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Kabul Had No Role in Taliban Prisoners Exchange: Sources
The Afghan government had no role in the exchange of three Taliban prisoners for two foreign professors, a source close to Taliban told Ariana News on Wednesday.
According to sources close to the Taliban, the prisoner swap was agreed between the Taliban and the government of the United States.
“The negotiations took place between Taliban and Americans. A number of army soldiers who are under Taliban custody in Helmand will be released in the coming days,” said Abdul Shakoor Mutmaeen, a former Taliban official.
Meanwhile, concerns rise that with the release of Taliban’s high-profile officials, violence may increase in the country.
Fazel Rahman Orya, a political analyst, said that he believes the presence of Anas Haqqani and two other Taliban officials will accelerate the U.S.-Taliban talks which in turn will open the way for the launch of intra-Afghan talks.
However, Najia Anwari, a spokesperson of the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, said the Taliban militants were released as a goodwill gesture to build confidence and pave the way for direct talks.
This comes a day after the U.S. officials confirmed the release of American Kevin King, 63, and Australian Timothy Weeks, 50. Both individuals, professors at The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), were abducted by the Haqqani Network in Kabul in 2016.
In a statement, Taliban also confirmed the release of Anas Haqqani, Mali Khan, and Hafiz Abdul Rashid, calling it a step forward in “good-will” and “confidence-building measures” that can help the Afghan peace process.
The group further said that they have released ten Afghan soldiers in addition to the two AUAF professors.
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IEA urges World Bank to resume work on 7,000 incomplete projects
Officials at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) say 7,000 incomplete projects of the World Bank are at risk of destruction in Afghanistan. They call on the World Bank to resume the work of these projects.
According to them, discussions have been held with the World Bank about these projects, but there has been no result yet.
“7,000 incomplete projects are being destroyed, and if the work is not started, these projects will be destroyed. We ask the World Bank to resume the work of these projects as soon as possible,” said Noorul Hadi Adel, the spokesperson of MRRD.
Meanwhile, members of the private sector also ask international institutions to resume their work in Afghanistan.
According to the officials of this sector, with the start of these projects, job opportunities will be provided for thousands of people in the country.
“These projects create employment for our people and the country will grow a lot,” said Mirwais Hajizadeh, a member of the private sector.
However, economic experts stated if the work of these projects does not start soon, they will be destroyed and the investments made in them will be wasted.
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Ten people killed by floods in Helmand
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
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UN envoy meets Indian foreign minister to discuss Afghanistan
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues related to Afghanistan, it was announced on Thursday.
During the meeting, Otunbayeva thanked India for “its critical humanitarian support and longstanding friendship for the Afghan people” and discussed the importance of regional and international cooperation to address prevailing challenges in Afghanistan, UNAMA said on X.
Jaishankar also said on X that the sides exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Underlined that India has provided wheat, medicines, pesticides and school supplies. Appreciate the role of UN agencies as partners in these endeavors,” he said.
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