Taliban reveals 40% of historical sites in Afghanistan's Herat region require restoration

The Taliban has declared that approximately 40% of historical landmarks in the Herat region of Afghanistan require urgent restoration to prevent additional damages. Quoting the local media Ariana News, ANI reported that the Director for Herat's Information and Culture Department, Zalmay Safa stated, "40 percent of our historical monuments are in urgent need of restoration and preservation. But, so far, unfortunately, the country's economy is not stable." 

Zalmay Safa went on to say that the concerns will be taken into account once the governance issues are solved. Nearly 46 Afghanistan monuments have been repaired or conserved in the past five years. Further, the government officials have declared that they are going to reveal a strategy in the near future to safeguard historic Afghanistan historical sites and landmarks.

The acting head of Herat's Information and Culture Department, Mawlana Naeem-ul-Haq Haqqani stated, "Definitely, work will begin soon." 

He further informed that the preservation and repair of ancient monuments is a priority for the Islamic Emirate, particularly in Herat. As per Ariana News, Herat Province comprises over 780 Afghanistan historical sites which include the renowned Citadel, the Musalla compound, the Gawhar Shad Mausoleum, and the Herat Great Mosque.

Taliban decapitated a monument of a Shiite militia commander

Contrary to the statements above, the Taliban had demolished a monument of Shiite militia commander Abdul Ali Mazari when they took control of Afghanistan in the month of August. 

Abdul, who fought the Taliban terrorists at the time of the nation's civil war in the 1990s, is considered to be a historical figure. The statue of a legendary anti-Taliban fighter was beheaded on August 18, according to residents of Bamiyan city.   

Afghan politician Abdul Ali Mazari, who represented the ethnic Hazara minority, was declared a national martyr in 2016. The statue seemed to be beheaded, with the head resting on the pedestal. The local people stated that a group of Taliban terrorists demolished the monument with a rocket-propelled grenade. 

The sculpture is located in central Bamyan province, in which the Taliban famously destroyed two massive 1,500-year-old Buddha statues carved into a mountain in 2001. 

Meanwhile, On October 3, a bomb in a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul killed nearly 12 people and wounded 32 others. According to Sputnik, Qari Saeed Khosty, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokeswoman stated that three persons have been detained with relation to the matter. The bomb blast occurred in a crowded area of Kabul's EidGah Mosque.

(Image: Twitter/ @HelenClarkNZ)