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Joint team set up in Herat to assess historical sites
Herat’s department of information and culture says a joint team has been created in order to assess monuments and historical sites in this province.
The department said that the joint team will first assess all the historical sites and then that their restoration is supposed to begin soon.
“Inshallah, rain and snow have been prevented from entering inside towers, and also a team has been formed to assess historical sites,” said Raqibullah Rizwani, head of preservation department of historical monuments in Herat.
As a result of the recent earthquakes in Herat, many historical sites sustained damage and some of them such as Great Mosque, Minarets and Akhtaruddin Castle faced financial losses.
Cultural experts meanwhile believe if damaged monuments are not repaired soon, they could sustain further damage through winter.
“Every historical monument should be restored and renovated every year, when we did not see enough allocation in twenty years and recently the earthquake really caused damages, I definitely think that if we do not pay attention, we will suffer damages that will not be compensated,” said Wali Shah Bahra, a cultural expert.
In addition, no donor organization has shown interest in the restoration and reconstruction of historical monuments. Herat’s Directorate for the Preservation of Historical Monuments has only been able to prevent the destruction of most of the damaged parts with basic facilities.
“We have many foreign and domestic tourists who come to Herat and visit these tourist places, so it is necessary that global attention and in general international organizations that work in the field of preserving cultural heritage should be made,” said Wahid Ahmad Sultani, a professional member of Herat’s historical monuments preservation authority.
Herat has about 870 monuments and historical sites, many of which are damaged as a result of the recent earthquakes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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