Afghanistan | ||||
On issues of recognition of the Taliban | ||||
2024-04-11 | ||||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin. [ColonelCassad] Regarding questions about recognition of the Taliban: 1. The Taliban did not say a single bad word about Russia after February 24, 2022. 2. The Taliban have not committed a single terrorist attack on Russian territory. 3. The Taliban is ready to trade with Russia and does not care about the West in general and sanctions in particular. 4. The Taliban does not supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. 5. The Taliban kills ISIS terrorists on their territory and persecutes those who served the pro-American regime. 6. The Taliban have, in practice, seriously reduced the production of heroin and other types of drugs in Afghanistan.
8. The Taliban is ready to provide access to the development of its mineral resources (China is already doing so). 9. The Taliban do not demonstrate any intentions to expand into Central Asia. Among the disadvantages of the Taliban at the moment: 1. Insufficient representation of all key peoples of Afghanistan in the government.
Overall, the pros already outweigh the cons. | ||||
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Afghanistan |
Resurgent al-Qaida training camps latest black eye from Biden Afghanistan withdrawal |
2024-02-25 |
[JustTheNews] UN report claims al-Qaida now has eight training camps in Taliban-controlled country. Two reports released just days apart are providing stark new evidence of the lasting consequences of President Joe Biden’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan and his administration’s dealings with the Taliban ever since. The United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported late last month that the terrorist group al-Qaida, though weakened from its heyday in the early 2000s, has reconstituted as many as eight training camps and five religious training schools known as madrassas on Afghan soil under the Taliban’s rule while also increasing its propaganda operations and recruitment. “The relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaida remains close, and the latter maintains a holding pattern in Afghanistan under Taliban patronage,” the report stated bluntly. “Regional States assess that the presence of Al-Qaida senior figures in the country has not changed and that the group continues to pose a threat in the region, and potentially beyond.” You can read the full report here. While the UN report blamed the Taliban for its hosting of al-Qaida, the Biden administration continued to send massive humanitarian dollars to the Afghan regime, in many cases through the UN and global charities, according to a separate report from an American watchdog. John Sopko, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, reported a few days after the UN report was issued that the United States accounted for all but $300 million of the $2.9 billion in humanitarian aid sent to the Taliban since the withdrawal of American troops in August 2021. Most of it, he noted, came in cash. “The U.S. is the largest international donor, having provided about $2.6 billion in funding for the UN, other PIOs, and NGOs operating in Afghanistan since August 2021,” the report noted. “More than $1.7 billion of that funding came from State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support humanitarian activities.” You can read Sopko's report here. Experts said the flow of cash to help the Taliban while it allows al-Qaida to flourish sends a dangerous message to bad actors, and much of it is routed through the very UN that issued the report. “America is the biggest funder of this thing. So the United States taxpayer is disproportionately on the hook paying for these activities,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates said recently. And coupled with the billions in high-tech weaponry Biden left behind in Afghanistan, the dynamic is creating heartburn in Congress. “This administration has a history of giving money to terrorist organizations, abandoning $80 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan so the Taliban can run around with our M4s and our Blackhawks, and all of our equipment. They have an American last agenda,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told the Just the News, No Noise television show last week. The Taliban, of course, claims it does not harbor al-Qaida and that the UN report was “propaganda.” "There is no one related to al Qaeda in Afghanistan, nor does the Islamic Emirate allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against others," the Taliban said in a statement. But U.S. officials told Just the News they have significant intelligence of al-Qaida’s presence and reconstitution inside