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Abdullah calls for ‘system support’ as clashes close in on Kabul
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), said Wednesday that clashes between security forces and the Taliban have reached the entrance gates of the capital, Kabul, and that “people have to support the system”.
Addressing the sixth session of the HCNR’s Leadership Committee meeting, Abdullah stated that as the international forces are close to completing their withdrawal process, a security vacuum has been created.
He said the Taliban could intensify violence if a unified political consensus is not created.
Abdullah stated that the group is playing for time; and that Afghan leaders have to determine their priorities.
“While we want peace, war is approaching the gates of the Afghan capital; I think a declaration of the full support of the elders is necessary,” Abdullah said.
The HCNR chairman also called for more international mediation amid stalled peace talks in Doha, Qatar.
“The contact teams are in touch with each other. Mediation by the United Nations and Qatar has also increased, and [hopefully] this will lead to the acceleration of the peace process,” he added.
This comes as clashes have continued to intensify across the country.
In the latest development, Taliban militants seized control of six district centers - in Takhar, Kapisa, Balkh, Samangan, Ghazni, and Kandahar provinces - in the past 24 hours, local sources told Ariana News.
According to the sources, Farkhar district in Takhar, Alasay in Kapisa, Kaldar in Balkh, Feroz Nakhchir in Samangan, Gelan in Ghazni, and Khakrez in Kandahar province fell to the Taliban in this time.
Kaldar, in Balkh, fell to the Taliban last week but Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in cooperation with local uprising forces, led by the province’s former governor, Atta Mohammad Noor, regained control of the district on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, the Taliban released a video claiming the group had recaptured the district center.
Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said early Wednesday the ANDSF had pushed back the Taliban in many areas across the country.
“We have captured many areas and have launched heavy attacks on the enemy,” said Aman.
Local sources, meanwhile, told Ariana News that the Taliban have also recaptured Mirzaka district in Paktia, Dawlat Abad in Faryab, Shortepa and Kaldar in Balkh, Chah Ab, and Hazar Smoch in Takhar and Tala wa Barfak in Baghlan.
“Seven out of 14 districts are under Taliban control in the province,” said Shafiqullah Ahadi, an activist in Baghlan.
Sources in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces also said that the security situation had deteriorated in their provinces.
“Taliban have surrounded Takhar province, but operations have not started so far,” said Sayed Sayyed Salahuddin Burhani a member of Takhar provincial council.
“Taliban attempt to seize more areas,” said Ziaullhaq, an MP.
In addition, the Taliban has also reportedly seized control of the Khakrez district in Kandahar province and heavy clashes are ongoing in Grishk, Garmsir, Marjah, Nad Ali, and Nawa districts of Helmand province, as well as in the provincial capital Lashkhargah.
“Taliban want to capture districts, and Lashkargah city will also fall if the government does not help,” said Attaullah Haq Bayan, head of Helmand provincial council.
Afghan Commandos meanwhile have retaken control of the Imam Sahib Port in Kunduz after the Taliban seized the port last week.
Abdul Hadi Nazari, a spokesman for the 217th Pamir Military Corps, said at least 13 Taliban had been killed in the operation.
The Taliban has not yet commented.
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Maldives recalls envoy to Pakistan over meeting with Afghanistan envoy
The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting had not been sanctioned by the government
The Maldives government has recalled its top diplomat in Pakistan after he had an unauthorized meeting with an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan envoy in Islamabad.
The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting between the Maldives High Commissioner Mohamed Thoha and IEA envoy Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb on Friday had not been sanctioned by the government.
Maldives media reported that the foreign ministry stated: “Consequently, appropriate action has been taken by the government of Maldives.”
Thoha’s name has also been removed from the website of the Maldives mission in Islamabad, and an official source told AFP that he had been recalled.
Since regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, no country has yet officially recognized the government.
However, the IEA has been making inroads into the diplomatic arena and has official missions now stationed in a number of regional countries.
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Afghanistan exported more than 2,500 tons of pine nuts in 1402
Afghan pine nut is mostly exported to China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce says that in the past solar year (1402) more than 2,500 tons of pine nuts worth $27 million were exported to neighboring countries and beyond.
Afghan pine nut is mostly exported to China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
“The total weight of black pine nut exports during 1402 was 2,523 tons and the value was $27 million, mostly to China, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, and other countries,” said Abdul Salam Javad Akhundzada, the spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock say that since last year, pine nut production has increased in the country and they have also expanded artificial forests to harvest more pine nuts.
“In order to revive pine nut forests, according to last year's development budget, pine trees have been planted on approximately 1,500 hectares of land.
There used to be pine trees on these lands, but they were cut down or destroyed in a fire,” said Misbahuddin Mustain, the spokesperson of the Ministries of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.
Experts say that currently China buys most of Afghanistan's pint nuts, but the government must find new markets so that it can be sold at a better price.
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IEA says deportation of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries has intensified
A committee of the High Commission for Addressing the Problems of Migrants said the process of forced expulsion of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries has intensified.
However, members of the committee emphasized, in their meeting with the Prime Minister's administrative deputy, that they have managed the resettlement of the returnees well in cooperation with relevant institutions.
In the meeting, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the administrative deputy prime minister, said that as winter approaches, committees should seek to ensure that the returnees will not face problems.
Experts say that the refugee hosting countries should treat Afghan migrants according to international laws, and take into account the current conditions of the country.
“To reduce immigration and increase economic stability, creating employment opportunities, increasing investment, giving various types of loans to people and issuing securities can be effective,” said Asifa Stanikzai, a migration expert.
Iranian officials have said that they deport 3,000 Afghan immigrants from the country every day and they plan to deport two million Afghan immigrants by the end of this year.
Forced deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan has been a serious challenge in the last three years, but according to experts, the Islamic Emirate has been able to manage the process to some extent.
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