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

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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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IEA clarifies annual payout for victims of Afghanistan’s 20-year war

Mujahid said that last year, 12.5 billion afghanis was budgeted and distributed to support these people.

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has clarified reports of an annual payout for families of war victims saying the money is for the families of mostly all victims who died during the war with the United States.

Mujahid said the annual payout of 12.5 billion afghanis (AFN) was not only for the families of deceased IEA fighters but also for the families of deceased security force members from the former government, as well as orphans and widows of civilians killed, and disabled people.

Mujahid said that last year, 12.5 billion afghanis was budgeted and distributed to support these people.

This comes after a number of media outlets published reports over the past two days of an interview with Zabihullah Mujahid. The reports stated that 12 billion afghanis has been allocated annually to the families of the Islamic Emirate’s fallen soldiers, who died during the 20-year war.

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Panjshir to Kabul water conduit project ‘waiting for budget approval’

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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water is waiting for budget approval on the much-needed Panjshir to Kabul water conduit project – which, once completed, will alleviate the severe water shortage crisis in the capital.

Matiullah Abid, spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Water, confirmed the initial phase of reviewing and planning of the project is complete and construction work will start as soon as the budget has been approved.

Abid said the aim of the project is to help reduce water shortage issues in Kabul..

“The survey, design, and technical studies of the Panjshir water transfer project have been completed by the Ministry of Energy and Water, and the project [budget] has been sent to the leadership of the Islamic Emirate for approval,” he said.

“This project will commence once it is approved and the budget is available.”

The water conduit project will cover a distance of over 200 kms starting in Bazarak in Panjshir and ending in Tarakhail in Kabul.

Residents of Kabul have welcomed the plan and said once complete the additional water will help alleviate the drinking water crisis.

Experts meanwhile believe that this project could help Kabul’s groundwater levels to improve.

“I believe that the Panjshir water transfer project will help replenish underground water sources once again, and the people will have access to clean and healthy water. Additionally, with the transfer of Panjshir water, the agricultural lands around Kabul will also be managed with water, which, in turn, will create job opportunities for the people,” said Abdul Nasir Reshtia, an economic expert.

The plan to transfer water from the Panjshir River to Kabul was designed in 2012. In the 2020 budget of under the previous government, around $5 million was allocated for the annual transfer of 100 million cubic meters of Panjshir River water to Kabul.

The project was expected to be completed by 2023 but never got off the ground until the Islamic Emirate takeover.

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Female journalists complain about lack of access to accurate and timely information

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A number of female journalists say the lack of access to accurate and timely information leads to numerous challenges in their course of work.

According to some of these journalists, certain officials of the Islamic Emirate often refuse to provide information to female journalists, which creates a significant obstacle in fulfilling their professional duties.

One female journalist said: “Unfortunately, we have been subjected to intimidation by some institutions and media outlets, which hinders our work. In this regard, we urge our own media and various institutions to support female journalists the same way they support male journalists, and to allow us to continue our work.”

It is also reported that cultural and social restrictions make it difficult for female journalists to carry out their activities.

Female journalists have added that their exclusion from the media not only weakens freedom of speech but also deprives society of the perspectives and experiences of half of its population.

However, some media support organizations emphasize that the working conditions for female journalists have improved compared to last year, and currently, 745 female journalists are working in various media outlets across the country.

“The number of female journalists has increased compared to last year. Currently, 745 female journalists are working in the media. Last year, the number was 601,” said Hujjatullah Mujaddidi, head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Culture has stressed that the current media situation is favorable, and the ministry is committed to supporting journalists and media outlets in various sectors.

Since the IEA’s takeover in August 2021, many female journalists have lost their jobs, and some have been forced to leave the country.

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