Page 30 - Afghanistan

Afghan women, girls athletes barred from play, fear Taliban threats

Noura's determination to play sports was so great that she defied her family's opposition for years. Beatings from her mother and jeers from her neighbours never stopped her from the sports she loved. But the 20-year-old Afghan woman could not defy her country's Taliban rulers. They have not just banned all sports for women and girls, they have actively intimidated and harassed those who once played, often scaring them from even practising in private, Noura and other women say. Noura has been left shattered. I'm not the same person anymore, she said. Since the Taliban came, I feel like I'm dead. A number of girls and women who once played a variety of sports told The Associated Press they have been intimidated by the Taliban with visits and phone calls warning them not to engage in their sports. The women and girls spoke on condition of anonymity for fear they will face further threats. They posed for an AP photographer for portraits with the equipment of the sports they loved. The

UN asks Taliban to lift bans on female education, work for aid agencies

Top UN diplomat in Afghanistan met Taliban-appointed education minister Mohammad Nadeem in Kabul on Saturday and called for the urgent lifting of the bans on female education and work for aid agencies."Afghanistan is entering a new period of crisis. Taliban bans on female education & work for aid agencies will harm all Afghans. UN envoy Potzel Markus called for the urgent lifting of the bans in a meeting today with de facto authorities' Minister Higher Education, Moh. Nadeem," United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet.The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and imposed policies severely restricting basic rights--particularly those of women and girls, according to Human Rights Watch.Last month, the Taliban imposed a restriction on female higher education and a ban on women from working in humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Human rights experts and members of the international community described these measures as a major blow to ...

Tremors felt in Delhi-NCR; second time in a week; epicentre in Afghanistan

Tremors were felt in the national capital and adjacent areas on Thursday evening, the second time in a week.According to the NCS, the earthquake of magnitude 5.9, struck Fayzabad in Afghanistan. The quake was at a depth of 200 kms below the earth's surface.The tremors were felt at around 8 pm.Earlier, an earthquake of magnitude 3.8 on the Richter scale hit Delhi-NCR in the early hours of Sunday (New Year night), according to National Center for Seismology (NCS).NCS is the nodal agency of the Government of India for monitoring earthquake activity in the country.The temblor, epicentred in the North Northwest of Haryana's Jhajjar, struck at 1:19 am on Sunday.The depth of the earthquake was 5 km below the ground."Earthquake of Magnitude: 3.8, Occurred on 01-01-2023, 01:19:42 IST, Lat: 28.71 and Long: 76.62, Depth: 5 Km, Location: 12km NNW of Jhajjar, Haryana," said National Center for Seismology.Earlier on November 12, earthquake tremors were felt across the Delhi NCR. According to ...

Islamic State group claims Afghanistan airport checkpoint bombing

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing near a checkpoint at the Afghan capital's military airport that killed and wounded several people. IS said in a statement late Tuesday that Sunday's attack on the checkpoint in Kabul was carried out by the same member who took part in an assault on a hotel in the capital in mid-December. The regional affiliate of the Islamic State group known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan's Shiite minority. IS published a photo of the attacker identifying him as Abdul Jabbar, saying he withdrew safely from the attack on the hotel after he ran out of ammunition. It added he detonated his explosives-laden vest targeting the soldiers gathered at the checkpoint. The military airport is around 200 meters from the civilian airport and close to the Interior Ministry, itself the site of a suic

US stands with Afghan women, condemns Taliban move, says White House

The United States stands with the women of Afghanistan and strongly condemns the recent Taliban move regarding restrictions on girls' education in the country, the White House said on Tuesday. "We stand with Afghan women and condemn the Taliban's indefensible decision to restrict women's education and their rights. So, as we have made clear, these actions by the Taliban will further alienate them from the international community and deny them the legitimacy that they so desire," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference. "We remain in touch with our partners and allies on this issue, and we'll continue to take steps to advance our shared efforts to support Afghan women and girls and provide a robust humanitarian support to the people in Afghanistan. We will be steadfast about that," she said in response to a question. Last month, the Taliban banned women from attending universities.

Afghan Americans protest against Taliban ban on women's education

Protesting against the recent ban on women's education in Afghanistan, a large number of Afghan Americans have pledged to fight against this atrocious policy of the Taliban government. "We are here to fight for girls' right to education," Rayan Yasini from California representing the Afghan Cultural Society said in front of the White House on Sunday as she was joined by a large number of Afghan Americans from across the country. "Ever since the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan, girls no longer have the right to study. We are here to ensure that it does not stay that way," Yasini said. Nasir Khan, president of the Afghan Society, urged the Taliban government to withdraw the recent ban on education of girls in the country. Afghan girls need to get their rights, he demanded. Participating in the protest demonstration in front of the White House, Hikmat Sorosh, an Afghan American, alleged that the Taliban has systematically taken steps to prevent girls from education. "The who

US budget includes $15 mn for improving security along Pak-Afghan border

The US budget for 2023 includes $15 million for improving security along the Pakistan-Afghan border and an unspecified amount of funds to promote gender equality in Pakistan

Afghanistan's Taliban regime warns Pakistan of consequences if attacked

The Taliban government in Kabul said that it would not allow anyone to attack the Islamic Emirate and give a befitting response if any such misadventure is considered by Islamabad

UN committed to delivery of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, says envoy

UN and its humanitarian partners are committed to delivery of life-saving services to the people of Afghanistan despite the Taliban-run administration's decision to ban women from working in NGOs

