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UK admits mistakes over Afghan animal charity case

The FCDO admitted that internal communication mistakes caused some staff to believe that Johnson had intervened…reports Asian Lite News

The government has acknowledged mistakes and admitted regrets over the evacuation of animal charity workers from Afghanistan.

As Taliban forces approached Kabul last August, Nowzad charity chief Pen Farthing organized an evacuation of dogs from the Afghan capital after appealing directly to the UK government.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office was questioned afterward over the role that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had played in the reallocation of evacuation resources. The government denied that he had personally ordered the case to be prioritized.

However, the Foreign Affairs Committee claimed earlier this year that several senior officials believed that Johnson intervened in the case to secure the evacuation, and that there was no “plausible alternative explanation.”

The FAC’s report said that despite failing to meet the official criteria for evacuation, Nowzad charity employees were granted aircraft seats “at the last minute after a mysterious intervention from elsewhere in government.” However, Nowzad staff eventually ended up traveling to Pakistan.

The FCDO admitted that internal communication mistakes caused some staff to believe that Johnson had intervened.

A spokesperson said: “The government acknowledges again that the way the decision to call forward Nowzad staff for evacuation was made was exceptional. It agrees that, in this particular case, more care should have been taken within the FCDO in how the decision was communicated to staff.

“It acknowledges again that an error in the way the decision was communicated internally left some FCDO staff believing that the prime minister had made the decision.

“The FCDO agrees with the committee on the importance of accurate record keeping, even in a complex, fast-moving crisis such as this.”

ALSO READ-Flash flood kills 10 security personnel in Afghanistan

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-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

UN wants Afghan schools to open ‘in practice’

Alakbarov also said that the Afghan humanitarian crisis will never end unless steps are taken to create a sustainable situation in the country…reports Asian Lite News

Ramiz Alakbarov, officer-in-charge of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that he wants to see the promises of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate regime over schooling implemented “in practice”.

Speaking to TOLO News, Alakbarov said: “All the time I am hearing is while I am having this dialogue. What they (Taliban) are telling us is that in 12 provinces the schools are opened and other provinces will be reopened soon. There is some technicalities, there is no policy against it.

“I keep hearing that education for all is something that they are offering to stand for. I want to see this in practice because I want to see girls back to school.”

Alakbarov also said that the Afghan humanitarian crisis will never end unless steps are taken to create a sustainable situation in the country.

“Honestly, as I look at the situation in Afghanistan, this humanitarian crisis will never be over unless we start creating a more sustainable situation for people to go back to work, earn money and start addressing the problems,” he told TOLO News.

Schools for girls beyond class 6 have remained closed since the Taliban took control of the country last August.

Growing protests

A group of women activists under the name of ‘Kabul School of Critics’ staged a protest demanding the Taliban to reopen schools for women without further delay, local media reported.

The women protestors said that instead of addressing the status of the people who are in dire need of food, the Taliban is engaged in issuing warnings, killing people and taking revenge.

A member of KSC, Ramzia Saeedi said, “Afghan women and girls have been deprived of their basic rights in different periods,” adding that the closure of girls’ schools above the sixth grade and the exclusion of women from society show that their rights have been dealt with politically.

She stressed that the Taliban must not use the education of girls as a political abuse, an Afghanistani radio publication Salam Watandar reported.

“The continuation of this situation will put female students in a dark future and harm the development of society,” said another protestor Aaey Noor.

She asked the Taliban to provide a convincing reason to restrict women’s rights in the state, including education and said that it should reopen schools for girls immediately if it fails to give a valid reason.

In Herat city, a group of girl artists has started a campaign against the Taliban’s restrictions on women.

Demanding the Taliban government to ease the restriction on women, they said that they will not allow the voices of women and girls to be silenced.

These artists depict the capabilities and challenges of women and girls in their paintings.

A local media reported that an Afghan women social worker, Huda Khamosh, who is in exile in Norway said that the Taliban remain an illegitimate ruler.

“The statements of loyalty to the Taliban are not acceptable at any gathering without the presence of women. Despite thousands of Ulema announcing their support for their hardline government, the Taliban remain an illegitimate ruler,” she said.

“After a three-day meeting, the Ulema pledged allegiance to the Taliban and its prominent leader. The meeting failed to address thorny issues such as the right of teenage girls to attend school,” she added.

This comes after the Taliban debarred women from attending the first-ever ‘Loya Jirga’ or grand assembly of religious scholars and elders. (IANS/ANI)

ALSO READ-UAE field hospital begins ops to help quake-hit Afghanistan

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-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Afghan earthquake kills at least 280 people

The quake has damaged dozens of houses in the region and also caused land sliding in Paktika, local sources said…reports Asian Lite News

At least 280 people were killed and 595 injured after an earthquake struck Afghansitan’s Paktika province early on Wednesday, the state-run media reported.

Some 255 people lost their lives in Barmal, Ziruk, Naka and Gayan districts of Paktika province, the most-hit eastern province, state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported, citing the latest local sources.

