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Taliban would not hesitate to kill entire gov’t negotiating team: Saleh
Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Sunday blamed the Taliban for the attack on peace negotiator Fawzia Koofi.
Koofi and her sister came under attack by unknown armed men on Friday afternoon on the Kabul-Parwan highway in Qarabagh district of Kabul.
She escaped unharmed in the attack but she sustained minor injuries and was said to be in good health condition.
Saleh called the attack an “anti-human and a terrorist” act which he said was coordinated by the Taliban, adding that the group would kill the entire negotiating team if it could.
In a message on his Facebook page, Saleh wrote, “Only the Taliban and their followers seek their interest in eliminating the voice of diversity from Afghanistan. If the group got the chance they would not hesitate to kill the entire peace negotiators and the Taliban would kill them all in a suicide attack.”
It comes as the intra-Afghan talks, aimed to find a political settled to end the long-term conflict in the war-weary country, is expected to kick start after the Afghan government completes the release process of the final batch of Taliban inmates.
Mohammad Mohaqqeq, leader of Hezbe Wahdat-e Islami party said” “There are two motivations to bring peace in Afghanistan. First, the strong will of the Afghans, and secondly, the foreigners. This process, at least, will last two until three months.”
Meanwhile, the government announced its full preparations to kick off the negotiations.
“There is no complexity from our side, and we are ready to start the negotiations at any time, “said Nader Naderi, a peace negotiator.
The Taliban, on the other hand, underline that the Afghan government hasn’t done any fundamental work, and even the prisoner release has been delayed for several reasons which create an atmosphere of mistrust.
It comes as the Taliban on Saturday urged all laterals involved in peace process to avoid remarks that could damage the process.
“Peace talks and negotiations require all sides to display sincerity and truthfulness. Propaganda, unwarranted remarks and provocative comments do not benefit any side,” the group said in a statement.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Finance, Mohammad Nasir Akhund, has travelled to Iran at the head of a delegation following an official invitation from Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance said.
During the visit, Akhund is expected to meet with various Iranian officials to discuss bilateral economic, trade, customs and other related issues.
The visit will also include discussions on key topics for an upcoming meeting of the joint economic commission between Afghanistan and Iran.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Saturday inaugurated the rehabilitated 110-kilovolt (kV) power transmission line connecting Maimana and Andkhoy in Faryab province.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for Economic Affairs, the completion of the project will provide around 60,000 consumers with a more stable and reliable electricity supply.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Baradar said the project would help meet local electricity needs, expand industrial activities and contribute to the region’s economic and social development.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had implemented several electricity generation and transmission projects in a relatively short period, reducing reliance on imported electricity and power outages while creating new opportunities for industrial growth.
Baradar also said several major electricity infrastructure projects would be implemented over the next year to ensure a sustainable power supply, adding that the country’s existing electricity capacity would increase several times.
Addressing Afghanistan’s security situation, Baradar said the country was currently experiencing a level of security that he claimed was unmatched in most countries. He added that foreign tourists and visitors had continued to travel to Afghanistan since the IEA returned to power, including to remote areas of the country.
He rejected security-related concerns raised by some countries over travel to Afghanistan, describing them as unfounded and politically motivated. He called on the international community to strengthen meaningful engagement with Afghanistan based on realities on the ground.
Baradar also invited domestic and foreign investors to invest in Afghanistan, saying a secure and suitable environment had been created for large- and medium-scale investments.
The UN refugee agency’s representative in Afghanistan has called on the international community to maintain their support for Afghanistan, warning that the return of more than 6.5 million Afghans over the past three years has placed significant pressure on the country.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, made the remarks during the eighth International Conference on Action with Women and Peace in Seoul, South Korea, where he highlighted the challenges facing returnees amid poverty, drought and climate-related disasters.
He said the returning population accounts for around 15 percent of Afghanistan’s total population, describing the influx as one of the world’s largest movements of people. He added that Afghanistan was struggling to absorb the large-scale returns due to its existing economic and humanitarian challenges.
Jamal also highlighted difficulties facing Afghan women, saying that the absence of war does not necessarily mean all citizens enjoy safety.
In a separate interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Jamal said supporting refugees and vulnerable countries was not simply an act of charity but an investment in a safer and more stable international environment.
He stressed that Afghanistan’s strategic location, bordering seven countries including China, Pakistan and Iran, makes its stability a matter of wider international concern. Although the country is relatively calm at present, he cautioned that this situation should not be taken for granted without continued international support.
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