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More Than 40 Thousand Civilians Killed, Wounded in Past Four Years in Afghanistan
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock says more than 40,000 civilians having been maimed or killed in the past four years in Afghanistan.
“Deepening violence and now drought is affecting hundreds of thousands of families across the country. Civilian casualties are at an all-time high, with 40,000 civilians having been maimed or killed in the past four years,” Lowcock said in a statement from UNHCR.
Top UN officials have called on donors to urgently increase and sustain support for the humanitarian response, including measures to find durable solutions for millions of people caught up in Afghanistan’s complex and rapidly evolving displacement crisis.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi issued the call at the end of a two-day visit to Afghanistan.
Despite the challenging and often dangerous environment, brave humanitarians – who have also come under attack too frequently – have proven they could effectively deliver,” said Lowcock, while acknowledging that access can often be severely limited due to security constraints.
Grandi and Lowcock met President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other senior government officials, as well as donors, development and humanitarian partners, UN agencies, NGOs and families affected by the conflict.
Grandi was quoted as saying: “Afghanistan is at a crossroads. A combination of conflict, natural disasters and inadequate access to basic services and economic opportunities was causing continued waves of internal displacement.
“The country now more than ever needs the support of the international community, as it takes steps to pursue peace and stability, and to link humanitarian action to broader development efforts,” he added.
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Kabul police summons Afghan YouTuber Hamayon
Afghanistan’s YouTuber Hamayon Afghan was summoned to the police station for publishing a woman’s interview without her permission, Kabul police said.
The spokesman of Kabul Police Khalid Zadran said Friday on X that Hamayon interviewed an old woman and published the report without her permission.
“After the interview, the interviewee’s family complained to the police and the police summoned Hamayon Afghan to the police station,” said Zadran.
Zadran stated that police are working to solve the problem with the two sides’ agreement as soon as possible.
He urges people to avoid posting rumors on the issue.
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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway
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
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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