AA: In a landmark development, Afghanistan has started extracting gas from a newly discovered field in northern Jawzjan province, officials confirmed on Thursday. This is the first time in four decades that natural gas is being extracted in Afghanistan, acting Minister for Mines and Petroleum Enayatullah Momand told state broadcaster RTA Pashto. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Says it Can Stop Fighting in COVID-19 Areas
Tolo News: Referring to COVID-19, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid was quoted by the Associated Press on Wednesday as saying: “If, God forbid, the outbreak happens in an area where we control the situation then we will stop fighting in that area.” But a Western security source says attacks–from all sides–are occurring alongside the COVID-19 spread already in many provinces. Click here to read more (external link).
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Sikhs in Afghanistan a neglected, vanishing minority
Asia Times: The terrorist attack that killed 27 Sikhs in a centuries-old gurdwara (Sikh temple) last week highlighted yet again the continued and systematic decimation of Sikhs and other religious minorities in Afghanistan. Once a thriving religious minority, the Sikh population in Afghanistan has over the last couple of decades declined significantly, with current estimates putting the number remaining at between 3,000 and 8,000. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – April 2, 2020
Afghan government, Taliban prepare for prisoner swap
Press TV
April 2, 2020
Afghanistan is set to release from prison 100 Taliban militants in a prisoner exchange for 20 of its security forces personnel, the government and Taliban sources say.
Both sides on Thursday confirmed that the Taliban prisoners were to be released at the Bagram military base north of the capital, Kabul.
An unnamed senior official in the office of President Ashraf Ghani said the names of those to be released had been sent to prison authorities.
“It was decided in the morning that 100 Taliban should be released in exchange for 20 members of Afghan security forces today,” media outlets quoted the official as saying.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said teams from the warring sides were working out technical details and logistics for receiving prisoners.
“The technical issues require some time,” said Mujahid, adding, “I think the release of 100 Taliban fighters and 20 Afghan security force members will happen either tomorrow or the day after.”
On Tuesday, a Taliban team arrived in Kabul to begin the prisoner exchange process and met Afghan officials for face-to-face negotiations.
The Office of Afghanistan’s National Security Council said on Twitter on Wednesday that the talks were observed by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The US reached an agreement with the militant group in February, but Kabul was not a party to the negotiations that led to that deal. The Taliban would refuse at the time to recognize the Afghan government.
The agreement between the US and the Taliban called for the completion of an exchange of prisoners before the start of dialog between the Taliban and the Kabul government on March 10.
The swap was delayed amid a power struggle between Ghani and his main rival in Afghanistan’s 2019 presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, who disputed the results of the voting.
Under the agreement involving the US, the Afghan government was required to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and the militant group to free 1,000 government captives.
The talks on the prisoner exchange come despite a deterioration in the security situation in Afghanistan.
Taliban militants, which control more than 40% of the Afghan territory, have since the signing of the deal been attacking Afghan military positions.
The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 and overthrew a Taliban regime in power at the time. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Trump.
The Taliban, meanwhile, have never stopped their attacks, citing foreign military presence as one of the main reasons behind its continued militancy.
The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 under the pretext of eliminating the Taliban militant group.
At Least Eight Afghan Civilians Killed By Roadside Bomb In Helmand
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
April 1, 2020
At least eight civilians, mostly children, were killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand.
Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the civilians were traveling in a minivan in Helmand’s Gereshk district on April 1 when the blast occurred.
Two other civilians were wounded in the attack. Zwak said the casualty figures could rise.
The victims were all from a single family, according to Helmand police spokesman Zaman Hamdard, who said six of the dead were children.
Provincial councilor Abdul Majid Akhundzada also confirmed the death toll.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in the province.
Government forces only control the capital, Lashkar Gah and five other districts out of a total of 14 districts in the province. The Taliban controls the remaining territory, including the Gereshk district.
More than 100,000 civilians have lost their lives in the war-torn country since 2009, according to the United Nations’ Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
U.S.-led international forces have been operating in the country since the Taliban regime collapsed in 2001.
