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CIVIC Urges Warring Parties in Afghanistan to Protect Civilians

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

The Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) condemns the increase in violence across Afghanistan resulting in over 4,000 civilian deaths and injuries this year.

The organization urges all warring parties in Afghanistan to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and take all measures to prevent civilian deaths and injuries.

“Too little attention is being paid to stop the violence and end the suffering of Afghan civilians,” Sahr Muhammedally, Director of MENA & South Asia, said. “All parties to the conflict must protect civilians, civilian property, and medical facilities.”

While US and Taliban peace talks were ongoing (as of September they were suspended), fighting continued with devastating consequences for civilians.

Tactics such as suicide attacks, airstrikes, and search operations conducted in rural and urban areas are killing and maiming women, men, and children who had no part in the fighting. Civilian infrastructure such as homes, mosques, schools, and health care facilities are being hit as well.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has been recording casualties since 2009, attributed 37 percent of all casualties to Afghan and international forces and 52 percent to armed opposition groups in just the first half of 2019.

A joint declaration by the Taliban, Afghan civil society, and some government representatives at the Intra-Afghan Dialogue in Doha in July 2019 committed all parties to the conflict to respect and protect people and their property and to minimize civilian casualties to zero. But the violence has intensified since then.

In August, the Islamic State attacked a wedding party killing 92 and injuring 142. On September 17 a Taliban suicide attack on a campaign rally in Parwan, north of Kabul, killed at least 26 civilians and injured more than 42. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, wrongly calling the campaign rally a “military target.” On September 19, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb at an Afghan intelligence facility in Qalat City, Zabul, which caused severe structural damage to a hospital 20 meters away and private residences, killing 22, and wounding 90.

Afghan and international forces have also intensified airstrikes and search operations, which have resulted in a spike in civilian casualties. In August, an Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) raid reportedly killed 11 civilians in Paktika Province. In September, an NDS raid in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province resulted in the deaths of four civilians, prompting the head of the NDS to resign. On September 19, a US drone strike targeting the Islamic State in Nangarhar province reportedly killed civilians and is under investigation by US forces.

“The current intensity in fighting to advance military goals, resulting in civilian harm cannot go on. All sides must review their military tactics and make determined efforts to reduce, investigate, and acknowledge civilian harm,” Muhammedally said.

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) works with civilians and armed actors in the conflict to prevent, mitigate, and respond to civilian harm.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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