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Nakamura’s legacy revived as leprosy care resumes in Afghanistan
Disturbed by the hardships of their long journeys, Nakamura began establishing clinics in Afghanistan during the 1990s. But worsening security forced leprosy treatment to halt in 2010.
Six years after the killing of renowned Japanese humanitarian doctor Tetsu Nakamura, his earliest mission in Afghanistan—providing care for leprosy patients—has been brought back to life.
Ahead of the sixth anniversary of Nakamura’s death on December 4, his colleagues have reopened leprosy services in eastern Afghanistan, marking the first time in 15 years that dedicated treatment has been available locally.
On November 1, the Tetsu Nakamura Memorial Leprosy Center officially opened in Jalalabad. A three-story private residence has been fully renovated to house treatment rooms and separate five-bed wards for men and women. The facility is jointly operated by Peshawar-kai, the Fukuoka-based NGO, and Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS), the local organisation Nakamura founded.
Staff at the new center include two doctors, three nurses, and 19 local employees. The name of the center was chosen unanimously, reflecting their shared commitment to carry forward Nakamura’s guiding motto: “Continue all of Dr. Nakamura’s projects and carry forward all hopes.”
Before the opening, Chiyoko Fujita, head of the PMS support office, urged the staff to embrace the responsibility handed down to them: “Patients’ lives are in your hands.”
From leprosy care to life-saving irrigation
Nakamura’s humanitarian journey began in 1984 when he was assigned to a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, where he oversaw the leprosy ward. Patients from remote Afghan mountain regions—where no medical services existed—soon began crossing the border in growing numbers.
Disturbed by the hardships of their long journeys, Nakamura began establishing clinics in Afghanistan during the 1990s. But worsening security forced leprosy treatment to halt in 2010.
Amid a devastating drought in 2000, Nakamura shifted focus to irrigation, launching the transformative Green Ground Project in 2003 to channel river water into parched farmland. Irrigation and water management became the core of his work in the years that followed.
Even shortly before being shot dead in 2019, alolng with his four security guards and his driver, Nakamura reportedly said: “We must build a leprosy center.”
A renewed mission
Since Nakamura’s death, Peshawar-kai and PMS have continued his irrigation and medical initiatives. Improved security conditions and a request from provincial authorities paved the way for reopening leprosy services.
Newly recruited staff are now undergoing specialised training, with plans to expand into mobile clinics and inpatient care. Early detection remains a challenge, especially because cultural norms often prevent women from being examined by male doctors.
“We will focus on training female nurses and ensure these skills are passed on,” Fujita said.
PMS general director Masaru Murakami said the reopening marks a turning point after years of uncertainty. “Now we can finally resume treatment. With Nakamura’s will—to sustain life and keep this light alive—we want to move forward,” he said.
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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.
Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.
Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”
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Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”
Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.
“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.
Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.
He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.
Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.
The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.
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Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin
Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”
Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.
“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”
He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.
His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.
The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.
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