In the Gelderland province of Netherlands, the matter ended up in court after the grandma refused the call to take down the pictures from Facebook and Pinterest, she had posted without her daughter-in-law’s permission.

The court’s ruling has stated the mother’s call as “the children’s pictures on social media would seriously violate their privacy.”

The matter was ruled by the judge within the scope of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The ruling writes, “On Facebook, it cannot be ruled out that placed photos could be distributed and that they may come into the hands of third parties.”

It orders that if the grandmother does not remove the photos within 10 days, she must pay a penalty of $55 per day that the photos are online, with a maximum penalty of $1,100.

The aim of the GDPR, which came into effect in 2018, is to have control over the way companies use data as per people’s privacy matters.

The post Grandma to be fined unless she edits out photos from Facebook first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

In a resolution, the Ulema (religious scholars) asked the imams to shorten the Eid prayer sermons and focus their agenda on ending the war, bringing peace, and healthcare guidance against the Coronavirus.

In addition, the Ulema underline the need for healthcare measures, such as disinfecting the prayer venues, performing the prayers in the open air, keeping distance, and wearing masks.

They also have banned the presence of the infected from joining the congregations.

Aimed to prevent the outbreak of the Coronavirus, they want the people to celebrate the holiday indoors with their families, and seriously avoid in-person socializing such as visits, embracing, hugging, and handshakes.

In the meantime, Baghlan health officials announced that over 60 mosques where the prayers are scheduled to be held Sunday in Pol-e-Khumri, have been disinfected and that the campaign continues in all parts of the province.

The Baghlan police chief has also announced to provide special security for the prayer venues (mosques) and the city.

In Kabul, officials say the city will be completely quarantined during the Eid, and people should stay indoors throughout the days and avoid traveling at all to prevent the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, the ministry of interior has said this Eid will be a curfew in Kabul and that the police are going to enforce the curfew strictly.

It is noteworthy that the health officials have consistently said that an unprecedented calamity is on its way to hit the nation unless the people abide by the rules of restrictions and follow the health guidelines.

The post Ulema: Eid-ul-Fiter prayers must be practiced as per pertinent guidelines first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

Parwan provincial spokesperson Wahida Shahkar said that early this morning, a tower of the imported electricity was blown up by unknown individuals in PD^1 Charikar, Parwan.

She added that the blast was caused by improvised explosive devices (IED), adding that the police had taken two suspects into custody.

According to her, the pylon has not been completely destroyed. Its reconstruction has been taken on, she added.

Lately, infrastructures, be it electricity, bridges, roads, and/or other public service providers have become soft targets for insurgents.

The imported electricity power plants and cables have been often targeted by hostile individuals and groups, causing millions of financial damage to the nation and the state.

It does not stop there; employees and officials of the power and energy sector have also been targeted.

Not long ago, the Parwan commercial deputy of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat lost his life to an insurgent attack, reportedly a mine blast, and 8 employees of the sector were wounded.

The post IED explosion destroys power pylon – Parwan first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

According to officials, people should stay indoors throughout the Eid and avoid traveling at all.

Aimed to stop the Coronavirus outbreak, at a cabinet meeting Thursday, President Ashraf Ghani called on the nation to refrain from traveling during the Eid-ul-Fiter holidays.

Kabul Governor Mohammad Yaqoub Haidari has also said that there would be a severe curfew in Kabul during the holiday for the same purpose.

Meanwhile, the ministry of interior has said that in line with the cabinet decision, this Eid will be a curfew in Kabul and that the police are going to enforce the curfew strictly.

Public Health Deputy Minister Waheed Majrooh, also wants the people not to make visits on Eid days and celebrate the Eid with their families only.

Unfortunately, Afghans do not comply with the curfew and do not take the threat of the pandemic seriously.

Health officials also say that an unprecedented calamity is on its way to hit the nation unless the people abide by the rules of restrictions and follow the health guidelines.

On the other hand, President Ghani has approved a plan by the governor of Kabul to ease restrictions on business and travel after Eid holidays.

It is to be mentioned that the number of COVID19 infections in Afghanistan has nearly reached 9000 (8,676 to 21 May), with 193 deaths and 938 recoveries.

