Two Former Afghan Security Officers Killed By Taliban in Laghman

They referred to the forces driving violence, hatred, and discrimination in addressing the immigrant issue as the "regressive elements within Iranian society”.

The signatories highlighted the emergence of an anti-immigrant sentiment targeting Afghans residing in Iran, a trend that gained momentum in the final days of summer.

About 10 days ago, a group of Iranian citizens protested against the presence of Afghan immigrants in Eqbaliyeh city of Qazvin province and attacked their houses.

Some media outlets have warned about the "intensification of the anti-Afghan campaign in Iran”.

Some have referred to it as a “security project” rooted in government figures, aimed at shifting responsibility for issues such as poverty, high prices, and inflation away from the government.

According to the signatories of the statement, those who joined the trend tried to identify immigrants as the cause of the livelihood and security problems in the society by "projecting, exaggerating and publishing false information" and sometimes with "racist" behaviours and speeches.

The statement also stressed on the role of Iranian government in the emergence of such a trend as well as in the 40-year-old problems of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

According to the statement, the lack of accurate statistics on the number of immigrants in Iran has become a pretext for providing false information, fake news, and irrational incitement against the Afghan population living in Iran.

According to reports by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Afghans comprise six percent of Iran's population.

The statement emphasised that this population alone cannot be attributed as the cause of high prices, inflation, unemployment, exacerbated environmental issues, security concerns, and the “inefficiency of the government" in addressing the national, economic, livelihood, and security crises within the society.

According to them, Afghan immigrants and refugees in Iran are not the only "consumers" of services and have had the "hardest working conditions with the lowest wages" over the past four decades.

It emphasised that Iran's legal system has created obstacles and challenges for the integration of immigrants in the host society.

After more than 40 years, there are first- and second-generation immigrants in Iran who have not yet obtained citizenship.

The government does not issue birth certificates for children born to an Iranian mother and an Afghan father.

Afghan immigrants are facing many challenges such as legal restrictions in the of ownership of movable and immovable property, opening a bank account, buying a SIM card, and registering their children as students in schools.

As per the statement, the government-imposed restrictions have resulted in missed opportunities, and hindered social and class mobility for immigrants, ultimately leading to their systematic marginalisation, increasing their vulnerability and density on the outskirts of big cities.

Ehteram Boroumand, Rakhshan Banietemad, Shahrnush Parsipur, Leila Hatami, Parviz Parastui, Mohsen Renani, Keyvan Samimi, Jila Baniyaghoob, Maqsood Farastkhah, Aliyeh Motallebzadeh, Mostafa Moeen, Badrulsadat Mofidi, Bita Malakouti, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Sharmin Meymandi Nejad, Zia Nabavi and Marzieh Vafamehr are some of the signatories of the statement.

They sought drafting and approval of up-to-date and efficient laws and prioritising it in immigration policies, so that the destiny of a large number of Afghan immigrants and refugees in Iran is determined.

The signatories of the statement emphasised that 160 years ago, the people of Iran and Afghanistan were members of one nation and “one land”.

“We will not allow power-seekers and opportunists, whose interests are in divisiveness and xenophobia, to dominate the cultural space of our society and lead this peaceful society astray into violence, hatred, and racism,” they stated.

Kakar said that some Afghan citizens are involved in "undesirable activities" in Pakistan.

On Friday, in Peshawar city of Pakistan, he said that they want to establish a productive relationship with Afghanistan and their interaction will be based on international principles.

Kakar emphasised on the importance of creating a system between the two countries that aligns with international visa and passport principles.

Pakistani prime minister also added that they have no intention to negotiate with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

"They are killing my children and I am killing them, the state of Pakistan is powerful to fight against the TTP", he said.

Reacting to Friday’s attack targeting the Shia community’s mosque in Baghlan province, Amiri said, "This brutality must end."

The attack on Imam Zaman Mosque in Pul-e-Khomri city took place on Friday.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, ISIS took responsibility for the attack and claimed that as a result of the attack, “50 Shia” had been killed and dozens wounded.

However, the Taliban officials in Baghlan provided a significantly lower number, stating that seven people were killed and 15 were wounded in the attack.

Over the past few years, religious, cultural, and educational centres, and peaceful gatherings of Hazaras and Shias have been continuously attacked.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for many of these attacks.

These rescue workers came to Herat following the deadly earthquake last week.

Kazinform reported that members of the Kazakh rescue team cleared debris of 211 houses and inspected 700 locations.

According to the report, they retrieved the corpse of a child from beneath the debris.

It added that members of the Kazakh rescue team also inspected a camp at the request of local Taliban officials, which had been destroyed after a severe storm.

The completion of work by the Kazakh rescue team means that six days after the Herat earthquake, the chances of finding survivors trapped under the rubble have significantly diminished.

According to the report by Kazinform, quoting sources in Herat, at least 2,445 people were killed as a result of the earthquake and several aftershocks in Herat.

ISIS published a statement on the "Amaq" news website declaring that the attack launched by their affiliate claimed the lives of "dozens" of Shias.

In the statement, the group added that one of their suicide bombers "killed 50 Shias and wounded dozens of others".

Earlier, the Taliban police command in Baghlan had said that at least seven people were killed and 15 were injured in the attack on Imam Zaman Mosque in Pul-e-Khomri city. At the same time, local sources in Pul-e-Khomri told Afghanistan International that the death toll of the explosion is higher than what the Taliban has revealed.

The pictures that reached Afghanistan International from inside the mosque also show bodies of several worshipers.

Over the past few years, religious and cultural places, educational centres, and peaceful gatherings of Afghan Hazaras and Shias have been continuously attacked.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for many of these attacks.

Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, condemned the attack and said that dozens of Shia worshipers were killed in Friday's attack.

While expressing his condolences to the families of the victims of this attack, Bennett called for "prevention, protection, and accountability” for the Shia population in Afghanistan.

On his X social media platform account, he stated that Afghan Shias are still being attacked.

The Taliban announced the deployment of security and intelligence forces to investigate the incident, but did not provide any information regarding the perpetrators or the motive behind the attack.

Pul-e-Khomri city is one of the main centers of Hazaras and Shiites in northern Afghanistan. While the city has not experienced such attacks in recent years, other cities, notably Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, and especially Kabul, have witnessed a series of attacks targeting Hazaras and Shia community members.