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US exit from Bagram Air Base met with mixed reaction

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The US is one step closer to completing its troops withdrawal after vacating the sprawling Bagram Airfield base outside Kabul in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Local residents said the last plane carrying US forces flew out at 1am on Saturday adding that the base is now in the hands of the Afghan security forces.

Bagram, has in the past been called the "Guantanamo of Afghanistan" as it served as the main prison facility where US forces jailed alleged terrorists.

While the prison held as many as 3,000 prisoners at any given time in the past, today there is estimated to be between 400 and 500 prisoners, mostly members of the Taliban, in two blocks.

According to some sources, members of Daesh, al-Qaeda and Haqqani network are also imprisoned at Bagram, including some foreigners such as Arabs, Pakistanis, Tajiks and Chinese.

Sources also told Ariana News that soon after the last US plane flew out of the country, locals looted the facility, stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment that had been left behind.

Angry residents accused the US of entering the country in a cowardly manner and leaving it the same way.

They said despite agreements to stand by the Afghans, they have left the country during a time of turmoil.

“They [Americans] have come cowardly to Afghanistan and cowardly left Afghanistan last night and fled,” said Basharmal, a resident.

“It was one o'clock in the night when their planes left, and after one o'clock everything was calm in the area,” said another.

The massive military base was the largest in the country and had two runways, three large hangars, an air traffic control tower and dozens of support buildings.

While some residents voiced their anger at the US for having withdrawn from the base, others have welcomed their exit.

“The Americans left at night and fled, but why? Because this country belongs to us and we will take care of it,” said Mohammad Hanif, an army soldier.

But government officials have also raised concern over the fate of the base, fearing it might fall into the hands of the Taliban.

“If the Taliban want to take Afghanistan by force, the people will not accept them,” said Dawolat Waziri, the former spokesman for the ministry of defense.

A few meters from the base lies the “American Bazaar” - a local market that sells a wide range of goods. Today, items looted from the base can be found at the bazaar - on sale.

“A number of people looted and sold some equipment,” said Amer Agha, a local resident.

The Wall Street Journal meanwhile reported Saturday that US officials have intensified planning for an emergency evacuation of the American embassy in Kabul amid concern that a worsening security situation could imperil the remaining military and diplomatic corps, as well as other Americans.

According to the WSJ, the preparations are taking place as part of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which the Pentagon said Friday would take place by the end of August.

The plan to withdraw by the end of August represents a shift from earlier plans to remove all US forces by as soon as this month, the WSJ reported.

The report also stated that the expanded planning for an embassy evacuation, reflecting an increase in concern that a Taliban offensive could overwhelm US security and Afghan government forces guarding the US Embassy, has not been previously reported.

An evacuation could involve not only hundreds of personnel at the US Embassy but thousands of other Americans in the country, the WSJ stated.

Because of the more pressing concerns in Afghanistan, planners stepped up preparations, contemplating evacuation operations based on scenarios that are more specific, officials familiar with the planning told the WSJ.

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IEA delegation attends conference for ‘Promoting Mining Cooperation’ in China

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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

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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

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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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