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US officials debunk UNSC report on growth of terrorist groups in Afghanistan
US officials have dismissed the recent UN Security Council Sanctions Committee report on terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan and said their intelligence does not match that issued by the UN.
Speaking to VOA, a number of American officials said they have not seen evidence that confirms the findings of the United Nations.
The Analysis and Monitoring Group of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee said in its recent report that terrorist groups in Afghanistan have more freedom of action compared to the past and terrorist threats are increasing in Afghanistan and the region.
But one American official told Voice of America on condition of anonymity that this information "does not match the analysis of our intelligence community."
The United Nations report also stated that al-Qaeda and ISIS have also established training camps in different provinces of Afghanistan.
According to United Nations assessments, there are 30 to 60 high-ranking officials of al-Qaeda in the provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Kunar and Kabul, and a total of about 400 fighters of this group and 1,600 members of their families are present in various training camps in Afghanistan.
The report also stated the Khorasan branch of ISIS has 4,000 to 6,000 members in Afghanistan and has camps and shelters in at least 13 provinces of Afghanistan.
A senior American official spoke more frankly about this and told VOA: "The estimates about the number of members of al-Qaeda and ISIS in the United Nations report are irregular and scattered compared to the information of the American intelligence community and the estimates of our partners and allies."
The official also said that according to U.S. assessments, fewer than 12 major al-Qaeda members are currently in Afghanistan, and that no major al-Qaeda leader is in Afghanistan after the U.S. killed the group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul.
He said that al-Qaeda has not revived its presence in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal in August 2021, and that the organization does not appear to have established training camps in Afghanistan.
The United States has also denied information from some members of the United Nations that Saif al-Adel, also called Ibrahim al-Madani, the leader of al-Qaeda, left his base in Iran and visited Afghanistan in 2022. At least one member of the United Nations has said that Saif al-Adel is currently based in Afghanistan.
This American official said that the Khorasan branch of ISIS has not been able to achieve its goal of attacking the United States in the past two years.
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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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