The Ministry of Interior says the special forces from the ministry and the 209th Army Corps of Al-Fatah carried out an operation and rescued a businessman who was kidnapped a month ago in Balkh, Mazar-e-Sharif city.

The ministry said on Twitter the trader was abducted in the first district of Mazar-e-Sharif city by kidnappers and a ransom of $300,000 was demanded for his release.

Two of the kidnappers were arrested in this operation, the officials said.

As the prices of onions and potatoes skyrockets in Kabul, one businessman in the city is offering customers a massive discount on the produce for the next seven days.

Seven kilograms of onions currently sells for up to 500 afghanis in Kabul markets, but businessman Mirwais Hajizada has slashed the price to 150 afghanis for 7kg.

He has also cut his price of potatoes at 100 afghanis.

“Today, you can see that there are ten trucks carrying 500 to 1,000 tons of onions and potatoes. We have decided to distribute 1,000 tons per day for seven days,” Hajizada said.

Kabul residents welcomed the initiative and asked other traders to sell essential goods at reasonable prices.

“This is a very good job. This is a good price for poor people,” said Mukhtar, a resident of Kabul.

Pacha Khan, a resident of Kabul city, said: “We ask other traders to reduce the prices of produce in this holy month of Ramadan.”

Kabul Municipality also called on other members of the private sector to help people.

“We appreciate this initiative. We ask other businessmen to have mercy on their people and hold their hands,” said Ismatullah Ansari, Deputy Director of Market Regulation Department at Kabul Municipality.

Municipality officials also warned shopkeepers in Kabul city that if anyone sells basic food items at a price higher than the price set by the department, they could run the risk of having their shops closed down.

The United Arab Emirates on Friday sent a plane carrying 38 tonnes of medical and food supplies to Afghanistan to meet the needs of families affected by earthquakes that recently struck northeastern part of the country.

UAE’s Foreign Ministry in a statement said that the provision of these supplies is part of the UAE’s enduring efforts to provide urgent relief to countries affected by natural disasters and enhance humanitarian support for vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly.

In this regard, the relief supplies will assist those affected by the earthquakes’ impact, which has exacerbated the current humanitarian situation, the statement said.

In the handover ceremony at Kabul airport, Abdullah Azzam, the Special Secretary of the Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Office, said that the aid will be distributed transparently to the needy and affected citizens.

He expressed gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided by the UAE, emphasizing that such activities strengthen and expand the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Azzam also called on the international community to opt for bilateral relations and interaction with Afghanistan rather than resorting to sanctions and pressures.

The UAE’s humanitarian efforts for Afghanistan from 2021-2022 included the launch of a relief air bridge that sent 28 aircraft carrying 623 tonnes of medical and food supplies, benefiting approximately 1.1 million people, including 850,000 women and children, UAE’s Foreign Ministry said.