Prisoner Swap Did Not Take Place: Taliban

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haqqani_prisoners

Ariana: The Taliban militant group has confirmed that the exchange of Haqqani network prisoners with the two kidnapped professor of American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) did not take place. In a phone call with Ariana News, the group’s spokesman Zabihulla Mjujaheed said, Anas Haqqani, Hafiz Rashid and Mali Khan were expected to be transferred to Qatar and Taliban would hand over AUAF professors to Americans inside Afghanistan but for unknown reasons the swap did not happen. According to the Taliban official, the three top insurgent commanders are still in Bagram Prison. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghan Football Team Ties With India, Faces Qatar Next

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soccerballTolo News: A late goal by India kept Afghanistan from winning in the Group E match of the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifier. Afghan Zelfagar Nazary scored in the 46th minute, but Doungel headed in his first goal for India to tie the match in the 93rd minute. The match was hosted by Afghanistan on Thursday night at Central Republic Stadium in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan. Click here to read more (external link).

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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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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