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Taliban overrun Warduj district of Badakhshan
The Taliban have taken over the Warduj district of Badakhshan, east of Kunduz province, according to Fawzia Koofi, one of the first women to be elected to the Afghan parliament after the U.S. invasion of the country.
The Taliban takeover in Warduj province represents a new setback for the Afghan government, after the group reclaimed parts of the city of Kunduz earlier this week.
That was the biggest victory the Taliban has had in 15 years. Kunduz is a strategic hub on the main highway between Kabul and Tajikistan.
Earlier Thursday, Doctors Without Borders staff working in a hospital in Kunduz were caught in the crossfire as the Taliban and Afghan security forces — with help from U.S. troops — battled for control of the provincial capital.
The medical staff bravely worked to treat the wounded as shells exploded and the ominous sound of rockets filled the air. Bullets broke windows and pierced the roof of the intensive care unit, Dr. Masood Nasim said.
“Our hospital was on the front line, with fighting outside the gate,” he said. “But despite being in the middle of the fighting, our hospital and staff have been respected and we’ve been able to carry on our work.”
Nasim, the medical team leader, said that since Monday — when the Taliban said they had seized control of Kunduz — the hospital had received at least 296 patients, including 64 children. Nearly 75 of them arrived in critical condition, and many were shot, he said.
The facility has a 92-bed capacity but the medical staff scrambled. They put patients in offices and examination rooms and stabilized many on mattresses on the ground.
“Our surgeons have been treating very severe abdominal wounds and limb and head injuries,” he said. “The hospital has been completely full of patients.”
While they fought to save lives, competing narratives circulated over who was winning Kunduz.
Early Thursday, the Afghan government said it had reclaimed most of the city in a big operation backed by U.S. airstrikes.
But hours later there were signs that the Taliban were back in Kunduz, a resident told CNN. Gunshots were heard near the airport, according to a resident who did not want to be named for security reasons.
CNN
Afghanistan’s acting minister of public health Dr Qalandar Ebad, along with other officials, visited a number of flood-hit villages in Baghlan province on Tuesday.
The officials assessed damage in the villages of Sai Hazara and Gharo in the Guzargah district.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, Ebad inspected “vulnerable areas affected by recent floods and, expressing sympathy with the local people, promised that the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health will spare no effort to provide health services to those in need.”
Ebad also expressed gratitude for the efforts of healthcare workers and their commitment to helping people in need.
He directed officials to make every effort “to improve the health status of patients affected by recent floods in the villages of Sai Hazara and Gharo, Baghlan province”.
Based on official figures, more than 300 people have died as a result of floods in Baghlan province and over 1,600 others have been injured.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that continued interventions by the US into the internal affairs of Afghanistan will complicate the country’s situation.
In a meeting in Tehran with the head of the UN in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran closely follows the developments in Afghanistan and supports stability, security, and sustainable development in the neighboring country.
He also said Iran supports the role of the United Nations in helping the people of Afghanistan.
According to Iran’s Mehr News, Amir-Abdollahian raised the issue of Afghan nationals in Iran and urged the UN to address the situation.
He also reportedly criticized the US for its “destructive role in Afghanistan during its presence in the country”, noting that the continuation of targeted interventions by the US in the internal affairs of Afghanistan will complicate the situation further.
Amir-Abdollahian emphasized the need for diverse and multi-layered solutions to Afghanistan’s complex problems, Mehr News reported.
Otunbayeva in turn explained the latest developments and issues in Afghanistan and the upcoming Doha meeting in Qatar.
She also stressed the need to coordinate the diverse positions of regional players to help with the development and stability of the country.
Afghanistan is facing another set back at the United Nations after its General Assembly voting rights were suspended due to unpaid fees.
Nasir Faiq, who has acted as Afghanistan’s representative at the UN says that failure to settle outstanding dues since the Islamic Emirate’s takeover in August 2021 led to the organization’s decision.
As a result, Afghanistan was unable to exercise its right to vote at the recent General Assembly vote concerning the recognition of the State of Palestine.
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