The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) has confirmed that so far, 315 people have died and 1,630 others injured due to recent floods in Baghlan province.

The ministry announced the figure Sunday in a statement and said that 665 houses were completely or partially destroyed and 1,000 livestock were lost.

The ministry stated that the death toll may increase and that huge financial losses have been incurred.

On a trip to Baghlan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said that the Islamic Emirate would help the flood victims with all possible means.

Baradar added that families affected by the floods will be assisted.

In addition, the ministry also announced the shipment of aid packages to the flood victims of Baghlan, which includes clothes, tents and tarpaulins.

A high-level delegation from Uzbekistan has said during its visit to Kabul that it wants to send its technical team to Kabul to discuss the purchase of one million tons of coal from Afghanistan.

The delegation, which included the Minister of Transport Ilkhom Mahkamov, and Ismatullah Irgashev, Uzbekistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, stated this in a meeting with Amir Khan Motaqqi, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, the two sides discussed bilateral political and economic relations, regional connectivity, transit projects, trade, joint investment, and the role and importance of transit between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Muttaqi said that Afghanistan has returned to the path of peace and stability after a long time, and this is a good opportunity for Uzbekistan, other neighbors and the region to take advantage of the Islamic Emirate’s economy-oriented regional connectivity policy.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s transport minister Mahkamov stated that this time he is visiting Kabul with a strong technical team, which consists of representatives of the private sector, railway, geological and mining engineers.

He said that Uzbekistan supports the policy of the Islamic Emirate, which wants Afghanistan to become the transit hub of the region.

He pointed out that he has brought a team of engineers with him to start the practical work and feasibility studies of the Trans-Afghan railway project, and another team will visit Afghanistan this week with equipment.

Mahkamov said that Uzbekistan is ready to provide customs and border services 24 hours a day and reduce tariffs.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Irgashev, stated that his country is now issuing long-term visas for truck drivers and traders, and it will extend to education, health and tourism visas.

He added that Uzbek engineers will travel to Afghanistan in the near future for the purpose of starting the construction of Imam Bukhari madrasa in Mazar-e-Sharif.

According to him, Uzbekistan is ready to work jointly with the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan over the restoration of historical sites and shrines.

Qadir Qiafeh, the vice-chairman of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, has said that several large mining companies have formed a consortium with the aim of entering Afghanistan’s mining sector.

“And an Iranian steel corporation is also making serious decisions to enter Afghanistan’s mining market,” Qiafeh said in an interview with ILNA.

“In the past several years, there have been negotiations between Iran and Afghanistan focusing on mines, and it was about 10 to 12 years ago that two Iranian companies entered Afghanistan’s mines,” he added.

“Investing in Afghanistan can be profitable for the Iranian industry sector, deepen the relations between the two countries and lead to long-term cooperation,” he said.