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27-04-2022
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report
KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Families of victims of the mosque blast in northern Mazar-e-Sharif city gained cash assistance from the Iranian Consulate General in Mazar-e-Sharif.
The twenty-three families who lost their loved ones received $500 dollars, and 63 families whose members were injured received $300 dollars.
This follows an explosion that targeted worshippers offering prayers in the She-Dokan Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday. More than 30 worshippers were killed, and 87 others were injured in the blast.
The consulate general said that the families would receive food, medicine and clothes packages in addition to cash assistance.
“Today, a military aircraft is landing in Mazar-e-Sharif from Iran to bring humanitarian aid including food, medicine and clothes and we hope these will be distributed very correctly between families of the victims and needy people,” said Sayed Hussain Yahyawe, head of the Consulate General.
The families gathered to receive the assistance and said that almost all of them are struggling with economic challenges.
Atta Mohammad, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, talked about the blast. “We had started prayers, it blew up, there was smoke and dust everywhere … all were shocked and horrified,” said Atta Mohammad.
Mohammad Aref, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, lost his 20-year-old son at the incident. Mohammad Aref called the blast a crime against humanity and stated that these incidents must come to an end.
“These incidents must be prevented, how long should people be martyred and suffer? People suffered for more than four decades,” said Mohammad Aref.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has provided food assistance to 350 needy families in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Families who received aid, said they lost their employment and are struggling with severe poverty. They asked for job opportunities to start work.
Meanwhile, a source at the Afghanistan embassy in Iran confirmed that Tehran accredited an Islamic Emirate (Taliban) diplomat in the embassy.
The source told Tolo News that although diplomats of the former government are still heading up the issues related to consulate services in Iran, the Islamic Emirate’s diplomat is working as third secretary.
“Iran is willing to address some issues via engagement, the two countries share a long border and things like drug and human smuggling happen along the border, so Iran wants to solve these things by engagement,” said Sayed Noorullah Raghi, an Afghan former diplomat.
“This move will increase engagement and the Islamic Emirate will be aware of movements happening between countries, especially about Afghan refugees in Iran,” said Abbas Hussaini, an Afghan journalist in Iran.
In the meantime, officials of the Islamic Emirate did not offer any information about a new diplomat in Tehran, stating only that several diplomats of the Islamic Emirate are working in embassies.
