Tag: Taliban

  • Mullah Omar’s buried car found after 21 years

    Mullah Omar’s buried car found after 21 years

    The Taliban have discovered a white Toyota of Mullah Omar, the founding leader of the Taliban, which was buried 21 years ago. When the US forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as a response to the 9/11 attacks, Mullah Omar hid his personal vehicle by burying it.

    The car was discovered mostly unharmed and wrapped in plastic. However, the front mirror of the car was broken.

    Senior officials have demanded that the car should be placed in Kabul’s national museum.

    Omar died in 2013 reportedly due to illness. However, the news of his death was not revealed by the Afghan Taliban until July 2015.

  • Sikh Gurdwara in Kabul attacked, Daesh claims responsibility

    Sikh Gurdwara in Kabul attacked, Daesh claims responsibility

    The Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh Gurdwara in Kabul that killed at least two people and injured seven on Saturday (June 18). Reuters reported that on an affiliated Telegram channel, the local branch of Daesh said the attack was in response to the derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by BJP spokespersons in India.

    The attack on Karteparwan Gurdwara killed one Sikh worshipper and a Taliban fighter. A Taliban interior ministry spokesman told Reuters that the attackers had laden a car with explosives but it had detonated before reaching its target.

    Karteparwan Gurdwara was the only operational Sikh temple in Kabul of the four Gurudwaras in the Afghan capital. This is not the first attack by Daesh on a Gurdwara. In 2020, the militant group attacked a 400-year-old Gurudwara in Kabul, which left 25 dead.

    Read more- ‘We will hunt you down and make you pay’: Biden reacts to 85 killed in Kabul blasts

    There has been a rise in attacks on religious minorities in Afghanistan. Most of these attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), the regional branch of ISIL/Daesh.

  • Famous Afghan anchor forced to sell street food after Taliban takeover

    Afghan journalist Musa Mohammadi was spotted selling street food in order to make ends meet. After the Taliban takeover, the country has experienced economic turbulence, forcing professionals like Mohammadi into a state of poverty.

    Kabir Haqmal, lecturer at Kabul University and former journalist, shared Mohammadi’s picture on Twitter with the caption, “Mohammadi worked for years as an anchor and reporter on different TV channels. He now has no income to feed his family and sells street food to earn some money.”

    In another tweet, Haqmal added, “It is also important to look at how the well-to-do people in a country have reached this stage, and what will happen to the poor. We don’t know what to call the change.“

    The viral post drew the attention of Ahmadullah Wasiq, Director of the National Radio and Television, who ensured Mohammadi’s employment in his response.

    Wasiq’s responded: “Unemployment of Musa Mohammadi, a spokesman for a private television station, was highlighted on social media. As the director of the National Radio and Television, I assure him that we will appoint him within the framework of the National Radio and Television. We need all Afghan professionals.”

    https://twitter.com/WasiqAhmadullah/status/1537122260212977665?s=20&t=7i3XCpZ0jBaS_7mpTMgEdA

    Like Mohammadi, Afghan journalists have been facing never-ending challenges since the Taliban’s takeover. Last month, Afghan female TV presenters were forced to cover their faces while appearing on air.

    This ruling was widely criticised by many, calling it another step by the Taliban to promote extremism.

  • Taliban ask female TV anchors to cover faces, male anchors wear face masks in solidarity

    Taliban ask female TV anchors to cover faces, male anchors wear face masks in solidarity

    Days after the Taliban issued an order requiring female TV presenters to cover their faces at work, their male colleagues went on air wearing face masks in solidarity. Male anchors from numerous major news organisations, including TOLO News and 1TV News, have initiated a social media campaign posting images of themselves with the hashtag #FreeHerFace.

    https://twitter.com/heatherbarr1/status/1529158595773771776

    In the pictures circulating on social media, male and female staff members of a news channel can be seen sitting together in an office full of screens, all wearing black masks.

    Male anchors of TOLO News and 1TV News went on air with their face masks on.

    Taliban officials announced earlier this month that all women and girls must leave home only when necessary and wear head-to-toe clothing when out in public.

    Read more- Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban authorities have also prohibited girls from attending school after sixth grade, reversing previous Taliban promises that girls of all ages would be permitted to attend school.

  • Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban authorities issued a decree on Wednesday, ordering female Afghan TV presenters and other women on screen to cover their faces while appearing on air.

    The Afghan spokesman of the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue announced that it will be mandatory for all women in the country to cover their faces in public, including those who appear on the screen. The new decree will take effect from 21 May, reports Reuters.

    One female Afghan journalist working for a local TV station in Kabul told BBC, “They are putting indirect pressure on us to stop us presenting on TV.”

    “How can I read the news with my mouth covered? I don’t know what to do now but I must work, I am the breadwinner of my family,” she added.

    The spokesman referred to the ruling as “advice” as it is not clear what will happen to anyone who fails to comply. “Based on information received by Tolo news, the order has been issued to all media outlets in Afghanistan.”

    The decision is being widely criticised on Twitter, many people calling it another step by the Taliban to promote extremism.

    https://twitter.com/GirlFrmKandahar/status/1527314957603586048?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ
    https://twitter.com/Zhalsarmast/status/1527575760705204225?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ
    https://twitter.com/GaheezSaapai/status/1527434149362946048?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ

    It is pertinent to mention that this recent ruling has come two weeks after all women were ordered to cover themselves from head to toe in public.

