Latest News
U.S. advice to banks: OK to transfer aid money to Afghanistan
International banks can transfer money to Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes, and aid groups are allowed to pay teachers and healthcare workers at state-run institutions without fear of breaching sanctions on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), the United States said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Treasury Department offered guidance on sanctions exemptions issued in September and December for humanitarian work in Afghanistan, where the United Nations says more than half the country’s 39 million people suffer extreme hunger and the economy, education and social services are facing collapse.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week warned Afghanistan was “hanging by a thread.”
The IEA, seized power from Afghanistan’s internationally backed government in August. Billions of dollars in Afghan central bank reserves and international development aid were frozen to prevent it from falling into IEA hands.
International banks have been wary of Afghanistan and the United Nations and aid groups are struggling to get enough money into the country to fund operations.
The U.S. Treasury said banks can process transactions related to humanitarian operations “including clearing, settlement, and transfers through, to, or otherwise involving privately owned and state-owned Afghan depository institutions.”
It also outlined permitted transactions involving the IEA, which includes Haqqani Network. These include signing agreements to provide aid directly to the Afghan people, general aid coordination, including import administration, and sharing of office space.
“Payments of taxes, fees, or import duties to, or the purchase or receipt of permits, licenses, or public utility services from” the IEA, Haqqani Network or any entity in which they own more than 50% is authorized for humanitarian operations, the Treasury said.
It also said aid groups are allowed to ship cash to Afghanistan for humanitarian operations and can make direct payments to healthcare workers and teachers in public hospitals and schools.
Latest News
High-level Uzbek delegation arrives in Kabul to boost bilateral trade
A high-level government–private sector delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Shukhrat Abdullazakov, Governor of Namangan province, arrived in Kabul to enhance trade between the two countries and promote investment in Afghanistan.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Industry, the delegation, which includes deputy governors and more than 30 of Uzbekistan’s top businesspeople and investors, will meet with officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and participate in conferences and trade meetings.
The delegation will also travel to Balkh, meet with local officials, and hold business meetings with members of the private sector.
Additionally, the delegation will inaugurate an exhibition of Uzbek products and goods in Mazar-i-Sharif.
This visit follows the trip of Erkinjon Turdimov, Governor of Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya Province, and his accompanying delegation, and is based on meetings between Nuruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Islamic Emirate, and senior Uzbek officials.
Other governors from Uzbekistan are also expected to visit Afghanistan to further expand bilateral trade and economic relations.
Latest News
Herat Chamber of Commerce donates 15 million AFN to the people of Iran
The Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced on Saturday that national traders, jointly through the chamber, have provided approximately 15 million AFN in aid to the people of Iran.
The chamber stated that this aid package was delivered to the Iranian Consulate in Herat. It added that the assistance was intended to express solidarity with families affected by the war.
Mohammad Younes Qazizadeh, head of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “Today we have presented 15 million AFN to the dear people of Iran through the Herat provincial authorities and the Iranian Consulate, and this aid will continue.”
Meanwhile, officials at the Iranian Consulate in Herat emphasized that Afghanistan and Iran always stand together and fully understand each other’s difficulties.
The Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment also highlighted that the people of Iran have consistently supported the people of Afghanistan during various crises, and their cooperation in different sectors has reached families affected in the country.
Officials of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment stressed that the process of private-sector humanitarian aid to the affected people of Iran will continue.
Following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, many people in the country have been affected and harmed.
Latest News
Severe floods in Badghis leave five dead
Local officials in Badghis have reported that heavy rainfall from midnight until Saturday morning claimed the lives of five people in the province.
According to officials, three people died in Qadis district, while two others, including a three-year-old child, lost their lives in Dara-e-Bum district.
The Badghis Department for Disaster Management stated that the floods not only caused fatalities but also inflicted significant financial losses on local residents and destroyed agricultural land.
However, complete information on the extent of damage and casualties is not yet available. Staff from various government departments have been dispatched to affected areas to conduct preliminary surveys.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and floods in western Afghanistan temporarily blocked the Herat–Kandahar Highway.
According to Mohammad Israil Sayar, head of the Disaster Management Department in Farah province, recent rainfall has caused the Farah River to swell significantly. He added that the situation has now returned to normal, and traffic along the highway has resumed.
-
Latest News3 days agoTajikistan shifts stance on Afghanistan amid rising border tensions
-
Latest News5 days agoAround 2.3 million tourists visited Afghanistan’s recreational areas during Eid: Ghufran
-
Sport5 days agoAfghanistan squad hit by withdrawals ahead of AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers
-
Latest News5 days agoIslamic Emirate releases American prisoner Dennis Coyle
-
Latest News4 days agoTwo civilians killed, eight injured in fresh shelling by Pakistan in Kunar
-
Latest News2 days agoRussia deems US military presence in Afghanistan unacceptable
-
Regional5 days agoUS allies in Middle East ‘edging closer’ to joining conflict
-
Latest News2 days agoIEA says Iranian drivers no longer need visas to enter Afghanistan
