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Chief peace negotiator says key topic in talks will be ceasefire

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(Last Updated On: December 30, 2020)

Afghanistan’s chief peace negotiator Masoom Stanekzai said on Wednesday that while he knows Afghans want a “quick result”, which is not possible, the focus will be on a ceasefire when talks resume. 

Speaking at a gathering at the Institute for Peace Studies in Kabul, Stanekzai said: “We will go to the negotiations with a strong will.” 

“Ending the war in Afghanistan is the demand of the people of the country,” he added.

This comes just days ahead of peace talks resuming in Doha between the Afghan republic’s team and the Taliban’s team. 

“We know the people expect a quick result, but it’s a little difficult as it’s not just in our hands,” Stanekzai said. 

“Security is very important for the people of Afghanistan, which includes a ceasefire, highway security and other issues,” he said adding that there is a difference of opinion over the governing system for the country going forward. 

He stated however that one of the first issues to be raised by the Afghan republic’s team would be that of a ceasefire. 

Farooq Majroh, a member of the peace negotiating team, also spoke at the event and said “for the past three months of negotiations we have shown a will for peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

Mohammad Natiqi, another team member said “after lots of discussions we convinced the religious scholars in Qatar, to declare Afghan war unjust.”

“The UN supports the system we currently have, not the one the Taliban are talking about. In the next round, we will defend our system,” he said.

Peace talks started on September 12 in Doha but soon hit a deadlock over the rules and procedures of talks going forward. However, in early December both sides were able to reach consensus on the issue. 

They then took a three week break and are expected to resume talks on January 5.   

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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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