Helicopters and rescue teams have arrived in the affected areas. In neighbouring Khost province, at least 25 people were killed and 95 others wounded, the report said.

The quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, jolted 44 km southwest of Khost, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake has damaged dozens of houses in the region and also caused land sliding in Paktika, local sources said.

Local officials say the death toll could rise if the central government did not provide emergency help.

The Deputy Prime Minister in Taliban-led government, who heads the Relief and Disaster Control Authority, directed all concerned parties to reach the affected areas as soon as possible, and to use all available resources. “Save the lives of those affected and provide the necessary assistance to them,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency.

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UN official to discuss Afghan refugee crisis with Taliban

UN official to discuss Afghan refugee crisis with Taliban

A visiting UN official will meet leaders of the Taliban-led government and discuss ways to resolve the Afghan refugee crisis and establish grounds for their return…reports Asian Lite News

Upon her arrival in Kabul on Sunday, Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), tweeted: “In Afghanistan, humanitarian needs are immense, with millions of Afghans displaced. I’m in the country to advocate for support, including for those returning home, and the need to uphold their rights, especially of women and children and their ability to participate in public life.”

In a separate statement, she said: “We will be talking over the course of the next days with the interim authorities about how we can support the needs of the Afghan people and how we can find solutions for those that are outside the country that want to come home and want to be able to rebuild their lives in peace and have an Afghanistan that is inclusive of all.”

Afghanistan has been forgotten, TOLO News quoted the UN official as saying.

“This is a very important moment for this country and the people of Afghanistan, it is a time where the world’s attention has turned to other situations of displacement, other war, other conflicts,” she added.

According to the UNHCR, Afghan refugees are the third-largest displaced population in the world, following Syrian refugees and displaced Venezuelans.

ALSO READ:Afghan central bank injects $11 mn to stabilise currency

There are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of whom 2.2 million are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone.

After the Taliban took over in August last year, 667,900 Afghans were internally displaced, which added to the already 3.5 million internally displaced civilians at the end of 2020.

Eighty per cent of the newly displaced Afghans are women and children.

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Lawmakers criticise ‘absence’ of Afghan evacuation plan

“The fact that the Foreign Office’s senior leaders were on holiday when Kabul fell marks a fundamental lack of seriousness, grip or leadership at a time of national emergency,” the committee said…reports Asian Lite News

Britain’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was a “disaster and betrayal” hampered by a lack of leadership from senior politicians and civil servants, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said in a report released Tuesday.

The committee criticized the Foreign Office for the “total absence” of a plan for evacuating Afghans who supported the UK mission despite knowing for 18 months that such an evacuation might be necessary.

This was compounded by the fact that there seemed to be no clear lines of leadership among political leaders, with decisions made on the basis of “untraceable and unaccountable political interventions,” the committee said in its report.

“The fact that the Foreign Office’s senior leaders were on holiday when Kabul fell marks a fundamental lack of seriousness, grip or leadership at a time of national emergency,” the committee said.

The report was based on an eight-month inquiry during which the committee heard testimony from 20 witnesses and reviewed written evidence from 36 organizations.

ALSO READ-Global response to curbs on Afghan women disappointing: Amnesty

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-Top News Afghanistan Arab News

107 weapons recovered in E. Afghanistan

107 weapons recovered in E. Afghanistan

The recovered weapons included 107 assault rifles and some ammunition and military equipment, according to the statement…reports Asian Lite News

A total of 107 weapons have been recovered in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Paktika as Afghan security personnel continue to recover weapons from outside the security organs, the Taliban-led caretaker government said on Tuesday.

Security forces recovered a large number of weapons and ammunition in Paktika province on Sunday, the government said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: 47 killed in Pak air strikes in Afghanistan

The recovered weapons included 107 assault rifles and some ammunition and military equipment, according to the statement.

It is also reported that in clean-up operations and house-to-house searches, Afghan security forces recovered a large number of weapons from individuals in the eastern Nangarhar province a couple of weeks ago.

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-Top News Afghanistan PAKISTAN

47 killed in Pak air strikes in Afghanistan

Jamshid, a tribal leader from Khost, also confirmed that more than 40 people had died…reports Asian Lite News

 Afghanistan has reported a death toll of at least 47 after Pakistani military air strikes hit the provinces of Khost and Kunar provinces, Pajhwok News reported.

Pakistani security forces carried out airstrikes on Waziristan refugees in Sperai district of southeastern Khost province and in the Shaltan district of eastern Kunar province, inflicting casualties on people.

“Forty-one civilians, mainly women and children, were killed and 22 others were wounded in air strikes by Pakistani forces near the Durand line in Khost province,” Shabir Ahmad Osmani, director of information and culture in Khost told Pajhwok.

Twenty-four people were killed from one family itself, reports said.

Jamshid, a tribal leader from Khost, also confirmed that more than 40 people had died.

“I went yesterday with several people to donate blood for treating the wounded in the Khost strike,” Jamshid said.

Another government official in Khost on condition of anonymity said he saw “42 graves” of people killed, adding that a few people were missing.