  • Pakistan wants to ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan: Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan wants to ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan: Bilawal Bhutto

     Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that Pakistan wants to ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan.

     The foreign minister in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour said, “I see women’s rights or women’s rights to education as rights granted to us in Islam. We’ll be emphasising that the Taliban keep their international commitments and ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan because these are rights guaranteed to women in Islam,” Bilawal said when he was asked if Islamabad had engaged with the Afghan Taliban on how Muslim countries can give rights to women.

    The minister said it wasn’t an issue of the West. He also said that the first word in Quran is ‘Iqra’, which means to read. “Nowhere is it written that only men should read. We are all meant to pursue our path to education.”

    FM Bilawal said that Islamabad is looking to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to play its role in discouraging the increase in terrorist activity on Pakistan’s side of the border.

    “We continue to not only monitor this situation but work on our side to ensure that we can try to tackle the threat of terrorism and hope that the regime in Afghanistan lives up to their international commitment to not allow their soil to be used for terrorism.”

    “We must prioritise, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, ensure there’s no economic collapse and hold the Taliban regime to the international commitments. It was not Pakistan, but the United States who had direct communication with the Taliban regime before their takeover of Kabul. Pakistan and the international community believe it will not serve any of our interests if we abandon the people of Afghanistan once again,” said Bilawal.

    “We all believe, Pakistan believes and the international community believes, they will not serve any of our interests if we abandon the people of Afghanistan, once again,” said Bilawal.

  • Taliban dissolve US-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan

    Taliban dissolve US-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan

    Taliban authorities dissolved the United States (US)-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan and other five key departments on Monday as the country faces an economic crisis.

    The Afghan government’s spokesman Inamullah Samangani told Reuters, “These departments were not deemed necessary and were not included in the budget, they have been dissolved.”

    However, he added that these departments could be reactivated in the future “if needed”.

    The announcement was made in the country’s first annual budget since the Taliban takeover. The budget stated that Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year.

    Samangani said the budget was “based on objective facts” and intended only for departments that had been active and productive.

    The High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), the National Security Council, and the commission for overseeing the implementation of the Afghan Constitution have also been dissolved. It is pertinent to mention that HCNR was last headed by former Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah who was working to negotiate peace between the US-backed government of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the then-insurgent Taliban.

    Last week, the Taliban ordered women to cover themselves from head to toe in public, expanding a series of oppressive restrictions on women.

  • US to pressure Taliban if they don’t remove restrictions on women

    US to pressure Taliban if they don’t remove restrictions on women

    The United States (US) has said that it will put pressure on Afghanistan’s Taliban government if the group does not reverse some of its recent restrictions on Afghan women, reports Reuters.

    US State Department spokesperson Ned Price reported saying on Monday: “We have addressed it directly with the Taliban. We have a number of tools that, if we feel these won’t be reversed, these won’t be undone, that we are prepared to move forward with.”

    Last week, the hardline group ordered women to cover themselves from head to toe in public, expanding a series of oppressive restrictions on women that dictate nearly every aspect of public life.

    Recently, the Taliban has reportedly stopped issuing driving licenses to women. However, there has been no official confirmation. Local media reports, cited by news agencies, said verbal orders have been issued to stop giving driving licenses to women, according to the Independent UK.

    Despite the fact that the international community, has on multiple occasions, made the education of girls a key demand for any future recognition of the Taliban administration, the group has barred Afghan girls from going to school beyond the seventh grade. Moreover, they have restricted women and girls from working and have limited their travel unless accompanied by a close male relative.

  • Taliban ban Afghan women from flying without male relative

    Taliban ban Afghan women from flying without male relative

    The Taliban has informed Afghan airlines that women will not be allowed to board domestic or international flights unless accompanied by a male chaperone, Reuters has reported.

    Sources told Reuters that the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice sent a letter to airlines on Saturday informing them of the new restrictions.

    They also stated that unaccompanied women who had already purchased tickets would be permitted to travel on Sunday and Monday. According to them, some women with tickets were turned away at Kabul’s airport on Saturday.

    Previously, a Taliban administration spokesman stated that women travelling abroad to study should be accompanied by a male relative.

    Read more-Taliban didn’t keep their promise’: Malala reacts to closing of girls’ high schools in Afghanistan

    Earlier, the Taliban administration ruled that no female child above the sixth grade will be allowed to attend school. The announcement came only a few hours after they reopened for the first time in nearly seven months.

  • Chinese Foreign Minister pays unannounced visit to Kabul

    Chinese Foreign Minister pays unannounced visit to Kabul

    Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister (FM) Wang Yi arrived in Kabul on Thursday after attending the three-day Organisation on of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Islamabad, which ended on Wednesday. His visit was not announced earlier.

    Yi is the first senior Chinese leader to visit Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover in August. He was received by Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

    The two sides will hold talks on important issues, focusing on China’s role in stability and development, reports Afghan state-run Bakhtar News Agency.

    On March 30-31 Beijing is set to host a two-day conference to discuss the Afghan situation. It is pertinent to mention that the Taliban government is yet to be recognised by any country.

    Foreign Minister Yi last visited Kabul in 2017 after a huge bombing incident after which he tried to ease tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    China has been involved in the Afghan peace process since the US started its withdrawal of troops in 2014. Moreover, in the past few years, Taliban political representatives have paid several visits to China.