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Afghanistan
UNSC Grants 23-Day Travel Exemption to Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
2025-02-17
[ToloNews] The United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
 Security Council sanctions committee has announced a 23-day travel exemption for Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs.

In a statement, the committee said that the purpose of this exemption is for Baradar’s travel to Doha for medical treatment.
Pray for sepsis.
The Security Council’s statement mentions that this exemption has been issued under resolution 1988 and is valid from February 9 to March 3, 2025.

The UN Security Council sanctions committee stated: "On 7 February 2025, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) approved a travel ban exemption for Abdul Ghani Baradar Abdul Ahmad Turk (TAi.024) regarding his visit to Doha, State of Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
, from 9 February 2025 to 3 March 2025 for medical treatment."

"If Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar’s travel is for medical purposes, I hope it also has a political aspect to help Afghanistan emerge from economic and political isolation," said Zalmai Afghanyar, a political analyst.

The statement also mentioned that a three-day travel exemption to Russia has been granted to the head of Afghanistan’s Central Bank.

The committee added that this exemption was granted for his visit to Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, to participate in the Ural Cybersecurity in Finance Forum, scheduled from February 19 to 21.

"For Afghanistan’s economic growth and to bring the country out of isolation, Mr. Baradar and his colleagues should take steps during this trip," said Samim Shamsi, another political analyst.

Previously, the UN Security Council sanctions committee had also issued travel exemptions this year for three officials of the Islamic Emirate, including the acting ministers of interior, foreign affairs, and Hajj and religious affairs.
What’s the point of sanctions if exemptions are issued every time one of them wants to go somewhere?
Related:
Abdul Ghani Baradar 12/14/2024 The removal of the Taliban from the list of terrorists does not suit everyone
Abdul Ghani Baradar 05/14/2024 Latest Reports Say Death Toll of Baghlan Flooding Over 170
Abdul Ghani Baradar 04/17/2023 Kazakhstan to Reopen Afghan Embassy, Consulate: Mullah Baradar


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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Latest Reports Say Death Toll of Baghlan Flooding Over 170
2024-05-14
[TOLONEWS] The number of victims from the recent floods in the country has nearly reached 180, doctors said, as cited by Mullah Baradar, who visited the disaster-stricken province of Baghlan.

Meanwhile,
...back at the dirigible, Jack stuck the cigar in his mouth, stepped onto the gantry, and asked Got a light, Mac?

Von Schtinken stopped short, lowering the dagger and trying to control his features.

If you light that thing, Herr Armschtröng, he pointed out, his voice tense, we all die!...
 on the fourth day of the flooding in Baghlan province, affected families called for immediate aid.

They said that they lack shelter, food supplies, and clean drinking water, and are living in heartbreaking conditions.

Mohammad Alam, 50, who lost six family members in the Friday floods in the Darwazakan area of central Baghlan, said: "I have lost two of my sister-in-laws, my wife, two daughters—one six years old and the other thirteen—and a nephew."

Another group of affected individuals who have lost their possessions are also demanding urgent help from the authorities.

"We need clean water and tents. The foreign aid that has been promised needs to be delivered," said Arbab Gulzada, a flood victim in Baghlan.

"Our request from the Islamic Emirate is to deliver aid to the people affected in Baghlan, especially central Baghlan," said Haqbin Moradi, a flood victim in Baghlan.

At the same time, Alam Majidi, the spokesperson for the governor of Baghlan, said that the process of distributing initial aid from the government and aid organizations to the flood victims is ongoing, and more aid will be distributed to them after assessments are completed.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, who visited the flood-affected areas, said: "They told us the number of casualties is 154 deaders, but doctors have reported up to 170 people."

According to official statistics provided by the authorities in the caretaker government, the corpse count in Baghlan province so far reached nearly 180, and the search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

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Afghanistan
Kazakhstan to Reopen Afghan Embassy, Consulate: Mullah Baradar
2023-04-17
[TOLONEWS] The first deputy of the prime minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said that Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan's deputy prime minister and Minister of Trade and Integration, pledged to reopen the embassy and consulate of the current Afghan government in Kazakhstan.

