that Kabul municipality is working hard to beautify and regulate the city, and people should cooperate with the government in protecting public benefit projects.

He directed the officials of Kabul municipality to complete the mentioned projects on time and with good quality.

The second phase of Kotel Khairkhaneh road is 2.5 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Thie road will cost 364 million Afghanis and will be completed in 20 months.

The Shahid square-Qasaba road is 1.8 kilometers long and 45 meters wide, which will be built at a cost of 175 million Afghanis in one year.

The Airport-Gumruk road is 2.7 km long and 60 meters wide, which will be completed at a cost of 407 million Afghanis in 20 months.

The projects are funded by Kabul Municipality.

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Russian defense minister says main threat for SCO countries emanates from Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.

Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.

The military chief called “unacceptable” the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as “a direct threat to stability in the SCO space.”

According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it does not allow anyone to pose threats to any other country from Afghanistan soil.

Recently, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan,

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IEA calls Mujahideen Victory Day ‘freedom day’

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(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

In a statement on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen against the then communist government, the Islamic Emirate said that it is a day of freedom of the Afghan nation.

The Islamic Emirate described the coup by People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on 27th April 1978 as a dark day in history, as a result of which the people of Afghanistan suffered severe human and financial losses.

The statement said that the Afghan nation suffered huge casualties in their 14-year struggle against the thoughts and actions of the communists, as 1.5 million people died and millions more faced various hardships.

“After 20 years of Jihad, our country was freed from another occupation and the Islamic system was established, so the Islamic Emirate will make its utmost efforts so that the fruits of decades of sacrifice and struggle of this nation are not wasted,” the statement said.

“It was the wish of the martyrs to fully implement the Islamic system in the country, and therefore, the Islamic Emirate is trying to facilitate development and prosperity under the shadow of the Islamic system in order to realize the goals of the Afghan people’s jihads,” it added.

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