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US lists Afghanistan among worst human trafficking states
The US State Department claimed that there have been frequent reports for child molestation in the Afghan military, and police forces but officers have never been prosecuted for child abuse.
In its annual report – 2020 Trafficking in Person – released on June 25, the US State Department listed 10 countries -Afghanistan, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela – that are allegedly involved in state-sponsored human trafficking.
The report note Bacha Bazi – a slang term in some parts of Afghanistan for a wide variety of activities involving sexual relations between younger adolescent men or boys, who are called dancing boys, and older men – and the presence of children among the Afghan security forces.
The report said, “However, during the reporting period, there was a government policy or pattern of sexual slavery in government compounds (bacha bazı) and recruitment and use of child soldiers. Despite local officials’ widespread acknowledgment that many police, especially commanders at remote checkpoints, recruited boys for Bacha bazı, some high-level and provincial authorities, including at the Ministry of Interior (MOI), categorically denied the existence of bacha bazı among police and would not investigate reports.”
Child molestation is widely criminalized in Afghanistan, and the Human Rights Commission has criticized such behavior among security forces, saying it violates human rights and children’s rights laws, and the government must protect the children.
The State Department has said that it is investigating allegations that 165 children were trafficked in Logar province for sexual exploitation and identified 20 perpetrators.
The report states that some victims of trafficking are forced to have sex in exchange for following up on the case, or that they are raped and sent to prison if they attempt to expose the resulting human traffickers.
India says a fugitive drug-trafficking kingpin accused of smuggling heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan into India has been deported from Turkey and brought back to the country.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that Navpreet Singh, also known as “Nav,” was deported from Turkey after Indian authorities tracked him down.
Shah said Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship using the fake identity “Navab Virk” and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.
The 34-year-old, a native of Punjab, had been wanted in several narcotics cases and was on the run for more than two years. Indian authorities allege that he headed an international narcotics syndicate whose operations in India were managed by his cousin, Prabhdeep Singh.
Prabhdeep Singh, also known as “Harry,” was extradited from Azerbaijan to India in May in connection with a case involving the seizure of 358 kilograms of heroin in 2021.
India submitted its request for Navpreet Singh’s extradition to Turkish authorities in 2023-24, according to officials familiar with the case.
Shah described Singh’s deportation as a “historic milestone” and said the Indian government was committed to dismantling drug-trafficking networks.
The Indian Home Ministry says 288 fugitives from 36 countries have been brought back to India between 2019 and August 2026 as part of efforts to pursue wanted criminals abroad.
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) and Tajikistan-based Pamir Energy Company have signed a cooperation agreement to provide electricity to border districts of Badakhshan province.
The agreement was signed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by Abdul Haq Hamkar, Chief Executive Officer of DABS, and Amir Khan Rahim, President of Pamir Energy.
The agreement is aimed at expanding cooperation, improving electricity supply and creating the necessary conditions for providing power services to residents of Badakhshan’s border districts.
On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, the two sides also discussed extending a 110-kilovolt power transmission line to Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan.
Hamkar emphasized the importance of the project in strengthening the province’s electricity infrastructure.
Pamir Energy said it would share relevant proposals with DABS following technical assessments.
In his speech, Hassan emphasized the importance of mutual respect, dialogue, economic cooperation and joint development between Afghanistan and countries in the region.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Afghan ambassador met with Anton Borisovich Doronin, Minister of Economic Development of Russia’s Stavropol region. The two discussed ways to expand trade, investment and economic cooperation.
Hassan also met with a number of Afghan businessmen and representatives of the Afghan community in Russia, listening to their concerns and suggestions.
He assured them that the Afghan embassy would provide necessary support and cooperation in addressing their concerns.
India says drug kingpin linked to Afghan heroin, meth deported from Turkey
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