Baradar said that the Islamic Emirate is working on improving interactions with the world.

"They indicated this ... yesterday, that we will reopen our embassy or consulate in Afghanistan and assured us that we can also reopen our embassy and consulate there," Baradar noted.

A delegation of Kazakhstan, led by the deputy prime minister and minister of trade and integration, visited Kabul on Saturday and had meetings with a number of bigwigs of the Islamic Emirate, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

In order to improve relations, the Islamic Emirate asked this high-ranking Kazakh official to receive the diplomats of the current Afghan government.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, Agent 49 felt gingerly for his head. It was still there. He had been hoping differently...
 some analysts said that accepting Islamic Emirate diplomats without also recognizing the current government is a one-way relationship.

"Sending and accepting diplomats without official recognition ... is a one-way relationship and has one-sided benefits," said Noorullah Raghi, former diplomat.

"If in general the international community, US, European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, Russia, China does not give tecognition, I don’t think other countries will recognize the Islamic Emirate," said Noorullah Raghi, a former diplomat.

Although the Islamic Emirate has diplomatic missions in Tehran, Istanbul, Islamabad, Dubai, Moscow, Beijing, and a number of Arab and African nations, no nation has recognized the Islamic Emirate.

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Afghanistan
Six TTP terrorists including prominent commander killed in Afghanistan IED blast
2023-03-05
[SamaaEnglish] At least six bandidos Death Eaters of Tehrik-e-Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
 (TTP) including an important commander were killed and 15 others were maimed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Khost province
... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
 of Afghanistan.

The attack comes a week after a senior Pak delegation had visited Afghanistan’s capital for talks with Taliban officials.

Pak Defence Minister Khwaja Asif was joined on Wednesday by other brass hats — including Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, the director general of Pakistain’s Inter-Services Intelligence
...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir...
 agency, or ISI — in their meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghanistan acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs, in Kabul.

The identities of the slain commanders were revealed to be Abdul Manan, Alam Khan Mudakhel, Kajir, and three others unidentified.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard...
 among the injured were named as Commander Fazl Amin, Commander Muhammad alias Tofan, Commander Noor Payo Khan, Faqirullah, Turzai, Sat Kare, Ali Sir Khan, Zubair, Hijratullah, Kamal, Sher Afzal, Bakhtullah, Zubihullah, and two unknown terrorists.

The incidents have also been seen as a clear sign of increasing intelligence ingress within the TTP, according to sources.

Sources said that lower-level TTP bandidos Death Eaters have expressed suspicion about the big shotship of the group.

In a separate incident, Makram Harasani, the in-charge of TTP’s Umar Media Group, was maimed, according to sources.
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Afghanistan
Top Taliban Leaders Consider Deposing Supremo Akhundzada Over Afghan Women’s Education
2023-02-01
[News18] First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar front-runner as issue of women’s education splits Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
, a high-level source tells News18

Senior Taliban functionaries are considering deposing supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, top sources in Afghanistan said, as mounting frustration on the issue of women’s education threatens to rupture the unity of the government.

First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is emerging as the person most likely to supplant Akhundzada if the Amir-ul-Momineen is ousted, a high-level source told News18, emphasizing that the discussions are at an early stage.

The decision, in December last year, to ban women from universities, has become a flashpoint in the top echelons of the Taliban. As News18 reported, Interior (Home) Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani
...son of Pashtun warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, still titular head of the Haqqani Network....
 and Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqub are not in favour of the crackdown by the hardliners and want the government to reverse course.

But their negotiations with the supreme leader have not borne fruit as Akhundzada is insisting that he will not reverse the ban under international pressure. But Haqqani and Yaqub are unwilling to accept this position, arguing that international support is vital for Afghanistan, the sources said.