Afghanistan since the Taliban overthrew the democratically elected government as U.S. troops were withdrawing in 2021. They noted that when U.S. drones killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022, he was living inside a Taliban Cabinet member’s guest house in Kabul’s diplomatic district. U.S. officials added they are concerned by al-Qaida’s resilience, especially since American intelligence efforts have less visibility inside Afghanistan since the bungled withdrawal. The UN report, culled from intelligence from its various member nations, said that while al-Qaida does not have the capability to command and conduct long-range terror attacks like 9/11 right now, it is clearly showing signs of expansion and regional reach after years of diminishment from the Bush to the Trump years. “Al-Qaida was reported to have established up to eight new training camps in Afghanistan, including four in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan Provinces, with a new base to stockpile weaponry in the Panjshir Valley,” the report said. “Some camps might be temporary. “Five Al-Qaida madrasas operate in Laghman, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan and Parwan Provinces,” it added. “The group maintains safe houses to facilitate the movement between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Provinces of Herat, Farah and Helmand, with additional safe house locations in Kabul.” Equally troubling, the Islamic State terrorist group is also showing resiliency in several regions of the world, particularly Afghanistan, the UN warned. “Member States assessed that, despite the recent loss of territory, casualties, and high attrition among senior and mid-tier leadership figures, ISIL-K continued to pose a major threat in Afghanistan and the region,” it noted. Related: Ghazni: 2024-02-22 Taliban execute two murderers by machine-gunning them through the spine in front of thousands of spectators at football stadium Ghazni: 2023-10-04 Taliban Close Gates of Two Private Schools in Ghazni Due to ‘Shaved Beards of Educators’ Ghazni: 2023-10-03 Daily Evacuation Brief October 2 - 3, 2023 Related: Laghman: 2024-02-22 Taliban execute two murderers by machine-gunning them through the spine in front of thousands of spectators at football stadium Laghman: 2024-01-09 Reports of Poppy Cultivation in Badakhshan Concerning: Fitrat Laghman: 2023-11-28 Daily Evacuation Brief November 27, 2023 Related: Parwan: 2024-01-09 Taliban detains group of women at Khair Khana, Kabul Parwan: 2023-11-28 Daily Evacuation Brief November 27, 2023 Parwan: 2023-11-28 At least 10 Taliban members killed in attacks, Front Freedom claims Related: Uruzgan: 2023-09-30 Sirajuddin Haqqani in Panjshir Stresses Trust-Building Uruzgan: 2023-09-28 Taliban’s Disruption of Aid Programs Push Hazaras To the Brink Uruzgan: 2023-09-25 The National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan: The Taliban have killed 17 Hazaras in Uruzgan Province in the Last Two Years Related: Panjshir Valley: 2023-01-16 Afghanistan: The Taliban's punishment of women is an act of desperation Panjshir Valley: 2022-11-07 Taliban reveal burial place of founder Mullah Omar, nine years after death Panjshir Valley: 2022-09-15 Taliban are “looking into” a video circulating on social media that appears to show its fighters executing captured members of an Afghan insurgent group Related: Kunar: 2024-01-04 Ex-MNA Mohsin Dawar survives gun attack in North Waziristan Kunar: 2023-10-06 Daily Evacuation Brief October 6, 2023 Kunar: 2023-09-29 Daily Evacuation Brief September 29, 2023 Related: Nangarhar: 2023-09-24 Daily Evacuation Brief September 24, 2023 Nangarhar: 2023-09-20 Over 100 Afghan Security Outposts Built Along Durand Line Nangarhar: 2023-09-17 On eve of 9/11 Anniversary, U.S. officials continue to downplay Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan Related: Nuristan: 2023-10-05 Daily Evacuation Brief October 5, 2023 Nuristan: 2023-09-24 Daily Evacuation Brief September 24, 2023 Nuristan: 2023-09-20 Over 100 Afghan Security Outposts Built Along Durand Line Related: Herat: 2024-01-22 PTI-backed NA candidate among 10 injured in Karachi 'attack' Herat: 2024-01-09 Afghanistan Exports Nearly $2 Billion Last Year: MOCI Herat: 2023-12-15 The West is furious: China renamed Tibet |
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Afghanistan |
Taliban execute two murderers by machine-gunning them through the spine in front of thousands of spectators at football stadium |
