Category: Afghanistan

The Taliban once again denounced the US attack on Kabul as a violation of Afghan airspace and against international norms…reports Asian Lite News

The caretaker Taliban administration in Afghanistan has said that the group was uninformed of Ayman al-Zawahiris “arrival and stay” in Kabul, although it is uncertain whether the Taliban have explicitly acknowledged or denied the American assertion that the al-Qaeda chief has been killed, media reports said.

In a statement released on Thursday, senior Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group has instructed its intelligence agencies to conduct thorough and comprehensive probe into the various aspects of this case, Khaama Press reported.

According to the Taliban spokesman, no country, including the United States, is under threat from Afghanistan.

He said the Taliban intend to put the Doha Agreement into effect and that its violations has to stop.

The Taliban once again denounced the US attack on Kabul as a violation of Afghan airspace and against international norms and warned that the US will be held responsible for the consequences of such attacks, if repeated.

On the other hand, several top American officials, including Zalmay Khalilzad, claimed that some Taliban leaders were aware of Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul.

The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, in the eyes of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has strengthened global security.

By “hosting and sheltering” the al-Qaeda chief in Kabul, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan violated its commitments to the international community, according to Blinken.

According to Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden, they are in contact with the Taliban to find out whether the Taliban sheltered al-Zawahiri, Khaama Press reported.

The Taliban have officially pledged to renounce ties with terrorist organisations and prohibit the use of Afghan soil against other countries in the pact it signed with the United States in Doha in February 2020.

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While thanking the international community for sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, the DBA said that the cash aid would be spent transparently…reports Asian Lite News

Afghanistan received a fresh batch of $40 million cash in humanitarian aid and deposited at one of the country’s commercial banks, the central bank said in a statement on Monday.

“As part of a series of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, $40 million in cash arrived in Kabul yesterday (July 31) and was transferred to the Afghanistan International Bank,” Da Afghanistan Bank (DBA) said.

While thanking the international community for sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, the DBA said that the cash aid would be spent transparently.

The last tranche of cash provided to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid was $40 million, which helped the war-torn country increase foreign exchange reserves to prevent a possible economic collapse

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“$172 million is urgently needed to provide 150,000 metric tons of foodstuffs before winter in remote areas, in the areas where roads are being blocked by the first snow of the year,” said official…reports Asian Lite News

The World Food Organization (WFP) in Afghanistan said it is facing a shortage of funds to continue humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.

WFP’s spokesman in Afghanistan, Waheedullah Amani said that the Organization needs more than $900 million for the next six months of operations, reports TOLO News.

He said that Organization has helped nearly 19 million Afghans since the start of 2022 and the aid includes foodstuffs and cash.

“$172 million is urgently needed to provide 150,000 metric tons of foodstuffs before winter in remote areas, in the areas where roads are being blocked by the first snow of the year,” Amani said.

Meanwhile, residents of the capital city of Kabul complained about the lack of transparency in aid organizations.

“They took my name and ID card in every round of aid, but the community leader provided it to his relatives. I haven’t received even one grain of rice,” said Sikandar, a resident of Kabul.

“The poor people are destroyed. There is no aid to reach the poor,” said Ahmashah, a resident of Kabul.

Some economists believe that the aid has not had a positive impact on the life of the citizens.

“Lacking a better assessment of the situation and the recognition of truly needy people, as well as lacking monitoring for transparency, and the high administrative and logistics expenses of the aid organizations, means that the aid will not be effective,” said Shakir Yaqobi, an economist.

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97 per cent of the Afghan population faces the prospect of living in poverty and falling below the poverty line…reports Asian Lite News

Some 24.4 million people in Afghanistan, including 13 million children, are in immediate need of humanitarian aid, a study by the UK-based Save the Children NGO revealed.

In the study released on Wednesday, 18.9 million people, including 9.2 million children in Afghanistan, are anticipated to experience an emergency or critical food insecurity between June and November 2022, reports Khaama Press.

Save the Children’s study cited the UN Development Program stating that 97 per cent of the Afghan population faces the prospect of living in poverty and falling below the poverty line.

Acute malnutrition affects 1.1 million Afghan children under the age of five, according to the report.

Covid-19, measles, acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), and dengue fever are among the numerous disease emergencies Afghanistan is currently dealing with.

A significant contraction of the economy, rising poverty, and financial instability, as well as high unemployment and high food and agricultural input prices, have been caused by the rapid drop in international grant support, loss of access to offshore assets, and disruption of financial links, says Save the Children.

With the Taliban running the country, Afghanistan’s unstable economy is impacted by the group’s political isolation and economic sanctions, which exacerbated the country’s already-impoverished citizens’ poverty, unemployment, and hunger.

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Initial reports have suggested that there is no casuality in the explosion that took place at a Sikh hakim’s shop located near the gurudwara…reports Asian Lite News

Days after a terror attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul, an explosion near the gurudwara triggered panic in the area — predominantly inhabited by people of Sikh and Hindu communities.

Initial reports have suggested that there is no casuality in the explosion that took place at a Sikh hakim’s shop located near the gurudwara.

President of the Indian World Forum Puneet Singh Chandok condemned the attack and sought Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervention to ensure security and safety of Sikhs living in Afghanistan.

Earlier on June 18, three explosions ripped through the gurdwara, killing at least two civilians.

Despite claims by the Taliban-led government that it is working to ensure safety of the minorities, non-Muslim residents in the country have remained on the target of militants groups.

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