Category: Afghanistan

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Security at risk due to TTP bases in Afghanistan: Pak Army

The Pakistani Army last week warned of taking an “effective response” after 12 of its soldiers were killed in two strikes…reports Asian Lite News

The top military brass of Pakistan has said that the sanctuaries of Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in Afghanistan are majorly impacting the security of the country, Geo News reported.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a statement on Monday following the 258th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) presided over by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. “The sanctuaries and liberty of action available to the terrorists of proscribed TTP and other groups of that ilk in a neighbouring country and availability of latest weapons to the terrorists were noted as major reasons impacting the security of Pakistan,” Geo News reported, citing the statement issued by the ISPR.

The Pakistani Army last week warned of taking an “effective response” after 12 of its soldiers were killed in two strikes, expressing its grave concern that militants had found safe havens in the neighbouring country.

The ISPR said in the statement that it is expected, in the true sense and in accordance with agreements made in the Doha agreement, that the interim Afghan government would not permit the use of its soil to perpetrate terror against any country, Geo News reported.

“The involvement of Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan is another important concern that needs to be addressed,” the statement said.

Following the restoration of the Afghan Taliban to power in August 2021, Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorist assaults and has urged interim leaders to take serious action against terrorists, particularly the TTP responsible for cross-border attacks.

The Afghan Diaspora recently reported that the Pakistani government and military do not seem to have a way out from facing persistent attacks from the banned TTP.

The demands of TTP have varied over time, and the group has been using violence as a means to make Pakistan accept them. One of its significant demands of withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is a sore point with the Pakistani Army. (ANI)

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Terror accusations leave Pak-Afghan ties in fix

The surge in terror incidents, targeted attacks, suicide blasts and killings in Pakistan has kept the military establishment and the government on its toes…reports Hamza Ameer

Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are soon approaching the crossroads as Islamabad’s accusations of cross-border terrorism and the presence of TTP militants in the war-torn nation are being responded aggressively by the Taliban regime in Kabul.

After Afghanistan rejected Pakistan’s claim that TTP militants are present inside Afghanistan, top Pakistani military commanders have rejected the Taliban’s claims that the banned TTP outfit was not operating from their soil.

The Taliban says that the TTP not only had sanctuaries across the border but also access to latest weapons.  

The surge in terror incidents, targeted attacks, suicide blasts and killings in Pakistan has kept the military establishment and the government on its toes. 

TTP militants have been carrying out a series of attacks while other terror factions have also joined hands with the group.  

Pakistan claims that TTP militants and groups operating in the country have a support facilitation base in Afghanistan, criticising the Taliban regime for lack of action against the group and its operatives on its soil.  

The Taliban flags are seen on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 16, 2021. Picture taken on September 16, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY – RC22RP9E34DW

While the government has expressed its serious concerns over Kabul’s inaction against TTP, the Taliban regime has been hitting back at Islamabad reminding about the Doha Agreement, which was inked between the group and the US, assuring that the Afghan soil will not be allowed to be used against anyone. 

In a recent statement by the Taliban, it was maintained and reminded to Pakistan that the Doha Agreement was not inked with Pakistan but was done with the US. 

The Taliban has also claimed that the TTP operates in Pakistan, so it remains a problem for Islamabad to handle and had no relation to Afghanistan. 

On the other hand, Pakistan has categorically rejected Taliban’s position on the matter as top military brass and the political leadership has given hard-hitting statements criticizing the regime for being in denial. 

A strong statement was issued through a high-level Corps Commanders meeting, held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. 

Headed by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir; the meeting rejected the Taliban claim that TTP was not operating from their soil. 

The meeting stated that terrorist outfit not only had sanctuaries across the border but access to latest weapons as well. 

“The sanctuaries and liberty of action available to the terrorists of proscribed TTP and other groups of that ilk in a neighboring country and availability of latest weapons to the terrorists were noted as major reasons impacting security of Pakistan,” said a statement issued by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). 