"This (Akhundzada’s) is not a logical reason," a top source said. "High officials are therefore thinking about a solution and how to change the leader."

The doors of education are shut to women and girls from middle school onwards, and all women in public are required to cover themselves from head to toe in a burqa. Recently, the government also banned women from working in non-governmental organizations which help provide aid in the impoverished country.

Haqqani and Yaqub (the son of Taliban founder Mullah Muhammad Omar), who lead the moderate faction, have been attempting a rapprochement with major foreign powers as they struggle to manage Afghanistan’s shattered economy. Together they control the security forces and hold sway over large swathes of the country.

One of the options that Taliban officials considered was to have Haqqani as the Amir-ul-Momineen but the interior minister is not interested in the position. Besides, he may not enjoy acceptance in the southern region of Kandahar, which is the Taliban’s headquarters. Yaqub was also considered for the job, but his youth (he is thought to be about 33 years old) went against him. This meant that Baradar has emerged as the likeliest contender for the top post in the Taliban.

It will not be easy to depose the Kandahar-based Akhundzada, though, as he enjoys the support of key governors and has loyalists in several branches of the government. The governors of Kandahar and Khost province
... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
s are thought to be loyal to Akhundzada, and so also some military commanders.

Afghanistan said it had outlawed university education for women because women were dressing ’improperly’: in the words of the higher education minister, ’as if they going to a wedding instead of college.’

The ban came in the backdrop of a widening political schism between the moderate and Death Eater factions of the Taliban. The moderates, led by Haqqani and Yaqub, are pitted against the supreme leader Akhundzada and his allies in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar.
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Afghanistan
Daily Evacuation Brief November 18, 2022
2022-11-18
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
  • EXPLOSION IN BAGH-E-BALA NEIGHBORHOOD – Yesterday evening at approximately 1800hrs local, an explosion was reported in the area. No details were yet available and it is not clear if any casualties resulted from the blast. Taliban security forces established a perimeter around the area to keep locals out. No further information was available.

  • TTP COMMANDER REPORTEDLY ASSASSINATED IN AFGHANISTAN – A TTP Commander known as Zakerin was said to have been killed by unknown gunmen in Paktia Province. The circumstances behind the killing are unknown and this information has not been verified yet.

  • MOSCOW REGIONAL SUMMIT CONCLUDES – The regional summit on Afghanistan closed in Moscow yesterday. Delegates made several of the same calls for security, stability, inclusiveness, and economic development. The exclusion of Taliban representatives at the summit has rankled the senior leadership in Afghanistan but the snub has been smoothed over in light of Afghanistan’s precarious fiscal situation.

  • CHINA REITERATES SUPPORT FOR IEA – China’s Ambassador to Kabul, Wang Yu, passed along messages of support to the Foreign Minister in a meeting on Wednesday. The Ambassador announced intentions to provide a shipment of aid to help prepare for the coming Winter.

  • DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER IN DUBAI FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT SPURS RUMORS – Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was flown to Dubai for an unspecified medical condition. Rumors immediately began to circulate on social media that he had been the victim of poisoning. It is thought that Baradar and Haqqani have a rivalry and are often said to be at odds over the direction the IEA should take. At this point, we do not believe Baradar was poisoned and all signs point to a legitimate health condition that prompted his trip.

  • NOTED CLERIC AND 2 FOLLOWERS KILLED IN KABUL – A group of unidentified gunmen reportedly shot and killed Qari Najibullah Azizi and 2 unidentified worshipers at the Abu Bakr Siddiq Mosque early Thursday morning. The incident occurred during Fajir and the motive for the attack is not clear. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killings and no further information was available.


CONFLICT TRACKER
Nangarhar: Taliban forces launched a raid on an NRF base in Umaraz. The fighting continued into the early morning, when the raid was reportedly repulsed. An unknown number of casualties have been reported.
Panjshir: NRF fighters targeted a home in the Hesseh Awal district that was being used by the Taliban as a command post. The NRF deployed several BM1 rockets and then hit the facility with heavy and light machine guns. Hostilities began around midnight local time, and lasted for several hours. There has been no word on casualties incurred from the military action on either side.

