Chinese & UN Officials Discuss Situation in Afghanistan

Vahidi said that after foreign intelligence services’ failure to incite unrest inside Iran, they have been focused on the issue of refugees.

The Iranian officials always hold the other countries’ intelligence services responsible for all anomalies and protests in Iran.

According to the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Vahidi on Thursday during a meeting in the administrative council of Qir-o-karzin, Farashband and Firozabad cities of Iran said, "A mysterious movement has started during this period regarding Afghan nationals that aims to create a conflict between Iranian communities and Afghan immigrants. Enemy's espionage agencies are working on this issue after being frustrated in creating unrest."

He made this statement while Iran has forcibly deported thousands of Afghan immigrants from the country in recent months.

Recently, video clips have been sent to Afghanistan International showing scenes of torture and abuse of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

In the pictures that reached Afghanistan International, a group of people in Qazvin province can be seen attacking Afghan immigrants and their homes with stones and sticks.

Iran's Ham-Mihan newspaper published an investigative report on Thursday, stating that despite the Iranian police announcing the arrest of 19 individuals on charges of attacking the homes of Afghan immigrants, anti-Afghan sentiments have not subsided. On social media, extensive campaigns have been launched, calling for the expulsion of Afghan immigrants.

Ham-Mihan newspaper reported that the origins of these campaigns may be traced back to statements made by Iranian officials concerning the number of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Officials and members of the parliament of Iran have repeatedly announced the presence of millions of Afghan immigrants in Iran and have warned about them in some cases.

Mohammad Sargazi, one of the Iranian MPs, is among those who criticised the presence of Afghan immigrants in Iran several times and asked the authorities of his country to reconsider accepting Afghan immigrants.

In May, he explicitly called for the expulsion of Afghan refugees from Iran and claimed that more than seven million Afghans live in Iran.

After the takeover of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan, many Afghans fled to neighbouring countries, including Iran.

There is no precise statistics available regarding the number of Afghan immigrants in Iran. However, the Minister of Interior of Iran had recently stated that the Afghan immigrant population exceeds five million in the country.

Sources said that the blast took place inside a Shiite Mosque, killing and injuring several worshipers.

The exact number of casualties due to this explosion is not currently available.

According to sources, this explosion was caused by an embedded bomb. Local sources said that after the explosion, Taliban members rushed to the scene.

Local Taliban authorities have not commented on the explosion so far.

The US aid to Afghanistan has been announced at the same time as the appeal made by relief organisations to increase urgent financial resources for the treatment of hundreds of victims of the two earthquakes in the past five days in western Afghanistan.

Reuters reported that the aid will be distributed through external agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration, which includes temporary shelter, blankets, clothes, food, and other items.

The Taliban has provided varying statistics regarding the earthquake's casualties. The group’s Ministry for Disaster Management announced that at least 2,400 people died in the earthquake, but the Ministry of Public Health announced that the number of victims was more than 1,000 people.

He criticised the Pakistani government for preventing the "humane expression of Pashtun sympathy".

Pashteen is one of the influential leaders of Pashtuns in Pakistan, who has repeatedly criticised the country's government and army for illegal killings and kidnappings in tribal areas and has held demonstrations for the rights of Pashtuns in Pakistan.

The PTM leader wrote on Facebook on Thursday that his group’s members set up aid collection tents to help the earthquake victims of Herat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including in Quetta city of Baluchistan province. However, the Pakistani authorities did not allow them to do so and shut down the tents.

He added, "How deprived are the Pashtuns that they are not even allowed human sympathy."

At the same time as the scope of damages and needs became more apparent following two powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan in the last five days, more countries have announced financial commitments for the victims of the earthquake.

In the latest case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea announced on Thursday that it will donate one million dollars to help the victims of the devastating earthquake in Herat.

The ministry said in a statement that emergency aid would be sent through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Earlier, two days after the deadly Herat earthquake, China had donated 200,000 dollars to the victims of the earthquake.

Chinese media outlets reported on Thursday that the new aid announcement came from the China International Development Cooperation Agency. These new donations will include tents, beds, blankets, winter coats and other items needed by the affected families.

China announced that this aid would be transferred to Afghanistan and will be distributed among the people. Also, more food aid will be given to the earthquake victims.

Five days after the deadly Herat earthquake, more countries have announced their readiness to send aid to Afghanistan. Referring to the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake in Herat Province, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called for immediate international support for the victims.

The federation said that the full extent of the tragedy was still emerging, and urgent international support was needed.

This week, following two earthquakes in western Afghanistan, hundreds of people have been killed and injured, and many villages have been destroyed.

In a statement, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies requested 132 million dollars to respond to the immediate needs of those affected by the earthquake. These immediate needs include food assistance, cash assistance, emergency shelter, household items, emergency health care, psychological support, and clean and sanitary water.