11 killed, 17 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week, the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) called for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan. At the same time, Iran set a deadline for the expulsion of four million undocumented Afghan refugees.

Meanwhile, Moscow warned that the presence of “terrorist groups” in Afghanistan posed a threat to Central Asia. The Islamic Emirate of Afghansitan (IEA) rejected this claim, saying there was no reason for concern and assuring that no threats originated from Afghan soil.

Key developments from last week:

OTS calls for inclusive government in Afghanistan
IEA says Afghans can manage internal affairs
Moscow warns of militant threat from Afghanistan
Fetrat rejects claims of threats from Afghansitan
Iran sets deadline for undocumented Afghan refugees
Hanafi urges neighbours to follow international norms while dealing with refugees

Casualties:

Last week, 11 people were killed and 17 others wounded in various incidents of violence across Afghanistan.

Local officials say seven people, including women, lost their lives and 17 others were injured due to domestic conflicts in Kohband district of Kapisa, Baharak district of Takhar, and Zazi-Maidan and Tanai districts of Khost.

Last week, Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said security forces in Paktia arrested a man suspected of mysteriously killing someone following a verbal dispute.

Meanwhile, Nangarhar security officials said that in Jalalabad city, a young man first killed his parents and then committed suicide.

In Baghlan, unidentified armed men shot dead a man.

In the previous week, four people had been killed and seven others wounded in Afghanistan.

Before the regime change in 2021, hundreds of civilians, insurgents and security personnel would get killed and maimed in clashes and bomb blasts every week.

Last week, in a joint statement, the heads of state of the Turkic States Organization asked the interim Afghan government to form an inclusive government and urged the international community’s continued engagement for a peaceful Afghanistan.

The organization also emphasized cooperation with the United States in eliminating terrorism in Afghanistan and called the TAPI, Afghan Trans-railway, CASA-1000, and Silk Road projects important for Afghanistan’s economic stability.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the IEA, said that Afghanistan also desired cordial relations with these countries and needed their cooperation in various fields.

He assured that Afghanistan’s soil would not be used against anyone and that Afghans themselves would address their domestic issues; taking into consideration the demands of the Afghans.

“Other countries should pay attention to their obligations towards Afghanistan, they should support Afghanistan in various fields.”

IEA response to Russian defence minister

Last week, Russia’s Defense Minister Andrey Belousov stated at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) defense ministers that there are 20 “terrorist groups” in Afghanistan, with with over 15,000 fighters, posing a serious threat to Central Asian countries.

However, Hamdullah Fetrat, IEA deputy spokesman, rejected these concerns as baseless fears created to portray Afghanistan as a source of danger.

He said, “There is no independent armed group in Afghanistan, and Afghanistan poses no threat to anyone. The idea of twenty groups operating in Afghanistan was created during the American occupation for intelligence purposes.”

Iran sets June 5 deadline for 4m illegal Afghans to leave

The Head of Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs says more than four million Afghan refugees in Iran are considered illegal after the invalidation of census forms and they have until June 5 to leave the country.

BAFIA Director Naderyar Ahmadi said many Afghans had entered the country without identity documents and most of them constituted refugees and currently the number of Afghan citizens reaches 6.1 million in Iran.

The deputy prime minister for administrative affairs Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi further emphasized that neighboring countries should treat Afghan refugees based on good neighborly relations and international migration principles.

He said the IEA has initiated efforts in neighboring countries to improve the situation of Afghan refugees.

Assistance

Last week, the Russian Federation donated 1,280 metric tons of fortified flour to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support vulnerable families in Afghanistan.

India provided 11,000 doses of influenza and meningitis vaccines in aid to Afghanistan. The aid included 5,500 doses of influenza and 5,500 doses of meningitis vaccines, with a total weight of 442.20 kilograms and a net weight of 291 kilograms.

This comes as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that 22.9 million people, including 12 million children, will need humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan in 2025.

sa/ma