Category: Afghanistan

Afghanistan watchdog: US must consider whether aid dollars are helping Taliban

The government’s watchdog for Afghanistan reconstruction said Thursday that the Taliban is growing ever more oppressive, and lawmakers need to consider whether too many U.S. aid dollars are ending up in their hands. The report to Congress by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, is an update for lawmakers on rebuilding and aid efforts following the U.S. […]

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Iran hoping to establish trade hub in Afghanistan

Iran’s deputy minister of trade Mohammad Mousavi said Tuesday in a meeting that Tehran is considering setting up a trade center in Afghanistan in the near future. According to Mehr News Agency, Mousavi expressed hope that the establishment of this center will strengthen ties between Kabul and Tehran. He did not however say where the center would be situated. Addressing […]

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Muttaqi tells Pakistan to stop blaming Afghanistan for its insecurity

Referring to Pakistan’s concerns about terrorism threats emanating from Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Wednesday called on Islamabad to stop blaming Afghanistan for insecurity. Speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate a drug addiction treatment center in Kabul, Muttaqi said that the root of Pakistan’s security problems is in the country itself […]

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Russia, Pakistan to make use of SCO capabilities to deal with Afghanistan

Russia and Pakistan to engage the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) capabilities to assist the situation in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference after talks with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Moscow on Monday. “We have talked about the situation in Afghanistan a lot; this is directly connected to the goal of elimination of […]

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UN emphasizes the importance of aid for Afghanistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that the distribution of cash aid to the needy is very important during this year’s extremely harsh winter. The spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan Caroline Gluck says that in this cold winter, it is very important to distribute cash aid to the needy in Afghanistan. Gluck, […]

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No evidence Russia turning to IEA for arms: White House

The White House said on Friday it has no evidence to support reports claiming that Moscow has asked the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to provide them with arms left behind by foreign forces in the country. John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications for the US National Security Council told VOA that he can’t confirm the reports but “if it’s […]

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China’s mining ambitions in Afghanistan haunted by militants

Escalating threats from Islamist militants are casting doubt on the future of big-money Chinese mining projects in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas (CAPEIC) signed a 25-year oil extraction deal with the Afghan Taliban authorities for the Amu River oil field in northwestern Afghanistan. The company is expected to invest $150 million in the first year […]

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Pakistan’s foreign minister rules out military operations in Afghanistan

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the country does not intend to carry out military operations inside Afghanistan. “We’re not interested in launching a cross-border operation, nor would we want to advocate for more military intervention after what we’ve already seen was the longest war,” Zardari told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum […]

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Kabulov says US is using Afghanistan’s frozen reserves as a tool ‘to blackmail Kabul’

The “Anglo-Saxons” maintain contact with the armed opposition in Afghanistan and secretly sponsor Daesh, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Friday. “What’s worse is that apart from maintaining contact with the armed opposition in Afghanistan, the Anglo-Saxons secretly sponsor Islamic State (Daesh) members who are set not only against stability in our partner countries in Central […]

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IEA considers forming special unit for security of TAPI project

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said on Saturday it is ready to form a special unit to safeguard the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project. In a statement, the office of deputy prime minister for economic affairs, noted that TAPI as a significant regional economic project was initiated during the first rule of the IEA, but the American “occupation” of […]

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