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WFP delivers China’s aid to 70,000 food-insecure Afghans

Millions of families have almost no way to cope with another harsh winter. WFP is one of the last remaining barriers between Afghanistan and famine. WFP is working to preposition food in rugged and remote areas before the winter sets in and urgently needs US$ 172 million to do so. • Afghanistan is facing the most serious famine risk of the last two decades, with nearly 19 million people acutely hungry, of which 6 million are now teetering on the edge of famine (IPC4). These are unprecedented levels of hunger. Earlier this year we saw catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC5) in inaccessible areas of Ghor province, showing the urgent need to provide sustained humanitarian assistance year-round. • Having struggled through a year of unprecedented economic hardship and environmental disasters like earthquakes and flooding, vulnerable families are less prepared than ever to weather another harsh winter. Homes and fields have been destroyed, jobs and incomes vanished, people fell into debt and food prices on local markets skyrocketed; what little money families have buys less and less food. • WFP urgently requires US$ 172 million (of which USD 100 million are resourced) buy and move 150,000 mt of food – six times as much as last winter - to strategic locations across the country. This will allow WFP to support 2.2 million people for five months and help avert famine in remote areas like Ghor when hunger bites the hardest. If we fail to secure funding and preposition food before winter starts in October, people will fall into catastrophic levels of hunger.

The food aid, including wheat flour, yellow split peas, vegetable oil and salt, is expected to support 70,000 impoverished Afghan residents for two months in the war-ridden country…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan said on Monday that it has started distributing to locals a batch of food aid from China.

According to the WFP, the food aid, including wheat flour, yellow split peas, vegetable oil and salt, is expected to support 70,000 impoverished Afghan residents for two months in the war-ridden country.

WFP Afghanistan is facing a funding crisis this year, and China’s aid is “very timely,” said Liu Xuerong, head of the programme of WFP Afghanistan, adding that the office welcomes any form of contributions, either in kind or in cash, and is willing to develop cooperation with Chinese authorities in more fields, including training agricultural talents.

“China will continue to cooperate with the WFP to provide food assistance to the people of Afghanistan through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund,” said Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu.

According to WFP Afghanistan’s Situation Report in June, 15.3 million people in Afghanistan are projected to be acutely food-insecure between May and October 2023.

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Drought gives rise to dust storms in Afghanistan, analysts blame Taliban

Recent dust storms in the nation are a result of global warming and droughts in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News

Severe drought has given rise to massive dust storms in Afghanistan and analysts believed that it is the de-facto authorities of the country that are to be blamed as they are unable to take serious actions to prevent any of it, TOLOnews reported.

“1.5 per cent of the country is forest, we cannot reduce the air pollution. Also, the government has also been unable to take serious actions to prevent air pollution,” said Sayed Mohammad Sulaimankhail, an environmental issue analyst. “…There were 32 projects in Afghanistan with practical implementation but they were suspended by the Global Environment Facility due to political issues,” the analyst added.

According to the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), recent dust storms in the nation are a result of global warming and droughts in Afghanistan.

NEPA claimed that in order to combat the effects of such natural events in Afghanistan, it needs assistance from international organisations, as the country is under a severe humanitarian.

“The dust and foggy weather is due to external issues such as back-to-back droughts,” said Rohullah Ameen, head of the climate change section of the NEPA, according to TOLOnews.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the situation of people, especially women in Afghanistan has only deteriorated as the country is under a massive humanitarian crisis.

In a recent report titled ‘Afghanistan’s Dire Humanitarian Situation’, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) recommended the continuation of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.

The recently released report underlined that since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the country’s economy has only crumbled.

“Since the Taliban took control of the country, the Afghan economy and financial system have largely collapsed, and the international community has decided unanimously not to recognize the Taliban. Donors also have difficulty providing for the population’s needs in these dire circumstances,” Khaama Press cited the USIP report as stating.

With time, the situation of people in Afghanistan has become miserable. People continue to face food shortages, and the basic amenities to live have become a far cry for all. Moreover, the situation of women in the country has only got worse. (ANI)

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‘Over 2.5 million Afghan immigrants reside in Pakistan’

Takhari said that they are trying to address the challenges of Afghan immigrants in Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News

Consul General of Afghanistan in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari said that more than 2.5 million Afghan immigrants are living in Pakistan, out of which 300,000 lack legal documents, reported Tolo News.

