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Living with so much violence is no way to live: Khalilzad
US Special Representative for National Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has condemned the recent assassinations of public figures, and said such levels of violence “breed a climate of fear” and could drive more people away from their homeland.
Khalilzad’s statement came just hours after the latest in a string of targeted attacks, which claimed the life of Freshta Kohistani, a women’s rights activist, who was gunned down in Kapisa province on Thursday evening.
In a series of tweets overnight Friday, Khalilzad also reacted to the killing of Yousef Rasheed, the CEO for Afghanistan Free and Fair Election Foundation (FEFA).
Rasheed was killed in a targeted shooting outside his house in Kabul on Wednesday morning. The FEFA CEO and his driver both died in a hail of bullets.
Khalilzad said: “Yousef Rasheed’s assassination is reprehensible. We condemn it. We also condemn the recent murder of several doctors working in Puli Charkhi and women’s rights activist Freshta Kohistani.”
He said the perpetrators of these attacks “must be held accountable.”
“Yousef was a patriot. He dedicated himself to making his country a better place. He advocated peace and progress. He was sensitive to grievances of all sides,” Khalilzad stated.
“People like Yousef and Freshta are essential for any society. They are its conscience and keep its heart beating. They should not be fearful, intimidated, or worse, killed,” he stated.
“Living with so much violence is no way to live. It breeds a climate of fear. Fear will drive more Afghans to leave their homeland. Who will then be left to advocate for rights and freedoms?
“This is not the way a society will thrive and prosper.
“These targeted killings and assassinations must stop. They threaten the peace process. The Afghan people demand peace.
5/5 These targeted killings and assassinations must stop. They threaten the peace process. The Afghan people demand peace. A ceasefire and political settlement remain urgent. I urge the negotiating parties to redouble their efforts. We stand ready to help.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) December 24, 2020
“A ceasefire and political settlement remain urgent. I urge the negotiating parties to redouble their efforts. We stand ready to help,” Khalilzad said.
Psychological war game
On Thursday, Second Vice President Sarwar Danesh said Afghanistan’s enemy was playing a “psychological war game” by trying to create fear, panic, despair and division as it stepped up high-profile targeted assassinations around the country.
Referring to recent assassinations and attempted assassinations, Danesh said under the current circumstances “we need to tighten our ranks in every way and not give in to the enemy’s psychological warfare.”
Danish said the aim of recent attacks was to destabilize the entire system, the values of the past 20 years, to create fear, panic, despair, division, distance between government and the people, to gain points at the negotiating table or to stop the peace process.
A marked increase in violence has wracked the country since the start of the peace talks process in Doha in September but in recent weeks targeted killings have also been on the rise.
On Wednesday, Rasheed and his driver Sami were killed in Kabul by unknown gunmen, a day after five doctors were also killed in the city in a targeted IED explosion.
On Monday night, Rahmatullah Nikzad, a freelance reporter and head of a media safety union was gunned down in Ghazni while he was reportedly on his way to mosque.
Nikzad with the fifth journalist killed in the past two months.
Since November 7, former TOLOnews presenter Yama Siawash; Radio Azadi reporter Elyas Daee; Enekaas TV presenter in Nangarhar Malala Maiwand; and Ariana News presenter Fardin Amini were all killed in separate incidents.
Other targeted attacks over the past few months have also included government figures, including the failed attempt on the life of the First Vice President on September 9.
Amrullah Saleh survived the targeted IED explosion against his convoy of armored vehicles but 10 civilians in the immediate area were killed.
Hundreds of former U.S. officials are calling on Washington to cancel a reported plan to relocate Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. State Department, more than 600 former civilian and military officials, along with around 100 organizations, urged the administration to stop the proposed transfer. The letter was sent to Marco Rubio.
The signatories argue that the Afghan nationals in question were brought to Qatar by the United States to complete legal immigration procedures after undergoing extensive security vetting. The letter states that while the individuals were cleared for resettlement in the United States, they are now being considered for relocation to Congo, a country for which they were never screened.
“Those individuals were vetted and approved for the United States, not for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the letter reads.
According to the report, more than 1,100 Afghan allies and their family members are currently being held at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under U.S. supervision. Around 800 of them have already completed all security checks and received authorization to travel to the United States. More than half are women and children, and many have remained in transit limbo for over 15 months.
The situation has drawn criticism from former officials and policy observers, who describe the proposed relocation as a betrayal of Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and risked their lives during the war in Afghanistan. Critics also warn that the move could damage U.S. credibility with future partners.
Several members of the U.S. Congress had previously expressed opposition to the proposal, cautioning that it could significantly undermine trust in the United States among its allies.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, stressing that it is up to Afghans themselves to bring about any change in their country.
In a post on X, Durrani said Afghans should be “left to their own devices” and that they would eventually “find the way out” of their challenges.
However, he warned that instability inside Afghanistan could have negative consequences for neighbouring countries, adding that Afghan leaders and their supporters should take responsibility to address such risks.
Durrani described his remarks as a simple expression of goodwill and best wishes for the Afghan people and their future.
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Uzbekistan and Japan discuss joint projects for Afghanistan’s socio-economic development
The Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, has met with Tetsuya Yamada, Director General of the South Asia Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to discuss cooperation on Afghanistan-related development projects.
According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides focused on the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at supporting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the Japanese side praised Uzbekistan’s “pragmatic approach” toward Afghanistan, as well as the infrastructure developed in the border city of Termez.
Japan also expressed interest in utilizing the Termez facilities for future humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, private sector development, and counter-narcotics efforts.
Both sides emphasized that such cooperation is aimed at improving the living conditions and overall well-being of the Afghan people.
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