Taliban ‘conundrum’ is forcing strange bedfellows on Afghanistan
Russia and China both have significant interests in Afghanistan and are well placed to step in as regional power brokers and — in the case of Beijing — investors. Yet, neither China nor Russia appear anxious to own a problem that has humbled outside powers.
Taliban deny their deputy prime minister, Mullah Baradar, is dead
The Taliban have denied that one of their top leaders has been killed in a shootout with rivals, following rumours about internal splits in the movement nearly a month after its lightning victory over the Western-backed government in Kabul. Sulail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, former head of the Taliban political …
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Thousands protest against Taliban in Kandahar over evictions
Thousands of Afghans protested against the Taliban in the southern city of Kandahar on Tuesday, according to a former government official and local television footage, after residents were asked to vacate a residential army colony. Footage from local media showed crowds of people blocking a road in the city.
Taliban probing bank accounts linked to Afghan ex-officials
The Taliban are investigating the accounts of former high-ranking Afghan government members to check for ill-gotten gains, officials said Tuesday. The investigation may lead to the freezing of assets and accounts of former civil servants, ministers and lawmakers, an official at Da Afghanistan Bank told AFP, asking not to be named.
Qatar won’t take ‘responsibility’ for Kabul airport without clear Taliban agreement
Qatar warned Tuesday it would not take responsibility for Kabul airport without “clear” agreements with all involved, including the Taliban, about its operations. Doha has become a key broker in Afghanistan following last month’s withdrawal of US forces, helping evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghans, engaging the new Taliban rulers and supporting operations at Kabul …
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Afghan women protest Taliban’s hijab diktat by sharing photos in colourful dresses
Afghan women around the world are protesting the Taliban’s new hijab diktat in schools by posting photos of themselves wearing colorful traditional dresses on social media, CNN reported. Bahar Jalali, a former faculty member of the American University of Afghanistan according to her LinkedIn profile, helped kick off the picture posting campaign, according to other …
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Taliban thank world for promised aid, urge US to show ‘heart’
The Taliban on Tuesday thanked the world for pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid to Afghanistan, and urged the United States to show “heart” to the impoverished country.
UNSC resolution should guide world’s response to Afghan crisis: India
India on Tuesday said that the global approach to address the Afghan crisis must be guided by the recent UN Security Council resolution demanding that the territory of Afghanistan must not be used for terrorism and that a negotiated political settlement should be found out to the conflict.
First foreign commercial flight since Taliban takeover lands in Kabul
An international commercial flight touched down in the Afghan capital on Monday, the first since the Taliban retook power last month. “There was hardly anyone on the plane, around 10 people… maybe more staff than passengers,” said an AFP journalist aboard the Pakistan International Airways (PIA) flight from Islamabad.
Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar releases audio statement after death rumours
Baradar released an audio statement Monday saying he was alive and well after news of his supposed demise went viral on social media. He blamed “fake propaganda” for the death rumours in an audio message posted by the Taliban. Social media has been in a frenzy over the speculation that he had been mortally wounded …
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Kabul gamers fret over favourite pastime with Taliban back in power
The Smile net club, a gaming cafe in downtown Kabul, used to be a haven for young people in the city: an escape from the daily grind in a country where decades of war and economic malaise have dimmed their prospects. Now, with Afghanistan back under control of the Taliban, which banned most forms of …
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