NEXT 24 HOURS
JOINT AFGHAN/PAKISTAN COMMITTEE FORMED TO INVESTIGATE CROSS BORDER INCIDENT AT CHAMAN – Yesterday’s announcement about the formation of a bi-lateral committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the clashes at Spin Boldak-Chaman gate is seen as a positive sign. Clearly, the tensions along the border merit a de-escalation effort by both countries before things get out of hand. While no announcement has been made to reopen the crossing site, we assess an announcement will be made soon.
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Afghanistan
Shopkeepers in Paktia Complain of High Taxes
2022-11-12
[ToloNews] The shopkeepers in the southeastern province of Paktia claimed that they are paying more taxes than they were paying under the previous government.

The shopkeepers said this is the case despite the Islamic Emirate’s decision to reduce the taxes from 1.5 percent to 0.5 percent.

"While the previous government imposed 1.5 percent, the taxes would have been between 14,000 Afs to 15,000 Afs. Now, while the taxes have been reduced to 0.5 percent,

they issued the bill for 200,000 Afs," said Qayom Khan, a shopkeeper.

The shopkeepers said that they are obliged to sell the materials at a high price due to high taxes.

"The tax on me is 334,000 Afs. The business is also not as good as in the time of government. We call on the government to show flexibility with us," said Abdul Qadir Khoshal, owner of a market.

"The materials in my shop are worth around 500,000 Afs and half it is a loan. But I am charged with 200,000 Afs," said Abdullah, a shopkeeper.

Despite consecutive attempts, TOLOnews was unable to obtain any comment from the local officials in this regard.

Last week, the second deputy prime minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, visited Paktia to assess the trade and financial challenges in the country.

The shopkeepers said that there has yet to be any progress in this regard.
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Afghanistan
Taliban’s Program for Beggars in Afghan Capital Rounds Up Thousands
2022-09-26
How many of them did not need to beg under the previous government?
[KhaamaPress] Following an order from the Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
 supreme leader, over 8,000 beggars have been rounded up from the streets of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Taliban authorities said.

The Taliban government’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Sunday, September 25, stated that 8,444 beggars, including 5,779 women, had been rounded up from various areas around Kabul.

Only 1,750 of these women have been identified as "deserving," according to the statement, and the remaining women are "professional" beggars.

The Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who also chairs the "Beggar Collection Committee", stated that out of the 718 men who were collected as beggars, 236 were found to be "deserving" and the remaining 482 were determined to be professional beggars.

There are more than 1947 children among the beggars collected, 1079 of whom are identified as deserving and 41 of them are orphans, according to information provided by the Taliban government.

According to the announcement, orphaned beggar children have been transferred to the educational facilities under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs after undergoing biometric registration.

The orphaned children are said to receive education in these facilities in addition to sustenance and shelter.

The Taliban government says that hundreds of individuals have already benefited from the cash assistance program that the Afghan Red Islamic Thingy Society has begun to provide to deserving beggars. However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
 the fate of the "professional" beggars remains uncertain.

Previously, the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, ordered the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban to work with the relevant authorities to begin the process of rounding up panhandlers from Kabul city and addressing and resolving their problems.
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Afghanistan
Prospects of Employment; Taliban Supreme Leader Issues Order to Round Up Beggars in Kabul
2022-08-09
[KhaamaPress] Taliban
...Arabic for students...
 supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has assigned the deputy prime minister of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, to round up beggars from the streets of Kabul, the Afghan capital.

According to the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency, the Deputy Prime Minister of the group has been directed to coordinate with respective agencies to begin work on rounding up panhandlers from Kabul city, addressing and solving their problems.

After biometrics, beggars with skills and abilities will be given jobs and their guardians will be asked to give up and swear off begging in the future, according to Bakhtar.