The post Kabul to impose stricter quarantine measures over Eid days first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, with 531 new cases of Coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the total number of positive cases of the virus rose to 8676 in Afghanistan.

The MOPH reports 6 latest deaths and 8 new recoveries as well, bringing the total death toll to 193 and recoveries to 938.

The newly confirmed cases have been reported in the following provinces:

“Kabul 274, Herat 69, Balkh 55, Nangarhar 35, Wardak 26, Sar-e-Pol 15, Parwan 13, Paktika 12, Khost 12, Paktia 7, Laghman 5, Faryab 3, Jawzjan 2, Farah 2 and Badghis.”

Once more the MOPH strictly warns that people will see a great catastrophe if the overall code of conduct towards the pandemic doesn’t change in Afghanistan.

Earlier too, the ministries of public health and interior have repeatedly warned against taking precautionary measures seriously to prevent the spread of the virus.

People, however, have paid no attention despite all the warnings and the fact that the infection grows by hundreds with the course of every day.

The post COVID19 hits nearly 9000 people in Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

Reuters reported three sources familiar with the matter that the Pentagon had been reluctant to cut the funds announced by Secretary of State Pompeo, and that the Defense Secretary Mark Esper had not provided guidance on how to do so.

The report writes that it was unclear why the cut has not been made, whether President Donald Trump’s administration may have decided not to reduce the funding or if there was some disconnect between the State and Defense Departments.

Although the White House National Security Council referred queries to the Defense and State Departments, there has not been any response; however, a Pentagon spokesman has said that the State and Defense Departments were working on how to carry them out.

An army official has said, “Secretary Esper supports the Department of State efforts to encourage the Afghanistan government to move forward with the inter-Afghan peace process.”

There are reports that the Pentagon was concerned about the decision of making the cut.

The post US doesn’t withhold $1 billion aid to Afghanistan? first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

In his latest thread of visits, the US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban representatives and Afghan authorities respectively in Doha, and Kabul aimed to discuss the starting of the Intra-Afghan negotiations in no time.

In Doha, he said he had held 3 constructive meeting s with Mullah Baradar and members of the Taliban Political Commission in Doha, Qatar, and that he had emphasized the US-Taliban agreement is inter-connected – counter-terrorism commitments, Intra-Afghan negotiations, troop withdrawal, and gradual violence reduction leading to a permanent ceasefire.

“I also raised missing Americans Mark Frerichs and Paul Overby as well as our concerns about recent Taliban attacks in Kunduz, Ghazni, & Khost. We discussed their concerns with President Ghani’s ordering offensive attacks,” he said.

(1/5) I held 3 constructive mtgs w/ Mullah Berader & members of the Taliban Political Commission. Emphasized the US-Taliban agreement is inter-connected: CT commitments, intra-Afghan negotiations, troop withdrawal, & gradual violence reduction leading to a permanent ceasefire.

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) May 20, 2020

According to him, he has underlined the reduction in violence to the Taliban representatives, noting that it must fall by all sides. “Innocent Afghans have borne far too much and for too long the costs of this war,” he wrote.

He writes that the Taliban also expressed their commitment to the agreement and its implementation, adding, “They said they would do all they could to locate our citizens. They will consult their leadership in the next step.”

Confirming the events, the Taliban Political Commission Spokesperson Suhail Shaheen tweeted that they “talked in detail about the acceleration of the peace process.”

Quoting Mullah Baradar, he wrote, “Solution of the Afghan issue lies in the complete implementation of the Agreement. Other mechanisms rather than the Agreement, means creating hurdles in the way of peace. Even now, the peace process has been harmed. Any further delay in its implementation will further harm the process.”

In Kabul, Khalilzad met with the newly reconciled political couple, President Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah.

He wrote, “We discussed the next steps required to implement the agreement between the 2 leaders. On peace, we agreed that violence is much too high and there is a need to move urgently to reduce it by all sides.

Met with President @AshrafGhani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation @DrabdullahCE together and separately today in Kabul. I congratulated them on their agreement to form an inclusive government after protracted negotiations.

