Page 12 - Afghanistan

8 Afghan Taliban soldiers killed in border clash with Pak forces, 16 hurt

At least eight Afghan Taliban soldiers, including two key commanders, have been killed in a fierce clash with the Pakistani security forces in the border region near the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The exchange, which was reported in the Khurram border district of the province over the weekend, also injured 16 Afghan Taliban soldiers. The Afghan side attacked a Pakistani checkpost with heavy weapons in the Palosin area on the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday morning, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting sources. We have reports about heavy losses on the other [Afghan] side. So far, eight Afghan Taliban have been killed, and 16 others have sustained injuries in retaliatory firing by the Pakistani forces, sources said, adding that two key' commanders were also killed. There was no official word on the incident from the Pakistan military's media wing - the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). This is not the first time Afghan troops have opened fire on Pakistani security for

Islamic radicals want to make B'desh another Afghanistan: Activist Nasreen

Expressing concern that Bangladesh might go the Afghanistan way, writer-activist Taslima Nasreen has said that Islamic radicals are brainwashing and indoctrinating youths to make them "anti-India, anti-Hindu and pro-Pakistan". Nasreen said she and others had initially supported the students' movement in Bangladesh against an "autocratic government". However, the recent actions like violence against Hindus, targeting of journalists and the release of "terrorists" from jails showed it was not a students' movement but was "planned and funded by Islamic jihadis", she said. "When students protested against the quota system in July, we supported them... people who believe in women's rights, human rights and freedom of expression. "Sheikh Hasina was an autocrat who always encouraged fundamentalists and curbed freedom of expression. People were angry with her, she told PTI in an exclusive interview. She said they had hoped that a fair election would be conducted to democratically form a n

6 killed, over 13 injured after suicide bomber detonates in Afghan capital

Police in the Afghan capital say a suicide bomber carried out an attack Monday, killing at least six people and injuring 13 others. The blast took place in the southwestern Qala Bakhtiar neighborhood in Kabul, said Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. The dead included one woman, he said, while 13 people were wounded, all of them civilians who were taken to a hospital for treatment. A police investigation is underway. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. The Islamic State group's affiliate, a major rival of the ruling Taliban, has carried out previous attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas throughout the country. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 during the chaotic departure of U.S. and NATO troops after 20 years. Despite initial promises of a more moderate stance, the Taliban gradually reimposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, as they did during their previous rule of Afghanistan from 1

Will keep engaging with stakeholders in Afghanistan, including Taliban: UN

Notably, the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan had expressed deep concern on August 25 regarding the new morality law imposed by Afghanistan's de facto authorities

UN to engage with Taliban in Afghanistan despite new laws limiting women

The United Nations will continue to engage all stakeholders in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, a U.N. spokesman said, even though Afghanistan's rulers issued a ban on women's voices and bare faces in public and severed ties with the U.N. mission after it criticized them. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York defended the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, and its head Roza Otunbayeva, who said that the new laws provided a distressing vision for Afghanistan's future. She said last week the laws extend the " already intolerable restrictions on the rights of women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation. The laws were issued after they were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The Taliban had set up a ministry for the " propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice after seizing power in 2021. They say the laws are based on their interpretation of Sharia law. The ministry

Kalpataru gets notice from Afghan govt for not submitting tax declarations

Kalpataru Projects International Ltd on Tuesday said it has received a tax notice from the Afghanistan government for non-submission of certain declarations. In an exchange filing, the company said, "The branch office through its consultant... received certain tax challans from the Ministry of Finance, Afghanistan Revenue Department with the demand of payment of tax liability, additional tax and fine, due to non-submission of certain declarations for FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22." The notice was received on August 26, it said. The authority has demanded tax liability of AFN 8,774,153 (Rs 104.59 lakh), additional tax of AFN 12,150 (Rs 0.14 lakh) and fine of AFN 166,401 (Rs 1.98 lakhs), Kalpataru Projects International Ltd said. The branch anticipates this additional tax and fine may be waived off by the Ministry of Finance once the payment towards the tax liability is discharged, it said. Last week, the company also received a tax notice from the GST authority in India. The authority