2024-02-22 |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Taliban authorities publicly executed two men convicted of murder today by machine-gunning them through the back in front of a crowd of spectators. Both men were executed by multiple gunshots to the back in Ghazni city after Supreme Court official Atiqullah Darwish read aloud a death warrant signed by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. 'These two people were convicted of the crime of murder... after two years of trial in the courts of the country, the order has been signed,' Darwish said. Thousands of men gathered in the stadium to witness the execution. Families of the convicted men's victims were present and were asked if they wanted to grant the condemned a last-minute reprieve but they declined. Public executions were common during the Taliban's first rule from 1996 to 2001. Thursday's executions are believed to be the third and fourth death penalties meted out since the Taliban authorities returned to power. The first two had also been convicted of murder. There have been regular public floggings for other crimes, however, including theft, adultery and alcohol consumption. The previous execution was carried out in June 2023, when a convicted murderer was shot dead in the grounds of a mosque in Laghman province in front of some 2,000 people. Many governments, international organisations and aid agencies cut off or severely scaled back their funding for Afghanistan in response - causing a serious knock to the already struggling economy. The Taliban government has also barred girls and women from high schools and universities, banned them from parks, funfairs and gyms, and ordered them to cover up in public. |
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Afghanistan |
Taliban Close Gates of Two Private Schools in Ghazni Due to ‘Shaved Beards of Educators’ |
2023-10-04 |
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Afghanistan |
Daily Evacuation Brief October 2 - 3, 2023 |
2023-10-03 |
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
CONFLICT TRACKER Kunduz A relatively new resistance group, the Basij National Front, announced it has launched an ambush of a Taliban convoy in the Ali Abad district. The BNF claims to have killed 1 Tqliban fighter and wounded an additional 2 fighters in the action. NEXT 24 HOURS POSSIBLE TROUBLE BREWING IN BAMYAN – Several reports have surfaced that indicate the ‘nomads’ who have been resettled in the Province have continued to threaten the Hazara population and recently cut down several trees near a school in the Vers District and then threatened Hazara leaders who attempted to intervene with threats of violence. Previous clashes have been reported between Hazara communities and Kuchi tribesmen since mid-2022. The Taliban have intermittently intervened on both sides of these disputes and have sometimes found themselves being threatened by one side or the other. While no direct threat has been received in Bamyan, recent history dictates taking a cautious approach and at-risk Afghans residing in the District should take care to avoid potential hotspots between these groups. Daily Evacuation Brief | October 2, 2023 [AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
Ultimately, the Moscow Format seems to have been a scolding session for the Taliban, and Muttaqi’s attempts to spin things to the positive end of the spectrum will likely fail. The lack of an inclusive government (never mind an elected and representative government), the continued oppression of women, and the suspected presence of multiple terrorist groups sheltering in the country will outweigh such counterpoints. NEXT 24 HOURS PAKISTAN ROUNDUPS – We are advising all at-risk Afghans in Pakistan to avoid going out of their residences for the next few days. It is not currently clear how long, or how widespread this new policy will be enforced. We encourage evacuating groups to maintain contact with their people in Afghanistan on a daily basis if at all possible. If one does have to leave a residence, they should make sure others know where they are going and carry their documents with them (digital photos at a minimum). |
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Afghanistan |
Brutal Taliban Torture Campaign Unleashes Fear in Ghazni Province; Locals Forced into Mountain Hideouts |
2023-09-30 |
[8am] Local sources in Ghazni province have reported that Taliban ...Arabic for students... fighters subjected several residents of Nawur district to "horrific" torture. Sources confirmed to Hasht-e Subh on Saturday, September 30, that over the past week, Taliban fighters brutalized inhabitants of the Khawat, Jerghay, and Boregai areas in Nawur district, demanding that they surrender "weapons or money for weapons" to the group. According to these sources, the Taliban fighters subjected a local doctor to extreme torture, leaving him in a "critical condition." Presently, dozens of families have abandoned their homes and sought refuge in the mountains due to fear of the Taliban. Sources add that at least two families have paid the equivalent of purchasing four firearms to the Taliban for their release from the "Taliban’s torture." According to reports, most residents of Nawur district lack any military background or affiliation with the previous government. Notably, a few weeks ago, Taliban fighters coerced residents of three villages in Nawur district, who had been imprisoned for 40 days, into paying a fine of five million Afghanis to a nomad. |