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) May 21, 2020

“We also agreed on the importance of delivering (and soon) on other commitments made in the US-Taliban agreement and US-Afghanistan joint declaration including the release of prisoners by both sides and the start of Intra-Afghan negotiations.

It is noteworthy that in the meantime, neighboring China, Russia, and Iran have also emphasized the need to commence the Intra-Afghan negotiations.

They have said that they hoped that the Intra-Afghan negotiations begin as soon possible, noting that they can play a constructive role in strengthening the peace process.

The post Khalilzad’s hurrying thread of meetings to kick off Intra-Afghan talks first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

In response to a May 17 Wall Street Journal editorial indicating Trump’s flimsy decisions regarding Afghanistan given the peace deals and the withdrawal of US forces prematurely, Donald pronounced his reactions in a series of tweets.

Trump wrote, “The Taliban is mixed about even wanting us out. They make a fortune $$$ out of having us stay, and except at the beginning, we never really fought to win.”

“We are more of a police force than the mighty military that we are, especially now as rebuilt. No, I am not acting impulsively!” he said.

…..mixed about even wanting us to get out. They make a fortune $$$ by having us stay, and except at the beginning, we never really fought to win. We are more of a police force than the mighty military that we are, especially now as rebuilt. No, I am not acting impulsively!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2020

Trump has previously commended US military effort in Afghanistan. He praised troops deployed to defend liberty and those who “continue to serve heroically to stamp out terrorism and to eviscerate the enemies of civilization.”

The US troops surged to Afghanistan in 2001 initially to eliminate al-Qaeda and then continued fighting to win remote areas from Taliban control.

Over the past year, the troops have focused on supporting Afghan forces in an effort to persuade the Taliban to step into Intra-Afghan negotiations.

The US signed a deal with the Taliban on 29th February which halted US attacks on the Taliban and outlined a path toward troops’ withdrawal.

Now that the Intra-Afghan negotiations have been delayed, it is unclear how quickly further reduction of troops will come into effect.

Trump has always expressed frustration about the war in Afghanistan given the resources it takes and has wanted it to end, noting, “You can only hold someone’s hand for so long.”

The post Trump: US never really fought to win; Taliban profited by its presence first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

The US State Department reports that shortly after the signing of the political accord Sunday between Afghan President Ghani and rival Abdullah, the US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad resumed his peace bringing voyage.

The Intra-Afghan negotiations were delayed from kicking off mainly because of an increase in violence, inadequate prisoner releases, and Ghani-Abdullah political impasse.

According to the US State Department, Khalilzad will meet with Taliban representatives to discuss the release of prisoners by both sides and to “press for steps necessary to commence Intra-Afghan negotiations, including a significant reduction of violence.”

The statement added that he will also meet with the Afghan government “to explore steps the Afghan government needs to take to make intra-Afghan negotiations begin as soon as possible.”

As per the US-Taliban accord of Doha, signed February the 29th, the Intra-Afghan negotiations were supposed to get started by March the 10th.

The post US special rep hit the road again to enable peace talks first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

The political agreement between President Ghani and Abdullah was signed Sunday afternoon.

Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted that as per the agreement, Abdullah would lead the National Reconciliation Council and that his men would be part of the cabinet.

The Political Agreement between President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has just been signed. Dr. Abdullah will lead the National Reconciliation High Council and members of his team will be included in the cabinet. Details will be aired shortly by RTA. pic.twitter.com/VZ95m5DfJq

— Sediq Sediqqi (@SediqSediqqi) May 17, 2020

Although the details of the agreement are not made public yet, previous media releases indicate that 50 percent of the cabinet appointments will be made by Abdullah, and Gen Dostum will be honored with the highest military rank of marshal, and any dismissal and/or installation of seats will come into effect on reasonable grounds and with the consent of both parties.

The signing of this agreement repeated the history – Afghanistan went back to 2014 – power-sharing under the name of reconciliation.

Once more in the history of Afghanistan, political settlements win over people’s votes.

