The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced on Monday that it is set to announce the preliminary results of the remaining 14 provinces next week while the same for Kabul will be out by end of next week.

The IEC has so far declared 79 people as winners of the parliamentary elections in 18 provinces, out of whom 21 are women.

“With the consideration of a huge number of complaints, which were filed against October 20 and October 21 elections in major provinces, it created some problems and votes were sent for recounting and re-investigation. This caused the election result sheets and forms to arrive late to the center. But now fortunately, these forms have arrived in Kabul from small and big provinces. The remaining 14 provinces will be announced by the next week,” said IEC commissioner, Sayed Hafiz Hashemi.

The Chief of Staff of Ministry if Interior’s deputy for security affairs, Gen. Abdulrahimzai posted on twitter after the Kabul PD4 gunfire that “According to Attorney General’s decision over retuning of a property to its owner, KBL police PD10 were tasked to act based n instructions which faced with force & reaction by the property guards. The guards fired RPG & exchanged firing with police, in result 1 police martyred”.

Gen. Abdulrahimzai also added that “Safety and protection of our citizens come first. Kabul police and CRU sieged the area and operation eventually ended with success . All armed guards arrested & will be questioned over their illegal weapons and acts. We use our RPGs against our enemies, not our own people”.

A gunfire erupted in Kabul during the evening in the PD4 area at an influential person’s residence when the individual’s house was to be seized as per orders by the Kabul police. Clash happened when security guards of the residence started to attack the police in which one policeman was killed, and 6 policemen and one journalist were injured.

As the termination of the Capacity-Building for Results (CBR) programme is due by the end of December this year, the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC) is set to initiate the Tackling Afghanistan’s Government HRM and Institutional Reforms (TAGHIR) programme with a “view to sustaining and developing the public administration and its capacity”, as confirmed by the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission on Monday.

It is confirmed that this three-year programme is financed by the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

CBR commenced implementation in 2012 and through it 1,500 people were recruited by 2017. However, only 160 people were employed in the civil service system through CBR by 2016, which left 75 per cent of CBR budget being transferred to other development projects of the state. After CBR was merged with the IARCSC, the new IARCSC leadership could complete the recruitment ceiling under the programme.

The IARCSC has stated that, “TAGHIR replaces CBR in order to improve human resource planning, recruit staff for key positions on the basis of competence and aptitude as well as maintain and strengthen the capacity of the government ministries and agencies.”

Najib Danish, the spokesperson for Ministry of Interior has confirmed that at least 6 policemen and a journalist were wounded in Kabul shootout.

The incident happened when security forces seized the house of a powerful individual in Shar-e-Naw PD4 area of Kabul.

Danish also confirmed that the person has not surrendered to police as of now.

It has been confirmed by the Kabul Police spokesperson, Basir Mujahid to Reporterly that gunfires were heard in the Shar-e-Naw, PD10 area of Kabul.

Mr Mujahid also confirmed that there was no explosion.

According to news sources, the target of the attack was Attorney General’s office.

The Independent Directorate of Local Governance released statement by Habibullah, deputy governor of Ghor on social media as he announced a “first-of-its-kind” and largest water supply network project, implemented with a cost of four million AFN by the MRRD being executed in FirozKoh.

This project is going to benefit 3000 families to access potable water at their doorstep.

Ministry of Agriculture has observed an unprecedented increase in the export of pine nut through the air corridor to China.

In a statement, the ministry said that since the opening of the air corridor, about 500 tons of pine nut have been exported to China.

The Ministry of Agriculture continues to emphasize that by the next month, Afghanistan’s pine nut exports will reach 1,000 tons (worth $ 40 million), which is unprecedented in country history.

Akbar Rostami, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, said that “the export of this product has grown after preventing it from smuggling abroad and efforts made to export it under the name of Afghanistan.”

President Ashraf Ghani opened the air corridor with China on November 6 for the purpose of exporting pine nuts and some other Afghan products.

The National Directorate of Security released a statement announcing that its special unit successfully “foiled an assassination plot” which was to be attempted on a member of Afghanistan Ulema Council in Kabul.

The NDS also clarified that “two members of Haqqani network were arrested during the operation”.

Chief Executive Abdullah at the Geneva Summit assured that the Afghan government is “committed to hold transparent and timely elections”.

“Geneva conference on Afghanistan was successful”, Dr Abdullah said while addressed a ministerial council meeting.

He also assured that “At Geneva conference, all countries supported peace process and emphasized on the Afghan leadership and ownership of the process”.

With respect to the peace plan announced by President Ghani at the Geneva Summit, Dr Abdullah said that the “Afghan government has no preconditions for start of peace negotiations with the Taliban”.

Local authorities in Samangan province have announced the release of the drivers that were abducted by the Taliban.

Abdul Yaqin Ahmadi, district governor of Dara-e-Suf Payin, said that 51 abducted drivers of coal trucks who were abducted yesterday in the Khoshdara area of Dara-e-Suf Payin district were released last night, mediated by local elders.

Meanwhile, Samangan security officials have said that the Taliban took hostages to force drivers to pay taxes.

The Office of National Security Advisor of Afghanistan has announced in a statement, the adoption of a policy and procedure for regulating irresponsible armed groups.

A Security Sector Leadership meeting was held yesterday for current security issues in Afghanistan, including the security situation in Ghazni, Faryab, Nangarhar and Farah provinces, according to a statement by NSA office.

The meeting which was chaired by Hamdullah Moheb, the national security adviser, also discussed the causes of increased civilian casualties and stressed that civilian casualties should be prevented.

During the meeting, greater coordination and cooperation between security and defense agencies was emphasized.

The adoption of a policy and procedures for regulating irresponsible armed individuals and groups were discussed at the meeting, and following the presentation of the opinions and views of the members of the meeting, the policy was approved in Principle and was set for final approval at the National Security Council session, according to the statement.

CEO Abdullah Abdullah released a statement on social media saying that he met with Gen. Scott Miller, the Commander of US and NATO Forces in Afghanistan.

In the statement he added that the two “discussed recent security developments, strengthening & supporting the Afghan security forces and efficient ways of fighting terrorism”.

Moby Group has released a statement in light of the recent allegations faced by the Afghan men’s football team and association for sexual abuse. The Group’s statement began that it “has been operating the Afghan Premier League in partnership with the Afghanistan Football Federation since 2012”.

The statement added that “Moby Group is extremely concerned about the allegations of physical and sexual abuse by certain individuals within the Afghanistan Football Federation against players on the Afghan national women’s football team”.

Clarifying that “Moby Group has a zero tolerance policy towards abusive behaviour of any kind and condemns in the strongest possible terms any such actions. Moby Group requests these allegations to be immediately investigated fully and transparently by FIFA and the responsible Afghan authorities”.

Finally the statement assured that the parent company of many news agencies “keenly awaits for the truth on this matter to be revealed, and stands ready to support any of the victims in whatever way that we can”.

Recently, a special cover story by The Guardian revealed the rampant sexual abuse and harassment prevalent within sports quarters of Afghanistan when women’s football team of the country claimed to abuse and harassment by the Afghan authorities of football and the male team.