Per the statement, street children beggars would receive an education, and beggars who are extremely underprivileged and unable to work will receive a monthly salary.

According to a recent Save the Children report, 13 million children are among the 24.4 million people in Afghanistan who urgently need humanitarian assistance.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan it put the nation in a sharp decline in international aid, loss of access to foreign reserves, and disruption of financial links.

The aforementioned factors resulted in a significant contraction of the economy, soaring poverty, and financial insecurity, as well as high unemployment and spiked food inflation, making Afghan people beg on the streets.
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Afghanistan
UAE Wins Contract for Ground Operations at 3 Afghan Airports
2022-05-25
[ToloNews] The Islamic Emirate on Tuesday signed a contract for ’ground handling’ operations with GAAC, a UAE-based company.

The contract was signed by the deputy minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Ghulam Jailani Wafa, and a representative of the GAAC company in the presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, first deputy prime minister.

Speaking at the ceremony during the signing of the contract, Mullah Baradar said that security is good in the country and the Islamic Emirate is ready to cooperate with investing countries.

With the signing of this contract, Baradar said that all international airlines will start their flights to Afghanistan in a safe and reliable manner.

After the Islamic Emirate swept into power, several rounds of negotiations have been held between with companies in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
, Tukey and the UAE over managing technicals operation of the Afghan airports.

"When we were in a critical and an emergency situation, the UAE helped us with technical cooperation and repaired the terminals for free," said Ghulam Jailani Wafa, the Minister Transportation and Civil Aviation. "The GAAC company is an international company which provides the aviation services in the UAE itself."
Khaama Press adds:
The Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
 and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement for the management of four Afghan airports. The management of Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
 airports is officially handed over to the United Arab Emirates.

After the country was thrown into disarray last year when the Taliban took control and foreign forces withdrew, Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
 and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
 dispatched temporary technical teams to assist in airport operations and security.

The UAE has long been considered a Taliban ally, having backed and recognized the Taliban during their first term in office.
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Afghanistan
Beijing-Nangarhar to Build 150-Factory Industrial Park in Kabul
2022-04-29
[KhaamaPress] The Ministry of Urban Development of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan inked an agreement with Beijing-Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
 private company on building an industrial park wherein 150 factories will be activated.

The signing pact ceremony that was held in Priozi township in Kabul on Thursday, April 28, 2022, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and head of the economic commission of the IEA Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Deputy Minister of Urban Development.

The industrial complex is planned to be built in Priozi town located in the eastern Deh Sabz district of the Afghan capital Kabul.

The industrial park will include a mosque, health, and educational centers, green space, public parks, and residential blocks along with the 150 factories that will provide direct jobs to 13,600 people while 30,000 more will be affected indirectly.

The industrial complex is intended to cost $216 million.

This is the second biggest economic project launched by the IEA in the past eight months after the 385-Kilometer irrigation canal in the north of Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan
Mullah Baradar Calls for Afghan Self-Sufficiency
2022-03-27
[TOLO] "Send us money Endeavor to Persevere"
First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that the aid provided by international donors will alleviate urgent needs for a short period of time, but said that the ministries must work toward self-sufficiency.

Speaking at a ceremony held to celebrate the National Day of Farmers in the capital city of Kabul, Mullah Baradar said that a new agricultural plan will come into effect in the near future which will also benefit half of the Afghan population.

The new plan will pave the way "for irrigation of half of Afghanistan," he said.

"We must work day and night and immediately bring a system that makes Afghans self-sufficient," Mullah Baradar added.

The acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Abdul Rahman Rashid, vowed that they have been empowered to prevent many land seizers from seizing the government lands.

The ceremony included an exhibition of Afghan-made products, where various types of products were displayed.

The exhibition was also attended by Afghan women who displayed their products.

"Our business has been broken. Our business has collapsed. Now, with this exhibition, we hope our business will get better," said Farishta Hashimi, a participant.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, around 75 percent of Afghans are making their income through agriculture.
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