KABUL - Chief advisor to the National Security Council on Sunday said Afghanistan was not safe from cyber crimes that threatened the country’s important national economic, security and culture foundations.
NSC advisory office head Dr. Mohammad Aziz Hakimi told this while inaugurating the first-ever Information Technology Research Centre (IT Competence) in Kabul. “Many developed countries face cyber threats and Afghanistan is also not safe from them,” he said.
However,  he said the Afghan government had prepared an anti-cyber crime strategy which was in the phase of being implemented. He said the spy service and the Ministry of Telecommunication and IT had a key role in implementation of the anti-cyber crime strategy, which was approved by the National Security Council earlier this year.
He said the strategy was aimed at identifying threats and finding solutions to current and future challenges in this regard. He said the Afghan government was duty-bound to develop the capacity needed to deal with cyber threats, calling the establishment of the IT Competence research centre a positive step in this regard.
The German-funded centre cost one million Euros. Berlin-based technical university teacher and head of the IT Competence centre, Dr. Nazir Peroz said the centre provided innovation opportunities to IT students and teachers.
German Ambassador in Kabul Markus Potzel said through the important centre, information technology ideas could be regulated and extended across the country. He said the centre would serve like a bridge between the people and experts.
Higher Education Minister Farida Momand thanked Germany for its assistance with Afghanistan in diverse fields and said the new centre would support the capacity of innovators and their work.  (Pajhwok)