“Faces and bodies of some were charred and beyond recognition,” Abdul Wahab, a religious scholar from Khost, who helped bury some victims, said.

Afghanistan strongly condemned the attack and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, in response to the attacks.

ALSO READ-SPECIAL: Is Pakistan doing a Ukraine on Afghanistan?

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-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

4 Afghan kids killed in Kandahar blast


The term ERW refers to unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO) by Afghan officials…reports Asian Lite News

Four children have been killed by an unexploded ordnance blast in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, the country’s Ministry of Interior said on Saturday.

The incident occurred in Shah Wali Kot district when an Explosive Remnant of War (ERW) was detonated when the children were playing in a village, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

The term ERW refers to unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO) by Afghan officials.

Landmines, anti-personnel mines as well as ERWs left behind from wars kill or maim about 120 people every month in the post-conflict country, according to official sources.

On Friday, two civilians were killed and three others wounded when an ERW exploded in eastern Paktia province.

ALSO READ-Blast in Balochistan kills 4 soldiers

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Afghanistan Arab News News

‘No proxy war should be fought on Afghan soil by foreign nations’

Hussain said the solution for the stability of Afghanistan is regional and not to be determined by the West…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain has said that past mistakes in the context of Afghanistan should not be repeated and no proxy war should be fought on Afghan soil by foreign countries.

Hussain, a Senator from the Islamabad Capital Territory, made the remarks at an international conference in Dushanbe hosted by the Council for Strategic Affairs, Indian Institute of Management Rohtak.

He said the solution for the stability of Afghanistan is regional and not to be determined by the West.

“Further, we must realise that Economic development, tackling unemployment and inclusive growth is the antidote for radicalisation and this needs to be implemented in Afghanistan.

“Regional infrastructure and connectivity initiatives such as Iran-Pakistan-India oil pipeline, belt-road initiatives etc. are welcome. We need to revive the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India economic corridor as well for the economic interests of these countries particularly Afghanistan,” he added.

The conference, which focused on the topic “Framework of engagement: Afghanistan in focus of Central and South Asian nations”, was attended by representatives from all Central Asian nations, along with India and Russia. The countries came together to discuss finding innovative methods of engagement in conflict situations.

ALSO READ: Iran renews call for inclusive govt in Afghanistan

Saidov Saidovich, Professor of the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy of the Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University, said that drug trafficking is a major reason for destabilising Afghanistan.

Revenues from drug trafficking are supporting the Taliban regime even while they have a limited acceptance in Afghanistan, he said, adding that India and Russia are the most important countries that can help stabilise the Afghan situation.

In his remarks, Prof Abdul Ghani said that the old Silk Route must be revived with the support of India through Iran. Railroads should also be developed to have greater trade relations between Central Asia and India through Iran.

Ruslan Kazkenov, Chairman of the Civic Peace Association, said that they are looking forward towards cooperation with India to get peace.

Referring to his recent visit to Afghanistan, he added that he was approached by the representatives of the Taliban government, who sought his help for providing humanitarian assistance to the people of the war-torn nation.

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Afghanistan Arab News News

Afghan Ambassador to US steps down

Afghan Ambassador to US steps down

The Afghanistan embassies in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Italy, Poland and Iran are said to be facing similar economic challenges…reports Asian Lite News

Adela Raz, the Afghan Ambassador to the US, has stepped down from her post, a senior official at the mission said, calling the new restrictions imposed by the US Department of State on the Embassy as the reason for her resignation.

Afghan Deputy Ambassador Abdul Hadi Nijrabi told TOLO News on Friday that the US State Department had decided to stop political and diplomatic activities of Afghanistan in the US.

He said the State Department in a letter to the Afghanistan embassy in Washington demanded the diplomatic activities be halted.

“The letter sent by the US State Department to the embassy said only the ambassador is allowed to continue work from home, but not on political and diplomatic activities. The rest of the diplomats cannot work anymore,” he said.

Raz is the third senior Afghan diplomat who stepped down from her position within the past six months, TOLO News reported.

Previously, the Afghan Ambassadors in China and Turkmenistan resigned from their positions.

With the Taliban taking over the country last August, the Afghanistan diplomatic missions have been facing economic problems.

Officials at the Afghanistan embassy in Washington said that the financial system of the mission has been suspended by a bank for over four months.

ALSO READ: ‘Int’l aid alone will not save Afghanistan’

“It has been over four months that the salaries of the Afghanistan embassy’s (staffs) have been suspended. All diplomats are facing problems,” TOLO News quoted Safi Delawar, who worked as an adviser for the Afghanistan embassy in Washington, as saying.

The Afghanistan embassies in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Italy, Poland and Iran are said to be facing similar economic challenges.

The Taliban-led government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) however, has welcomed the closure of those embassies which are not in contact with the incumbent regime.

“The Afghanistan diplomatic missions being closed in many countries is a good act because they don’t cooperate with the current government and are trying to misuse their authority,” said an official from the Ministry.

Afghan Ambassador to US steps down

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