Washington signed a deal with the Taliban last month that sees the gradual withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan with the expectation that intra-Afghan peace talks will follow.
With reporting by by AP, dpa, and tolonews.com
Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – April 1, 2020
UN Official Urges Afghan Rivals To ‘Rally Together’ To Help Bring Peace Deal
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
April 1, 2020
The UN Security Council has called on political rivals in Afghanistan to “rally together” and finalize talks with the Taliban to help end the country’s long, costly war.
Ingrid Hayden, the UN secretary-general’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said on March 31 that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and political rival Abdullah Abdullah should take advantage of this key moment in the country’s history.
“Afghanistan appears to be reaching a defining moment. Almost two decades after the start of the [U.S.-led] coalition intervention, the question for the Islamic republic now is: Can its leaders rally together to engage in meaningful talks with the Taliban to achieve a sustainable peace?”
“The choice is made stark by the all-encompassing threat of COVID-19, which poses grave dangers to the health of Afghanistan’s population and, potentially, to the stability of its institutions,” she added.
U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad signed a deal with the Taliban in Doha on February 29 that Washington hopes will end the country’s nearly 19-year war and allow the Pentagon to begin pulling its troops out.
But a power struggle between Ghani and his main rival in Afghanistan’s 2019 presidential election, former Chief Executive Officer Abdullah, has threatened to derail the peace process.
Both politicians have claimed to be the winners in the election, although official results gave victory to Ghani.
In addition, a variety of disputes between the government in Kabul and Taliban representatives have slowed progress.
The Taliban has until now refused to negotiate directly with the Afghan government in Kabul. Disagreements over prisoner releases and the Afghan government’s negotiating team have stymied any further progress.
‘Diverse’ Negotiating Team
On March 27, Taliban forces took control of a district headquarters in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Badakhshan, then the next day announced that it would not negotiate with the 21-member team recently unveiled by the Afghan government.
The UN’s Hayden indicated support for the Afghan negotiating team, saying she was heartened that, despite deep-seated differences, Afghanistan’s leaders had agreed on a diverse selection of citizens.
She said that representatives come from all major ethnic groups and include five women — which, she said, was an important recognition that women must be involved in efforts to bring about a lasting peace.
The UN mission “has encouraged the Taliban to reciprocate by including women in their delegation who have an empowered decisive voice at the table. Doing so would send a tangible signal that the movement has fundamentally reformed,” she said.
Under the agreement with the United States, the Taliban promised to reduce attacks targeting international forces. However, assaults against Afghan national defense and security forces have continued to plague the country, with civilians often being the victims, the UN said.
Hayden said the trend can be reversed and cited the “significant reduction” in violence ahead of the signing of the U.S.-Taliban agreement.
Despite the internal political standoff, Abdullah vowed on March 31 that he would ensure the dispute “does not overshadow peace efforts.”
Abdullah said the team “represents the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and our national interests.”
With reporting by AP
Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Related
196 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Afghanistan
Tolo News: According to the Ministry of Public Health, the number on Wednesday of COVID-19 cases in the country is 196. The ministry said that in the past 24 hours, 22 new positive cases have been confirmed, with 12 in Herat, six in Kabul, one in Ghazni, one in Baghlan and one in Paktika province. Click here to read more (external link).
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Aid Agencies, Rights Groups Sound Alarm Over COVID-19 Outbreak in Afghanistan
Michael Hughes
March 31, 2020
It will be nearly impossible for conflict-torn countries like Afghanistan to fight the coronavirus pandemic without immediate assistance from major states and aid organizations across the globe, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a new action alert.
“Health systems in conflict zones in places such as Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria, and Afghanistan are simply not prepared to handle a flood of COVID-19 cases without a surge in support,” the ICRC said in a statement on March 30.
The pandemic comes at a time when Afghanistan is highly vulnerable after decades of war, a situation that is not improving amid ongoing clashes between the Taliban and government forces.