Trump to criticise Harris over Afghan war withdrawal in Guard speech

In a speech Monday to National Guard soldiers in Michigan, former President Donald Trump is expected to promote his foreign policy record and tie Vice President Kamala Harris to one of the Biden administration's lowest points: the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. The speech coincides with the third anniversary of the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is set to appear at 2 p.m. Eastern time at the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference & Exhibition in Detroit. Since Biden ended his reelection bid, Trump has been zeroing in on Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, and her roles in foreign policy decisions. He specifically highlights the vice president's statements that she was the last person in the room ...

US still hunts attackers who killed Americans during Afghanistan exit

President Joe Biden promised the day of the attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport that we will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay.

Airlines fly over Afghanistan as Middle East becomes greater risk

The carriers mostly stopped transiting Afghanistan, which lies on major routes between Asia and Europe

Taliban silences Afghan women with new laws, bans public speaking

The new regulations of Taliban govt also ban publishing images of living beings, playing music, transporting solo female travellers, and mingling of unrelated men and women

Taliban has deprived 1.4 mn Afghan girls of schooling through bans: Unesco

The Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, a UN agency said Thursday. Afghanistan is the only country in the world with bans on female secondary and higher education. The Taliban, who took power in 2021, barred education for girls above sixth grade because they said it didn't comply with their interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. They didn't stop it for boys and show no sign of taking the steps needed to reopen classrooms and campuses for girls and women. UNESCO said at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the takeover, an increase of 3,00,000 since its previous count in April 2023, with more girls reaching the age limit of 12 every year. If we add the girls who were already out of school before the bans were introduced, there are now almost 2.5 million girls in the country deprived of their right to education, representing 80 per cent of Afghan school-age girls, UNESCO said.

Olympic bans: A list of countries that were excluded from past Games

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in the games due to the Ukraine war. But they are not the first to face such a ban.

Families of service members killed during Afghanistan withdrawal slam Biden

Relatives of some of the 13 American service members killed during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention Wednesday in an emotional moment that revived one of the low points of President Joe Biden's presidency. Many of the Gold Star families have criticized Biden for never publicly naming their loved ones. On stage Wednesday, one of the family members named each of the 13 service members, and the crowd echoed back each name as it was read aloud. Joe Biden has refused to recognize their sacrifice, Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, told the crowd. Donald Trump knew all of our children's names. He knew all of their stories. The crowd chanted Never forget! and U.S.A.! as Trump and the entire convention hall stood. President Biden cares deeply about our service members, their families, and the immense sacrifices they have made," Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokesperson, said in a ...

Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan kill at least 40, destroy houses

Heavy rains in eastern Afghanistan have killed at least 40 people and injured nearly 350 others, Taliban officials said Tuesday. Among the dead in Monday's storm were five members of the same family when the roof of their house collapsed in Surkh Rod district, according to provincial spokesperson Sediqullah Quraishi. Four other family members were injured. Sharafat Zaman Amar, a spokesperson for the Public Health Ministry, said the 347 injured people had been brought for treatment to the regional hospital in Nangarhar from Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, and nearby districts. About 400 houses and 60 electricity poles were destroyed across Nangarhar, Quraishi said. Power was cut in many areas and there were limited communications in Jalalabad city, he said. The damage was still being assessed. Abdul Wali, 43, said much of the damage occurred within an hour. The winds were so strong that they blew everything into the air. That was followed by heavy rain, he said. His ..

