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Three ministerial candidates present their plans to parliament

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(Last Updated On: November 16, 2020)

Nominee ministers for foreign affairs, finance and interior, on Monday presented their operational strategies to the Wolesi Jirga, or Lower House of Parliament, for their votes of confidence.

Acting foreign minister Haneef Atmar said if there is no peace agreement reached between the Afghan team and the Taliban in Qatar, national and regional consensus will be jeopardized, and even if the peace process is successful, the threat of terrorism will not end in Afghanistan.

“The issue of peace is a serious need, and if this process does not succeed, the national and regional consensus will be jeopardized and the system and the country will be damaged, and if we find peace with the Taliban, still the threat of terrorism will remain,” Atmar told MPs.

He also stated that peace and stability in Afghanistan would be in the best interests of the region and the world.

However, he stated that “Afghanistan will be faced with terrorism threats” even if a peace deal is reached with the Taliban.

Atmar stated that regional and global cooperation in respect of the Afghan peace process was needed and that assistance from stakeholders in fighting terrorism was also necessary.

He said economic growth was also dependent on regional and foreign cooperation especially in terms of transit and trade connectivity.

Atmar said the international community’s assistance to Afghanistan needs to become responsible and effective.

“We will not let anyone undermine our national sovereignty,” he said.

Acting interior minister Massoud Andarabi and acting finance minister Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal also presented their strategies to MPs.

Arghandiwal said if he wins a vote of confidence as finance minister, he will increase domestic revenue to 400 billion Afghanis by 2025 and declare Afghanistan as economically independent in the same year.

Arghandiwal said under his reform program, the finance ministry will be able to collect $700 million in the short-term from the international community.

He also said that the construction of hydro-electric dams, investment in the agricultural sector, and mining were areas that would be prioritized under his leadership.

Arghandiwal stated that the problem of corruption in the country is a major challenge that requires serious action. He also said more than 1,000 people have been referred to the Attorney General’s Office on charges of corruption in customs and other revenue sectors.

Meanwhile, Massoud Andarabi, the nominee and acting minister for interior, told members of the Wolesi Jirga that the Taliban had increased violence across the country by changing their tactics.

Andarabi said targeted assassinations, attacks on district centers and roadside bombs are key tactics now being used by the Taliban.

He added that security forces had responded to all Taliban action in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers have criticized some of the nominees and accused them of being corrupt, saying they are “old faces”.

MPs have however decided that once all 10 ministerial candidates have presented their operational plans, lawmakers will vote by ballot on Thursday to determine the fate of the candidates.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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