20 mn people to face acute hunger by March 2023 in Afghanistan: Report

The report predicted that four million children and women will experience acute malnutrition, with malnutrition rates continuing to be exceedingly high

UNSC calls on Taliban to drop 'unfathomable' restrictions on women

The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday decried increasing restrictions on women's rights in Afghanistan, urging the country's Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately. The Security Council "reiterated its deep concern of the suspension of schools beyond the sixth grade, and its call for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan," it said in a press statement. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker pointed to "terrible consequences" of a decision to bar women from working for non-governmental organizations. Last week, Taliban authorities stopped university education for women, sparking international outrage and demonstrations in Afghan cities. On Saturday, they announced the exclusion of women from NGO work, a move that already has prompted four major international aid agencies to suspend operations in Afghanistan. "No country can develop indeed survive socially and economically with half its population excluded," U.N. High Commissione

Political turmoil in Afghanistan, Myanmar impacting Indian projects: MEA

India-backed projects have suffered setbacks in Afghanistan and faced numerous challenges in Myanmar due to the current political and security situations in these countries, the Ministry of External Affairs has informed a parliamentary panel. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs chaired by BJP MP P P Chaudhary noted that there has been a reduction in allocation in aid to Afghanistan. In an action taken report tabled in Parliament last week, the Ministry of External Affairs said it has noted the parliamentary panel's observations and will work towards addressing them. India's development partnership with Afghanistan includes more than 500 projects spread across each of its 34 provinces and in various sectors. "Several proposals in this regard are already under process. Due to the political and security situation in Afghanistan, projects implementation has suffered setbacks," the ministry said in the report. Responding to the parliamentary committee's observation

UN Rights chief urges Taliban to drop work restriction on Afghan women

The United Nations' human rights chief on Tuesday decried increasing restrictions on women's rights in Afghanistan, urging the country's Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately. He pointed to terrible consequences of a decision to bar women from working for non-governmental organisations. Last week, Taliban authorities stopped university education for women, sparking international outrage and demonstrations in Afghan cities. On Saturday, they announced the exclusion of women from NGO work, a move that already has prompted four major international aid agencies to suspend operations in Afghanistan. No country can develop indeed survive socially and economically with half its population excluded," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk said in a statement issued in Geneva. "These unfathomable restrictions placed on women and girls will not only increase the suffering of all Afghans but, I fear, pose a risk beyond Afghanistan's borders. This latest decree by the de f

Devastating for Afghan people: Blinken on Taliban banning women from NGOs

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced grave concerns over the Taliban regime's decisions to ban women from jobs in Afghanistan.Taking to Twitter, Blinken posted, "This decision could be devastating for the Afghan people. Women are central to humanitarian operations around the world."The Ministry of Economy under the caretaker Taligan regime on Saturday ordered all national and international non-government organisations to suspend the jobs of women employees until further notice, Afghan news agency TOLO News reported.Citing the spokesperson for the Taliban, Abdul Rahman Habib, TOLOnews said Afghanistan's Ministry of Economy (MOE) warned that any organisation, which does not implement the order, will lose the MoE licence.US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, in response to the temporary job ban on women, said the Islamic Emirate (the caretake Taliban regime in Afghanistan) has forgotten its real responsibilities to its people."The Taliban's decree barring women ..

EU condemns Taliban's ban on women working for NGOs over dress code issue

The European Union condemned the Taliban's ban on women working for NGOs and said that it was assessing the impact of its aid in Afghanistan

Military bases had $260 million in damages from Afghan evacuation

Military bases that housed tens of thousands of Afghan refugees in the US incurred almost USD 260 million in damages that in some cases rendered buildings unusable for troops until significant repairs to walls and plumbing are made, the Pentagon's inspector general found. Over the last two weeks of August 2021, the US Air Force managed the largest humanitarian evacuation in its history, airlifting 120,000 people from Afghanistan in just 17 days. The bulk of those passengers were Afghans fleeing Taliban rule, and US aircraft delivered tens of thousands of those Afghans initially to bases in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Italy, Bahrain and Germany. After processing, many of the refugees were flown to eight military bases in the US, where many were housed for months as they awaited visa processing and resettlement; the last Afghan refugee left military housing in February. The refugees were housed at Fort Bliss, Texas; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; Fort McCoy

Blinken raises concerns over China's Covid surge, Taliban and Ukraine war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concern over the surging Covid cases in China, the Taliban banning women from universities and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war

UN calls for restoration of university rights for Afghanistan women

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous has called for the restoration of Afghan women's right to higher education after the Taliban-run administration banned female students from university

India 'closely monitoring' security situation in Afghanistan, UNSC told

'We are deeply concerned at the unfolding humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. In response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people'

US condemns Taliban's restrictions on women's education in Afghanistan

The United States has condemned the recent decision of the Taliban with regard to imposing restrictions on education of women in Afghanistan. The United States condemns the Taliban's indefensible decision to prevent Afghan women from receiving a university-level education, White House NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said on Tuesday. This deplorable decision is the latest effort by Taliban leadership to impose additional restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan and prevent them from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, he said. As a result of this unacceptable stance to hold back half of the population of Afghanistan, the Taliban will be further alienated from the international community and denied the legitimacy they desire, Watson said. The United States is in touch with our partners and allies on this issue. We will continue to take steps to advance our shared efforts to support Afghan women and girls and provide robust humanitarian support to the people