Afghanistan

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, July 31 (Xinhua) -- An oil storage caught fire in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, a fire brigade official said on Monday.

The fire erupted when employees of the storage were loading the oil, Shah Mahmoud Timori said. The incident happened in a storage where petrol and diesel have been stored.

Although firefighters managed to extinguish the fire, it had caused property damage to locals living in the area.

Police have yet to make comment on the incident.

KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's state-run Bakhtar News Agency (BNA) has launched Chinese service and begun releasing news in the Chinese language, the state media outlet said on Sunday.

The Chinese news service, according to the BNA, began in July and the media outlet releases Afghanistan's domestic news, China-related news and world news in the Chinese language regularly.

MAIDAN SHAR, Afghanistan, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Standing in front of his destroyed mud-house after a flood struck his village in east Afghanistan early Sunday, Nooruding was mourning his deceased family members.

"We have 21 martyrs, two others from our neighbors. In total, we have 23 martyrs, 21 from my family," Noorudin said.

KABUL, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's central bank Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) sold 14 million U.S. dollars via auction on Wednesday, in an effort to keep the country's national currency the afghani stable against foreign currencies, a statement of the bank said.

The afghani was tumbling against foreign currencies, especially the U.S. dollar, over the past couple of weeks, as the exchange rate of 1 U.S. dollar stands currently at 86.5 afghanis, compared to 85.5 afghanis last week.

KABUL, Jul 18 (NNN-ANA) – The Afghan security forces have seized a variety of arms and ammunition, during a series of operations in south-western Nimroz province, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) said, in a statement today.

The confiscated weapons included 107 pistols, 24 assault rifles, and a good quantity of munitions, such as cartridges and bullets, the statement added.

The statement did not mention, if anyone had been arrested during the operations.

KABUL, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan will soon reach self-sufficiency in agriculture as efforts are underway to help the country get rid of import reliance, Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Ataullah Omari said Friday.

In an interview with the local TOLO News TV channel, Omari said that his country should change from an "import-reliant country" to an "export country".

SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Police have discovered and destroyed a drug processing lab and arrested its owner in north Afghanistan's Jawzjan province, Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, the provincial director for counter-narcotics police, said Wednesday.

"After spotting the place by security personnel of Qushtepa district we launched operations today and destroyed the drug lab with all its facilities," Akhundzada said, adding that they also arrested the owner of the lab.

11 July 2023; MEMO: The Taliban administration halted all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan on Tuesday in response to the burning of a Quran in Stockholm last month, and a major Swedish aid group said it was seeking clarification about the impact on its programmes, Reuters reports.

KABUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan police have arrested a man with 77 kg heroin in south Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, Spokesman for the Interior Ministry Abdul Matin Qani said Sunday.

The counter-narcotics police have detained the man along with the drugs in Uruzgan province, three more drug smugglers in the eastern Khost province and another in Parwan province over the past 24 hours, Qani said.

Without providing more details, the spokesman added that the counter-narcotics police have also destroyed 200 acres of poppy in Paktika and Parwan provinces.

07 July 2023; MEMO: The UK's top diplomat to Afghanistan, on Thursday, said that he met the Taliban officials in the capital, Kabul, and discussed various issues, including the rights of women and girls, Anadolu Agency reports.

Robert C Dickson, charge d'Affaires of the UK Mission in Afghanistan, said he visited Afghanistan's capital city and met with acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and other senior officials.