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New Balkh Police Chief Takes Charge Despite Noor’s Opposition
General Abdul Raqib Mubariz took office as the new police chief of the northern Balkh province on Thursday despite strong opposition by former provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor.
Mubariz was surrounded by commando forces who were deployed to have the situation under control after armed forces loyal to former Balkh governor Noor resisting the appointment of new police chief for the northern province.
After taking office, Mubariz said he was appointed to the post based on a presidential decree and that anyone who will take a hostile approach towards the system and government will face the response.
He said the security situation in Balkh is normal.
Hours before the gunfire and widespread shooting in Mazar-e-City against new Balkh police chief, Noor had called upon on all residents of the city to stay indoor and close their shops and markets "until further notice".
He said the Presidential Palace has been "hatching plots" against them.
Earlier, Khoshal Sadat, senior deputy interior minister for security affairs in a Twitter post said that considering the "worsening security situation" in Balkh province, the president has appointed Abdul Raqib Mubariz as new provincial police chief.
"Unfortunately his predecessor Akram Sami is not willing to leave his post & accept the new appointment," he said.
Reactions to Balkh Tensions
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass reacted to the violence in Balkh which began early in the day over the appointment of new provincial police chief.
Expressing "great" concerns over the tensions in Balkh, UNAMA called on all parties to "deescalate" tensions "immediately" and find a non-violent solution to the issue and "prioritize the safety and security of the city’s residents."
U.S. envoy Bass, meanwhile, in a series of tweets said: "Green on green violence is unacceptable. The only ones who benefit from this violence are the Taliban."
"The United States calls for calm in Mazar, Balkh, and surrounding areas. Afghan security forces are tasked with protecting the Afghan people, not fighting each other over political disputes, " he tweeted.
Bass also called on all involved parties to "quickly and peacefully resolve this dispute in a way that gives Afghan citizens confidence in their leadership and strengthens security. Asserting authority by force of arms takes Afghanistan’s democracy backwards."
"We call on leaders to tell military and police forces to stand down, and for political leaders on both sides of this dispute to put the Afghan people first," he added.
Pakistan has said Islamabad is “deeply shocked” at the martyrdom of Afghanistan Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani in an explosion on Wednesday afternoon.
Haqqani was martyred in an attack inside the ministry on Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday night, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, said Islamabad “unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We are in touch with the Interim Afghan Government to ascertain further details.”
Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq also passed on his condolences.
He said: “The Government and people of Pakistan are deeply shocked and saddened by the cowardly terrorist attack in Kabul today, which targeted Alhaj Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, Acting Minister for Refugees.
“Pakistan stands in solidarity with Afghanistan in this hour of grief and reiterates its commitment to work with Afghanistan in fighting the menace of terrorism and promoting regional peace and stability.”
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has expressed its condolences over the martyrdom of the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani’s, and said he was “a tireless Mujahid in the way of God".
On Wednesday evening, IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani’s martyrdom was a great loss for the government, the Mujahideen, his family and all Afghans.
“Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani spent his whole life in defense of God's religion in Jihad, migration and enduring hardships. He was one of the members of the great Jihadi family for which the enemies of Islam had set a five million dollars bounty on his head,” the statement read.
“Such a cowardly act cannot weaken the will of Muslims or lead the conspirators to their sinister goals against our strong Islamic system. Rather, such cowardly actions make the faces of the enemies of religion and Islam blacker and make their sinister intentions more obvious,” he said.
No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has expressed its condolences over the martyrdom of the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani’s, and said he was “a tireless Mujahid in the way of God".
IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani’s martyrdom was a great loss for the government, the Mujahideen, his family and all Afghans.
“Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani spent his whole life in defense of God's religion in Jihad, migration and enduring hardships. He was one of the members of the great Jihadi family for which the enemies of Islam had set a five million dollars bounty on his head,” the statement read.
“Such a cowardly act cannot weaken the will of Muslims or lead the conspirators to their sinister goals against our strong Islamic system. Rather, such cowardly actions make the faces of the enemies of religion and Islam blacker and make their sinister intentions more obvious,” he said.
The IEA stated that Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani’s was martyred, in a cowardly attack by “Khawarij”.
Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani was martyred in an suicide bombing that took place on Wednesday afternoon inside the ministry, but no further casualties have been reported yet.
Khalil Rahman Haqqani, 58, has been the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation since September 7, 2021.
Afghan Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Haqqani, was martyred in a suicide bombing that targeted the ministry in Kabul on Wednesday, a reliable source confirmed.
Speaking to Ariana News, the source said the explosion happened inside the ministry, which led to the martyrdom of Haqqani.
Khalil Rahman Haqqani, 58, has been the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation since September 7, 2021.
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