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Taliban not interested in working together for peace: Ghani
President Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday after a prayer ceremony at the Presidential Palace marking Eid al-Adha, an event marred by a rocket attack, that the Taliban has no intention of working for peace.
Despite the rockets falling, Ghani and other high-ranking officials calmly continued praying.
Mirwais Stanekzai, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, stated that the first rocket hit close to the Edgar mosque, the second one landed close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the third one landed in the Chaman-e-Hozori area of the city.
He said that the rockets were fired from the Parwan-e-Se area of Kabul.
Addressing a ceremony after the prayers, Ghani stated: “The Taliban have no intention and will for peace… We sent the delegation to convey our last words [to tell them] that we are sure, we have the will and we are ready to sacrifice for peace.”
Ghani added that the Taliban showed that they have no will for peace and "we have to make decisions based on that."
“I have told the world that the release of 5,000 prisoners [Taliban] was a big mistake. At that time I told them and our politicians that it [the release] will have dire consequences; I told them that this Taliban will deceive you and they are not such people to hold commitments.”
“You cannot capture this country through rockets… come to participate in a national process [election] and convince people [to elect you] and see how people will make you heroes,” he said.
Referring to the formation of public uprising forces, Ghani stated all forces should be registered in the framework of the Afghan security forces, “neither formation of militias is acceptable nor arbitrariness in the country.”
Ghani stated that the Taliban should be questioned why they are destroying buildings, “why the love of homeland is a dishonor for you [Taliban], why they execute [people] in dessert [court], they blew up roads and houses, why they use car bombs, why they blew up mosques.”
He added that the Taliban destroyed more than 260 government buildings as they were public facilities.
Ghani asked the Taliban if they had any positive message for the people of Afghanistan “especially for Afghan women”.
The president, meanwhile, stated that the Afghan Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) must stay out of politics.
“When a soldier is being hired through mediators [politically] the result is a cowardice defeat and escape from the battlefield.”
“Why our sacred uniform was disgraced? Because there was political interference… I don’t accept any interference [in the Afghan forces],” Ghani said.
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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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