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Interior ministry declares Afghanistan ‘secure for first time in 40 years’

Furthermore, 344 kilograms of narcotics and over one kilogram of gold were seized, leading to the arrest of 591 individuals.

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Delivering their annual report for the last solar year, 1402 (April 2023 to March 2024), ministry of interior officials said Tuesday Afghanistan has, for the first time in 40 years, achieved nationwide security, allowing its citizens to live in a secure environment and travel to provinces without any safety concerns.

Officials emphasized that all activities within the ministry are managed in accordance with a comprehensive strategic plan.

They noted that the decrees issued by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, along with court rulings and directives from the ministry’s leadership, have been swiftly and effectively implemented to ensure national security and public order.

Due to the persistent efforts of the country’s security forces, the national crime rate has decreased by 30%.

Over the past year, 38 kidnapping cases were reported, and security forces conducted a total of 250 operations against kidnappers, resulting in the arrest of 76 kidnappers and the death of 34 others during clashes with security forces.

Ministry officials also reported that due to the unwavering dedication of the national police, large religious, national, and ceremonial gatherings were held across the country without any security incidents, allowing citizens to participate in events with confidence and peace of mind.

The ministry highlighted the successful safeguarding of economic and developmental projects, the facilitation of investments, the assessment and registration of the country’s borders, the improvement of public services, and the promotion of balanced development as key achievements over the past year.

Notably, 70 infrastructure projects were successfully protected by the national police.

Significant steps have been taken to professionalize and strengthen the security forces, officials said.

National police training centers have been further equipped, and the police force is now fully capable of countering any malicious plans posed by adversaries, officials added.

Over the past year, 450 students graduated from the commission and in-service programs. In addition, 673 individuals, including 325 women, participated in capacity-building programs.

A total of 24,000 individuals received basic, specialized, and non-commissioned officer training, with 32,000 more currently enrolled in training programs.

During this period, 20,515 individuals were appointed to officer positions, 15,060 to non-commissioned officer roles, and 35,584 soldiers were recruited.

In alignment with a decree from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, the ministry has undertaken serious initiatives to eradicate the cultivation, production, trafficking, and use of narcotics.

As a result, these illicit activities have been nearly eradicated. Furthermore, poppy fields across the country have been destroyed, addicts have received treatment, and those involved in the drug trade have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The ministry reported that, over the past year, 3,643 tons of narcotics were seized, 790 drug production and processing facilities, as well as facilities producing alcohol and intoxicating pills, were dismantled.

In addition, 10,564 suspects were arrested, 27,891 addicts were referred to treatment centers, and 17,651 hectares of land were cleared of poppy cultivation.

Officials further noted that last year, the ministry successfully prevented the smuggling of US $1.95 million; €845,000; 4.83 million Saudi Riyals; and 100,000 Dirhams at the country’s airports.

Furthermore, 344 kilograms of narcotics and over one kilogram of gold were seized, leading to the arrest of 591 individuals.

The ministry also highlighted the provision of services such as the issuance of passports and traffic documents, assistance to victims of natural disasters, crime reduction, and the regulation of weapons and vehicles as critical initiatives taken over the past year.

In total, 1.745 million passports were issued to applicants, and 500,000 vehicles were registered in the system, with temporary license plates issued for 250,000 of them. The process of issuing temporary plates remains ongoing.

Officials also stated that last year, under the chairmanship of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, a coordination meeting was held between central and provincial officials to address challenges, strengthen local governance, enhance service delivery, and ensure effective communication with the public.

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IEA will not trample on Islamic values to appease others, deputy PM says

He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, nor does it allow other countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.

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Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the political deputy of the prime minister, has said that the Islamic Emirate wants to have good relations with all countries, but it will not compromise on the principles of Islam and trample on Islamic values to appease others.

In a meeting with officials and students of Kabul University at Sapidar Palace, Kabir said that the Islamic Emirate has worked for Afghanistan to shine in the political and economic sectors and currently it has 40 missions in different countries and engagement with the world is moving in a positive direction.

He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, nor does it allow other countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.

In the meeting, Kabul University officials provided information about the new master's program called "Afghanistan Studies.”

Expressing his satisfaction with the start of the program, Kabir urged the students to invite Afghan cadres living abroad to return home.

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UN extends mandate of Afghanistan human rights envoy for another year

The resolution also called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to reverse its decision to ban entry of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan.

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The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday adopted by consensus a European Union-led resolution renewing the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan for a period of one year.

