Page 13 - Afghanistan

Taliban announces state of emergency in Afghanistan over snow, rainfall

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has declared a state of emergency over heavy snow and rainfall lashing majority of the country

Covid-19: India supplies 500,000 more Covaxin doses to Afghanistan

Bharat Biotech on Monday informed that India has supplied another batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 5,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin to Afghanistan.Taking to Twitter, Bharat Biotech said, "Today, India supplied the next batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 5,00,000 doses of COVID vaccine (COVAXIN) to Afghanistan. The same was handed over to Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul."It also informed that another batch of additional 5,00,000 doses would be supplied in the coming weeks.The last batch of humanitarian assistance consisting of 5,00,000 doses of Covaxin was supplied to Afghanistan on January 1.India has committed to provide to Afghan people humanitarian assistance consisting of food grains, one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and essential life-saving drugs.Earlier last month, India delivered 1.6 tons of medical assistance to Afghanistan through the World Health Organization (WHO).The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this

Afghanistan reports 10,000 Covid-19 cases, 650 deaths in past 5 months

The Taliban informed that at least ten thousand COVID-19 cases and 650 deaths were reported in Afghanistan in the past five months.Acting Public Health Minister Dr Abdul Bari Omar on Saturday said that they had taken measures to check the spread of coronavirus and 8000 to 12000 people were administered vaccine on a daily basis, reported Pajhwok Afghan News.The public health minister shared the information at a time when health services have been disrupted in recent months across the country, creating problems for people.According to the ministry, the health sector was 90 per cent dependent on foreign aid, which has been suspended, reported Pajhwok Afghan News.Omar acknowledged the lack of resources to establish COVID-19 treatment hospitals across the country but said efforts were underway to control the situation with foreign assistance.He also said that the Taliban had discussed with UNICEF the establishment of 10 oxygen-producing plants in order to avoid its shortage.He urged the ...

Afghanistan: Many factories in Kandahar go dark due to power shortage

Amid the power crisis, various factories have been closed down in Afghanistan's Kandahar province due to lack of electricity, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August, many electricity supply projects have been halted for the past four months.Officials at Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said that the main reason for halting these projects is the suspension of funds from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the United States development aid to Afghanistan, Tolo News has reported.Turkmenistan's 500 KV electricity transmission to Afghanistan is one of these projects, which was transferring electricity from the border of Turkmenistan to Sheberghan's Aqina port and then to the Alvazun plain of Kunduz and finally to the Arghandi district of Kabul. Only 10 per cent of the work needs to be finished."90 per cent of the 500 KV line project is completed and only 10 per cent of its work remains. If the ADB allows it, we can complete .

Iran refuses to recognise Taliban govt in Afghanistan until it is inclusive

Iran on Sunday said that Tehran will not recognize the current Taliban government (Islamic Emirate) unless it's inclusive.The Iranian Ambassador Bahadur Aminian made the remarks in a special interview with Tolo News in Kabul.Aminian said that Tehran might persuade other countries to recognize the Afghan government if the Islamic Emirate brings reforms to its governance structure."If a group comes (to power) and the group is (comprised) of a single ethnic group and all other ethnic groups are not included in the government, we don't accept it, and, therefore, we benevolently call on the Taliban rulers to form an inclusive government," he said.Further, he said that the current economic crisis will pave the way for extremism, particularly for Islamic State - Khorasan (IS-K), reported Tolo News."If the economic problems remain, it will cause more migration. If the economic problems remain, they will cause extremism, which will not only threaten Afghanistan but also the region," he ...

Outsourcing to contractors made Afghanistan war a business: Report

The money from the US government for the Afghan war ensured billions of dollars for military contractors which provided the impetus to the US defeat in Afghanistan as the conflict became a business.A monopoly of smaller companies also made billions of dollars with efforts including training Afghan police officers, building roads, setting up schools and providing security to Western diplomats, according to Wall Street Journal (WSJ).The WSJ said the military outsourcing meant the US Department of Defense spent USD14 trillion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that began after September 11, 2001.Meanwhile, the large amounts of money being spent on the war effort and on rebuilding Afghanistan after years of conflict strained the US government's ability to vet contractors and ensure the money was spent as intended, according to WSJ.The report also quoted some US military officials who said that outsourcing to contractors was essential for operations.When fighting a war with an ...