Takhari further said that they are trying to address the challenges of Afghan immigrants in Pakistan. “The total number of immigrants who have legal documents with them in Pakistan is 2,106,658,” Takhari said, according to Tolo News.

Meanwhile, Aamir Khan, Deputy Permanent Representative at Pakistan Mission to the United Nations said that his country cannot host Afghan refugees from now on.

“The humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan necessitates swift international assistance to prevent the prospect of a fresh influx of millions of desperate Afghans seeking refuge from hunger and starvation. Pakistan already burdened cannot shoulder any new influx of refugees; they will have to be hosted by other members of the international community,” Khan added.

Earlier in June, Khaama Press reported that Afghan refugees in Pakistan were facing numerous challenges, including arbitrary detentions, harassment, and imprisonment by Pakistani police due to failing to provide valid residential permits and visas.

However, in order to stop these flows, experts on migrant rights said that the current Afghan government should provide its people with a stable way of life, reported Tolo News.

A Women’s Rights Activist Asefa Stanikzi said, “The Islamic Emirate should provide the basis for a stable life in order to prevent these migrations.”

In a recent report titled ‘Afghanistan’s Dire Humanitarian Situation’, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) recommended the continuation of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the situation of people, especially women in Afghanistan has only deteriorated as the country is under a massive humanitarian crisis.

According to figures provided previously by the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), there are about three million Afghans living in Pakistan, three million in Iran, and one million in other nations. (ANI)

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Fodder shortage plagues livestock farmers in drought-hit Bamyan

Livestock farmers claimed that in the past, their livelihoods were supported by raising livestock, but that this is no longer possible for them….reports Asian Lite News

Livestock farmers said that due to drought in Bamyan province of Afghanistan, animal fodder has decreased which has made agriculture, especially feeding livestock, very challenging, TOLOnews reported.

Lamenting over the challenges faced by Livestock farmers on a daily basis in the province, they said that the lack of fodder is not the only problem but the occurrence of various animal diseases has also had a bad effect on livestock farming and has reduced their income, TOLOnews said. One of the Bamiyan livestock farmers is Mohammad Kazem. He claimed that while he once kept close to 60 sheep, he is now only able to feed10 sheep.

“The drought affected me so much that I was keeping fifty or sixty sheep at that time and that was easy for me. Now that I keep ten sheep, we are in trouble. Now our children are shepherding them. I give them water from the well,” Mohammad Kazem said, according to TOLOnews.

Livestock farmers claimed that in the past, their livelihoods were supported by raising livestock, but that this is no longer possible for them.

According to livestock farmer Mohammad Alim, “Drought and persistent pests have presented people with challenges, which has reduced the number of people’s livestock year by year.”

“Eighty per cent of the people have sold their livestock because of both disease and drought,” said Mohammad Baqir, another livestock farmer, as the situation remains grim in the province.

Given that the majority of Afghans live in great poverty, it is the humanitarian organisations that have navigated the way for Afghan families to get basic amenities and have provided essential relief and services to the people.

With time, the situation of people in Afghanistan has become miserable. People continue to face food shortages, and the basic amenities to live have become a far cry for all. Moreover, the situation of women in the country has only got worse. (ANI)

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Afghan police crack down on poppy cultivation in Badakhshan

In the eastern province of Ghazni, authorities destroyed 20 acres of poppies last week….reports Asian Lite News

Poppy has been eradicated from around 40,000 acres of land in the Badakhshan province in the last three months, Khaama Press reported citing Shafiqullah Hafizi, the director of the counter-narcotics police department in the province.

“The poppy eradication campaign started three months ago, and so far, we have destroyed 40,000 acres of poppy, and the process will continue until the poppy fields are completely demolished in the province,” Hafizi said. The official predicted further that the anti-poppy campaign would end soon.

Earlier, on Wednesday, a drug processing lab was destroyed by police in the Jawzjan province of northern Afghanistan, and the owner was taken into custody, Khaama Press reported.

