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Baradar meets Afghan investors in Iran, urges them to return home

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Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for Economic Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), met with a number of Afghan investors based in Tehran on Tuesday and assured them of the Islamic Emirate’s support.

He also called on them to return home.

Baradar highlighted the improvement in security for Afghan citizens and businessmen since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, which he said now allows them to conduct business safely.

Mullah Baradar also discussed the stabilization of the economic situation, citing the reduction of corruption and bureaucracy to facilitate investment.

He mentioned efforts to provide adequate electricity for industry, develop industrial parks, lower taxes on raw materials, and initiate highway reconstruction for improved trade, the support for domestic products through increased import taxes on items Afghanistan produces and the promotion of Afghan products at exhibitions.

Baradar noted that foreign investors, such as Turkish, Iranian, Arab, and British companies, are engaging in mining contracts and that a dedicated committee involving relevant ministries and agencies was formed under the deputy prime minister’s office so as to streamline the investment process and minimize bureaucracy.

“Security threats, corruption, and drug-related issues have been addressed, and the focus is on cultivating wheat, cotton, and other agricultural products,” Baradar told investors.

He also stressed the importance of investing in essential sectors like food production, medicine, energy, mining, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, communication, and health. He called upon all Afghans, regardless of ethnicity or language, to contribute to the country's development, urging Afghan experts, national businessmen, industrialists, and investors worldwide to invest in various sectors.

He reminded them of their responsibility to help their homeland thrive, emphasizing the rich potential of Afghanistan. He encouraged Afghan investors living abroad to seize the current opportunity to contribute to their country's recovery after four decades of hardship and conflict.

At the end of the meeting, Baradar said that honor and respect is given at home and raised the issue of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and how they are being treated.

He told the investors at the meeting that it would be better if they returned to their homeland with honor and dignity.

During his visit to Iran, Baradar also toured a technology exhibition. Joining him were Ruhollah Dehghani Firouz Abadi, Iran's Vice President for Science and Technology, and several other officials from both nations.

In his address at the exhibition, Baradar acknowledged Iran's historical cooperation with Afghanistan and praised its remarkable technological progress even in challenging circumstances.

He expressed the desire for Iran to offer educational opportunities in technology and engineering to Afghan students, a step toward resolving issues in this field.

He also noted Afghanistan's past potential for technical education, which had been hindered by the four-decade-long conflict but now stands as a focus for the Islamic Emirate's leadership, working to provide educational and developmental opportunities for Afghan youth in technology and engineering.

Vice President Ruhollah Dehghani Firouz Abadi, responsible for technology in Iran, assured Baradar of Iran's readiness to collaborate with Afghanistan in the realm of technology.

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Canada sent 19 failed asylum seekers back to Afghanistan last year

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Canada's border guards sent 19 rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the country last year despite Otawa’s Temporary Suspension of Removals (TSR) that has been in place for Afghan nationals since 1994.

CBC reported that none of the 19 Afghans had their cases rejected on the basis of safety or security risks. The border service did not however reveal further details.

The border agency said a TSR is meant to "halt removals to a country or place when general conditions, such as armed conflict or an environmental disaster, pose a risk to the entire civilian population."

It also said individuals who were found inadmissible "on grounds of criminality, serious criminality, international or human rights violations, organized crime, or security" can be removed despite a TSR, CBC reported.

The CBSA said the 19 who failed their refugee claims left Canada "voluntarily," and that the Afghans were "aware that they benefit from a stay of removal due to the Temporary Suspension of Removal on Afghanistan but requested to have their removal order enforced despite the legislative stay.

"In other words, the individual was advised that they can remain in Canada until the TSR is lifted and they opted to return to Afghanistan."

Canada has welcomed some 54,000 Afghans since August 2021, surpassing a commitment it made to bring in 40,000 in 2021.

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Trump team compiling list of military officers responsible for US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” 

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The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and exploring whether they could be court-martialed. 
 
NBC reported that the team working on the transition of power between President-elect Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
 
Citing a US official and a person familiar with the plan, NBC stated a commission would then gather information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason.
 
“They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with knowledge of the plan said.
 
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 
Matt Flynn, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, is helping lead the effort, the sources said. 
 
Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” 
 
NBC reports however that it is not clear what would legally justify “treason” charges since the military officers were following the orders of President Joe Biden to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
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Ottawa taking detention of Canadian in Afghanistan ‘very seriously’

Lavery helped an estimated 100 Afghans flee Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces.

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The Canadian government is taking "very seriously" the detention in Afghanistan of a former member of Canada's elite special forces, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.

Retired soldier David Lavery, known in Kabul as Canadian Dave, was detained by the Islamic Emirate shortly after landing in Kabul on Monday, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV News.

His whereabouts are unknown, the outlet added, citing unnamed sources.

Asked about Lavery, Trudeau said: "I can first of all assure you that the Canadian government is taking very, very seriously the situation."

He also said consular assistance has been provided to Lavery's family.

Lavery helped an estimated 100 Afghans flee Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces.

He spent decades in the Canadian military and is said to have been a key member of its elite Joint Task Force 2 special operations unit.

More recently, Lavery has reportedly operated a private security firm in Kabul.

The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented.

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