Amu: The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed the art of crafting and playing the rubab as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognizing Afghanistan and its neighbors Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Rubab is one of the oldest musical instruments in Central, South, and Southwest Asia. Crafted from dried mulberry wood collected in deserts,Read More...
Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced that on Tuesday evening, it targeted the convoy of intelligence forces of the Taliban in Khair Khana area of Kabul. This front published a video and claimed that five Taliban members were killed in this attack. Click here to read more (external link).
The Diplomat: China’s key interests in Afghanistan are security related. It aims to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists who threaten its interests and those of its partners in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In particular, China wants to ensure that Uyghur separatists do not find sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Additionally, ChinaRead More...
Afghanistan International: Following the referral of Afghanistan’s case to the International Criminal Court, the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced that he would soon request arrest warrants for Taliban officials. He said that investigations into human rights violations, particularly women’s rights, in Afghanistan were ongoing. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 3, 2024 ISLAMABAD — Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are reported to have banned medical schools from admitting female students, removing the last remaining opportunity for women to pursue higher education. The decree issued by the reclusive Taliban leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, took effect Tuesday, a day after it was communicated at aRead More...
Ariana:.The World Food Programme (WFP) has said that three out of four Afghan families borrow money to buy food. On average, a family’s debts are AFN 38,200 (nearly $560), according to the organization. WFP has warned that as winter worsens in Afghanistan, millions face extreme hardship, with one in four families struggling to get enoughRead More...
Afghanistan International: The Economic Times has identified Afghanistan as the most dangerous country in the world for travellers, citing war, political instability, and rampant crime as the primary factors. The Economic Times attributed Afghanistan’s dire state to decades of war, including the Taliban’s resurgence, which have resulted in widespread violence and insecurity. The report alsoRead More...
Khaama: The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan announced that 200 new cases of HIV/AIDS have been identified in the country this year, and currently, 1,400 individuals infected with the virus are receiving treatment. Meanwhile, the BBC World Service has categorized Afghanistan among the countries that have seen an increase in HIV/AIDS cases in recentRead More...
Amu: Now, the owners say they have lost everything. “We invested everything we had into these businesses, but the Taliban has taken it all away,” one cafe owner said. “If the closures are permanent, I will have no money left to secure my future.” The closure of the cafes follows a broader crackdown on women’sRead More...
DW: The Islamist Taliban rulers have banned girls from attending school beyond sixth grade and women from going to university. They have also removed all topics related to human rights and women’s rights from school and university curricula, saying issues related to equality, liberty, elections and democracy contradict Taliban ideology. Click here to read more (externalRead More...
Khaama: Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Afghan nationals had been arrested during protests by Imran Khan’s supporters in Islamabad. While Baloch did not specify the exact number of Afghan nationals arrested, this is not the first time Pakistani authorities have reported the detention of Afghans during protests inRead More...
The Guardian (UK): Destitute Afghan women arrested for begging under draconian new Taliban laws have spoken of “brutal” rapes and beatings in detention. Over the past few months, many women said they had been targeted by Taliban officials and detained under anti-begging laws passed this year. While in prison, they claim they were subjected toRead More...
Ariana:.”We have repeatedly stated on previous occasions that Russia, like other world powers, intends to develop practical cooperation with Kabul on issues of mutual interest, including with the aim of fighting terrorist threats and drug trafficking that stem from the territory of Afghanistan,” Zakharova stated, TASS news agency reported. “However, it is obviously impossible toRead More...
Amu: Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban have made land confiscation a cornerstone of their governance, frequently reclaiming property they deem to belong to the state. While the Taliban defends the policy as a measure to restore order, it has faced criticism from individuals who claim rightful ownership of the seized lands andRead More...
8am: No group has claimed responsibility for the killing of the 11 Sufis in Baghlan. Meanwhile, local sources confirm that Sufism has many followers in Baghlan. They noted that Sufi shrines and gatherings continue with their traditional practices of worship and remembrance. However, sources also confirmed that the Taliban, along with ISIS affiliates, Wahhabis, andRead More...
Afghanistan International: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) wrote in a report that attacks by opposition fronts do not pose a serious threat to the Taliban, and that the group has been able to maintain its military dominance in Afghanistan. He predicted that the Taliban would likely be able to maintain this advantageRead More...
Afghanistan International: Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s National Security Council Secretary, met with Mullah Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, during his visit to Kabul on Monday, November 25. Shoigu is the highest-ranking official from Moscow to visit Kabul since the Taliban came to power in August 2021. The Taliban reported that Shoigu promisedRead More...
8am: The human rights organization “Rawadari” has revealed the shocking state of the educational system under Taliban rule in its latest report. The findings expose how the Taliban has radically reshaped the curriculum, aligning it with their ideology and mandating the teaching of their religious doctrines. The report highlights the disorder and chaos caused byRead More...
Politico: Overall, there’s no denying that the number of Afghan asylum seekers have gone up as conflict has gripped their country and NATO allies left the reins to the Taliban. But with the oppression they’re under, Afghan women perhaps make clearest case for protection. And yet, activists now fear European governments will come under pressureRead More...
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi November 24, 2024 The first train carrying goods from China to Afghanistan arrived in Mazar-e Sharif on November 23 after crossing through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the de facto Taliban rulers said. The Taliban said 55 containers arrived in Afghanistan after a 22-day journey, marking the inauguration of the first direct train linkRead More...
Amu: The Taliban have started shutting down women-only cafes in Herat Province in western Afghanistan, further eroding the few remaining spaces where women can gather freely under their restrictive rule. In the past week, at least three such cafes have been forced to close, with the Taliban’s morality police warning the owners of two othersRead More...
Afghanistan International: Hamid Saifi, a commander of the National Resistance Front (NRF), said that the situation in Bagram prison is worrisome, and that the Taliban is “mentally and physically torturing” members of this front. He called on the United Nations to send a delegation to the Bagram prison to address the issue and prevent theRead More...
Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced that it had killed three Taliban members and wounded two members of the group in an attack on the out post of Gate No. 4 of Bagram Airport on Thursday evening. The statement said that Mullah Zakir, the Taliban’s deputy commander, was killed in the attack atRead More...
VOA News By Homa Wahaj November 22, 2024 Washington — Saliha began taking online classes after she lost hope of returning to school to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor in Afghanistan. She was in ninth grade when U.S.-led forces withdrew from the country and the Taliban seized power in August 2021, banning girls’ secondaryRead More...
Amu: The Taliban’s police command in Baghlan Province reported that 10 people were killed in an armed attack on a shrine in the Nahrin district late Thursday night. In a statement, the Taliban described the incident as “mysterious,” adding that the attack took place at a khanqah, or Sufi lodge, within the shrine. Abdul GhayoorRead More...
Khaama: The spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that terrorist groups have found safe havens in Afghanistan and are launching attacks on Pakistan from there. Over the past three years, attacks by the Pakistani Taliban on Pakistan’s security forces have intensified. Analysts suggest that the Pakistani militants are allies of the AfghanRead More...