Reuters: Large-scale deforestation driven mainly by four decades of war has contributed to widespread flooding throughout Afghanistan, prompting many in rural areas to move to the capital Kabul or leave the country. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday reported 26 new cases of the coronavirus out of 160 samples tested over the last 24 hours. The number of total cases is now 38,520, the total reported deaths is 1,418, and the total recoveries is 30,715. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama Press: The country’s Afghan Premier League to start is 9th season of in two weeks [September 24th], officials said. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed Monday for government’s financial support to the football league, with government promising to financially back 9th season of these tournaments. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Afghan Sports News
Ariana: Tajikistan has resumed the supply of electricity to Afghanistan after water levels in the reservoir powering the Nurek Hydroelectric Power Plant reached the required levels. Tajikistan suspended the supply of electricity to Afghanistan in July due to a dramatic drop in water levels in the Nurek reservoir. Click here to read more (external link).
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan
September 7, 2020
KABUL — Afghan negotiators have postponed a scheduled trip to Doha for long-awaited peace talks with the Taliban because of logistical issues at the venue of the talks in the Qatari capital.
A date for the start of the negotiations has not been set, but both sides have indicated that talks could begin soon after they finalized a months-long prisoner exchange last week.
Afghan negotiators had initially expected to fly to Doha late last week ahead of talks starting as soon as September 7.
But Afghan officials said the team is not expected to leave until September 8 at the earliest.
The Taliban’s negotiating team arrived in Qatar on September 5.
Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on September 7 that both sides were making final preparations.
“Technical issues and preparations are almost complete. We hope that the Taliban also finishes their preparations so that our delegation can travel [to Qatar],” Sediqqi said.
In an interview published on September 6, Vice President Amrullah Saleh said the Afghan delegation would go to Doha after all logistical issues are sorted, including who should be given time to speak and how flags should be arranged during the opening ceremony of the talks.
Prisoner Release
Another issue was the release of six remaining Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan.
In a deal struck with the Taliban last week, the inmates will be transferred to Qatar, where they will be under house arrest, Saleh said.
An Afghan government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the six had been transferred to Doha on September 7.
Earlier, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militant group was waiting for the six prisoners to be released, but said technical teams from both sides were working on the issue.
France and Australia had objected to the release of the men because of their links to the murders of French and Australian civilians and troops in Afghanistan.
The delayed intra-Afghan negotiations are part of a landmark deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February.
Under the U.S.-Taliban agreement, international forces should withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which pledged to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing deal with the Afghan government.
The deal promised 5,000 Taliban prisoners would be set free by the Afghan government ahead of the negotiations, in return for 1,000 members of the security forces held by the militants.
The last Taliban prisoners, except the six being sent to Qatar, were released last week.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
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Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Monday reported 96 new cases of the coronavirus out of 478 samples tested over the last 24 hours. The number of total cases is now 38,494, the total reported deaths is 1,415, and the total recoveries is 30,557. Click here to read more (external link).
Abdul Hakim
Tolo News: The Taliban leadership has appointed Mawlawi Abdul Hakim, the chief justice of the group, as head of their 21-member negotiating team in Qatar, making the former chief negotiator Abbas Stanekzai his deputy. Sources close to the Taliban said that most of the fatwas (rulings) of the group, particularly on war, are issued by Mawlawi Abdul Hakim and that he will attend the negotiating table with full authority. Click here to read more (external link).
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Alipoor (also known as Commander Shamsheer)
Ariana: Armed men under the command of Public Uprising Forces commander Alipur allegedly attacked several Afghan National Defense and Security Forces’ checkpoints in Behsood district of central Maidan Wardak province on Saturday. Click here to read more (external link).