Ivo R Toniut

The Ministry of Interior has deployed thousands of security force members to ensure security at the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.   Work on the Turkmenistan section is going to be completed while work on the Afghanistan section of the pipeline project started few weeks ago in Herat province – in the west of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. “Thousands of security force members have been deployed to ensure better security for the TAPI project,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said. According to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, technical and economic teams are working on the project right now. “The pipeline has reached Afghanistan. We are focusing on technical work of the project in order to ensure better implementation of the plans and programs of the project inside Afghanistan,” said officials of the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.

Недавно Министерство обороны Афганистана подписало контракт на поставку партии российских вертолётов в распоряжение афганских авиационных сил с правительством Республики Беларусь. Подписание контракта состоялось в Нью-Дели. В соответствии с условиями соглашения афганский лётный парк пополнят 4 штурмовых вертолёта модели Ми-35. Средства на приобретение винтокрылых машин выделит индийская сторона.

Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum say they have established committees to tackle problems relating to 15 mining projects in the country. Officials said the ministry has prioritized the issue of resolving these problems. “This issue is a priority and resolving the problems around these projects is very important for the people of Afghanistan and for the country’s economy,” said the acting director of legal services for the ministry of mines. However, mining experts have said that in the absence of a clear vision for the development of mines in the country, problems in relation to the projects will continue. These mining experts also said the lack of capacity within the ministry of mines is an ongoing challenge. “I think that in the present situation, the Ministry will not be able to solve these great problems of mines; maybe it's a start, but if we do not have a clear vision for our projects, it's unlikely that we will achieve results,” said a legal expert...

Ismaelkhil Mandozayi District, Khost Province, Afghanistan – The azan sounds from the village mosque as people gather for the noontime prayer. Shir Khan, 39, leaves off working on his crops and walks past fields of ripening wheat, across the flowing waters of the irrigation canal, toward the village mosque. It has been more than 15 years since Shir Khan returned from Pakistan to his native village, Melani Kalay, more than 15 kilometers west of Khost city in southeastern Afghanistan. Nestled in a broad sweeping valley, and surrounded by bare brown hills, the inhabitants of the village have long endured both floods and water shortages. In recent years, however, they have seen a great deal of improvement in their lives with the help of the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). Some 15 years ago the village had no irrigation canal nor enough water for its people. The farmlands in the village were dry, especially in summer, the peak growing season, and locals had to work as day laborers in...