Bactrian Gold Sent Abroad for Display, Safekeeping

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Tolo News: Afghan artifacts, including the Bactrian gold collection, will be sent abroad for display, said acting minister of information and culture, Mohammad Tahir Zuhair on Thursday.  This comes as Mir Rahman Rahmani, the Afghan parliament speaker. on Wednesday warned that the ancient Bactrian gold, the most precious reserve of the country, would not be safe because of corruption. He said that the Bactrian treasure is the biggest support for the national currency. Click here to read more (external link).

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48 New Cases of COVID-19, 1 Death Reported in Afghanistan

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Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Thursday reported 48 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,896 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The Health Ministry stated that the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 54,939, the total number of reported deaths is 2,399, and the total number of recoveries is 47,583. Click here to read more (external link).

Other Health News

Taliban Delegation Meets Iranian Officials Amid Stalled Afghan Peace Talks

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Baradar

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 27, 2021

A Taliban delegation has held talks with high-ranking Iranian officials in Tehran amid ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the militant group.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem tweeted that the delegation led by deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and other officials on January 27.

Naeem said the two sides discussed the Afghan peace process, border issues, and Afghan refugees.

Shamkhani was quoted by Iranian state media as saying that Tehran would “never recognize a group that wants to come to power through war,” and urged the Taliban to reach a peace settlement with the internationally recognized government in Kabul.

Baradar was quoted as saying that the militant group does not “trust the United States and we will fight any group that is a mercenary for the United States,” in reference to the Afghan government.

The relationship between Shi’ite-majority Iran and the Taliban, a fundamentalist Sunni group, is complex. Iran officially opposes the Taliban, but a number of experts claim that Tehran provides some military support to the Taliban.

The Taliban’s visit to Afghanistan’s western neighbor comes as peace talks in the Gulf state of Qatar remain deadlocked.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s new administration has said it is reviewing an agreement reached with the Taliban last year to determine if the militant group is meeting its commitments, including reaching a cease-fire and engaging in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government.

Under a U.S.-Taliban deal reached last February, all foreign forces are to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for security guarantees from the militant group, including severing ties with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group.

The Afghan government said it welcomed the Biden administration’s review of the U.S.-Taliban agreement.

With reporting by Tolo News, Pajhwok, and The National

Copyright (c) 2021. 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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Two Afghan Policemen Killed, Five Others Wounded In Kabul Blasts

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 27, 2021

Afghan officials say two policemen have been killed and at least five others wounded in separate attacks in different parts of the capital, Kabul.

The two officers were killed on January 27 by “sticky bombs” — explosives attached to their vehicle — in the eastern district of the city, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told reporters.

Two other policemen were wounded in a separate morning attack when a bomb placed on their vehicle blew up in Kabul’s north, the official said.

Two more explosions took place later in the day — including one attached to a civilian vehicle that wounded three passengers.

The fourth bomb, placed in a flowerpot on the pavement in central Kabul, did not cause any casualties, Faramarz said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibly for the blasts.

In recent months, Kabul has been plagued by sticky bomb attacks that usually go off in morning rush-hour traffic.

One civilian was killed and another wounded in a similar attack on January 26, Kabul police said.

Based on reporting by AFP and tolonews.com

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036

Afghan Rights Group Says Killings Of Civilians Rose To Almost 3,000 Last Year

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Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 27, 2021

KABUL — The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) says killings of civilians in the country’s conflict rose to nearly 3,000 last year despite the launch of intra-Afghan peace talks in Qatar.

The AIHRC said in its annual report, published on January 27, that there were 8,500 civilian casualties in 2020, including 2,958 deaths.

That was an increase from the 2,817 civilians killed the previous year, though overall casualties dropped from more than 10,000 with fewer civilians injured.

Just over half of the casualties were caused by the Taliban, 15 percent by government forces and its international partners, and the remainder from groups including the Islamic State (IS) and unknown actors.

A string of killings targeting officials, government employees, and journalists has swept the country in recent months, with Afghan and U.S. officials blaming the Taliban.

The targeted killings are part of a wider increase in violence that threatens talks launched in Doha in September and aimed at ending decades of conflict.

Taliban representatives and the Afghan government resumed talks in the Qatari capital earlier this month.

With reporting by Reuters

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036

U.S. To Review Sanctions Imposed By Trump Over ICC Afghanistan War Crimes Probes

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 27, 2021

The Biden administration will review U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials imposed over investigations into U.S forces in Afghanistan, a State Department spokesman said on January 26.

The Trump administration last year authorized economic sanctions and travel restrictions against employees of the ICC who were directly involved in investigating U.S. troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan.

The United States accused The Hague-based tribunal of infringing on U.S. national sovereignty when it authorized the investigations.

The executive order signed by former President Donald Trump last year targeted court staff, including prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. The United States is not a party to the Rome treaty that established the court in 2002.

“Much as we disagree with the ICC’s actions relating to the Afghanistan and Israeli/Palestinian situations, the sanctions will be thoroughly reviewed as we determine our next steps,” the State Department spokesman said in an e-mail to RFE/RL.

In addition to the investigations into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, the ICC launched an investigation in 2019 into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian Territories, including by Israeli forces.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell voiced “serious concern” at Trump’s order after he signed it in June, and human rights groups deplored the move. The ICC rejected the sanctions and expressed “profound regret.”

With reporting by Reuters

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036

Abdullah Offers Prisoners, Removal from Blacklist to Taliban

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Tolo News: Chairman the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday said that several opportunities for bringing peace in the country have been lost, stating that the country can’t afford the current opportunity for peace to be wasted.  Abdullah said that all Taliban prisoners will be freed, and the names of the Taliban’s members will be removed from the UN blacklist after the Taliban agree to peace. Click here to read more (external link).

MPs call for ‘national treasure’ to be sent abroad for safekeeping

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Ariana: The Presidential Palace (ARG) on Wednesday called for calm and for MPs in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) to act and speak responsibly about national issues after they called for the country’s treasure, the Bactrian Hoard, to be sent abroad for safekeeping. The total collection is estimated to be worth around $13 billion. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan: 37 New Cases of COVID-19, 8 Deaths Reported

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Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 37 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,729 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The Health Ministry stated that the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 54,891, the total number of reported deaths is 2,398, and the total number of recoveries is 47,549. Click here to read more (external link).