Afghanistan recorded highest number of child casualties since 2005: UNICEF

Afghanistan has the highest number of verified child casualties since 2005, said the United Nations Children's Fund

Hundreds of Afghans denied humanitarian entry into US: Report

Federal immigration officials have issued denial letters to hundreds of Afghans seeking temporary entry into the country

'I have been made a scapegoat': Ex-Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani

Ghani says he is willing to take the blame for some things which led to the fall of Kabul - like trusting "in our international partnership"

Taliban-led ministry orders forces to respect Afghan 'public's privacy'

In a surprising decree, the Taliban led Ministry of Vice and Virtue has ordered their forces against invading "people's privacy" and asked them not to take the phones of people and go through them.A spokesperson for the vice and virtue ministry warned that the Islamic Emirate would punish those security forces who violated the decree, TOLOnews reported."Acting Minister of Vice and Virtue Shiek Mohmmad Khalid has said at different events that the Islamic Emirate forces are not allowed to take the phones of people and go through them," said ministry spokesperson Mohammad Sadeq Akif.This comes a few days after the outfit had ordered that some taxi drivers in Kabul not carry male and female passengers at the same time."Last week, they told us that men and women should not be in a vehicle at the same time," said Abdullah Jan, a driver.Despite such decrees and actions, the Taliban continue to say that it is committed to women's rights based on Islamic Regulations.Since the Taliban took over

Danish Siddiqui posthumously gets Mumbai Press Club's RedInk Award

Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who died during an assignment in Afghanistan, has been posthumously awarded as the Journalist of the Year' for 2020 by the Mumbai Press Club

Afghanistan lacks equipment to detect Omicron variant of Covid-19

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan said that the country does not have equipment to detect Omicron, adding that it has asked the WHO to provide testing machines

Threat of narco-terrorism rise after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

India has been facing the menace of narco-terrorism since several years now. This nexus between narcotics and terrorism has serious repercussions for India's security

'Extremist elements in Afghanistan pose threat to Pakistan': Pak minister

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that 'extremism in Afghanistan is a threat to Pakistan"."Women are not allowed to travel alone in Afghanistan, and they cannot go to school as well," Chaudhry said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a photo exhibition on the life of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Pak-China centre, reported Geo News.Pakistan is blamed globally for supporting terrorism and helping the Taliban. The federal minister's crocodile tears came a day after the Afghan Taliban said that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered transport unless they are accompanied by a close male relative.The guidance, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to those women wearing hijabs, reported Geo News.The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the ministry asked Afghanistan's television channels ..

Hundreds of Afghans stranded at Iran border closed due to Omicron outbreak

Hundreds of Afghan nationals trying to enter Iran have become stranded after Tehran closed its borders due to the outbreak of Omicron variant

Iran interested to mediate talks between different groups in Afghanistan

Iran on Monday showed its interest to mediate talks between different groups in Afghanistan for stability and peace in the war-torn country.Iranian President's special representative to Afghanistan Hassan Kazzemi Qomi said that Tehran has good relations with all factions in Afghanistan and can mediate talks between them, reported Khaama Press.Qomi met with Afghan leader in exile Muhammad Muhaqiq and acknowledged that Iran is ready to mediate talks to help Afghanistan reach stability and establish an inclusive government, FARS news agency reported.The special representative said that his country stands for peace and stability in Afghanistan and emphasized that the country's issue be resolved through negotiations among all ethnic groups.He added that peace and stability are in the favour of the whole world and the region, reported Khaama Press.The anti-Taliban resistance force in Panjshir province led by Ahmad Masoud was the only group with whom the Taliban wanted negotiations that did .

Russia supplies weapons to Tajikistan amid concern over Afghanistan

Russia has supplied weapons and equipment to Tajikistan recently to strengthen its defence capability, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Pakistan set to unveil its first-ever National Security Policy today

Pakistan is set to announce its first-ever National Security Policy on Monday, which would cover all internal and external security aspects, including the situation in Afghanistan

Kabul residents less interested in receiving Covid doses: Vaccination teams

Kabul residents are less interested in Covid-19 vaccination, according to mobile teams

US shouldn't interfere in Afghanistan affairs: Taliban government

A top official of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan said that the the US should not interfere in the affairs of the war-torn nation, adding that it is capable of taking decisions independently