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Afghanistan |
Taliban’s Disruption of Aid Programs Push Hazaras To the Brink |
2023-09-28 |
[KabulNow] Residents in Afghanistan’s central Daikundi province accuse the Taliban authorities of misappropriating foreign aid assistance from Hazara-populated areas to the ones they prefer. Unexpectedly. Ali Daryab, an activist in Daikundi, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said that the Taliban have diverted aid to Pashtun areas in the neighboring provinces, such as Ghazni and Uruzgan.Jan Mohammad, also an alias, a resident of the provincial capital Nilli, said that the Taliban’s governor, Aminullah Obaid has distributed ration cards to Pashtuns, mostly Taliban fighters, who move into Nilli from other areas only to receive assistance, including cash handout, and then return to their original homes. |
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Afghanistan | |
Taliban Detain 24 Bamiyan Residents Based on Claims by Another Individual | |
2023-09-16 | |
[8am] Local sources in Bamiyan ...a place in Afghanistan that used to have some historically interesting statues of the Buddha carved into a mountainside. Then the holy men showed up and now all they have is some big holes... are reporting that the Taliban ...Arabic for students... have detained 24 residents from one of the villages in the center of this province, based on the claim of ownership by another individual. According to sources, on Wednesday, September 13th, Taliban security forces in Bamiyan detained at least 24 residents of the village of Righshad in this province at the request of an individual named Alam Shah, who belongs to the Pashtun ethnic group. Sources state that Alam Shah has falsely claimed ownership of this village, and for nearly a month, he has blocked transportation routes for 500 families from the Righshad village. According to sources, this individual has demanded six million and seven hundred thousand Afghanis from the village residents as a condition for reopening the roads. This situation arises after Abdullah Sarhadi, the Taliban governor for Bamiyan, illegally and unilaterally settled legal disputes between the villagers and the nomadic Kuchis
Based on information from sources, Sarhadi has appointed nearly 10 Kuchi members to the commission for resolving disputes between villagers and Kuchis in the center of Bamiyan, and he unlawfully settles major legal disputes in favor of the Kuchis through them. Furthermore, yesterday, two residents of this province were also detained in the village of Rashk for failing to relinquish their personal lands to Taliban members under the orders of the Taliban governor in the village. Related: Bamiyan: 2023-09-14 Good Morning Bamiyan: 2023-09-14 Taliban Have Detained Two Bamiyan Residents Over Resisting To Give Their Lands To Kuchi Nomads Bamiyan: 2023-08-27 Women Banned From Visiting Band-e-Amir National Park Related: Abdullah Sarhadi: 2023-09-14 Taliban Have Detained Two Bamiyan Residents Over Resisting To Give Their Lands To Kuchi Nomads Abdullah Sarhadi: 2023-06-06 Cornerstone of a Commercial, Cultural Complex for Women Laid in Bamyan Province Abdullah Sarhadi: 2022-10-09 Daily Evacuation Brief October 9, 2022 Related: Kuchis: 2023-09-10 Hazara Reparations Saga Continues: Nawur District Residents Forced to Pay Five Million Afghanis to Kuchi Nomads Kuchis: 2023-01-02 Appointed to Settle The pasture Dispute Between The Kochi and Hazara Communities in Southen Ghazni Province-Afghanistan Kuchis: 2022-10-12 Daily Evacuation Brief October 12, 2022 | |
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Afghanistan |
Taliban Have Detained Two Bamiyan Residents Over Resisting To Give Their Lands To Kuchi Nomads |
2023-09-14 |
