UPDATES – October 06, 2021
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Death Toll From Explosion At Religious School In Eastern Afghanistan Rises To 7 – Source
The number of people killed by the explosion at a religious school in the eastern Afghan province of Khost has risen to seven, a source in the security source told media on Thursday.
The incident also left more than 15 people injured, according to the source.
The Interior Ministry said that a hand grenade exploded at the school.
On Sunday, another explosion occurred near Eid Gah mosque in Kabul. A source in the Taliban told media that 12 people were killed in the explosion, while 32 were injured. Three people were arrested in connection with the attack, according to a spokesman for the interim government. The Islamic State (terrorist group, banned in Russia) has taken responsibility for the explosion.
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Taliban Delegation Invited To Oct 20 Moscow-Format Meeting On Afghanistan – Diplomat
Russia has invited a delegation of the Taliban movement to take part in the Moscow-format meeting on Afghanistan, scheduled for October 20, Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Thursday.
“Yes,” Kabulov told reporters, when asked to confirm this.
The diplomat did not specify who will head the Taliban delegation.
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Taliban’s Foreign Minister Discusses Aid To Afghan Children With UN Delegation
Foreign minister appointed by the Taliban, Amir Khan Muttaqi, discussed humanitarian assistance to Afghan children with a senior United Nations official at an in-person meeting, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said on Wednesday.
“Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the UN Deputy Secretary-General and the Deputy Executive Director for programmes at UNICEF Omar Abdi and his accompanying delegation,” Naeem wrote on Twitter.
The UN delegation said it will maintain its presence in Afghanistan and promised to provide humanitarian assistance to children in the areas of health care, education, and vaccination, Naeem added.
Muttaqi reportedly assured the UN officials that the Taliban would support the initiatives.
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Taliban Carry Out Operation Against IS Hideout In Kabul Province – Reports
The Taliban have conducted an operation targeting a hideout of the Islamic State terrorist group in Afghanistan’s Kabul province, national media reported on Wednesday.
The operation was launched in Kabul’s Paghman district on Tuesday evening, the TOLOnews said, citing the deputy minister of information in the interim Afghan government, Zabihullah Mujahid.
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Tehran Will Host Meeting Of Afghanistan’s Neighbors With Russia’s Participation Soon
Iran will soon host a meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring states and Russia, and also plans to take part in the upcoming Moscow-format negotiations on Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday.
“We hope to host a meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring states and Russia soon. We want to hold this meeting in Tehran. In addition, my Russian counterpart wants to hold a Moscow-format conference to provide political assistance to the Afghan problem resolution. We will make a positive decision on our presence at the conference,” Amirabdollahian said at a press conference following negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
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UN Has Not Received Request From Taliban For $90Mln To Pay Energy Bills – Spokesman
The United Nations has not received any requests from any entity in Afghanistan to pay bills to electricity suppliers before Kabul faces a mass blackout, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday.
Media reported earlier this week that the Taliban movement (banned in Russia) had asked the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to provide $90 million to settle the unpaid bills.
“We’ve seen these media reports,” Dujarric said during a press briefing. “UNAMA has not received any requests from any Afghan entity to make any payments regarding energy which is what the report cited.”
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Hundreds throng passport office in Afghan capital
Hundreds of Afghans flocked to the passport office in Kabul on Wednesday, just a day after news that it would re-open this week to issue the documents, while Taliban security men had to beat back some in the crowd in efforts to maintain order.
Taliban officials have said the service will resume from Saturday, after being suspended since their takeover and the fall of the previous government in August, which stranded many of those desperate to flee the country.
“I have come to get a passport but, as you can see here, there are lots of problems, the system is not working,” one applicant, Mahir Rasooli, told Reuters outside the office.
“There is no official to answer our questions here to tell us when to come. People are confused.”
A spokesman for the Taliban officials running the passport department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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UN humanitarian agencies call for immediate response to Afghan crisis
UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs in Afghanistan are in a race against time to deliver lifesaving aid to crisis-affected people and have called on donors to urgently turn pledges into reality.
According to a press release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) millions of people in Afghanistan have been deeply affected by decades of conflict and displacement, chronic poverty, the COVID-19 pandemic, a severe drought, a failing health system, and an economy on the brink of collapse.
“Existing needs and vulnerabilities have also deepened following recent events, and economic shocks are tipping more people in Afghanistan into crisis,” the organization said.
Without urgent action, the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate into next year and the Afghan authorities, UN member states, donors, humanitarian organizations, and other stakeholders “must mobilize immediately to prevent a further humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan,” the statement read.
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SHIFT IN ICC’S PROBE OVER WAR CRIMES IN AFGHANISTAN BAFFLES MANY
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Dozens of stranded Afghans in India appeal for help
The stranded Afghans have been in India for at least two months after having gone there either for medical treatment or to study.
One stranded Afghan, Sherine Aqa, said he had taken his wife to India two months ago for medical treatment and has not been able to return home.
