Afghan Capital’s Air Pollution May Be Even Deadlier Than War

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Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN

Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN

Tolo News:  There are no official statistics on how many Afghans die of pollution-related illnesses, but the research group State of Global Air said more than 26,000 deaths could be attributed to it in 2017. In contrast, 3,483 civilians were killed that year in the Afghan war, according to the United Nations. Kabul, a city of some 6 million, has become one of the most polluted cities in the world — ranking in the top of the list among other polluted capitals such as India’s New Delhi or China’s Beijing. Decades of war have wrecked the city’s infrastructure and caused waves of displaced people. Click here to read more (external link).

Haqqani Prisoners Returned to Bagram Prison: Source

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haqqani_prisoners

Tolo News: A source said that the prisoner exchange of captured Haqqani Network members Anas Haqqani, Hafiz Rashid and Mali Khan for two kidnapped professors from the American University of Afghanistan, did not take place. Three days earlier, President Ghani announced that the three Haqqani Network members would be “conditionally” released. According to a source who spoke with Tolonews on Thursday, Anas Haqqani, Hafiz Rashid and Mali Khan have been transferred back to Bagram air base. Click here to read more (external link).

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Dozens Of Afghans Die In Road Accident In Iran

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accidentRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
November 14, 2019

A road accident in southeast Iran has killed 28 Afghan nationals, the semiofficial ILNA news agency reports.

The report says 21 people were also injured when two crowded minibuses collided near the town of Khash in Sistan and Baluchistan Province early on November 14, some 1,500 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tehran.

The region is a route used frequently by traffickers to smuggle illegal Afghan migrants, usually in crammed vehicles.

Iran has one of the world’s worst road-safety records due to unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services, as well as disregard for traffic regulations.

Some 17,000 people die annually on average in accidents in Iran. In July, 18 people were killed and 14 injured in two separate road accidents in central Iran.

Based on reporting by AP

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Afghanistan lose to Pakistan in Emerging Teams Asia Cup

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1TV: Afghanistan lost their first match of Emerging Teams Asia Cup as Pakistan claimed eight-wicket victory in Bangladesh on Thursday.  Afghanistan will play against Oman in their next game of the tournament on Saturday. Click here to read more (external link).

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MPs describe Ghani’s Taliban prisoner swap an act of treason

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Ashraf Ghani

Ashraf Ghani

Ariana: Afghan lawmakers on Wednesday described the release of Taliban’s top prisoners by President Ashraf Ghani as a national treason. Nilofar Ibrahimi, a member of parliament from Badakhshan province, said it was “a shameful deal” for the releasing of the killers of Afghan people. “If peace is an excuse, the releasing of 850 prisoners was enough. It is a concession equal to a national treason,” MP Ibrahimi said. Some lawmakers criticized the judicial system of Afghanistan, adding that the decision will demotivate Afghan security forces. This comes a day after President Ghani, in a televised press conference, confirmed that Anas Haqqani, Haji Mali Khan and Hafiz Rashid, three top Haqqani Network commanders, have been “conditionally released” in exchange for the release of two foreign university professors who were kidnapped by the Haqqani Network in 2016. Click here to read more (external link).

Results Of Afghan Presidential Vote Delayed Again

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iec-logoRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
November 13, 2019

The preliminary results from Afghanistan’s presidential election have been postponed for a second time, election officials say, a new delay that is likely to fuel more political uncertainty and fraud allegations.

Independent Election Commission (IEC) spokesman Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi said on November 13 that the results will not be announced the next day as planned due to “technical problems and other issues.”

The postponement marks a further blow to an already delayed tally in a crucial election for the south Asian country as it tries to quell multiple insurgencies, with the help of U.S. and other foreign troops, and recover from decades of conflict.

The election was held on September 28. Preliminary results were initially due on October 19 but later postponed until November 14.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and his main challenger, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, have each claimed victory in the election and accused the other of vote-rigging.

The new delay comes shortly after the IEC announced it had to stop a planned recount and audit of the votes in order to “handle the complaints and objections of electoral teams and political parties.”

On November 10, Abdullah withdrew his team of observers from the recount, and his followers have blocked vote recounts in several provinces, sometimes by force.

Other candidates have also voiced concern over voter fraud.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Car Bomb Kills 12 in Afghan Capital, Kabul

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fireAyaz Gul
VOA News
November 13, 2019

ISLAMABAD – A car bomb explosion in the Afghan capital of Kabul Wednesday killed at least 12 people and wounded about 20 others, including children.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi tweeted the early morning blast targeted a foreign private security company vehicle. He said four foreign employees of the company were among those injured but gave no further details.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombing, which came after days of a lull in violence in Kabul.

Taliban insurgents and militants linked to the Afghan branch of Islamic State often claim credit for plotting such attacks.

Wednesday’s violence comes a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani freed three high-profile Taliban prisoners in exchange for two Western hostages, an American and an Australian.

The two foreigners were teaching at Kabul’s American University of Afghanistan before they were kidnapped at gunpoint near the campus in August 2016.

Meanwhile, the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) Wednesday postponed for a second time the announcement of preliminary results from the Afghan presidential polls.

The commission was due to release first results on November 14 after failing to meet the original deadline of October 19. But the IEC spokesman Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi said the results would not be announced on Thursday “until the technical issues are addressed.”

Incumbent President Ghani’s main challenger Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah earlier this week withdrew his team of observers from the vote recounting process, demanding IEC declare as invalid around 300,000 “fraud-marked” votes if he were to accept the results.

Afghanistan paedophile ring may be responsible for abuse of over 500 boys

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logarThe Guardian (UK): A paedophile ring involved in the abuse of at least 546 boys from six schools has been discovered in Afghanistan’s Logar province. Some of the victims of the abuse have since been murdered according to the campaigners who first discovered videos of abuse posted to a Facebook page. “Impunity, toxic gender norms and poverty of victims play a big role in the silencing of these crimes. These boys come from the most marginalised sections of society, they don’t have a voice and very few speak up on their behalf,” said Charu Hogg, executive director of the All Survivors Project, an organisation working with male victims of sexual violence in Afghanistan where, she said, sexual abuse was massively underreported. Click here to read more (external link).