Page 31 - Afghanistan

Top UN woman urges Muslim nations to move Taliban back to 21st century

The highest-ranking woman at the United Nations said Wednesday she used everything in her toolbox during meetings with Taliban ministers to try to reverse their crackdown on Afghan women and girls, and she urged Muslim countries to help the Taliban move from the 13th century to the 21st. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian Cabinet minister and a Muslim, said at a news conference that four Taliban ministers, including the foreign minister and a deputy prime minister, spoke off one script during meetings with her delegation last week. She said the officials sought to stress things that they say they have done and not gotten recognition for and what they called their effort to create an environment that protects women. Their definition of protection would be, I would say, ours of oppression, Mohammed said. Those meetings in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the Islamic group's birthplace in Kandahar were followed by a visit this week by U.N. humanitarian chief Mar

Freezing weather in decade's 'coldest winter' kills 124 in Afghanistan

Akhund said the forecast for the next 10 days indicated temperatures would warm. But he was still worried about a rising death toll of Afghans, and their livestock

Reviewing engagement with Taliban, says US on rights violations in Afghan

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, in a press briefing, underlined that the US continues to be the world's leading humanitarian provider to the people of Afghanistan

UN says Taliban divided on restoring women's rights post official visit

A delegation led by the highest-ranking woman at the United Nations urged the Taliban during a four-day visit to Afghanistan that ended Friday to reverse their crackdown on women and girls

US House Republicans launch probe into chaotic exit from Afghanistan

Michael McCaul said the US House Foreign Affairs Committee will use the authorities available to it to enforce requests for information as necessary

OIC delegation to be in Afghanistan to discuss women's right to education

Amid the ongoing violation of the rights of Afghan women under the Taliban regime, the OIC has planned to send a delegation to the country to discuss women's rights to education and employment

UNSC unity key in wake of women's rights violations by Taliban: UN aide

A top UN aide for Afghanistan has called for a unified response in wake of Taliban policies violating the human rights of Afghan women and girls

OIC asks Taliban to reconsider ban on women from working for NGOs

OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim stressed that the OIC has been following with deep concern the developments of the "unfortunate events" in Afghanistan

Taliban's ban on women workers hits vital international aid for Afghans

Last June, a team of female doctors and nurses drove six hours across mountains, dry riverbeds and on unpaved roads to reach victims of a massive earthquake that had just hit eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people. When they got there, a day after the earthquake hit, they found the men had been treated, but the women had not. In Afghanistan's deeply conservative society, the women had stayed inside their tents, unable to come out to get medical help and other assistance because there were no women aid workers. The women still had blood on them, said Samira Sayed-Rahman, from the aid agency International Rescue Committee. It was only after she met local elders to tell them about the arrival of a female medical team that women came out to get treatment. That's not just the situation in emergencies; in many parts of the country, women don't go out to get aid, she said. It's an example, Sayed-Rahman said, of how vital women workers are to humanitarian operations in ...

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