CE Abdullah: Afghan Gov’t ready to negotiate with reconcilable oppositions

The Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has addressed the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit at the outset of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly and reiterated the government’s readiness to negotiate with the armed opposition groups.

Speaking at the summit, Abdullah said 40 years of conflict and has suffered as a result of mainly external strife, “imposed on us against our people’s will and wishes.”

“Our message is clear: we will defend our country and our people’s lives and rights as part of the constitutional order, but we stand ready to talk and negotiate with the reconcilable armed opposition who renounces violence and terror, and believes in a united, democratic, peaceful and economically prosperous future,” he said.

He declared that renewing commitment needs to go beyond rhetoric and empty pledge.

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MPs: U.S. not honest with Afghanistan

A number of Parliament Members at the Lower House said the United States was not honest in its commitments to end war in Afghanistan.

Afghan lawmakers reemphasized to review the Bilateral Security Agreement with U.S. to show how U.S. fulfilled its commitments to Afghanistan.

“The Lower House should not change its decision over reviewing the security pact with U.S. and the United States should respond to Afghan people about its performances,” Rahman Rahmani, representative of Balkh said.

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Mohaqiq: insurgents have more advanced weapons than gov’t forces

Second Deputy to CEO, Mohammad Mohaqiq says the government is not facilitating modern equipment to military forces, insisting that the militants have more advanced weapons than the Afghan security forces.

Addressing a ceremony to mark the 10th of Muharram, the Day of Ashura in Kabul, Mohaqiq strongly criticized the government for not equipping the security forces with modern weapons. He said the issue has caused the forces to suffer high number of casualties.

“We have 390,000 military forces including police and ANA forces, they have huge shortages, and can’t cover all regions,” he said, adding that the militants making progress by forming new setup in all the districts and that carrying new weapons and seizing regions.

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CE Abdullah: Haqqani’s death won’t affect activities of his network

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah says the death of Haqqani Network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani will not affect the activities of the militant group.

“I don’t think his death will affect the activities of Haqqani Network. His sons were leading the activities of the network recently,” Abdullah told reporters on Tuesday.

Following the issue, Javid Kohistani, a military analyst said that since 2007, Jalaluddin Haqqani had not been involved in group’s plans.

“Except issuing fatwas against the foreign military forces, he had no role in recent times and his son Anas Haqqani is leading the activities of the network,” Kohistani said, adding that the founder’s death will not have an impact on the going situation in the country.

Earlier today, the Taliban armed group in a statement confirmed that founder of the Haqqani Network has died due to the illness he was suffering from in recent years. In the statement, the Taliban also claimed that he was buried in Afghanistan. 

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‘Political parties not effective in Afghanistan’

The political parties are not effective in Afghanistan and that except criticizing the government do not have “comprehensive” plans, according to First Deputy of Meshrano Jirga.

“Let’s strengthen the system instead of destroying and condemning it further. We urge the [political] parties to pay heed on national interest,” said First Deputy of Senate House (Meshrano Jirga).

Some political parties, however, believe that they do not have any kind of responsibility regarding the issues of war and peace in the country except having an encouraging and supporting role.

“In political issues [the parties] can play a constructive role but the issues of war and peace are the responsibility of the government. Political parties could only encourage and support and can’t have an active role in the issue of war,” said Anwarulhaq Ahadi, Chairman of New National Front of Afghanistan.

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Panjwayee turns into ‘most secure’ district in Kandahar

Panjwayee has turned into the most secure district in southern Kandahar province after being seized from the Taliban, local military forces told Ariana News on Monday.

The district which shares border with Pakistan had been recognized as the Taliban’s main center and a “death region” for the Afghan and foreign forces in the province over the last five years.

However, currently, the military forces can feel safe and there is no presence of the Taliban in the district.

“The district has a better security and there was no [security] incident during the ceasefire. This district is secure since a while,” Qurban, a Panjawyee based soldier told Ariana News.

The government forces had been involved in deadly clashes with the Taliban since years in Panjwayee district, and the foreign trainers and advisors are no longer the district.   Only the local security forces have presence and maintaining the security of the district.

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Govt attempts to grant territories to Taliban

A number of Afghan parliament members on Saturday said that the government were attempting to grant some territories to Taliban, insisting that the move was a betrayal to the people and the efforts of Afghan security forces.

“Efforts are underway to grant some areas to the Taliban and it’s a betrayal to the blood of the security forces,” said MP Gulam Hussain Nasiri. “Within a few hours, sixteen security points were collapsed in Jalriz district [of Maidan Wardak province], how it is possible? It has been done deliberately.”

Some members of the Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of the Parliament said that allocating territories to the Taliban should not be part of the deal to facilitate peace talks with the militant group.

“We want peace, but we don’t accept sacrificing everything [in the process]. How we should handover territories to the armed opposition forces and government wants to do this for the sake of ensuring peace talks with the Taliban,” said MP Abdul latif Pedram.

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Optimism grows over Govt-Taliban ceasefire

The former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef says he is optimistic about the continuation of the ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban, saying that the truce might be extended.

Talking to TOLOnews this week, Zaeef also spoke about the current administration and said any collapse of the system would not be in the interests of the people or the country. He said instead efforts need to be made to reform and extend the current system.

“I am not in favor of A collapse of this system. Peace should be ensured and the system should be reformed and it should be further supported,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada said in his Eid message, which came just days after the group called for a three-day ceasefire, that the group’s fight is to end the presence of US military in Afghanistan.

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Provincial police chief: Iran supports Taliban in Farah

After Taliban large-scale attack over Farah province in west of Afghanistan, the provincial police commander says the attack over the province was organized in Iran.

According to the provincial police chief, more than two thousand militants from neighboring provinces were involved in the attack over the city and the attackers aimed to establish a stronghold in the strategic province after being collapsed.

“Farah is valuable for Iran. Iran is funding and providing equipment for the Taliban fighters in the province,” said Fazel Ahmad Shirzad the provincial police chief.

Meanwhile, provincial governor Baseer Salangi said the militants are staging attacks repeatedly since three months, but they have failed to reach to their goal.

Farah is among the volatile provinces in west of Afghanistan and the Taliban insurgent group is actively operating in Anar Dara, Bala Buluk, Pusht Road, Khak Safid, Gulistan, and Shibkoh districts of the province in recent years.

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Residents decide to fine families preventing girls from attending to schools

Tribal elders and residents of Musa Khil district in Khost province have decided to fine with five thousand Afghanis as a punishment those families that prevent their daughters from going to schools.

Gulab Mangal district governor of Musa Khil who was speaking at a gathering said the tribal elders have committed to send their daughters to schools as they are sending their boys.

Manadeer Mangal a tribal elder told Ariana News that if we allow our daughters to go to schools and study especially medical section, the rate of maternal mortality will decrease.

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