INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The head of the UN refugee agency has assured the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) of its continued support of Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan and those returning to their communities, Afghan officials said on Tuesday.Filippo Grandi, UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, arrived in Kabul on Monday, six months after his last visit, to review progress and discuss challenges regarding
the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.Grandi said that the focus was especially on people who are displaced or who are returning to
their communities.On Tuesday, he met with IEA officials, including the deputy minister of refugees and repatriation, Mohammad Arsala
Kharoti, who expressed appreciation for the UNHCR&s assistance in addressing the problems facing IDPs and returning migrants.Both sides
stressed the importance of working together for the resettlement of IDPs.Meanwhile, IEA&s deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said that the issue
of Afghan refugees abroad was also discussed during the meetings with the visiting UN official.&We hope to attract their assistance and
achieve a good outcome,& Karimi said.Grandi also met with Abdullah Abdullah, the former chief of the High Council for National
Reconciliation under the former government, and discussed the need for the continuation of international aid to Afghanistan.There are still
almost six million IDPs in Afghanistan while the number of refugees amounts to millions
Around one million Afghans migrated to neighboring countries and Turkey during the past seven months.Thousands of Afghans who were evacuated
amid the fall of Kabul last year remain stranded in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.The post Visiting UN refugee chief assures Afghans of
continued support for IDPs first appeared on Ariana News.
