Government to Build 150,000-Member Force
Qari Fasihuddin
Tolo News: Attending in the graduation of 500 army force members in Herat province, Islamic Emirate Chief of Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat said that Afghanistan has at least 80,000 army members who are currently settled in eight corps across the country. The chief of staff further said that the government will attempt to build an army of 150,000 members. “Everyone who is a volunteer will be recruited in the army and we will recruit professional people as well,” said Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Claims It Has Met With Resistance Leaders In Tehran
Muttaqi
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
January 10, 2022
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan says a delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met with resistance leaders Ahmad Massud and Ismail Khan in Iran.
“Yes, we met with Ahmad Massud, Commander Ismail Khan and other Afghans. We assured all of them that they can return and live in Afghanistan without worries,” Muttaqi said in a video posted by Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-based office.
Massud, the son of famed anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massud, is the head of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, which groups opposition forces in northern Afghanistan.
Khan, a former governor of Herat Province and powerful warlord, reportedly lives in Iran now after being captured and then freed by the Taliban following the fall of Herat to the militants in August.
Neither Massud nor Khan has confirmed meeting with the Taliban.
The Taliban delegation left Kabul for Tehran on January 8 to meet with Iranian officials over a range of issues.
“In this visit, political, economic, transit issues as well as (Afghan) refugees will be discussed between the two sides,” said Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for the foreign minister.
With reporting by Tolonews.com
Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Explosive Remnants of War Kill 9 Afghan Children
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
January 10, 2022
ISLAMABAD — Officials in Afghanistan said Monday at least nine young students were killed and four wounded when an explosive remnant of war accidentally detonated outside a school in eastern Nangarhar province.
The provincial governor’s office said in a statement the incident in Lalpur district occurred when an old mortar shell in possession of a corn seller exploded as he tried to remove the dust off it.
“Nine children were martyred and four others were injured when an old mortar shell exploded near a corn seller,” the statement said. It did not talk about the fate of the vendor, but reports said he was also believed to be among the dead.
International studies have consistently ranked Afghanistan as one of the most landmine- and unexploded ordnance-impacted countries in the world.
Nine members of one family, including four girls and two boys, were reportedly killed last November when an explosive remnant of war went off inside a home in northeastern Kunduz province. Three other children were injured in that incident. One of the children unknowingly had brought the unexploded device into the home after finding it in a nearby field.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, reported earlier this month that the Afghan conflict had killed more than 28,500 children since 2005, accounting for 27% of all verified child casualties globally.
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last August and the withdrawal of remaining United States-led foreign troops later that month have effectively ended the war in the country. But aid workers say unexploded ordnance from the conflict and landmines from previous wars continue to kill, injure and maim Afghan civilians.
U.N. and other global aid groups say years of war, natural calamities and extreme poverty have left around 24 million Afghans without enough food this year, with more than 3.2 million children under 5 facing acute malnutrition.
‘I am free but my mind is not’: girls from Afghan youth football team fear for relatives left in Afghanistan
The Independent (UK): Speaking to The Independent in exclusive interviews, the football players, who have been in the UK since mid-November, said they are hopeful about their futures in the UK but are consumed with terror about loved ones who remain trapped in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
NRF Rejects Ahmad Massoud’s Visit with Taliban Foreign Minister
Massoud
8am: The National Resistance Front (NRF) has denied published reports that its leader, Ahmad Massoud, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. “No talks are scheduled between Ahmad Massoud and the Taliban leadership,” said Sibghatullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for (NRF) to Hasht-e Subh. Meanwhile, some local and foreign media outlets have reported that Ahmad Massoud and Ismail Khan, the former governor of Herat, are scheduled to meet with Amir Khan Muttaqi in Iran. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 9, 2022
Afghanistan’s embassy to act within limits of 1961 Vienna Convention: Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman
Press TV
January 9, 2022
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has reacted to certain reports about future diplomatic activities of Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran, specifying that the country’s mission will only act within the constraints of the 1961 Vienna Convention.
Speaking on Sunday, Saeed Khatibzadeh responded to reports carried by certain media outlets alleging that the Iranian government is planning to hand over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.
“The diplomatic activities of the Afghan embassy in Tehran, like all foreign embassies, fall within the framework of the principles and rules defined by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and no developments are possible to take place outside [the convention’s stipulations],” Khatibzadeh said.
A day earlier, the Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in Tehran while heading a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with Iranian officials in a first such trip since the group seized power.
Also on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement, noting that economic cooperation between the two countries was top on the agenda of talks with the Afghan delegation, which comprised of the caretakers of Afghan ministries of economy, industry, and trade as well as the deputies of several ministries.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has constantly emphasized the need to maintain economic and trade relations between the two countries in the best interests of the people of the neighboring country (Afghanistan), especially in the current situation,” the ministry’s statement added.
It said during the trip, agreements were reached on various economic and trade issues such as banking cooperation, cross-border markets, mining, trade, and sports cooperation.
The Taliban took control of the Afghan government in mid-August last year, in the midst of the United States’ hasty, reckless withdrawal of its forces from the country.
Since the takeover, Iran has consistently highlighted the importance of the establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan through the formation of an inclusive government in the war-ravaged country.
Tehran has also called for a boost to international humanitarian efforts for Afghanistan, saying the “very small” volume of international aid for Afghan refugees does not help much.
The US military led the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, in what it proselytized as a war on terror meant to eradicate the Taliban.
Violence in Recent Years Has Closed 50 Kunduz Schools
Tolo News: At least 50 schools have closed in recent years amid severe conflict in the northern province of Kunduz. The head of the provincial education department, Mawlawi Ismail Abu Ahmad, said that over 30,000 students have been deprived of schooling because their classrooms were in conflict areas in clashes between the former security forces and the Islamic Emirate members. Click here to read more (external link).
Kabul Women Protested over Faizullah Jalal’s Arrest
Faizullah Jalal
8am: Today (Sunday, January 9th) women protesters chanted slogans such as “The voice of professor Jalal is the voice of the people” and demanded the release of this university professor and political expert. Meanwhile, Amnesty International also demanded his unconditional release yesterday after the Taliban arrested him. Click here to read more (external link).