Afghanistan

KABUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A civilian, a security forces member and several attackers were killed after an armed attack hit a Sikh-Hindu temple in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, according to the capital police.

There were also seven civilians injured in the attack.

Khalid Zadran, spokesperson of the Kabul police, said on social media that the attack on the temple ended after all the assailants were killed. However, he did not disclose the exact number of assailants.

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, June 17 (Xinhua) -- At least one worshipper lost his life and six others sustained injuries as a blast ripped through a mosque in Imam Sahib district of the northern Kunduz province on Friday.

An eyewitness who declined to be named confirmed that the blast took place at 01:35 p.m. local time in Alefbirdi mosque when dozens of worshipers were offering Friday prayers, leaving at least one dead and six more injured.

KABUL, Jun 10 (NNN-ANA) – Ten commuters were killed and two more sustained injuries, as a mini-bus turned turtle, in the central Daykundi province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported today.

The deadly traffic accident, according to the news agency, took place on a congested road, in the mountainous Miramor district yesterday afternoon, leaving 10 dead and two injured.

Bakhtar also added, the ill-fated vehicle was heading to the national capital, Kabul. The dead included two women.

KABUL, May 23 (NNN-ANA) – Police have arrested three alleged drug smugglers, from Afghanistan’s eastern Wardak province, and confiscated 21 kg of morphine from their possessions, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported, today.

Quoting police officer, Sheikh Mohammad Sharif Halimi, the news agency added that, the smugglers were attempting to traffic the contraband to the southern Helmand province.

All the trio have been taken to police custody for investigation, the news agency contended.

KABUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Public Health of the Afghan caretaker government launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

"The fourth general polio vaccination campaign in 2022 is aimed at vaccinating 9.9 million children under the age of five," the ministry said.

The latest campaign was launched in collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the statement.

KABUL, May 22 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was injured as a blast rocked the Police District 15 of the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed.

"One person sustained injury due to a blast that happened next to the Esteqlal Hotel today," Zadran said on his Twitter account.

The officer also noted that security personnel have reached the area to investigate the incident.

KABUL, May 19 (Reuters) - Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have asked television broadcasters to ensure that female presenters on local stations cover their faces when on air, an official said on Thursday.

The move comes days after authorities ordered women to cover their faces in public, a return to a policy of the Taliban's past hardline rule and an escalation of restrictions that are causing anger at home and abroad.

KABUL, May 15 (NNN-ANA) – Afghanistan yesterday announced, a 231.4-billion-afghani (2.6- billion-U.S. dollar) national budget, for the 1401 fiscal year on the Persian calendar, beginning Mar 21, 2022.

Of the total sum, 203.5 billion afghanis will be allocated for the ordinary budget, and 27.9 billion afghanis for the development budget, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Afghan caretaker government, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, told reporters.

KABUL, May 11 (NNN-ANA) – Afghanistan’s central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said yesterday, it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market, to boost the national currency, afghani.

The DAB said in a statement that, it was requesting all eligible banks and monetary service providers, among others, to participate in the auction scheduled for today.

“In auction bids, partial settlement of currencies is not allowed, and the winners of the auction must deposit in the Da Afghanistan Bank, their money, at one time in cash,” the statement said.

KABUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday.