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Top US general ‘not convinced’ troops killed for Russian bounty
A top US general said intelligence suggesting Russia paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan was a matter of concern but said he was not convinced this had resulted in the death of any US military personnel.
This comes after the Washington Post reported late last month that alleged Russian bounties offered to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan reportedly resulted in the deaths of several US military members over the past few months.
According to the Washington Post, the intelligence emerged following US military interrogations of captured militants in recent months.
However, the Pentagon has subsequently said it had “no corroborating evidence” to validate the allegations. Moscow has also denied any truth in the allegations.
On Tuesday, the head of US Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, told reporters that the US has not increased force protection measures in Afghanistan as a result of the information but said he has asked his intelligence staff to investigate the matter.
“I sent the intelligence guys back to continue to dig on it. And I believe they’re continuing to dig right now,” he said.
“I’m very familiar with this material and I’m a theatre commander and I’ve had an opportunity to look at it. I found it very worrisome. I just didn’t find that there was a causative link there,” McKenzie said.
He said however, that Russia has long been a threat in Afghanistan. McKenzie said that the Russians were “not our friends in Afghanistan and they do not wish us well.”
The US has in the past accused Russia of possibly providing support, including weapons, to elements of the Taliban. Russia has however always denied having supported the insurgents.
But McKenzie said that whether the Russians were paying them or not, “the Taliban have done their level best to carry out operations against us.”
US forces in Afghanistan suffered a total of 10 deaths from hostile gunfire or improvised bombs in 2018, and 16 in 2019. Two have been killed this year.
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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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