KABUL: Afghan forces have seized some 1,800 kilograms of explosives smuggled into the country through the Iranian border, officials in the western province of Farah said on Sunday.
The explosives were discovered on Thursday in the province which borders Iran. Authorities in southwestern Afghanistan and the US military have often in the past accused Iran of providing arms and cash to Taliban commanders in the region for attacks against government forces and foreign troops stationed in the country. Iran denies any state complicity.
"The discovery was made by the border forces. The explosives were smuggled from Iran’s soil,” Mohibullah Mohib, spokesman for Farah’s governor, told Arab News.
Dadullah Qani, head of Farah’s provincial council said the contraband was "hidden beneath a truck laden with potatoes."
“The explosives have been sent to laboratory for testing,” he told Arab News, adding that it was unclear who sent the shipment from Iran. However, he accused Tehran of providing monetary support to the Taliban to destabilize the southwestern region where the Afghan government has been developing a number of power dams that could deprive Iran of water.
Iran is yet to comment on the latest incident.
Hamayoun Shahidzada, a lawmaker from Herat province, which like Farah also borders Iran, said that “Iran’s interest is intertwined in the region and the news about the dispatch of explosives could be part of Iran’s support to Taliban groups.”
“I do not know about the discovery of the explosives, but there are some Taliban groups who are being protected by Iran,” he told Arab News.
Despite requests, officials at the defense and interior ministries in Kabul as well as a spokesman for US-led foreign forces in the country refused to comment.
Afghan forces seize nearly two tons of explosives smuggled through Iran border
https://arab.news/yjs7d
Afghan forces seize nearly two tons of explosives smuggled through Iran border
- Contraband was hidden in a truck laden with potatoes, head of Farah’s provincial council said
- Afghan authorities accuse Iran of providing arms and cash to Taliban commanders in the region, which Tehran denies
Venezuela advances amnesty bill that could lead to mass release of political prisoners
- Such an amnesty is a central demand of the country’s opposition and human rights organizations with backing from the United States
CARACAS: Venezuela’s legislature on Thursday advanced an amnesty bill proposed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez that could lead to the release of hundreds of opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons.
Such an amnesty is a central demand of the country’s opposition and human rights organizations with backing from the United States. But the contents of the bill have not been released publicly, and rights groups have so far reacted with cautious optimism — and with demands for more information.
The bill, introduced just weeks after the US military captured then-President Nicolás Maduro, still requires a second debate that has yet to be scheduled. Once approved, it must be signed by Rodríguez before it can go into effect.
In announcing the bill late last month, Rodríguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled National Assembly would take up the legislation with urgency.
“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism,” she said in a pre-taped televised event. “May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans.”
Rights groups, fearing some political detainees will be excluded, want more details about the requirements for amnesty before any final vote.
The Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights, or PROVEA, issued a statement emphasizing that the bill must be made public urgently due to its potential impact on victims’ rights and broader Venezuelan society.
Based on what is known so far about the legislation, the amnesty would cover a broad timeline, spanning the administration of the late Hugo Chávez from 1999 to 2013 and that of his political heir, Maduro, until this year. It would exclude people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, and serious human rights violations, reports indicate.