The resolution urges the Islamic Emirate to “reverse its policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment of human rights by people in Afghanistan, including by repealing the recent “Law on propagation of virtue and prevention of vice.”

It said that the law “institutionalizes a system of discrimination and oppression against women and girls that may amount to crimes against humanity.”

The resolution also called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to reverse its decision to ban entry of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan.

It requested the envoy to prepare a report on access to justice and protection for women and girls and the impact of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination thereon, and to present it to the Council at its fifty-ninth session.

“I will independently and impartially carry out the strengthened mandate, engage to make a difference for Afghans, and document and report on violations,” UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennet, said on X.

Human Rights Watch in a statement, said despite consistent appeals from human rights groups, including HRW, the resolution does not establish a mechanism to advance accountability for “grave human rights abuses” that have been committed in the country.

The Islamic Emirate has meanwhile said that it is committed to ensuring human rights including the rights of women and girls according to Sharia.

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Biden, Netanyahu speak, Israel vows lethal retaliation against Iran

Wednesday’s call was “a positive call, and we appreciate the support of the U.S.,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.

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U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a call on Wednesday amid tensions with Iran, while Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant promised an Israeli strike against Iran will be "lethal, precise and surprising."

The 30-minute call was the first known chat for Biden and Netanyahu since August and coincides with a sharp escalation of Israel's conflict with Iran and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, but with no sign of an imminent ceasefire to end the conflict with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

The call was "direct and very productive," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, while acknowledging the two leaders have disagreements and are open about them.

The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel's response to a missile attack last week that Tehran carried out in retaliation for Israel's military escalation in Lebanon. The Iranian attack ultimately killed no one in Israel.

After describing Iran's Oct. 1 missile attack as a failure, Gallant said in a video issued by his office after the Biden-Netanyahu call had ended: "Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results."

Netanyahu has promised that arch-foe Iran will pay for its missile attack, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the oil-producing region which could draw in the United States.

The United States has said it supports Israel going after Iran-backed targets like Hezbollah and Hamas but has tried, unsuccessfully, to stem rising conflict, to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and to persuade Israel to curb rocket attacks on residential areas that have killed thousands of people.

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been tense, strained over the Israeli leader’s handling of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah. Israel has said it will pursue its military operations until Israelis are safe.

In "War," a book out next week, journalist Bob Woodward reports that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of having no strategy, and shouted "Bibi, what the fuck?" at him in July, after Israeli strikes near Beirut and in Iran.

Asked about the book, one U.S. official familiar with the two leaders' past interactions said Biden has used sharp, direct, unfiltered and colorful language both with and about Netanyahu while in office.

Wednesday's call was "a positive call, and we appreciate the support of the U.S.," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.

"And as we stated earlier, Israel will retaliate for the attack ... We will choose the locations. It will be painful for the Iranian regime," Danon said.

Gallant canceled a Wednesday visit to the Pentagon, the Pentagon said. Gallant said in a statement he had postponed the visit at Netanyahu's request until after the prime minister spoke with Biden.

Tensions have increased in recent weeks as U.S. officials were repeatedly blindsided by Israeli actions, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon that Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out.

Israel has also been slow to share details of its planning for retaliation against Iran's ballistic missile attack, the person said.

Biden said last Friday he would think about alternatives to striking Iranian oil fields if he were in Israel's shoes, adding he thought Israel had not concluded how to respond to Iran. Last week, he also said he would not support Israel striking Iranian nuclear sites.

Biden has been hit by sharp criticism from international partners as well as members of his own Democratic Party over his inability to use leverage, including the U.S. role as Israel’s chief arms supplier, to curb Netanyahu's attacks.

By extension, Kamala Harris, Biden's vice president and the Democrats' presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election, has been challenged to defend the administration's policy on the campaign trail. Harris joined the call with Biden and Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Some Arab American voters in Michigan are backing independent candidate Jill Stein, a move that could cost Harris the battleground state and perhaps the White House in a race with Republican former President Donald Trump that opinion polls show to be very tight.

Harris is trailing Trump in Michigan with 47% of voters to his 50%, new Quinnipiac University polling showed on Wednesday. In a Sept. 18 poll, Harris held 50% of the vote and Trump 45%.

Israel and Netanyahu in particular have faced widespread condemnation over the nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed in the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, and the deaths of over 2,000 people in Lebanon.

Israel says it is defending itself after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and from attacks by other militants including Hezbollah who support Hamas.

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