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HALO Trust reports sharp drop in number of mines cleared globally last year

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Scotland-based HALO Trust on Monday called for global recommitment to the Landmine Ban Treaty following a 10 percent drop in the number of anti-personnel mines cleared in 2023 against the previous year.

In a report issued this week, the organization said over 65 square kilometers of land in 26 provinces of Afghanistan are contaminated with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

HALO Trust stated that Afghanistan was one of the top four countries most densely contaminated with IEDs.

According to the organization, 60 countries around the world struggle with landmines. HALO Trust operates in one third of these countries.

In Afghanistan, the organization works with over 2,200 demining employees.

The other three mostly densely contaminated countries are Cambodia, Iraq and Ukraine.

The sharp decrease in landmines cleared is testimony to the organization’s need for funding and for greater political commitment.

In addition, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining think tank recently reported that global funding to clear landmines fell by 18 percent in the decade to 2022 - a drop of $1.18 billion.

James Cowan, CEO of The HALO Trust said: “This report is a wake-up call for the world at a time of escalating conflict. There can be no recovery from war or sanctuary for the displaced until explosive weapons are cleared and destroyed.

“Until this work is done, thousands of civilians continue to live in fear,” he said.

“HALO is working in all the countries with massive contamination, including Ukraine. But we also work in other countries whose contamination is barely known, let alone addressed,” he added.

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Kyrgyz leader urges world to recognize current Afghan government

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Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov has called one European countries and the United States to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) as the government of the country.

“Currently, they are in near-total isolation. We, as the global community, must understand one crucial thing: isolating Afghanistan from the rest of the world will not solve the problem. On the contrary, the longer this situation persists, the more the afghan people will endure difficult days,” Japarov said in an interview with Turkish TV channel TRT,

He also called for the return of the frozen assets for the future of the Afghan people.

“These funds could help the current Afghan government not only rebuild its infrastructure but also provide affordable loans to citizens through local banks, develop agriculture, and create opportunities to improve the lives of those living in poverty. Right now, the afghan people are suffering from hunger,” he said.

Japarov said that Afghanistan's leadership could be invited for a working visit to one or two European countries. “If they visit so-called developed countries and see firsthand how people live in various parts of the world, it could positively influence their governance experience. If we continue to isolate them, there won’t be any positive outcomes, even after 50 years.”

He also said that if European countries or the United States are willing to provide technical assistance to Afghanistan through various projects or specialized programs, Kyrgyzstan is ready to help implement these initiatives.

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US diplomat: Decision to ban medical education for women in Afghanistan is ‘indefensible’

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US charge d’affaires for Afghanistan, Karen Decker, on Saturday criticized reports of a decision to close medical educational institutions to women, saying the decision was “indefensible in any language, culture, or religion.”

Decker said on X that the leadership of the Islamic Emirate in Kandahar has already risked the future of Afghanistan by preventing girls from becoming teachers or engineers.

“They would now destroy it completely by preventing girls from becoming doctors or midwives. Babies will not be born. Mothers will die. All the Afghan people will suffer. This decision must be reversed to prevent unnecessary misery,” she said.

Decker added that it is difficult to see the value of the IEA diplomacy abroad “if this is what they are selling.”

Recently, there have been reports that the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate ordered the closure of medical institutes for women. The Islamic Emirate has not yet officially commented on the matter.

 

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IEA says World Bank’s report on Afghan economic situation ‘far from reality’

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Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Office on Saturday in a statement rejected the recent report of the World Bank on the economic situation of Afghanistan and called it “far from reality”.

The statement stated that the World Bank has ignored some of the economic achievements of the Islamic Emirate.

According to the statement, important projects have been started in different sectors since IEA’s takeover.

The statement added that only in the mining sector, about 415 billion afghanis of domestic and foreign investment have been attracted and similar projects are being implemented in other sectors.

The deputy PM’s office has emphasized that the international community should turn to positive interaction with Afghanistan.

This reaction comes while the World Bank said in a recent report that Afghanistan's economic outlook remains very fragile.

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