Page 5 - Taliban

Taliban deputy tells leader no excuse for education bans on women, girls

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group's leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province. He told an audience at a religious school ceremony there was no reason to deny education to women and girls, just as there was no justification for it in the past and there shouldn't be one at all. The government has barred females from education after sixth grade. Last September, there were reports authorities had also stopped medical training and courses for women. In Afghanistan, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors and health professionals. Authorities have yet to confirm the medical training ban. We call on the leadership again to open the doors of education," said Stanikzai in a video shared by his official account on the social platform X.

Biden talks to families of Americans held by Taliban, no deal reached yet

President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday with relatives of three Americans the US government is looking to bring home from Afghanistan but it was unclear from the call if a deal to bring them back that is now on the table could be completed before the he leaves office next week. Biden's call with family members of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi took place in the waning days of his administration as officials try to negotiate a deal that could bring them home in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the US-backed government, was abducted by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip and Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban's intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Officials believe the Taliban is still holding both men as well as Habibi, an Afghan American businessma

Taliban seeks India's support: Request visas for Afghan patients, students

Afghanistan urges India to resume visas for trade, education, and healthcare. Complexities include non-recognition of the Taliban, security concerns, and limited consular services

Taliban hails India as 'significant partner' after high-level talks

Over a million Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan and Iran since 2023, emphasising the scale of displacement. India has pledged additional support for their rehabilitation and healthcare

US lawmaker reintroduces bill to end Pakistan's major non-Nato ally status

Initially introduced by Biggs in January 2019, the bill has been reintroduced in every subsequent Congress but has not advanced legislatively in any attempt

In first high level engagement with Taliban, foreign secy meets Afghan FM

In the meeting, India's foreign sceretary Vikram Misri underlined India's historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people to people contacts between the two countries

Biden administration negotiating with Taliban to exchange detainees: Report

Biden's administration is seeking the return of three Americans seized in 2022 - Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi - in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani

Pak Taliban says will hit Pakistan Army where it hurts: Its business empire

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has threatened to target the Pakistani military's commercial interests, naming specific businesses, in response to last month's air strikes in Afghanistan

Taliban vs Pakistan: Why are they fighting?

Tensions are escalating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border following deadly clashes between Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistan’s military. Watch the video to know the reason behind the conflict.

Stop employing women or face closure: Taliban's diktat to all Afghan NGOs

The Taliban says it will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan employing women. It comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn't wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan. The ministry said it was responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organisations. The government was once again ordering the stoppage of all female work in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter. In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be cancelled and the activity license of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be cancelled. The Taliban have already barred women from many jobs and mos

Days after Pak airstrike, Afghan Taliban targets several points in Pakistan

The statement, which was released by Taliban did not directly specify that Pakistan was hit, but said the attacks were conducted "beyond the "hypothetical line"

Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan missed TTP targets? Find out here

TTP-linked social media accounts claim all their commanders, including the media cell head, are alive and unharmed, refuting Pakistani security officials' assertions

Pak airstrikes kill 46 in Afghanistan; mostly women, children: Taliban

Pakistan's airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said that six people were also wounded in the Paktika province bordering Pakistan. This comes a day after Pakistani security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations, told The Associated Press that Tuesday's operation was to dismantle a training facility and kill insurgents in the province of Paktika in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in a statement, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed that 50 people, including 27 women and children, have died in the strikes. Residents in the area told an AP reporter over the phone that at least 13 people were left dead, adding that the death toll could be higher. They also said the wounded were transported to a local hospital. Pakistan has not commented on the .

Pakistan airstrikes seven villages in Afghanistan, kills 15 - Here's why

These airstrikes have reportedly destroyed one of the training camps of Pakistani Taliban and have caused hundreds of casualties including women and children

Russian lawmakers approve Bill that may remove terrorist tag for Taliban

The lower house of Russia's parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that would set the stage for Moscow to remove the designation of the Taliban in Afghanistan as a terrorist group. Under the bill passed by the State Duma in the second and third readings, the official terrorist designation of an organisation could be suspended by a court. The legislation still needs to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law. The Taliban were put on Russia's list of terrorist organisations in 2003, and any contact with such groups is punishable under Russian law. At the same time, Taliban delegations attended various forums hosted by Moscow. Russian officials have shrugged off questions about the seeming contradiction by emphasising the need to engage the Taliban to help stabilise Afghanistan. The Soviet Union fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with Moscow withdrawing its troops in 1989. Since then, Moscow has made a diplomatic comeback as a pow

Explosion in Afghan capital kills Taliban refugee minister, 2 others

Haqqani was the most high-profile casualty of a bombing in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power and the first Cabinet member to be killed since the takeover

UN urges Taliban to embrace human rights obligations for future generations

The UN mission in Afghanistan urged the country's Taliban rulers on Tuesday to embrace global human rights obligations for the protection and prosperity of future generations. The mission's call follows increasing alarm over a reported suspension of medical education and training for women and girls. Authorities have neither confirmed the suspension nor responded to the reports, which said that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered educational institutions to stop providing medical courses for females. The UN mission said that the theme for this year's International Human Rights Day emphasised how rights empowered people to build a better future. Regrettably, we continue to see the opposite unfold in Afghanistan, said Roza Otunbayeva, who is the head of the mission. There is an ongoing, dangerous erosion of human rights protections, with women and girls bearing the brunt. The human rights record of authorities was especially marked by their systemic discrimination again

Russian lawmakers advance Bill removing terrorist designation for Taliban

The lower house of the Russian parliament gave initial approval Tuesday to a long-discussed bill that would set the stage for Moscow to remove the designation of the Taliban in Afghanistan as a terrorist group. Under the bill passed by the State Duma in the first of three required readings, the official terrorist designation of an organisation could be suspended temporarily by a court. The legislation also needs to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law. The Taliban were put on Russia's list of terrorist organisations in 2003, and any contact with such groups is punishable under Russian law. At the same time, Taliban delegations attended various forums hosted by Moscow. Russian officials have shrugged off questions about the seeming contradiction by emphasising the need to engage the Taliban to help stabilise Afghanistan. The Soviet Union fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with Moscow withdrawing its troops in 1989. Since the

Hopes for peaceful transition reflecting aspirations of Syrians: Taliban

Afghanistan MOFA also urged foreign actors to support Syria's path to good governance

Afghan economy shows modest signs of growth; recovery fragile: World Bank

Afghanistan's economy is showing modest signs of growth after two years of severe contraction, the World Bank said. In its latest development update issued late Wednesday, the financial institution said modest GDP growth of 2.7 per cent was driven by private consumption. The partial recovery, coupled with falling food prices, helped to gradually improve household welfare. Before the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Afghanistan's economy relied heavily on foreign aid and corruption was rife. Their takeover three years ago sent the economy into a tailspin, as billions in international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans fled the country and took their money with them. Afghan's exports remained stable in 2023-24 but imports surged, creating a widening trade deficit, according to the World Bank. This deficit, exacerbated by dependence on imports for essential goods like fuel, food and machinery, could pose a risk to the country's economic ...