57 civilian de-miners kidnapped in AfghanistanJanuary 21, 2014 - 14:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A senior Afghan official said unknown kidnappers have seized 57 civilian de-miners on their way to work in western Afghanistan. The governor of Herat province, Faizullah Wahidi, said the de-miners – all Afghan – were abducted in the Pashtun Zargun district as they drove to an area that needed to be cleared of mines, according to the Associated Press. Wahidi did not know who kidnapped the workers or why. He says 63 were originally taken, but six were later released. After 30 years of near continuous conflict, Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Although the Taliban plant mines and roadside bombs, they generally do not hamper the work of civilian de-miners who work to clear farmlands and other common land of old explosives. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Police try to impede Armenian Church head’s access to war memorial Police tried to stop the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, from visiting a war memorial. Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. |