A photo exhibition was launched in the western city of Herat on Thursday to honor the sacrifices of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
Over 300 photos from ANDSF members who have lost their lives in defending the country were displayed at the exhibition that was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Investment of Herat and the civil society association in the province.
“We organized this exhibition to build a direct relationship with the families of martyrs so that we can help in certain situations,” said Yunus Qazizada, head of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
“This exhibition is to honor those forces who have lost their lives by serving in the lines of police, army and the National Directorate of Security. Also, there are photos of journalists who lost their lives in the conflicts when they were during their duty,” said Omid Naab, an organizer.
Meanwhile, some members of Afghan forces who attended the exhibition said they will not allow the peace negotiations to ignore the sacrifice of their sons.
“I will not ignore the sacrifice of my son. Anyone who wants to reconcile, they can, but the sacrifice of my son should not be ignored,” said Nafas Gul, mother of a killed soldier.
“The sacrifice of the martyrs should not be compromised. The martyrs’ families should be remembered, and they should be represented in the peace process,” said Sima Pezhman, the spouse of a soldier killed in confits.
Herat governor Wahid Qatali said the government has often helped the families of killed soldiers and that the process will continue.
“The Loya Jirga, the grand council, of Afghanistan has set a framework (for the peace talks). The support to the security forces has been specified in this framework. The negotiating team is negotiating team based on the decision made by the Loya Jirga,” Qatali said.
This comes as at least 32 security force members, including public uprising forces, were killed and 25 others were wounded in Taliban attacks in several parts of the country on Wednesday, local officials said on Thursday.
In eastern Nangarhar province, at least 20 Afghan security forces, including public uprising forces, were killed and 15 were wounded in Taliban attacks in the districts of Hasarak, Khogyani and Shirzad, said Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
Amidst this, a team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is in Qatar to start direct negotiations with the Taliban delegation in near future. So far, few meetings have been held between “contact groups” of the two sides to discuss rules and regulations for the negotiations.
TOLOnews reporter Karim Amini says the "contact groups" of the negotiating teams of Afghan republic and the Taliban did not held a meeting on Thursday and that they will probably hold no meeting today.