[8am] Local sources in Bamiyan ...a place in Afghanistan that used to have some historically interesting statues of the Buddha carved into a mountainside. Then the holy men showed up and now all they have is some big holes... province report that the Taliban ...Arabic for students... have imprisoned two residents of this province due to their refusal to give their land to the nomads (Kuchi) ...pastoral nomads belonging primarily to the Ghilji Pashtuns, who have been granted free passage and land use rights since the Pashtun kings ruled Afghanistan. About 2.5 million of them follow the traditional migration route up and down Afghanistan, contesting land ownership along the way, all strong supporters of their fellow Pashtuns, the Taliban... living in the area.Sources informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Tuesday, 12 September, that Abdullah Sarhadi, the Taliban governor of Bamiyan province, has imprisoned two individuals from the Pashta-e Gharghari village because they did not hand over their land to the Kuchi nomads. These individuals are identified as Ewaz Danish and Mohammad Gholami. According to sources, two days ago, Abdullah Sarhadi contacted Ewaz Danish and Mohammad Ghulami and requested that they come to the Bamyan center. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... when these two individuals arrived at the center yesterday, the Taliban governor instructed them to confess in writing that they would hand over their land to the Kuchi nomads. Sources say that after rejecting this demand, these two individuals were detained and taken into custody. Sources also add that previously, the Taliban had threatened and insulted these two individuals along with four of their close associates. This comes after last year when the Taliban’s Conflict Resolution Commission had warned the residents of Rashk to hand over their lands to the Kuchi nomads and leave the region themselves. With the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, festivities have occasionally erupted between Kuchi nomads and local residents in various provinces, especially Ghazni, Daikundi, Maidan Wardak, and Bamiyan. In some cases, the Taliban have forced people to pay hefty fines as compensation to the Kuchi nomads. Related: Bamiyan: 2023-08-27 Women Banned From Visiting Band-e-Amir National Park Bamiyan: 2023-08-15 Decoding the Taliban’s Anti-Persianism Bamiyan: 2023-07-18 Afghanistan's Shi'ite Minority Suffers 'Systematic Discrimination' Under Taliban Rule Related: Kuchi: 2023-09-10 Hazara Reparations Saga Continues: Nawur District Residents Forced to Pay Five Million Afghanis to Kuchi Nomads Kuchi: 2023-08-04 Taliban Detain and Torture Several, Including Women and Children, in Nawur, Ghazni Province Kuchi: 2023-05-09 Terrorists Attack Emir’s Palace In Kaduna State, Abduct Nine Children |
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Afghanistan |
School Burning: Unidentified Arsonists Target School in Takhar Province |
2023-09-13 |
[8am] Local sources in Takhar have reported that unidentified individuals set fire to a school in the province. Sources informed Hasht-e Subh that on the night of Monday, September 11th, at 8:00 PM, unknown individuals ignited a boys’ and girls’ school located in the center of Dasht-e-Qala district, Takhar Province. The school was situated approximately 200 meters from the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... security command in the district. According to sources, the school was known as "Engineer Hamed Shaheed School" and had served nearly three thousand students, both boys and girls, during the previous government’s tenure. As of now, no individual or group has grabbed credit for this incident. It is worth noting that on April 28th of this year, unidentified individuals also set fire to a school building in Ghazni Province. |
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Afghanistan |
Hazara Reparations Saga Continues: Nawur District Residents Forced to Pay Five Million Afghanis to Kuchi Nomads |
2023-09-10 |
[8am] Following the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... ’s coercion of Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... people to pay reparations to the Kuchis (nomads), residents of three villages in Nawur District, Ghazni Province, are now compelled to pay five million Afghanis each. This decision was made based on the claims of a Kuchi individual who alleges that ten years ago, 230 of his sheep went missing in the border areas of Nawur and Jaghatu districts, and the residents of these three villages were involved in the incident. Subsequently, the Taliban arrested and tortured 17 individuals from these villages. Sources report that the Taliban have been holding these individuals in humid places, subjecting them to daily beatings. Now, the residents are forced by the Taliban to pay five million Afghanis to the Kuchi individuals to resolve this issue. It is worth noting that Hazara communities have previously been coerced into paying substantial reparations to Kuchis through various means of intimidation. |
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Afghanistan |
Taliban Close Educational Center and Private School in Ghazni Due to Girls’ Attendance |
2023-09-08 |
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