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U.S. watchdog slams Afghan anti-corruption body and former president

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

1An Afghan anti-corruption body formed in 2008 has been ineffective, lacks independence and never verified the asset declaration forms of former President Hamid Karzai, the U.S. government’s top watchdog on Afghanistan said in a report published on Thursday.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that asset declaration forms submitted by Karzai and senior members of his government had omissions and errors.

The report highlights the challenges Afghanistan faces in battling corruption, which U.S. officials say undermines the fight against the Taliban.

Corruption is widely considered pervasive in Afghanistan, which the watchdog group Transparency International ranked 166th out of 168 nations in its annual corruption index this year.

The SIGAR report found that when Karzai submitted his asset declaration form in September 2015, he listed cash in a German bank account but did not give an account number and left the source-of-money field blank.

“Under personal effects, the president listed jewels but again provided no purchase date, no current value, and no source of income to purchase the asset,” the report added.

When then-Vice President Karim Khalili left office, his declaration form said he had “no cash assets or personal effects, and no vehicles, loans, off-duty activities, or educational expenses to declare,” the report said.

Khalili declared a house and four plots of land but gave no information on their value.

The report, citing an adviser with the anti-corruption body, said the asset declaration process was simply “window dressing designed to keep the international community happy.”

Karzai, who has faced criticism for failing to curb corruption during his tenure, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The United States has appropriated nearly $113 billion for reconstruction in Afghanistan since 2001, when U.S.-led forces invaded the country and toppled the Taliban regime.

SIGAR’s website says, “These funds are used to build the Afghan National Security Forces, promote good governance, conduct development assistance, and engage in counter-narcotics and anti-corruption efforts.”

As the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has withdrawn troops, however, the Afghan government has been facing a growing threat from a renewed Taliban insurgency.

Published by : Reuters

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Three road construction projects launched in Kabul

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(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

Three road construction projects worth about one billion Afghanis started in capital Kabul on Saturday.

The projects were inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The projects are: the second phase of Kotal Khairkhane road, the first part of the Shahid square to Qasaba, and the Airport road to Gumruk.

In the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Baradar said that Kabul municipality is working hard to beautify and regulate the city, and people should cooperate with the government in protecting public benefit projects.

He directed the officials of Kabul municipality to complete the mentioned projects on time and with good quality.

The second phase of Kotel Khairkhaneh road is 2.5 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Thie road will cost 364 million Afghanis and will be completed in 20 months.

The Shahid square-Qasaba road is 1.8 kilometers long and 45 meters wide, which will be built at a cost of 175 million Afghanis in one year.

The Airport-Gumruk road is 2.7 km long and 60 meters wide, which will be completed at a cost of 407 million Afghanis in 20 months.

The projects are funded by Kabul Municipality.

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Russian defense minister says main threat for SCO countries emanates from Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.

Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.

The military chief called “unacceptable” the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as “a direct threat to stability in the SCO space.”

According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it does not allow anyone to pose threats to any other country from Afghanistan soil.

Recently, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan,

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IEA calls Mujahideen Victory Day ‘freedom day’

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(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

In a statement on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen against the then communist government, the Islamic Emirate said that it is a day of freedom of the Afghan nation.

The Islamic Emirate described the coup by People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on 27th April 1978 as a dark day in history, as a result of which the people of Afghanistan suffered severe human and financial losses.

The statement said that the Afghan nation suffered huge casualties in their 14-year struggle against the thoughts and actions of the communists, as 1.5 million people died and millions more faced various hardships.

“After 20 years of Jihad, our country was freed from another occupation and the Islamic system was established, so the Islamic Emirate will make its utmost efforts so that the fruits of decades of sacrifice and struggle of this nation are not wasted,” the statement said.

“It was the wish of the martyrs to fully implement the Islamic system in the country, and therefore, the Islamic Emirate is trying to facilitate development and prosperity under the shadow of the Islamic system in order to realize the goals of the Afghan people’s jihads,” it added.

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