“My wife had cancer and died. We didn’t have money to keep her body at a mortuary and had to bury her in India,” said Aqa.
Some students have also been stranded there and on Wednesday appealed to both the Indian and Afghan government to help them.
“Please, please return us to our families in Afghanistan,” said Maryam, an Afghan.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Afghanistan’s Embassy in India have not yet commented.
“It has been a month and a half since I got stuck with my sick child,” said another Afghan.
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Pakistan and Iran discuss border security, Afghanistan
Pakistan and Iran have held wide-ranging bilateral talks on a broad spectrum of topics, including the regional security situation since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and border security, a week after a Pakistani soldier was killed in cross-border fire.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani led his country’s delegation in talks with a team led by Pakistani Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday.
“During the session, the two sides reviewed entire spectrum of bilateral relations in all areas including political, economic, trade, connectivity, security, energy, education, and people-to-people exchanges,” said a Pakistani statement on the meeting.
On September 28, Pakistan’s military said a paramilitary soldier was killed and another wounded in an attack on a Pakistani border post.
The Pakistan-Iran border runs for roughly 800km (497 miles) along Pakistan’s southwestern and Iran’s eastern sides and has been the site of several security incidents in recent years, mainly targeting Iranian forces.
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New Rules Set for Doctors in Nangarhar
The statement said that medical doctors should edit their signboards according to their degrees, and doctors who did not study abroad should also remove slogans.
The statement added that the internship period does not mean a work permit.
The statement further stated that prescriptions should be written clearly to allow any pharmacy to read them.
Doctors should avoid prescribing medicines that are local or not registered with the Ministry of Public Health.
Nangarhar Public Health Directorate also set 150 AFN fees for medical doctors, 200 AFN fees for specialist doctors, and 300 AFN fees for professor doctors.
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Uzbekistan Continues To Export Electricity To Afghanistan
Uzbekistan has continued supplying electricity to Afghanistan without disruptions, the Uzbek Energy Ministry’s press service said Tuesday.
Afghanistan may face energy problems due to unpaid debts to electricity exporting countries, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran, local Afghan media reported, saying Afghanistan’s energy officials asked the power-exporting countries not to cut electricity and pledged to pay debts.
The Uzbek side was fulfilling all its obligations to export electricity to neighboring Afghanistan, said the Uzbek Energy Ministry’s press service, without mentioning any payment issues.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said last month that his country was ready for a dialogue with the Taliban in Afghanistan and would participate in projects that would strengthen peace in the country.
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HALF OF AFGHAN CHILDREN UNDER 5 TO SUFFER FROM ACUTE MALNUTRITION
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Taliban’s Acting Minister of Information and Culture Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah met today with Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, in her office. According to the Bakhtar Agency reporter; During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and cooperation.
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Provincial Health Centers Closed, Kabul Hospitals Crowded
Officials at the state-owned hospitals said the citizens’ access to health care has significantly declined across the country, so people mostly travel to the capital for medical treatment.
According to officials, the number of patients coming to Kabul’s hospitals has increased after healthcare centers faced challenges in some provinces.
The shortage of medicine and professional staff are major challenges in Kabul city as well.
“As the healthcare centers were closed in the provinces, the number of patients increased in the capital’s hospitals. There will not be sufficient capacity if the situation continues,” said Parwiz Noori, head of the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released an assessment and warned that Afghanistan’s healthcare system is facing a crisis.
The assessment says: “Only 17% of health facilities supported by Sehatmandi remain fully functional. Two thirds are experiencing stock-out of essential medicines. Without urgent action, they are at risk of closure.”
International organizations have repeatedly announced that Afghanistan’s healthcare system is at risk of collapse. Some organizations like UNICEF have committed to continue aid to Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan Owes $62 M for Foreign Electricity
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) officials on Monday said Afghanistan owes $62 million for electricity from neighboring countries.
DABS officials said they have asked UNAMA to provide $90 million to pay the debt, adding that if UNAMA does not provide it they might pressure those people who have not paid their electricity bills, even though many people cannot afford it.
Safiullah Ahmadzai, acting operational director of DABS, said the company has paid the electricity bill for the last two months to the electricity-exporting countries.
Meanwhile, a document obtained by TOLOnews shows that DABS owes over $51 million to four neighboring countries: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.
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On Monday, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the #Taliban, Maulvi Mottaki, met with Haji Azlan Mohammad Sharif, Head of Mission of the Malaysia Global Peace Mission Foundation & Mohammad Hasbullah, Director of the Malaysian Muslim Volunteer Foundation, BakhtarNews reported pic.twitter.com/yEqjh6FnXK
— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) October 4, 2021
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Russian Embassy In Kabul Confirms Five IS Militants Eliminated Near Building
Five militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) were killed on Monday near the Russian embassy in Kabul, the diplomatic mission’s spokesman Evgeny Egorov told Sputnik, adding that three more IS members surrendered.
