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Foreign troops footprint leaves behind health and environmental issues
An investigative report has found that there has been a considerable increase in medical problems among communities that lived close to US military bases during Afghanistan’s 20-year war.
According to New Lines magazine, a marked increase in people suffering from skin, heart and digestive diseases have been observed among those living in close proximity to the former bases. In addition to this, the magazine found that the war had a devastating effect on people’s land.
“American forces have not paid attention to the devastating consequences of using bombs, harmful weapons, spreading chemical substances caused by throwing bombs and burning garbage on people's health, especially around their military bases in Nangarhar, Kandahar and Parwan provinces,” the report said.
A number of residents of these provinces told New Lines that two years after the withdrawal of troops, they still suffer from skin, cardiovascular and digestive diseases. They have also said that their land yields far less crops than in the past.
According to the report, the US military dropped more than 85,000 bombs in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, most of which contained an explosive called "RDX".
This substance has an adverse effect on the nervous system of humans. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has called this substance carcinogenic.
“The Taliban (IEA) government should start an investigation in this regard and, if possible, ask for help from international institutions in this matter; if this issue is confirmed, they should demand compensation from the United States of America,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst.
In April 2017, US military dropped the most powerful conventional bomb ever used in combat — the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, known unofficially as the “mother of all bombs,” or MOAB.
In addition, New Lines estimated that when more than 100,000 NATO and US forces were present in Afghanistan, they produced more than 400,000 kilograms of garbage per day, most of which was burned without any pollution control.
However, the Islamic Emirate says the 20-year military presence of the US and its allies in Afghanistan has caused problems to the people, and the IEA will request compensation at an appropriate time.
“Afghanistan has been the same in every occupation, they have been victims, their people's rights have been lost and they have been oppressed, they have been killed, injured and suffered various hardships; they were forced to migrate. The American occupation also had these problems, these problems must be compensated, we will definitely raise this at the right time, Inshallah,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the IEA.
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IEA delegation attends conference for ‘Promoting Mining Cooperation’ in China
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said on Saturday in a statement that its delegation participated in a conference titled "Promoting Mining Cooperation" in China’s Hunan province.
The Ministry stated the conference aims to build a well-equipped laboratory in Afghanistan, increase the capacity of technical and professional employees of the Ministry of Mines, and encourage investors in the mineral resources sector of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Chinese investors expressed their interest in Afghanistan’s gold, copper, mica, talc, oil, gas, lithium, lead and zinc mines.
At the conference, the ministry’s deputy minister of finance and administration and head of the delegation Hussamuddin Saberi talked about Afghanistan's natural resources contracts and investment opportunities and considered holding such programs effective for the relations between the two countries.
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Uzbekistan, EU envoys meet to discuss Afghanistan
Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, on Friday met with the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of Uzbek-European relations in the Afghan direction, the efforts of the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the country and the possibility of using the international transport and logistics hub in Termez to deliver humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hakala highly appreciated the efforts of Uzbekistan to develop a consolidated regional position on Afghanistan, establish long-term peace and stability in the country, according to the statement.
The parties expressed mutual interest in continuing bilateral consultations on the Afghan issue, the statement added.
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UN expert calls for comprehensive, rights-focused action plan for Afghanistan
A UN expert on Friday called on the international community to devise and implement a comprehensive, human rights-centered action plan to address the human rights crisis in Afghanistan.
“The absence of a unified, forceful response from the international community has emboldened the Taliban (IEA),” UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said.
In his latest report to the UN General Assembly, Bennett said that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is worsening, which includes systematic gender oppression, amounting to gender persecution and which many Afghans term “gender apartheid” with intergenerational implications.
Bennett expressed concern about the new “vice and virtue” law, announced in August, which he believes has institutionalized an expanding list of restrictions that “blatantly violate the rights of women and girls.”
He also expressed concern about the “shrinking civic space” in Afghanistan, the situation of minorities, journalists, and former government officials and security personnel.
“Justice, equality, and the rule of law are being systematically undermined,” he said.
The UN expert also called for increased funding and support for Afghan civil society and humanitarian efforts to mitigate the crisis.
Bennett urged the IEA to reverse its “repressive policies” and reinstate basic human rights. He pressed the international community to take a coordinated, multifaceted approach to support the Afghan people.
Bennett urged states not to normalize relations with the IEA until there are demonstrable human rights improvements and pathways to justice and accountability.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has said that it is committed to ensuring human rights, including the rights of women and girls, according to Sharia, and this is an internal issue of Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate has banned Richard Bennett from traveling to Afghanistan, saying that he exaggerates small issues.
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