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US State Dept to allow two House members to view classified Afghanistan document

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The U.S. State Department on Wednesday said two top members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee can view a redacted version of a classified cable about the chaotic August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan sought by the committee’s Republican chairperson, Reuters reported.

The chairperson, Representative Michael McCaul, scheduled a committee meeting next week to consider a contempt of Congress charge against Secretary of State Antony Blinken over his refusal to release the cable, sent by U.S. diplomats via the department’s “dissent channel”. The channel allows State Department officials to air concerns to supervisors.

The State Department will let McCaul and the committee’s ranking Democrat, Gregory Meeks, view a redacted version to protect the identity of those using the dissent channel, Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

In an interview on CNN, McCaul said the State Department’s offer to make the cables available was “a really significant step forward”. He said if the department agreed to allow the entire committee to see the cables “then I think we’ve resolved a litigation fight in the courts”.

In a letter to McCaul, the department said it would make the material available as soon as possible, read the report.

“The Department has engaged extensively with the Committee to respond to your requests. We have provided numerous briefings, thousands of pages of documents, and public testimony from the Department’s senior leaders,” the letter said, adding that it was important to protect the dissent channel.

“The accommodations that the Department has provided to date are extraordinary and, as stated in our prior correspondence, already create a serious risk of chilling both future use of, and future candor in, Dissent Channel cables,” the letter said.

McCaul has launched an investigation into the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Republicans – and some Democrats – say there has never been a full accounting of the chaotic operation, in which 13 U.S. service members were killed at Kabul’s airport, Reuters reported.

McCaul has for months been seeking a “dissent channel” cable sent in July 2021 that a Wall Street Journal article in August 2021 said warned top officials of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

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MoRRD signs deal for Wakhan road construction

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The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MoRRD) announced on Thursday it had signed a 143-million AFN agreement with a private company for the gravelling of the second phase of the Wakhan road in northeastern Badakhshan province.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the occasion in Kabul, the ministry’s spokesman Mohammad Younus Akhundzada said the road holds significant economic importance for Afghanistan, stating that once it is completed, it will connect Afghanistan to China.

According to Younus Akhundzada, the contract includes the construction of 71 kilometers of road worth 143 million AFN. He stated that by the end of the next [1404] solar year, the construction will be completed.

He emphasized that the practical work on the project will begin once the weather warms up.

Meanwhile, officials from the contracting company also assured the ministry that the road construction work will be completed on time.

“We can only work for four or five months each season, not throughout the year,” said Ghausuddin, chief of the contracting company.

Wakhan Road is 121 kilometers long, with the first phase of work started last year in the Little Pamir. Now, only the construction work remains, which will be completed in the upcoming year.

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IEA rejects Pakistan’s claim of Balochistan train attack being orchestrated from Afghanistan

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has rejected allegations by Pakistani army spokesman linking the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with militants in Afghanistan.

The IEA urged Pakistan to focus on resolving their own security issues and internal problems instead of making such “irresponsible remarks”.

“No members of Balouch opposition have a presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had one or have any links with the Islamic Emirate.

“We are saddened by the loss of life of innocents in the incident. Sacrificing civilians for political objectives is unjustifiable,” the IEA said.

This comes after the Pakistan Army alleged that the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan this week was orchestrated by militants based in Afghanistan.

The assault on the train, which was carrying 400 passengers, began on Tuesday afternoon and continued until Wednesday. The attack resulted in the deaths of 21 passengers, 33 assailants, and four soldiers.

The Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the incident.

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Narcotics production has ‘significantly’ dropped in Afghanistan: Qane

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The Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesman Abdul Matin Qane says the processing and smuggling of narcotics in Afghanistan has “significantly” decreased, and that the police forces combating drugs have made “important achievements” in preventing the cultivation, production, and smuggling of drugs.

Qane made these remarks in response to a recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and added: “We assure that the drug enforcement police have intensified their efforts in the fight against narcotics more than ever, and this process will continue.”

The recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime mentions that the price of opium has increased in Afghanistan.

In response to this report, Qane stated: “It is normal that when there is no production or supply, the price increases several times, and the statements from the mentioned office are a clear indication of the seriousness of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in eradicating narcotics from the country.”

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