The post President Ghani, Abdullah sign a political agreement first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

Michael Rubin, a famous American writer, and a former Pentagon official, has said in his latest analytical piece, “Khalilzad’s increasing desperation – ignoring and excusing terrorism and demanding other countries do likewise – will never bring peace; rather, it will simply condemn the region to greater bloodshed.”

In this piece of writing, he says that since Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives have signed the agreement, violence has only increased.

“It is against such a backdrop that Khalilzad’s exculpation of Taliban involvement in attacks earlier this week on a funeral procession in Nangarhar and a maternity ward in Kabul must be taken with a grain of salt,” he wrote.

According to him, Afghan authorities say they have developed compelling evidence which indicates that the Taliban are responsible for the funeral and the maternity ward attacks; while Khalilzad urges all officials to take his word for it before investigations are complete.

Rubin believes that the “envoy is acting dishonestly in order to keep the agreement he signed on life support.”

He says it never hurts to talk to enemies, but if one side seeks peace and the other looks at diplomacy as an asymmetric warfare strategy, talks will not succeed.

“Calibrating national security to wishful thinking rather than reality is always unwise,” he says.

He underscores that Khalilzad’s demands of negotiating with a group that believes Hindus and other non-Sunni Muslims deserve death could undercut broader U.S. counterterrorism policies.

He wrote that the more Khalilzad wants the peace agreement to succeed, the more the Taliban tries to condemn the agreement to failure.

“Desperation for Afghanistan peace deal creates dangerous precedent” (my latest for @dcexaminer ) https://t.co/o9uB08SxDY @AEIfdp #Afghanistan #Taliban @US4AfghanPeace

— Michael Rubin (@mrubin1971) May 16, 2020

The post ‘Desperation will never bring peace’ – Opinion first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

The US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, in a briefing through a teleconference Friday, told the press that the Intra-Afghan negotiations were the only solution to the problems in Afghanistan, noting that “a new date is under discussion” to get the talks started.

“Although the recent violence has raised questions about the peace process, and the path to peace is not straight and there are challenges and difficulties,” he said, “but there is no alternative to pushing forward with peace.”

He emphasized that there was no military solution to the war in Afghanistan, but a peace agreement among Afghans, adding that “I know that they are tired of war, they want the war to end, and we stand with them,” and the US-Taliban agreement has opened an opportunity to achieve that.

Answering a press question, he said that there were forces that didn’t see peace in Afghanistan in their interests and have been trying to increase violence, to undermine the prospect for peace, and therefore “We’re urging both sides not to fall into that trap, but indeed to cooperate against the terrorists, including ISIS.”

It is noteworthy that on 29th February, the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban for bringing peace to Afghanistan.

As per the February agreement, the Intra-Afghan negotiations – between the Afghan Government and the Taliban – were supposed to start on 10th March.

Unfortunately, there have been challenges, particularly two major ones – prisoner releases and reduction in violence – that have been holding back the talks.

The post Khalilzad: ‘A new date is under discussion’ to start Intra-Afghan negotiations first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

The Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a press release Friday, “We firmly call for the transparent and impartial investigation of these attacks in order to expose the dark faces of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes and bring them to justice.”

The statement emphasizes that the Taliban has no relation with the attacks, noting, “Attacks on clinics, funerals and public infrastructure have no place in our policy.”

It underlines that the Dasht-e-Barchi and the Nangarhar incidents are exploited to declare the launch of offensive operations against the Taliban.

It is to be noted that US Representative Zalmay Khalilzad also said Friday that according to the United States’ assessment, the Daesh^Khurasan conducted the attacks on a hospital in Kabul and a funeral in Nangarhar.

In the meantime, calling on the Afghan political bodies to come together, he said, “Rather than falling into the ISIS trap and delay peace or create obstacles, Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity.”

The post Taliban calls for “transparent” probe into Kabul~Nangarhar attacks first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

US Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said Friday that according to the United States’ assessment, the Daesh^Khurasan conducted the attacks on a hospital in Kabul and a funeral in Nangarhar.

He tweeted, “The USG has assessed ISIS-K conducted the horrific attacks on a maternity ward and a funeral earlier this week in Afghanistan.”

