Ghani’s senior adviser assassinated in Kabul
Hotak
1TV: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s senior adviser on public affairs was killed in an attack in capital Kabul on Sunday evening. Mohammad Hassan Hotak, also a former senator from Zabul province, was killed near his house in Qala-e-Wazir, Police District 5 of the city, according to police. Click here to read more (external link).
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Iran launches trade routes through Afghanistan for Central Asia
Ariana: Two new key trade corridors between Iran and Central Asian countries, through Afghanistan, have been launched and are expected to considerably boost trade activities in the region. According to Ruhollah Latifi, spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the two corridors are the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI) route and the Iran-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan corridor. He told Tehran Times that the aim of the corridors is to bolster trade via Iranian borders. Click here to read more (external link).
Appeal for information after Afghan man abducts three sons in London
1TV: An urgent manhunt is underway for an Afghan father who abducted his three sons from their foster home in London. Imran Safi, 26, is said to have threatened a foster carer with knife in Coulsdon, south London, on August 20 before taking the children, according to a statement issued by UK Embassy in Kabul on Monday. Click here to read more (external link).
Presidential Palace Announces 10 Minister Nominations
Tolo News: The nominees for minister positions:
- Bashir Ahmad Tahyanj, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
- Nisar Ahmad Ghoryani, Ministry of Industry and Commerce
- Qudratullah Zaki, Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation
- Masooma Khawari, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
- Anwar-Ul-Haq Ahadi, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock
- Fazl Ahmad Manawi, Ministry of Justice
- Syed Sadat Mansoor Naderi, State Ministry for Peace Affairs
- Noor Rahman Akhlaqi, Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation
- Mohibullah Samim, Ministry of Borders and Tribal Affairs
- Abbas Basir, Ministry of Higher Education
Abdullah Opposes Ghani’s Decree on Reconciliation Council Members
Dr. Abdullah
Tolo News: Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Monday issued a statement opposing President Ashraf Ghani’s decree officially listing members of the council, saying that according to the political agreement it is the authority of the head of the council to appoint its members. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban violates Doha deal with shelling of US military bases
Ariana: The Taliban is believed to have fired a number of rockets at a US army base and a joint US-Afghan airfield in the past few weeks in what is a breach of the Doha agreement between the US and the insurgent group. New York Times reported Sunday night that according to military sources, about 12 rockets landed around Camp Bastion, an airbase in Helmand province, in late July. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – August 30, 2020
Taliban leader had sent team to Helmand for talks, but president was not ready: Khalili
1TV: Some years ago, Taliban leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada had sent a delegation to Helmand province for peace talks, but the president said the government was not ready, former chairman of High Peace Council, Karim Khalili, said on Sunday. Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghan President Names Reconciliation Council Members To Push Talks With Taliban
Source: Tolo News
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan
August 30, 2020
KABUL — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has revealed the names of the appointed members and leaders of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation, a body tasked with leading peace negotiations with the Taliban.
Political figures, including current and former officials, leaders of political parties, and renowned religious leaders are among the more than 40 council members approved by Ghani, according to a presidential decree issued late on August 29.
The list includes former mujahedin leaders Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, as well as civil-society activist Safia Sediqqi and eight other women.
One of the appointed women was named the deputy of council head Abdullah Abdullah, the former chief executive officer of Afghanistan’s unity government.
Former President Hamid Karzai was also named but he rejected the appointment in a statement on August 30, saying he declines to be part of any government structure.
The High Council for National Reconciliation is to oversee a 21-member negotiating team appointed by Ghani in March to conduct face-to-face talks with the Taliban.
The talks are part of an agreement reached between the militants and the United States in February in an effort to end nearly 19 years of war in Afghanistan.
On August 26, the Taliban announced it had formed a new 20-member department responsible for Taliban representation at both the intra-Afghan talks and further negotiations with the United States.
The beginning of the planned peace talks has faced some serious challenges, including the issue of the release of prisoners.
The internationally recognized government in Kabul has recently reversed a decision to release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it is holding until the insurgents free more captured soldiers.
“The Taliban will have to release our commandos held by them before the government resumes the release of the remaining 320 Taliban prisoners,” Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council, tweeted on August 29.
With reporting by dpa, TOLOnews, and 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.
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