several rockets land at Khair Khana, north west of Kabul on
November 21, 2020. A series of loud explosions shook central Kabul
on November 21, including several rockets that landed near the
heavily fortified Green Zone where many embassies and international
firms are based, officials said.WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP
At least eight people were killed Saturday when a
barrage of rockets struck densely populated parts of Kabul, marking
the latest big attack in a wave of violence sweeping the Afghan
capital.
The salvo slammed into various parts of central and north Kabul
— including in and around the heavily fortified Green Zone that
houses embassies and international firms — just before 9:00 am
(0430 GMT).
The Iranian embassy said on Twitter that its main building had
been hit by rocket fragments after a missile landed on the
premises. No one on the compound, located just outside the Green
Zone, was wounded.
Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian blamed the Taliban,
saying “terrorists” had fired a total of 23 rockets.
“Based on initial information, eight people were martyred, and
31 others were wounded,” Arian said, noting the final toll would
change.
Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz confirmed the same tolls
and details.
The Taliban denied responsibility, saying they “do not blindly
fire on public places”.
At least one rocket landed in an office inside the Green Zone,
but did not explode.
Photos and videos circulating online showed several buildings
with damaged walls and windows, including at a large medical
complex.
Recent big attacks in Kabul, including two horrific assaults on
educational institutions that killed nearly 50 people in recent
weeks, follow a familiar pattern in the aftermath, with the Taliban
denying any involvement while the Afghan government pins the blame
on them or their proxies.
“The rocket attack in Kabul city has nothing to do with the
mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid said, using the insurgents’ name for Afghanistan.
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The Taliban are under pressure not to attack urban areas, having
pledged not to do so under the terms of a US withdrawal deal signed
in February.
Any acknowledgement of overt involvement in such incidents could
in theory slow the American pull-out, though outgoing US President
Donald Trump has made clear he wants US forces out regardless of
the situation on the ground.
The Islamic State group claimed the two attacks on educational
centres, but Kabul said the Taliban’s ultra-violent Haqqani network
was responsible.
– Pompeo heads to Doha –
Taliban and Afghan government negotiators launched peace talks
in Doha in September but progress has been slow and violence has
raged across Afghanistan regardless.
Officials told AFP on Friday however that a breakthrough was
expected to be announced in the coming days, and the US State
Department announced late Friday that Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo would meet negotiators from the Taliban and the Afghan
government in Doha.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to end “forever wars”, including in
Afghanistan, America’s longest-ever conflict, which began with an
invasion to dislodge the Taliban following the September 11, 2001
attacks.
President-elect Joe Biden, in a rare point of agreement with
Trump, also advocates winding down the Afghanistan war although
analysts believe he will not be as wedded to a quick timetable.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it would soon pull about
2,000 troops out of Afghanistan, speeding up the timeline
established in a February agreement between Washington and the
Taliban that envisions a full US withdrawal by mid-2021.
In the past six months, the Taliban has carried out 53 suicide
attacks and 1,250 explosions that left 1,210 civilians dead and
2,500 wounded, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said this
week.
The interior ministry said two small “sticky bomb” explosions
had been reported earlier Saturday morning, including one that hit
a police car, killing one policeman and wounding three others.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/11/21/at-least-eight-dead-as-barrage-of-rockets-hit-kabul/
The Federal Government on Friday agreed to exempt the Academic
Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) from the Integrated Payroll and
Personnel Information System pending when the university lecturers
will complete the development of its own payment platform- the
University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
![image](/2020/11/spaajibade2.jpg")
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
The government also agreed to ASUU’s demand to pay their
members’ salary arrears from February to June through the old
salary payment platform – the Government Integrated Financial and
Management Information System.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
After weeks of negotiations and foot – dragging, the government
offered to raise the Earned Academic Allowances to university staff
from N30bn to N35bn and the revitalisation fund from N20bn to
N25bn.
Cumulatively, the government, through the Accountant – General
of the Federation, offered the lectures N65 billion to call off
their eight-month old strike.
The government also shifted grounds on a number of issues,
including the insistence that all the academic staff of the federal
universities must be paid through the IPPIS platform.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who read out the
communique at the end of a seven-hour negotiation with ASUU members
in Abuja, the funds will be shared by all the registered Trade
Unions in the universities after providing necessary evidence of
having earned the allowance.
“Responding to the demand for immediate payment of 50% of the
initial amount allotted for the purpose (revitalisation) which
translates to N110 billion, the FG stated that this is not possible
because of paucity of funds.
“The government, however, offered to pay N25 billion based on
the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 7th February, 2019 signed with
ASUU or in the alternative, urged ASUU to accept N30 billion with
the reduction in the earlier Earned Allowances. Between the
revitalisation and earned allowances, the FG has offered a
cumulative sum of N65 billion.
“The Accountant-General of the Federation offered to immediately
release N40 billion or in the alternative N35 billion to be shared
by all the registered Trade Unions in the universities after
providing the necessary evidence of having earned the
allowance.
“The FG reiterated that her offer of N40 billion or 35 billion
whichever is accepted by ASUU was for all the universities unions:
ASUU had proposed that N40 billion be paid immediately for all
unions ,” the communique said.
The breakthrough in negotiations is expected to end the
eight-month strike embarked on by the university lecturers.
Before the new offer by government, ASUU had demanded N110
billion for revitalisation which should be paid in tranches.
The union also told the government that the N30 billion EAA was
for only ASUU members, a position the government rejected, citing
lack of funds to meet ASUU’s financial demands.
On his part, ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said that the
union has received the new proposals by the federal government and
that it will go and consult with it’s organs before taking a
position.
“I don’t really have much to say as the minister had said it
all. Government has given us offers and we have promised to go back
to our organs to brief them and then come back to government. We
acknowledge that progress has been made,” he said.
Ogunyemi said that ASUU will need till Friday next week to meet
with its organs before reverting to government.
The meeting was therefore adjourned till next Friday.