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Concerns raised over govt official’s ‘involvement’ in Ghor journalist’s death
Media advocacy groups on Friday raised concerns over the safety of journalists after a Ghor provincial council member was killed in a skirmish with the National Directorate of Security (NDS) this week, who suspected him of having assassinated at least two public figures, including a journalist.
The NDS had been investigating Ezatullah Bek in connection with the recent assassinations of journalist Bismellah Adel, and deputy head of the provincial council Abdul Rahman Atshan.
“If high-ranking government officials are involved in the murder of journalists, it raises our concerns and those of our colleagues; we urge the national security and the government of Afghanistan to make public all documents of the involvement of this member of the provincial council and other cases should be considered the same,” said Siddiqullah Tawhidi, Director of Media Watch.
The General Directorate of National Security (NDS) says that Bek was killed on Thursday after a clash with national security forces in the center of Ghor.
One NDS member was also killed in the skirmish and another was injured, the NDS added.
According to the NDS, Bek had been involved in targeted assassinations, equipping and financing the Taliban, and he was suspected of collaborating with the Taliban to eliminate internal opponents.
The NDS meanwhile also published the confessions of a bodyguard as well as a member of Bek’s group. Both confessed to the assassination of Bismillah Adel and Abdul Rahman Atshan.
“Ehsanullah, who is the brother of Ezatullah, a member of the provincial council, repeatedly mentioned the name of a journalist Bismellah Adel and said that we should eliminate it,” said Nooruddin, a close ally of Ezatullah Bek.
“One morning Ehsan, the brother of Ezatullah, who is the commander of 20 Taliban, came to the back of the house and told us to take the mine (IED). We took the mine and stuck it on Abdul Rahim Rezazadah’s car,” said Rezwanullah, a bodyguard of Ezatullah Bek.
This latest development comes after a marked increase in targeted killings across the country – specifically against journalists and civil society members.
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Mullah Baradar discusses creation of railway with Kazakh deputy PM
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs has met with Erik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and discussed the establishment of a railway network from Kazakhstan to Pakistan through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the deputy PM’s office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Baradar emphasized the need to sign agreements to solve the banking problems of traders from both countries, the creation of Afghan-Kazakh joint companies, and the facilitation of visas for Afghan traders.
According to the statement, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said that the Kazakh government intends to establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce and a joint trade and labor group between the two countries, and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the sectors of e-governance, industry, higher education, education, health, and banking.
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Iran, Pakistan leaders raise concerns over ‘terrorist groups’ in Afghanistan
Following a two-day official visit to Pakistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to further expand commercial and economic cooperation and transform the common border of the two countries from a “border of peace” to “border of prosperity”.
The two leaders also strongly condemned aggressions and crimes of Israel in Gaza, and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged people of Gaza.
Numerous other issues were also discussed but on the topic of Afghanistan, they jointly declared their commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, united, independent country free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
According to the statement the two countries pointed out that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan is a serious threat to the security of the region and the world.
The two sides stressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in the field of fighting terrorism and ensuring security and creating a united front against terrorism.
They also discussed the importance of coordinating regional and international efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.
“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the statement read.
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Over 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) says over 1,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan on Tuesday through Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar province, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that based on information provided by the Spin Boldak Kandahar border command, these returnees comprised 191 families, totalling 998 people.
In addition, three migrants released from Pakistani prisons were also returned, according to the statement.
The statement added that after registering the returnees, the refugees were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Each family received 10,000 afghanis – paid to them by the Islamic Emirate.
In another statement, the ministry said that 2,783 migrants living in Iran voluntarily and forcibly returned to the country during this week.
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