“ISIS has demonstrated a pattern for favoring these types of heinous attacks against civilians and is a threat to the Afghan people and to the world,” Khalilzad wrote.

Khalilzad, in the tweet, has underlined that the Daesh^Khurasan opposes a peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and that is, therefore, it seeks to encourage sectarian war in Afghanistan as of that in Iraq and Syria.

The USG has assessed ISIS-K conducted the horrific attacks on a maternity ward and a funeral earlier this week in Afghanistan. ISIS has demonstrated a pattern for favoring these types of heinous attacks against civilians and is a threat to the Afghan people and to the world.

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) May 14, 2020

He said, “Rather than falling into the ISIS trap and delay peace or create obstacles, Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity.”

“No more excuses. Afghans, and the world, deserve better,” said Khalilzad.

It is noteworthy that this comes as part of the reactions to President Ghani’s order of declaring war against anti-state armed forces. That is, following the deadly attacks in Kabul, Nangarhar, and Laghman, Ghani ordered the Afghan National Defense and Security forces to ease up their “active defense” mode and go on “offensive” one.

The responsibility for the aforementioned attacks was not only denied by the Taliban but the group has condemned the acts as well; however, in a press release, it reacted to the president’s declaration of war.

The post Khalilzad: Daesh conducted “the horrific attacks on a maternity ward and a funeral” first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

Confirming the blast, Paktia officials said 5 civilians had been killed and 19 others, including 5 military personnel, had been injured.

Paktia Police Chief Sultan Daud confirmed that a car bomb – a Mazda truck improvised with explosives – had exploded at a military facility in Gardez, Paktia province.

The spokesperson for 203 Thunder Corps, Emal Momand, said 5 civilians had been killed and 19 others, including 5 military personnel, had been injured, adding that the number of casualties is likely to vary.

The Paktia provincial media office said in a statement that 28 people were killed and wounded in the attack – the dead included one ANA soldier and three civilians, while 19 civilians and 5 ANA soldiers were wounded.

According to the statement, the incident has happened in a place that is mostly frequented by civilians. Also, windows of offices and houses nearby have been broken.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that a number of troopers had been killed and wounded.

This comes as President Ghani, following the deadly attacks in Kabul, Nangarhar, and Laghman, ordered the Afghan National Defense and Security forces to ease up their “active defense” mode and go on “offensive” one against the anti-government armed forces.

The post Car bomb hits gov’t facility – Paktia first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

Following Tuesday’s heinous attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar, President Ghani in a video statement ordered Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to switch from “active defense” mode to “offensive” one.

Pointing at attacks on the hospital in Kabul, the funeral in Nangarhar, and some other acts of violence, President Ghani said that the Taliban and Daesh have killed innocent Afghans, including women and children.

The president has also said that the Taliban has intensified its attacks and violence against the call of the Afghan government and the nation for a ceasefire and bringing peace.

Consequently, the Taliban released a statement condemning the attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar, considering them of Daesh’s work, noting it is due to the operations of the Taliban “that there remain no known Daesh strongholds in any part of Afghanistan”.

Also, the statement underlines that “such attacks are jointly planned and executed from guesthouses in Kabul and other cities by Daesh members” and the government “intelligence in order to batter the nation, provide a space for the implementation of failed policies and to take anti-Islam and anti-peace steps”.

The Taliban statement says that since the singing of the US-Taliban agreement, the Afghan government “has been trying to create hurdles for the peace process”.

“From deliberately delaying the prisoner release process which was both an important step for agreement implementation and launch of intra-Afghan negotiations and could have safeguarded the lives of thousands of prisoners from the current threat of coronavirus, to the current declaration of offensive operations”, the Taliban underscored in the statement.

The Taliban says it is “fully prepared to counter all enemy movements and offensives” noting that “from now onwards the responsibility of further escalation of violence and its ramifications” will be the responsibility of the government.

On the other hand, the United States, in a press release Tuesday, condemning the Kabul and Nangarhar attacks noted, “We note the Taliban has denied any responsibility and condemned both attacks as heinous. The Taliban and the Afghan government should cooperate to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“As long as there is no sustained reduction in violence and insufficient progress towards a negotiated political settlement, Afghanistan will remain vulnerable to terrorism. The Afghan people deserve a future free from terror, and the ongoing peace process continues to present a critical opportunity for Afghans to come together to build a united front against the menace of terrorism,” the US underlines through the statement.