In the eastern province of Ghazni, authorities destroyed 20 acres of poppies last week.

Saeed Iravani, the permanent representative of Iran to the UN, said earlier that the UNSC had expressed concern about the growth of drug production in Afghanistan.

The UN representative for Iran stated that although drug trafficking has decreased somewhat in Afghanistan, it is still a thriving industry, according to Khaama Press.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in a report earlier, said Afghanistan continued to account for the “majority (80 per cent) of global illicit opium production in 2022.”

In a separate report, UNODC said Afghanistan is home to an estimated 3.5 million drug users, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of the total population.

“Since the political change in August 2021, most drug treatment and rehabilitation centres in the country are struggling to remain operational due to resource limitation,” the report said.

“The ban on the cultivation of poppy and production of drugs and its trafficking can happen when there is international monitoring, and this process is being assisted by the international organizations and being practically put into effect,” said Wais Naseri, a political analyst.

While another political analyst, Hassan Haqyar said, “The cultivation and trafficking of drugs has been reduced based on the decree of the Islamic Emirate leader. To eliminate it fully, there is a need for the cooperation of the international community, but unfortunately, the international community has not helped Afghanistan in this regard as it should.”

Farmers in the country’s south said that the Taliban authorities had destroyed their harvests of poppy. They have time and again called on the government to help them by providing alternative crop cultivation. (ANI)

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China increases investment in Afghanistan

The company is a joint venture between China’s Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co. (CAPEIC) and Afghanistan’s Watan Group….reports Asian Lite News

In recent months, Chinese companies have shown interest in investing in Afghanistan under the Belt and Road Initiative but face challenges due to terrorism and instability, Voice of America (VOA) reported.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs position paper on Afghanistan stated that China would “do its best” to support Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development. The USD 62 billion CPEC connectivity project is a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative is a series of infrastructure projects and investments that span the globe with the aim of connecting China to foreign trade, VOA reported.

Last week, in a meeting with Taliban officials in Kabul, officials of Fan China Afghan Mining Processing and Trading Co. announced an investment of USD 350 million in various sectors ranging from construction to health to energy in Afghanistan, according to the Bakhtar News Agency, Afghanistan’s state news agency.

The company is a joint venture between China’s Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co. (CAPEIC) and Afghanistan’s Watan Group.

In January, the Taliban signed a contract with CAPEIC to extract oil in the north of the country by investing USD 150 million annually, VOA reported.

China has also shown interest in the development and operation of mines in Afghanistan. A Chinese company, Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), signed a contract with the then-Afghan government in 2008 to extract copper from Mes Aynak in Logar province. But that work has not started yet.

Last month, the Taliban’s mining and petroleum minister, Shahabuddin Delawar, urged MCC to begin “practical” work on the development and operation of the mine.

The Taliban may have achieved a diplomatic win in an agreement to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, analysts said, but the implementation of the project still faces challenges, VOA reported.

“The three sides reaffirmed their resolve to fully harness Afghanistan’s potential as a hub for regional connectivity,” said a joint statement released in May following a meeting of officials representing the three countries in Islamabad.

The countries restated their commitment “to further the trilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and to jointly extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.”

Since the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, China has been vocal in criticizing the US for freezing Afghanistan’s assets.

“[B]y seizing Afghanistan’s overseas assets and imposing unilateral sanctions, the U.S., which created the Afghan issue in the first place, is the biggest external factor that hinders substantive improvement in the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in April, VOA reported.

Investment in the Taliban also brings multiple security concerns with it. A UN report, published last month, said the Taliban still has ties with al-Qaida and other groups, including the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party.

China considers ETIM, which was founded in Pakistan by a Uyghur religious figure, Hasan Mahsum, in 1997, as a threat to its security. However, the US removed the ETIM from its terror list in 2020.

Hamidullah Farooqi, a former Afghan minister of transport and civil aviation, told VOA that the Taliban tried to reassure China and Pakistan that “they can address their security concerns, and no terrorist groups will be allowed to use Afghan soil.”

