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Intense fighting a serious challenge for patients, MSF staff in Helmand

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Médecins Sans Frontières reported Tuesday that while fighting has been intense since May in Helmand province, clashes between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban have intensified in recent weeks and spread to more urban areas such as the provincial capital of Lashkargah city.

“There has been relentless gunfire, airstrikes and mortars in densely populated areas. Houses are being bombed, and many people are suffering severe injuries,” says Sarah Leahy, coordinator of the MSF Helmand project.

“Fighting within the city makes it harder for us to respond; our staff are part of the community and they, like many people, are afraid to leave their homes. It’s just far too dangerous and life is at a standstill,” says Leahy.

“Some of our colleagues are staying overnight in the hospital as it’s safer, but also so they can keep on treating patients. The situation has been dire for months but now it is even worse.”

Despite the challenges, the MSF-supported Boost hospital remains operational and has seen a marked increase in trauma needs over the past week.

“In just one day we performed 10 surgeries on people injured by violence, which is unheard of for us as we are not Lashkargah’s main provider of trauma care,” says Leahy. “Before last week we were operating on average on two war-wounded people per day.”

The main trauma centre in the city is run by another organisation, and is also under immense pressure; the people they cannot admit are sent to MSF for care, the statement read.

Between 29 and 31 July alone, MSF treated 70 war-wounded patients. In total from 3 May until 31 July, we have treated 482 war-wounded people, nearly all (92 per cent) for injuries caused by shells and bullets, and around a quarter (26 per cent) aged under 18. The patients seen by MSF are just a fraction of the total number injured by the violence, the organization reported.

MSF also said the conflict is stopping people from seeking medical attention when ill.

“The conflict leads people to think 10 times about whether they really want to make the journey. They delay until they can’t wait anymore, when their relatives haven’t opened their eyes for two or three days, have shallow breathing and are unresponsive. From a medical perspective, that’s almost too late.”

Even amongst MSF staff, the impact of the fighting is clearly visible. “Healthcare staff are exhausted. The work itself, seeing all these patients, is hugely difficult. And then on top of that, people have to deal a lot with outside pressures and worries,” says an MSF doctor.

Our teams continue to provide much-needed healthcare in Boost hospital, while continuing to run projects in four other locations around the country; Herat, Kandahar, Khost and Kunduz.

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Muttaqi invited to upcoming Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan

The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.

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Russian ambassador in Kabul Dmirtry Zhirnov, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday, invited him to participate in the next meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.

During the meeting, Zhirnov emphasized that Russia places great importance on its relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and, therefore, seeks to ensure the participation of Afghan delegations in all forums hosted by Russia, whether regional or international, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation, FM Muttaqi noted that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, viewing the Moscow Format as a constructive and beneficial initiative, has actively participated in previous meetings since its inception.

Muttaqi further called the upcoming meeting as a valuable opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with senior Russian officials and representatives from regional countries on matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.

The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.

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IEA’s leader says all laws now based on Sharia

He also said: “The conquest of Kabul is like the conquest of Makkah.”

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The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has reiterated that the current system is based on the Holy Quran and Sharia, opposed to previous laws that were of European and American origin.

Speaking during his tour of northern provinces, Hibatullah Akhundzada criticized previous laws under the former government and said the laws in place now are based on the “Quran, Tigh and Hadith”.

He said: "Some countries claim to defend human rights; but in practice, they bombard and kill innocent people in countries like Palestine."

He also said: "The conquest of Kabul is like the conquest of Makkah."

He asked the officials of the Islamic Emirate to name victory day "Fath Day".

The leader of the Islamic Emirate stated that the Doha negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Emirate were conducted based on Islamic Sharia and according to him: "No step of these negotiations has been taken or implemented against the religion."

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US feels differently to China and Russia over Afghanistan

Greenfield stated that the Islamic Emirate cannot continue to live in a world where “women are being sidelined in society, 50 percent of their population not contributing to their countries.”

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US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Wednesday that Washington has differences with Moscow and Beijing over the issue of human rights in Afghanistan.

Addressing reporters at the Washington Foreign Press Center on UN Reform, Greenfield said that the US would consider human rights issues before recognizing an Islamic Emirate government.

According to her, the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan continues to worsen under the Islamic Emirate.

“We think we need to do more to hold them accountable, but also to push them to change,” she said.

Greenfield stated that the Islamic Emirate cannot continue to live in a world where “women are being sidelined in society, 50 percent of their population not contributing to their countries.”

“This is certainly a huge difference that we have with China and Russia, raising issues of human rights before we recognize a Taliban (IEA) government,” she said.

The US envoy also emphasized on the appointment of a special envoy of the United Nations for Afghanistan, an issue that the Islamic Emirate has opposed and Russia and China have also made their approval subject to the Islamic Emirate's consent.

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