Zalmay Khalilzad US Special Representative for Reconciliation in Afghanistan, who is the axis in the Afghan peace process, in a tweet, called on Taliban and the Afghan government to cooperate “against a common enemy that perpetrates such crimes” noting “Failure to do so, leaves Afghanistan vulnerable to terrorism, perpetual instability & economic hardship.”

Talib, Afghan govt cooperation against a common enemy that perpetrates such crimes is necessary as is cooperation on containing COVID. Failure to do so leaves Afghanistan vulnerable to terrorism, perpetual instability & economic hardship. Now is the time to press forward on peace

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) May 12, 2020

He condemned Tuesday’s attacks, tweeting that the “unspeakable” violence “against mothers, babies, and unborn children” in Kabul and on a funeral in Nangarhar “are acts of pure evil”.

Also, the US Charge d’Affaires Ross Wilson of the US Embassy Kabul condemned the attacks and those who are targeting the defenseless and oppressed people.

The United Nations has also condemned the attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

In addition, the Human Rights Watch has considered the attack on the hospital a war crime.

Ariana News Analytical

Violence in Afghanistan was expected to grade zero after the US-Taliban agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan; however, suicide bombing and other acts of violence still continue.

As in the very latest examples of terrorism Tuesday, at least 30 people were killed and 70 others were injured in a suicide bombing in eastern Nangarhar province as well as a minimum 14 were killed and 15 others got wounded in an attack on a maternity ward in a hospital in Kabul.

The post Ghani’s order to ANDSF to break ‘active defense’ mode; follow-up reactions first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

Since the start of the talks between the United States and the Taliban in 2019, many countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, and some Central Asian countries, have approached the Taliban representatives, except for India.

The United States has recently poked India to participate in the process. The Taliban have also welcomed it, saying it is conditional of a positive move by the India side.

Responding to the question ‘if the Taliban were willing to talk to India as part of the US efforts’, the group’s prominent member Stanikzai said, “We have no problem with anyone who wants to take a positive step towards peace in Afghanistan. Whenever they want to take a positive step in this regard, we are ready to talk with them for peace.”

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for reconciliation in Afghanistan, has said India was an important element in Afghanistan’s peace process and would welcome its involvement in it

In the meantime, ThePrint, an Indian digital news platform, has written that it was not expected that the Narendra Modi administration would change its position and be directly part of Afghanistan’s peace talks with the Taliban unless it derives from pressure by the United States.

It has quoted senior Indian officials as saying that New Delhi was willing to speak out if the Taliban recognized the democratic government – the Afghan government – and that the United States was now forcing India to take part in the Afghan peace talks.

An Afghan free journalist, Sami Yousufzai, who is mostly following the peace process and its events, believes that India is deeply concerned about the Taliban’s return to the Afghan political system.

“It is a fact that during the Taliban regime, thousands of Kashmiri jihadist fighters were active in Afghanistan.” He has said noting that when the United States sought a guarantee from the Taliban that there would be no more room for al-Qaeda or other groups that pose a threat to the United States and the West, India also wanted to receive a commitment from the Taliban as such.

On the other hand, according to Yousufzai, Zalmay Khalilzad has tried to share India’s concerns with the Taliban, which seems to be fruitful as a relationship seems to have taken birth between the Taliban and India.

The progress in the Afghan peace talks has shown that Pakistan has influence over the Taliban and is a key player in the process.

India, on the other hand, had no place in the process but has now made it clear that at the other end of the process – the Afghan government – it has a strong position in relation to the Ghani-led government.

Ahmad Saeedi, a former diplomat at the Afghan embassy in Pakistan, said that following the US-Taliban agreement, [India] was deeply concerned thinking that all the provisions of the agreement were in Pakistan’s interest; therefore, Zalmay Khalilzad has been trying to seek India’s satisfaction to step into negotiations with the Taliban.