“Today during lunchtime, machine gun fires were heard from the residential quarter adjacent to the embassy complex. The Taliban (banned in Russia) eliminated five IS members, three more surrendered to them,” the spokesman said.
Egorov added that today’s events could have been connected to the Sunday blast near a mosque that killed approximately 20 people.
“The situation in the embassy is normal. Our security is ensured by the Taliban unit, we are taking heightened precautions,” the spokesman said.
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Taliban Order Halt To Weapon Trade In Afghanistan
Defense authority in Afghanistan imposed a temporary ban on weapon trade on Sunday, according to a statement shared by the Pajhwok news agency.
The executive order, attributed to the Ministry of National Defense, said that all sales and purchases of weapons, ammunition and undocumented vehicles were suspended until further notice.
The Taliban (banned in Russia) appointed a caretaker authority last month after seizing power in Afghanistan in August. They ordered civilians to hand over weapons and transport that they received from the ousted government or face punishment.
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UN Assistance Mission In Afghanistan Condemns Sunday’s Deadly Mosque Blast In Kabul
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the recent deadly explosion outside a mosque in Kabul.
A source in the Taliban (banned as a terrorist organization in Russia) told Sputnik on Sunday that 12 people were killed and 32 others injured in the blast.
“The UN in #Afghanistan condemns Sunday’s attack against people involved in an event at a religious site in #Kabul. The explosion near the entrance of the Eid Gah Mosque reportedly killed & injured a number of people,” UNAMA wrote on Twitter.
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TWITTER RESTRICTS ACCOUNT OF TALIBAN’S SPOKESMAN ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID
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Russian, Iranian Foreign Ministers To Discuss Afghanistan In Moscow On Wednesday- Ministry
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, will meet on Wednesday in Moscow to discuss developments in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“They will thoroughly discuss the situation in Afghanistan in the context of ultimate importance of effectively reacting to the emerging challenges, including preventing terrorism- and drug-related threats, as well as international contribution to the post-conflict restoration of the country,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Lavrov and Abdollahian will also discuss the Persian Gulf, Yemen, Lebanon and the middle Eastern crisis settlement, the ministry added.
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Women demo held today in KhanAbad, Kunduz in support of Taliban regime and ‘Islamic system’.
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Taliban Spokesman Denies Reports Of Military Buildup Near Tajik Border
Reports alleging that the Taliban movement is pulling troops to the border with Tajikistan do not correspond to reality, a spokesman for the movement, Bilal Karimi, told Sputnik.
“This is not true,” Karimi said, answering whether troops were pulling up to the border between the two countries.
Earlier, a Tajik security source told Sputnik that Dushanbe did not note Taliban’s buildup on the border, saying that the situation is stable, there are no provocations.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexey Zaitsev said that Moscow was recording reports of Tajikistan and Afghanistan pulling troops to the common border, in connection with which Russia called on Dushanbe and Kabul to seek mutually acceptable options for resolving the current situation.
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Afghan Tirin Kut’s Authorities Say Airport Ready To Receive Flights
The airport in the provincial capital of Tirin Kut in central Afghanistan has completed all the necessary technical work and is ready for commercial flight operation, the provincial authorities said on Thursday.
“All technical work at the airport of Tirin Kut, the capital of the province of Uruzgan, has been completed, security has been ensured. All airlines can operate flights from this airport without any problems,” the provincial authorities said as quoted by Afghan broadcasting company RTA.
The city of Tirin Kut was taken under the control of the Taliban on August 13. Before that, the airport had been used as a base for Australian soldiers who were there as part of the Western Coalition forces for almost a decade.
Afghan airspace was declared “uncontrolled” and closed to civilian flights on August 16 following the Taliban takeover of Kabul. With the help of Qatar, the new rulers managed to reopen several airports in the country, including the international one in Kabul.
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Tajikistan Sees No Taliban Buildup On Afghan-Tajik Border – Security Source
Tajikistan does not note any buildup of the Taliban on the border with Afghanistan, the situation is stable, there are no provocations, a source in the republic’s security forces told Sputnik.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexey Zaitsev said that Moscow was recording reports of Tajikistan and Afghanistan pulling troops to the common border, in connection with which Russia called on Dushanbe and Kabul to seek mutually acceptable options for resolving the current situation.
“Tajikistan does not note the buildup of Taliban on the border with Afghanistan, where the situation remains unchanged, there are no armed provocations from the Afghan side,” the source said.
According to the source, if Taliban militants had pulled additional forces to the border, then all the security forces would have confined to barracks.
“From the moment the Taliban attacked and seized the perimeter of the border with Tajikistan, all security and law enforcement agencies of our country were put on high alert,” the source added.
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Taliban Open Military Training Site In Southern Afghanistan
The Taliban said that it had opened a military training facility in the southern Afghan province of Zabul.
“The military training center was opened in Zabul province.
400 fighters of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan took part in the first group,” the Taliban tweeted.
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able to have direct engagement, otherwise w