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Fire at Herat Customs incurs huge financial losses
Officials at Herat Customs say that it is not yet clear how much was lost but said financial losses were huge. They also said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.
A fire that swept through a Herat Customs facility on Wednesday incurred financial losses of millions of dollars for traders, who also battled for hours to extinguish the blaze.
Herat Customs officials said the fire started at about midday in the clearing area but quickly spread.
As trucks and goods went up in flames, customs officials appealed to the public to help douse the flames alongside the fire department.
Firefighters took five hours to bring the blaze under control.
Ismatullah Yaser, the deputy head of Herat Customs, said: "Unfortunately, a fire broke out at noon on Wednesday … the cause has not yet been determined.”
Najibullah, a trader, said: "Our goods were worth about $200,000 that caught fire.
“There is a possibility that all our property will be burned."
Zalmi Bahadri, another affected businessman, said: "The fire has been controlled and all our craftsmen who had facilities, including myself, who had a few tanks, are currently engaged in firefighting."
Officials at Herat Customs say that it is not yet clear how much was lost but said financial losses were huge. They also said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.
Traders however spoke out and criticized the customs department for not having sufficient facilities for them while waiting for customs clearance and for not having mechanisms in place to prevent a fire of this nature.
Eleven people have been killed in a shooting at a shrine in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province, local sources said on Friday.
The incident took place at 9 pm on Thursday at the shrine of Sayed Padsha Jan in Shahr-e-Kuhna of Nahrin district.
A local resident said the dead were residents of Nahrin district and wanted to spend the night at the shrine.
Asadullah Mustafa Hashemi, the provincial information and culture director, confirmed the incident but did not provide details on how it happened or the number of casualties.
Provincial police spokesman said they had not received any information about the incident yet.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Serdar Muhammetdurdiyev on Thursday met with Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan announced.
During the meeting, the sides discussed priority vectors of strategic interstate cooperation built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis, as well as exchanged views on the implementation of previously reached agreements.
It was noted that personal contacts between the leaders of the two countries play a key role in intensifying the interstate dialogue, which give a strong impulse to further development and expansion of Turkmen-Chinese ties.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan considers multilateral international platforms for maintaining stability in Afghanistan as an important factor in promoting sustainable improvement of socio-economic state of the neighboring country. The sides exchanged views on the preparations to the 5th meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring States to be held in Turkmenistan.
The interlocutors reaffirmed that Turkmenistan and China will continue to provide all-round support for the economic restoration of Afghanistan.
The U.S. House Of Representatives has passed a legislation on evacuation of Afghans who assisted Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The passage of the CARE Authorization Act of 2024 further underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan,” Congresswoman Dina Titus said in a statement.
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies. By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
In 2022 the State Department established a specialized office called the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to streamline and coordinate the ongoing relocation and resettlement process for eligible Afghans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the United States.
The CARE Authorization Act of 2024 will formally authorize the CARE office at the State Department for three years and grant important authorities to advance its mission. These include an extension of authorities to enter into personal services contracts as well as measures to streamline the transfer of funds to and from other agencies involved in the Afghan relocation mission.
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