Karzai Asks For Immediate Resumption of Intra-Afghan Dialogues

Aug 19, 2023, 11:35 GMT+1

In a statement on August 19, the Independence Day of Afghanistan, former president Hami Karzai, once again asked the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for girls.

Karzai said that with the reopening of the schools Afghanistan "will gain independence”.

The former Afghan president also said that the intra-Afghan negotiations for achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan need to be immediately resumed.

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Terror Group Activities in Afghanistan A Challenge For Region, Says Iranian MP

Aug 19, 2023, 10:17 GMT+1

Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, said that the activity of terrorists in Afghanistan is a challenge for the region.

Jahanabadi stressed that due to the activity of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iran is witnessing instability on the joint borders with Afghanistan.

In an interview with the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency, he said that the formation of an inclusive government with the presence of all political groups and ethnicities is one of the solutions that can lead to the stability of Afghanistan.

The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament accused the United States of preventing the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan so that the country continues to face crisis.

Jahanabadi expressed his hope that the Taliban will form an inclusive government soon.

Taliban have always asked countries not to interfere in their internal affairs by declaring that their government is inclusive.

Will Use Force If Taliban Does Not Act On Commitments, Warns Former Pak Defence Minister

Aug 19, 2023, 09:11 GMT+1

Former Defence Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Mohammad Asif said that Islamabad will resort to force to defend its territory if there is evidence that the attacks against the country are being coordinated in Afghanistan.

In an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International, Asif emphasised that Pakistan would use force if the Taliban does not fulfil its commitments.

The former defence minister of Pakistan had previously accused the Afghan Taliban of not fulfilling their commitments based on the Doha Agreement and allowing the use of Afghan soil against other countries.

Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Afghanistan International on Friday that after his recent trip to Kabul on February 22 and despite requests from the Afghan Taliban, the attacks of the Tareek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have increased across Pakistan.

He added that most of these attacks had been carried out from inside the territory of Afghanistan and the Taliban must accept the responsibility and fulfil their commitments. He warned that otherwise, Pakistan will have the right to defend its territory.

Asif also mentioned the recent fatwa attributed to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in which the Taliban leader has called the war in Pakistan forbidden and said that this fatwa could be "influential".

A member of the Taliban's Supreme Court and head of the group's Dar al-Ifta issued a fatwa on Thursday against the war in Pakistan, saying that the Taliban had pledged in the Doha Agreement not to wage "jihad" abroad. He implied that the leader of the Taliban, too, considered the war in Pakistan illegitimate.

Asif related the reason for the effectiveness of this fatwa to the "several decades of relations" between both the groups and their "joint leadership in the past" and said that "Afghan and Pakistani Taliban have fought many joint wars over several decades”.

Iran Dispatches Doctors To Imam Khomeini Hospital in Bamiyan

Aug 18, 2023, 15:42 GMT+1

Hassan Mortazavi, Iran’s deputy ambassador in Kabul, visited Bamiyan city and announced that Iranian doctors will be dispatched to the “120-bed Imam Khomeini" hospital in the province.

Mortazavi held talks with Abdullah Sarhadi, the Taliban governor, in Bamiyan province.

According to the statement of the Taliban governor's office in Bamiyan, during the meeting on Thursday, Mortazavi emphasised that the Islamic Republic will send doctors and specialists to the Iranian-built hospital in Bamiyan. He said that this hospital will provide services not only to the citizens of Bamiyan, but also to the patients of the other provinces of Afghanistan.

The Iranian deputy ambassador discussed dispatching doctors to Afghanistan even though earlier, Mehr news agency had quoted a member of the Islamic Republic of Iran Medical Council (IRIMC) as saying that the medical sector in Iran may be forced to hire dentists from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

196 Terrorists Killed & Arrested In 8 Months In Iran, Says Islamic Republic Intel Agency

Aug 18, 2023, 13:30 GMT+1

The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic announced that 196 "Takfiri terrorists" had been killed or arrested between October 2022 and July 2023.

According to the Iranian intelligence ministry, these arrests took place in the period between the two terrorist attacks on the Shah Cheragh shrine.

The ministry added that during this period, "terrorists " made several attempts to attack religious places in Iran.

On October 26, 2022, terrorists attacked Shah Cheragh shrine due to which 13 people died and another 25 were left wounded. ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Islamic Republic arrested 26 people who, according to the authorities, were citizens of "Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan” in connection with last year’s attack.

Earlier, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic also executed two Afghan citizens who had been accused of organising the attack on Shah Cheragh.

Eight months after the first attack on Shah Cheragh, another attack targeted the shrine in which at least two people were killed and seven people were injured.

Iranian authorities have said that about twenty people, including the main perpetrator of the shooting, have been arrested.

Earlier, Tasnim news agency reported that Rahmatullah Nowrozov, the shooter of the recent Shah Cheragh attack, was trained by ISIS in Afghanistan.

Afghan Healthcare Sector Crumbling, Says WHO As It Appeals For More Donors

Aug 18, 2023, 12:04 GMT+1

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a new statement has announced that Afghanistan’s health sector is facing significant barriers to delivering holistic services to the Afghan people.

It urged the international community to unite with WHO to help tackle the ongoing humanitarian health crisis in Afghanistan.

The new Alert issued by WHO on Friday underscores the crucial importance of ramping up investment in healthcare services provision in Afghanistan, particularly in the underserved areas where the healthcare infrastructure is severely under-resourced and remain vulnerable due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The global healthcare body added that the revised Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 reveals an alarming increase in the number of people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

As per the plan, at least 28.8 million people in Afghanistan require immediate assistance, up from 18.4 million prior to August 2021.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said, "The situation in Afghanistan is grave, and the lack of resources and funding to support health workers and facilities is putting countless lives at risk. Women and children are suffering the most. I call on donors to give generously so that we can continue our life-saving work”.

Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative to Afghanistan, also expressed concern about the underfunding of the health system and emphasised the need for immediate action, while also taking the opportunity to extend his appreciation to partners.

WHO added that without sufficient funding, eight million people in Afghanistan will lose access to essential and potentially lifesaving health assistance, and 450,000 patients will have little to no access to life-saving trauma care services, including blood transfusions and referrals.