Netherlands pledges $300m aid until 2020

KANDAHAR (Pajhwok): The Netherlands will give Afghanistan said on Wednesday.

Geoffrey Van Leeuwen, who arrived here and met the provincial administration, said development projects should be implemented in Kandahar to provide jobs to people. He said he visited Kandahar to meet local officials and hear from local people about development projects.

Kandahar’s deputy governor, Abdul Hanan Munib, said the people of Kandahar needed dams, schools and health centers.

Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq briefed the envoy about the security situation in Kandahar. He said although security in Kandahar was satisfactory, insecurity in neighboring provinces sometimes threatened security here.

He added the insecurity in neighboring provinces had forced people to move to Kandahar, contributing to unemployment in the province. For improved security, it was important that people were provided jobs and development projects were implemented, he said.

The provincial administration submitted a list of eight projects to the Dutch ambassador, seeking his help in their implementation. The ambassador said he will visit Kandahar again in near future.

kh /ma