So far, India has not yet announced its will for direct talks with the Taliban; however, a point to be noted is that after meeting with Indian officials, Zalmay Khalilzad traveled to Pakistan and met with Qamar Bajwa, Pakistani army’s chief of staff, to seek Islamabad’s support in speeding up starting the Intra-Afghan talks, reducing violence, and overall, to help take the Afghan peace process to next level.

Khalilzad travels to Qatar to meet with Taliban political representatives, following up on his agenda: the acceleration of government-Taliban prisoner releases, the immediate start of Intra-Afghan talks, the reduction of violence, the humanitarian ceasefire, and last but not the least, India’s participation in the peace process.

The post Taliban shows willing-signs to get along with India first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

It is worth mentioning that the marshal’s rank requested for Gen Dostum has not been finalized but four tribal leaders are likely to be honored.
In addition, Abdullah’s team insists on the Interior Ministry and some other key ministries, but no agreement has been made yet.
Notably, Abdullah’s men will be cabinet members, but the team will not be authorized to interfere in other layers.
The date for the signing of the agreement has not yet been revealed, and Abdullah has not commented on the matter so far.

The post Abdullah Abdullah’s role in gov’t if reached to agreement with Arg first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

They are fine, say public health officials. A research conducted by Ariana in Herat shows that the recklessness of government employees and visitors has led to the transmission of the virus.

The findings of the study show that 4 employees of the Department of Transportation, 3 employees of the Water Supply Department, 4 employees of the Municipality, 3 employees of the Tax Department, 5 employees of the Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, 75 employees of the Public Health Department, 10 policemen, 4 employees of the Herat Ambulance, 3 provincial employees, including the head of Human Resources, 11 imams, and 8 employees of the Herat Customs Department, have been exposed to the virus.

Head of Herat’s Public Health Department Dr. Abdul Hakim Tamana, says the communicatory virus has hiked due to the irresponsible conduct of government employees and the citizens. “If this doesn’t change, it could exacerbate the Coronavirus disaster in the near future,” he added.

At the same time, a number of government officials in Herat underline that there are no sufficient health gears in the office to fight the virus.

Sharif Ahmad, a government employee, says they are given a number a mask and pair of gloves for a whole week, even though they deal with a large number of visitors every day.

“Although three of our employees have been infected by the virus, no action has been taken to disinfect the premises,” he said.

At the same time, Engineer Ratib Hamim, head of water supply authority, confirms that one of his employees has been infected with the virus.

Hamim says they are a service provider, and they have continued to work for the past two months despite the quarantine. “People who come to the office do not have masks and do not follow safety measures,” he says.

Ghulam Hazrat Mushfeq, the mayor of Herat, also confirms the transmission of the COVID19 in service administrations, adding that the process of disinfecting public places and some government offices is being carried out on daily basis.

Recently, in a press conference, the governor of Herat ordered the entire service to pay extra attention to healthcare guidelines and wear masks at all times.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammadi, head of Herat Ambulances, emphasizes that the number of people living with the coronavirus in Herat is still the rise.

“Most people are scared of being hospitalized at COVID19 wards – hiding that they have been contracted and/or going into home quarantine,” Mohammadi said.

He also confirms that over 120 employees of various government administrations across the city have been infected with the deadly Coronavirus.

It is noteworthy that Herat is the epicenter of the COVID19 in Afghanistan and was the first province exposed to the virus in late February 2020.

The post Coronavirus rapidly spreads around Herat due to poor precautions first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.

The anti-coronavirus commission in Balkh has decided to conditionally and gradually ease the lockdown in Mazar-e-Sharif city starting from today, Sunday.

The commission said it was important to abide by the rules of healthcare guidelines at work, and that all guilds, except those that were not considered necessary, such as hotels, could start operating today.

On the other hand, a number of Mazar-e-Sharif residents see the lifting of restrictions as harmful in the current situation because the virus is still spreading.

In the meantime, in the last 24 hours alone, 43 new cases have tested positive in Balkh, and there is a total of 300 confirmed infections already there.

The post Balkh conditionally lifts movement restrictions amid COVID19 outbreak first appeared on Ariana News | Afghanistan News.