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US gives 16 Mi-17 helicopters procured for Afghanistan to Ukraine: SIGAR

The United States is giving Ukraine 16 Mi-17 helicopters that Washington had procured for the former Afghanistan government, a US watchdog agency said Wednesday.
According to the latest Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report, the US Department of Defense (DOD) notified Congress in January that it intended to give the Ukrainian government five of the Russian-built helicopters, which had been undergoing maintenance at a Ukrainian facility.
“Ukraine accepted these excess defense articles on March 11,”SIGAR stated in its quarterly report submitted to US lawmakers this week.
“In mid-April, President (Joe) Biden announced a military assistance package to Ukraine that included an additional 11 Mi-17 helicopters that had been scheduled for Afghanistan,” the report added.
This comes after Uzbekistan authorities said last week that dozens of aircraft flown into their country in August last year, during the collapse of the former government, belong to the United States and that these aircraft will not be returned to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government.
Afghan air force personnel flew almost 50 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to Uzbekistan in mid-August as former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Several more aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters were also taken to neighboring Tajikistan.
The IEA has however repeatedly requested that these aircraft are returned to Afghanistan.
But in a recent interview, Ismatulla Irgashev, a senior presidential adviser, said the aircraft would not be going back to Kabul.
“The U.S. government paid for them,” said Irgashev, his nation’s most senior diplomat dealing with Afghan matters. “It funded the previous Afghan government. So, we believe it is totally up to Washington how to deal with them.
“We’ve kept this military equipment in agreement with the U.S. and have told the Taliban (IEA) so.”
Little has been said since about the issue, in part because of the sensitivity of the issue in Uzbek-Afghan relations and the reluctance of officials on all sides to discuss it, VOA reported last week.
But US defense officials confirmed to VOA that both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have no plans to give the aircraft to the IEA.
In their latest report, SIGAR also confirmed reports that the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government last August gave the country’s new IEA rulers access to more than $7 billion worth of US Department of Defense equipment.
“DOD estimates that $7.12 billion worth of ANDSF equipment remained in Afghanistan in varying states of repair when US forces withdrew in August 2021,” the report said in reference to the US-trained and funded former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.
SIGAR also stated, citing the Pentagon, that $18.6 billion worth of ANDSF equipment was procured through the US Afghan Security Forces Fund (ASFF) since 2005 — not the $80 billion reported by some media. Much of that equipment was destroyed during combat operation, it added.
The equipment includes aircraft, vehicles, munitions, guns and communication equipment, as well as other gear, “in varying states of repair,” according to Pentagon spokesperson Army Major Rob Lodewick.
“Nearly all equipment used by US military forces in Afghanistan was either retrograded or destroyed prior to our withdrawal,” Lodewick said in a statement last week.
The SIGAR report quoted the IEA air force commander and former Afghan Air Force (AAF) personnel as saying that about 4,300 members, half of the former AAF, have joined the IEA’s air force, including 33 pilots.
“Only a fraction of the 81 aircraft at the Kabul military airport are functional, including six repaired UH-60 Blackhawks,” the report said.
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We need contemporary sciences more than ever nowadays: Education Minister

Acting Minister of Education Habibullah Agha says content contradicting religion and Afghan traditions will be removed from the curriculum, and that in addition to religious studies, the ministry is also focusing on modern sciences.
Marking the beginning of the 1404 academic year in Kabul, Habibullah Agha stressed that both religious and modern sciences are essential nowadays in Afghanistan.
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is committed to both fields of knowledge and urged people not to be deceived by negative propaganda.
“In this era, we have a great need to learn modern sciences. We must progress with these sciences and prepare ourselves to compete with the world,” said Agha.
He clarified that only through mastering modern sciences can the nation safeguard its people, government, health, and geography.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi, who was also present at the event, reaffirmed the leadership’s commitment to fulfilling the Ministry of Education’s needs to establish a high-quality education system in Afghanistan.
Salam Hanafi stressed that the ministry must work to meet the country’s current educational demands.
He stated: “Enhancing teachers’ capabilities, addressing literacy issues, monitoring classroom activities, and improving the quality of both religious and public schools—these are the responsibilities of the Ministry of Education.”
Meanwhile, several government officials claimed that despite efforts by adversaries to tarnish the reputation of the IEA through a ‘cold war’, Afghanistan continues to make progress every day.
The 1404 academic year however began without reopening schools for girls above the sixth grade.
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IEA confirms it has freed an American prisoner in a gesture of goodwill

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) announced on Thursday it released an American prisoner named George Glezmann as a gesture of goodwill.
According to a statement, the ministry stated that the IEA “reaffirms its longstanding position that dialogue, understanding and diplomacy provide effective avenues for resolving all issues, with the release of American citizen serving as a goodwill gesture, reflecting Afghanistan’s readiness to genuinely engage all sides, particularly the United States of America, based on mutual respect and interests.”
The ministry also asserted that destabilizing groups like Daesh have been suppressed and that no threats originate from Afghanistan against any country.
According to the statement, Afghanistan can play a positive role in regional and global stability and is capable of resolving its issues with the international community in a constructive manner.
The ministry also expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for their key role in facilitating this development and mediating between the Islamic Emirate and the United States.
Washington’s former special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said Thursday after meeting with Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister that today
“was a good day”.
He said talks with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi led to the release of Glezmann, who had been in detention in Kabul for two years.
“The Taliban (IEA) government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture,” he said, adding that Glezmann is on his way home.
He also stated that President Donald Trump has made it a priority to secure the release of Americans held abroad.
The American delegation meanwhile also included Adam Boehler, the US Special Representative for Hostage Affairs, as well as Khalilzad.
After their meeting, Muttaqi described the visit by the delegation as a step forward in relations between Kabul and Washington.
The foreign ministry in turn said the discussions focused on bilateral relations, prisoner exchanges, and consular services for Afghan citizens in the US.
Muttaqi called the meeting a positive step toward improving relations and emphasized that the Islamic Emirate seeks constructive engagement with all parties as part of its balanced foreign policy.
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US delegation meets acting FM Muttaqi in Kabul

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate announced on Thursday that a delegation from the United States visited Kabul and held talks with the acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi regarding the release of prisoners.
The delegation included Adam Boehler, the US Special Representative for Hostage Affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy for Afghanistan.
Muttaqi described the visit as a step forward in relations between Kabul and Washington.
According to a statement from the foreign ministry, the discussions focused on bilateral relations, prisoner exchanges, and consular services for Afghan citizens in the US.
Muttaqi called the meeting a positive step toward improving relations and emphasized that the Islamic Emirate seeks constructive engagement with all parties as part of its balanced foreign policy.
He also stressed the importance of resolving issues through dialogue and moving beyond the impacts of the 20-year war to establish positive political and economic ties.
The ministry quoted Boehler, who described progress in prisoner negotiations as a significant step in building mutual trust between the two sides.
Boehler also praised the IEA’s efforts in combating drug trafficking and ensuring security.
He emphasized the need for continued dialogue between the IEA and the US, stating that strengthening relations through negotiations is crucial.
Boehler further noted that Afghanistan and the US have historical ties, which, despite challenges in certain periods, remain significant.
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