Pro-government religious leader killed in Afghanistan
Several prominent figures lose their lives to ongoing spate of targeted killings this year
An Afghan policeman stands guard after an attack at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. PHOTO: REUTERS
KABUL:
A prominent pro-government religious leader was assassinated in Afghanistan amid the ongoing targeted killing spree in the war-ravaged country, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The latest victim of the unclaimed slayings was identified as Mawlawi Sayed Saifullah Safi, head of the Syed Khail District Religious Council in the central Parwan province north of the capital Kabul.
District Governor Ahmad Umer told Anadolu Agency that Mawlawi Safi was shot dead by unknown assassins in front of a public school in the morning.
In new report, UN mission in Afghanistan says targeted attacks fading hopes for peace in war-ravaged country
Besmullah Adel Aimaq, editor-in-chief of Voice of Ghor radio, was killed en route to Firoz Koh city, the capital of Ghor province. PHOTO: COURTESY/TOLO NEWS
KABUL:
At least 11 activists and journalists have been slain in Afghanistan since the start of peace talks aimed at ending the nearly two-decades-long civil war, the UN said on Monday. This trend, combined with the absence of claims of responsibility, has generated a climate of fear among the population, said a new report by UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Human rights and media space has contracted as a result, with many professionals exercising self-censorship in their work, quitting their jobs, and leaving their homes and communities with hopes it will improve their safety.
(Last Updated On: January 11, 2021)
Three suspects arrested for the targeted assassination of Yousuf Rashid, CEO of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), have confessed to being Taliban members, the ministry of interior said Monday.
According to the MoI, the suspects confessed they are members of a 50-member Taliban group called Muslimyar which operates in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province.
The MoI said the group had planned the assassination of Yousuf Rashin in Logar province.
Speaking after Saturday’s announcement of the arrests, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh stated “One of the assassins had pretended to be a classmate of Yousuf Khan’s son in order to [collect information] and implement their plan,”
(Last Updated On: January 11, 2021)
President Ashraf Ghani warned that Afghanistan would once again become a safe haven for international terrorist groups if peace and stability is not achieved.
Delivering a lecture at Kabul University about peace, Ghani stated that any efforts for peace without active diplomacy by the European Union and the US would not attain a positive result.
“Without us (besides us) may Allah save us, if we moved toward destruction, international terrorism would build a nest here (in Afghanistan), and then no one would witness a happy day,” Ghani told the audience.
Ghani, however, believes that an international consensus has been formed for Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, democracy, and national unity, “but the role of the US and regional active diplomacy is crucial.”
(Last Updated On: January 9, 2021)
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Yousuf Rashid, CEO of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), the Ministry of Interior confirmed Saturday.
Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Ministry stated that the case is still under investigation, “other suspects are also involved in this incident.”
Meanwhile, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh stated that the culprits are members of a small group of Taliban – the so-called Muslimyar group – which operates in Logar province.
“One of the assassins had made himself a classmate of Yusuf Khan’s son in order to [collect information] and implement their plan,” Saleh added.