“I do not think that Chinese and Pakistani officials are convinced,” said Farooqi, adding that the Taliban have to act on their counterterrorism commitment, VOA reported.

Farooqi said that the extension of CPEC to Afghanistan was “considered years before the Taliban’s takeover,” but, because of security concerns, it was not implemented.

He said that because of a “lack of security in the country and the activities of TTP [Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan] and other terrorist organizations in the region, the project was not implemented.” (ANI)

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Donors, NGOs face immense challenge in meeting needs of Afghans

Taliban members inspect the site of a roadside bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Jan. 16, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua/IANS)

The United Nations estimates that there are close to 29 million people in the nation that require immediate humanitarian assistance due to a lack of financing….reports Asian Lite News

In a recent report titled ‘Afghanistan’s Dire Humanitarian Situation’, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) recommended the continuation of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.

The report released on Thursday underlined that since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the country’s economy has only crumbled. “Since the Taliban took control of the country, the Afghan economy and financial system have largely collapsed, and the international community has decided unanimously not to recognize the Taliban. Donors also have difficulty providing for the population’s needs in these dire circumstances,” Khaama Press cited the USIP report as stating.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the situation of people, especially women in Afghanistan has only deteriorated as the country is under a massive humanitarian crisis.

The report, highlighting the present situation in Afghanistan, added, “Donors and NGOs now face the immense challenge of meeting the needs of the Afghan people under these dire conditions.”

Given that the majority of Afghans live in great poverty, these organisations have had to navigate cautious involvement with an unrecognised state while continuing to provide essential relief and services to the people of the country.

The United Nations estimates that there are close to 29 million people in the nation that require immediate humanitarian assistance due to a lack of financing.

The USIP report also showcased that the humanitarian situation has been worse ever since the Taliban increased its restrictions on Afghan women working for NGOs.

The terrible humanitarian crisis facing the nation was addressed in a clear and efficient manner, according to the report.

With time, the situation of people in Afghanistan has become miserable. People continue to face food shortages, and the basic amenities to live have become a far cry for all. Moreover, the situation of women in the country has only got worse.

Women in the country are prohibited from leadership posts, and not allowed to work as well as travel unless accompanied by a male companion. There is still no word on when or if these schools will reopen or if the ban is indefinite. (ANI)

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TTP’s safe haven in Afghanistan worries Pak military

The ISPR has voiced “serious concerns on the safe havens and liberty of action available to TTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] in Afghan­istan.”

The Pakistan military has deplored the convenience and freedom with which militants have been launching attacks in Pakistan from Afghanistan and has said it expects the Taliban to take action. It has also highlighted the involvement of Afghan nationals in “acts of terrorism” in Pakistan, Dawn reported.

The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement on Friday said, “Armed Forces of Pakistan have serious concerns on the safe havens and liberty of action available to TTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] in Afghan­istan.”

The statement comes two days after 12 soldiers lost their lives in militant attacks in Zhob and Sui districts of Balochistan.

“It is expected that Taliban would not allow the use of its soil to perpetrate terror against any country, in the real sense and in line with commitments made in Doha Agreement,” the ISPR said referring to the US-Taliban deal signed in the Qatari capital in 2020 to bring an end to the 2001-2021 war in Afghanistan.

The peace agreement ultimately led to the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The ISPR’s statement came after Pakistan Chief of the Army Staff, General Asim Munir, on Friday visited Quetta Garrison where he was briefed on the attack on a military installation in Zhob cantonment, as per Dawn.

General Asim Munir Chief of Army Staff Pakistan

Nine soldiers were killed on Wednesday at the base which the militants stormed into armed with guns, hand grenades and rockets. The army said all five militants who stormed the base in the early hours were killed in retaliatory fire.

On the same day, militants also attacked security forces in Sui. Three soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire, whereas two militants were killed.

The combined deaths of 12 soldiers from attacks is the military’s highest single-day death toll from militant attacks reported this year.

The army chief also visited the soldiers injured in the attack at the Combined Military Hospital and appreciated their services and resolve. He also paid tribute to those killed, the military said. (ANI)

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