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Taliban issues order forbidding excavation and trade of artifacts

The Taliban said Sunday it has instructed all its members including its “military units” to protect and preserve Afghanistan’s heritage sites and artifacts and to refrain from excavating and selling relics either in the country or internationally.
In a statement published on the group’s website, the Taliban stated it has instructed: “all officials, commissions/departments chiefs, provincial and district governors, military unit and group commanders, the Mujahideen and all compatriots” to adhere to the order.
The group stated: “As Afghanistan is a country replete with ancient artifacts and antiquity, and that such relics form a part of our country’s history, identity and rich culture, therefore all have an obligation to robustly protect, monitor and preserve these artifacts.”
According to the statement, no one may excavate, transport or sell, and all Taliban members “must prevent the excavation of antiquities and preserve all historic sites like old fortresses, minarets, towers and other similar sites so to safeguard them from damage, destruction, and decay.”
The Taliban said its Commission for Cultural Affairs is tasked with the duty of guarding and preserving ancient artifacts, and that all other branches of the group including their “military commission, governors and other Mujahideen must coordinate and cooperate with the Cultural Commission in protecting these artifacts.”
The group stated that all trade, contracts, and transport of artifacts are forbidden with immediate effect.
“No one should try to disturb such sites or think about using them for profit,” the group stated.
The Taliban has however in the past been accused of plundering and destroying ancient collections and heritage sites.
In 1992, the Taliban reportedly looted the National Museum of Afghanistan which experts claim resulted in the loss of up to 70 percent of the 100,000 artifacts stored in the facility.
In August 1998, the Taliban went on to destroy the Puli Khumri Public Library.
The library contained over 55,000 books and old manuscripts and was considered by Afghans as one of the most valuable and beautiful collections of their nation and culture in the country while through 2001 the Taliban was reported to have destroyed at least 2,750 ancient works of art at the National Museum of Afghanistan.
But the most devastating act was carried out in March 2001 when the Taliban obliterated the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan.
The Buddhas were blown up on the apparent orders of the then leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The act sent shock waves around the world and today all that remains of the statues that had stood in niches carved into a mountain overlooking the city of Bamiyan is the cavities in which they had stood for over 1,500 years.
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Tarig Ali Bakheet and Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister discuss Afghanistan’s situation
Both sides emphasized the importance of continued collaboration to address the urgent needs of the Afghan people.

Tarig Ali Bakheet, the Special Representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Afghanistan, met and held discussions with a Japanese delegation led by Masayuki Kamada, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, regarding the situation in Afghanistan.
According to a statement by the OIC, the meeting mainly focused on the current situation in Afghanistan and explored ways to enhance humanitarian cooperation between the organization and Japan.
Based on the statement, both sides emphasized the importance of continued collaboration to address the urgent needs of the Afghan people.
The meeting took place at the office of the OIC Special Representative for Afghanistan in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The statement also noted that the Consul General and Deputy Consul General of Japan in Jeddah were part of the Japanese delegation.
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AWCC activates new site in Nangarhar’s Kuz Kunar district
Residents of Kuz Kunar expressed happiness over gaining access to telecom and internet services and called for the further expansion of such services across Nangarhar.

Officials from Afghan Wireless Communications Company (AWCC) say they have activated a new site in the Kuz Kunar district of Nangarhar province.
According to AWCC representatives, the launch of this site has provided thousands of families with access to telecommunication and internet services.
They added that Afghan Wireless will also soon launch 4G internet services in the area.
Meanwhile, officials from Nangarhar’s Department of Telecommunications and Information Technology stated that efforts are underway to expand telecom services to other remote areas of this province.
Rahimullah Shinwari, head of the ATRA (Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority) office in Nangarhar, said that with the activation of the new AWCC site, 25,000 families will now have access to telecom and internet services.
Residents of Kuz Kunar expressed happiness over gaining access to telecom and internet services and called for the further expansion of such services across Nangarhar.
In recent years, AWCC has extended its telecom and internet services to many remote areas across the country.
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Moscow’s move a ‘significant step toward recognizing Afghanistan’s political realities’, says Haqqani

Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday met with Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, and Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Kabul.
Haqqani expressed appreciation for Moscow’s recent decision to remove the Islamic Emirate from its list of terrorist organizations. He described the move as “a significant step toward recognizing the political realities of Afghanistan.”
In a statement, the interior ministry said that both sides emphasized the importance of upgrading diplomatic relations to the level of embassies and reaffirmed their commitment to mutual cooperation in the fields of security and trade.
During the meeting, the two parties also discussed regional and bilateral cooperation in the areas of security, economy, and commerce, and stressed the need to strengthen ties between the two countries.
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