8 Pak Army soldiers, 10 terrorists killed in attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

At least eight soldiers of the Pakistan Army and 10 terrorists were killed when a group of 10 terrorists attacked a major military cantonment in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said on Tuesday. All 10 terrorists who launched the daring attack were also eliminated after they attempted to enter the Bannu Cantonment on Monday, with security forces effectively thwarting the move, the statement said. The terrorists' failed attempt forced them to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the cantonment, leading to the collapse of a portion of the wall and damaging the adjoining infrastructure. Eight soldiers were killed in the ensuing operation and all the terrorists were "sent to hell", the statement added. "This timely and effective response by the security forces prevented major catastrophe, saving precious innocent lives," the statement said, adding that the heinous act was undertaken by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which operates from Afghanistan an

TTP largest terror group in Afghanistan, could turn extra regional: UN

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remained the largest terrorist group in Afghanistan and greater collaboration between al-Qaeda and the terror group could transform it into an extraregional threat, according to a UN report. The 15th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities said that the TTP remained the largest terrorist group in Afghanistan, with an estimated strength of 6,0006,500 fighters. The report said that one member state expressed concern that greater collaboration between TTP and al-Qaeda could transform TTP into an 'extraregional threat'. It said that al-Qaeda's support of TTP includes the sharing of Afghan fighters for its "tashkils - in this context, military staffing or a formation and training camps in Afghanistan. Training provided by al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has resulted in TTP shifting tactics and high-profile attacks against hard targets. One interlocut

UNHCR chief meets Pakistan PM on Afghan refugee situation after clampdown

The head of the UN refugee agency and Pakistan's prime minister held talks on Tuesday about Afghan refugees living in uncertainty in Pakistan following the government's anti-migrant crackdown that started last year as militants stepped up attacks on security forces. That crackdown on undocumented Afghans in Pakistan was apparently recently put on hold, without authorities offering any explanation for this. Pakistan has long hosted an estimated 1.7 million (17 lakh) Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country. More than half-a-million others escaped Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, with thousands waiting in Pakistan for resettlement in the United States and elsewhere. Since Pakistan's widely-criticised clampdown started last November, an estimated six lakh Afghans have returned home. The undocumented Afghans are separate from refugees who have registered with the authorities and the UNHCR, though the crackdown has raised concerns

Taliban's morality police intimidating Afghans, instilling fear: UN

The Taliban's morality police are contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans, according to a UN report published Tuesday. Edicts and some of the methods used to enforce them constituted a violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the report said. The Taliban set up a ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice after seizing power in 2021. Since then, the ministry has enforced decrees issued by the Taliban leadership that have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, like dress codes, segregated education and employment, and having a male guardian when they travel. The punishments attached to non-compliance with instructions and decrees are often arbitrary, severe and disproportionate, said the report from the UN Mission in Afghanistan. Sweeping bans with a discriminatory effect on women have been introduced. Human rights violations, as well as the unpredictability of enforcement measures, contribute to a climate of fear and

Paris 2024: Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi ready to run at her 3rd Olympics

Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi is preparing to compete at her third Olympics after being selected for the Paris Games from her training base in Australia. Yousofi, Afghanistan's flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Tokyo, has been living in Australia since 2022. The Australian Olympic Committee on Tuesday congratulated Yousofi on her selection for the women's 100-meter sprint. It's an honor to represent the girls of my homeland once again, she said in a statement released by the Australian committee. Girls and women who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important one. I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of these women. Those who don't have the authority to make decisions as free human beings they don't even have the permission to enter a park. She said she's deeply grateful to all those who have stood by me on this journey and made this possible ... who helped us for every step, for coming to Australia and joini

Pak PM raises terrorism concern, urges global engagement with Taliban

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday raised the issue of terrorism as a major concern for member states at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and called for meaningful engagement with the Afghan Taliban government. Shahbaz, who arrived in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, represented Pakistan at the SCO meeting where leaders and diplomats from countries including China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan have gathered to discuss economic and security cooperation. The prime minister, during his address, emphasised the importance of maintaining peace in the region as a precondition for economic development, Dawn News reported. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan is a lynchpin to this common objective, he said, adding that the international community "meaningfully engage with the Afghan government to meet their genuine economic and development needs. Sharif also said the Afghan Taliban must also take concrete measures to