Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) for economic affairs, has said that the great powers of the world are seeking to prevent the economic and political progress of the IEA.

Baradar made the remarks at the graduation ceremony of troops from the 201 Khalid Ibn Walid Corps training academy.

“The great powers of the world view the Islamic Emirate with suspicion and are still trying to prevent our economic and political progress, but we must be wise and alert,” he said.

No country has yet officially recognized the IEA government, almost three years after their take over.
Sanctions imposed on Afghanistan’s banking sector have meanwhile had negative effects on the country’s economy.

The international community has set conditions for the recognition of the Islamic Emirate, including ensuring of women’s rights and forming of an inclusive government.

However, the Islamic Emirate claims that women’s rights are ensured according to Sharia law and that there are representatives of different ethnic groups in the cabinet.

Southern Afghanistan recorded one of its top three wettest Aprils in the last 40 years, a specialist U.S.-based agency said on Monday.

In general, the precipitation in April has supported standing crops in northern, northeastern, and western parts of the country, but flooding has affected around 10,000 acres of agricultural land, particularly in eastern and southeastern parts of the country, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said in a report.

The recent precipitation has also positively contributed to pasture conditions across the country, except in the central highlands, where temperatures are still typically low, according to the report.

As the precipitation season concludes, household access to food and income is expected to improve with the start of the harvest and agricultural labor opportunities, the report said.

An Iranian security official has said that the entire border of Iran with Afghanistan will not be fenced, rather barriers will be created only at vulnerable points.

Iranian army has announced that the plan to create barriers at the border with a four-meter concrete wall, barbed wire and fence will be implemented within three years.

“In some northwestern and eastern borders, there are threats from the other side of the borders that we are countering,” said Qassem Rezaei, Iran’s deputy police commander.

He added that drug trafficking, human trafficking, and even terrorist infiltration may take place through these borders.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior of Iran Ahmad Vahidi has announced that over 1.3 million illegal foreign nationals have returned to their country in the past year.

He added that illegal citizens should leave Iran as they are not allowed to stay.