Afghanistan

19 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Taliban on Saturday announced a ban on the cultivation of hemp, or cannabis, in Afghanistan, Anadolu reports.

According to decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the cultivation of cannabis is prohibited across the country. In case of a violation, the plantation will be destroyed and violators punished according to Sharia rules.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Mar 9 (NNN-ANA) – A blast killed the governor of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province today, a local television channel reported.

The explosion rocked Mazar-i-Sharif city, capital of Balkh province, provincial police spokesman, Mohammad Asif Waziri, said.

“A blast took place next to the office of provincial governor’s office, minutes ago and so far we have no more details,” Waziri said.

KABUL, Mar 7 (NNN-ANA) – A total of 3,000 Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from neighboUring Pakistan yesterday, said a statement by Afghanistan’s Ministry for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs, released here today.

According to the statement by the ministry, the process of returning the refugees to Afghanistan continues.

More than 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees, reportedly have been living in Pakistan, and about the same number are living in Iran.

More than 270,000 Afghan refugees have returned from Iran over the past six months.

5 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Indian government funded Afghan warlords instead of the former Afghan government prior to the Taliban's takeover in 2021, newly published American documents have indicated.

FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Feb 25 (NNN-ANA) – Four people have been killed, as an avalanche hit a village in Arghanjkhwa district of Afghanistan’s northern Badakhshan province, said Qari Maazudin Ahmadi, head of information and culture of Badakhshan province, today.

The incident took place in Tak Archa village, late yesterday, killing four people, the official told reporters, without providing more details.

A similar incident claimed four lives and destroyed 30 houses in Kofab district of the province, last week.

22 Feb 2023; MEMO: Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration has set up a consortium of companies, including some in Russia, Iran and Pakistan, to create an investment plan focusing on power, mining and infrastructure, the acting Commerce Minister said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

KABUL, Feb 20 (NNN-ANA) – The Afghan caretaker administration, has decided to change former U.S. military bases into economic zones, to bolster economic activities, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported, yesterday.

The decision has been taken at a meeting of the Economic Commission, with Deputy Prime Minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, on the chair, Bakhtar said in its report, adding that, the pilot project would begin from Kabul and Balkh, and expand to other parts of the country.

19 Feb 2023; MEMO: Afghanistan's interim government has decided to take control of the bases of the US-led foreign forces across the country "with an intention" to convert them into special economic zones, Anadolu reports.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the country's Economic Commission with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the deputy premier for economic affairs, in the chair in Kabul, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a series of tweets on Sunday.

KABUL, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan received another package of 40 million U.S. dollars in cash as humanitarian aid and deposited it in one of the commercial banks in Kabul on Monday, a statement of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the country's central bank said.

This is the third batch of 40 million U.S. dollars sent to Afghanistan over the past five days. The previous two batches reached Kabul on Wednesday and Sunday, respectively.

SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Feb 9 (NNN-ANA) – Four commuters lost their lives and three others were injured, as their vehicle turned turtle, in Afghanistan’s northern Jawzjan province today, local police official, Kafayatullah Mutawakil, said.

The accident took place on a road linking Jawzjan to neighbouring Balkh province, in the wee hours of Thursday, leaving four dead on the spot and three injured, the official said.

Blaming reckless driving for the crash, the official, without providing more details, said that, an investigation had been initiated into the case.