Ms. Magazine: In the Taliban’s Afghanistan, “bit by bit, all public spaces get closed off to women,” said Dr. Lauryn Oates of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ms. Magazine: In the Taliban’s Afghanistan, “bit by bit, all public spaces get closed off to women,” said Dr. Lauryn Oates of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
April 17, 2024
Many in Iran are worried about the prospect of a war with Israel and the possible impact on the country’s faltering economy.
That includes members of Iran’s large community of Afghan refugees and migrants, one of the most vulnerable groups in society.
Experts have warned that a full-scale war is a possibility in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel on April 13.
Afghans in Iran, speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, described a wartime atmosphere in Iran since Tehran’s first-ever direct attack against Israel.
They also said the authorities have intensified their crackdown on undocumented Afghans, many of whom fled war, poverty, and persecution in Afghanistan.
“This situation is alarming for all Afghan migrants in Iran,” said Omid Poya, an exiled Afghan journalist living in Iran. “Those who don’t have legal documents [to stay in Iran] don’t even leave their houses anymore.”
An Afghan migrant, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said “Iranian cities are in an emergency-like situation” since the April 13 attack, referring to the deployment of additional law enforcement officers on the streets. This, he said, has “forced many of us to worry about our future.”
An estimated 4.3 million Afghans currently live in Iran, according to the UN. More than 1 million have been deported in the past year as part of Tehran’s plan to expel all undocumented Afghans.
Afghans suffer widespread abuse and discrimination in Iran, where they have often been blamed for insecurity and unemployment.
Life More Difficult
Many Afghans are worried that a possible war between Iran and Israel will worsen the already dire economic situation in the Islamic republic, which has witnessed soaring inflation, rising unemployment, and growing poverty in recent years.
Following Iran’s April 13 attack, the national currency, the rial, plummeted to a new record low against the U.S. dollar.
That has had a direct impact on the livelihoods of Afghans and how much money they can send back to their families in Afghanistan.
“Life has become more difficult after the dollar rose against the Iranian currency,” said Azizgul Afghan Beg, an Afghan living in Tehran. “Our main concern is where we will escape if a war breaks out here.”
An estimated 70 percent of the estimated 3.6 million Afghans who have fled their homeland after the Taliban seized power in 2021 moved to Iran.
Afghans, including journalists, activists, and former soldiers and police officers, said they fear being forced to flee Iran and return to their homeland.
“Our lives will be in danger,” Qadariah Rezaei, said an Afghan rights campaigner residing in Iran. Afghans would pay a “heavy price” if Tehran becomes embroiled in a conflict with Israel, she said.
Other Afghans say they are contemplating returning to Afghanistan.
“It is better to return to our homeland because of the mounting worries over war and the sharp slump in employment,” said Shamsul Rahman, an Afghan living in the southeastern city of Kerman.
Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
Tolo News: Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan expressed his disappointment following the cancellation and postponement of matches with Afghanistan by the Australian Cricket Board. He said that cricket is a “source of happiness” and should not be involved in government matters. Rashid Khan said: “As a player you can’t do much about it,” he said. “It’s the issue of governments to resolve. But what hurts me the most is when things like that happens, why it is hurting cricket [in Afghanistan]? Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 16, 2024
ISLAMABAD — Authorities in Pakistan and Afghanistan said Tuesday that intense unseasonal rainfall, lightning and floods across both neighboring countries had killed at least 100 people over the past several days.
A spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said floods had caused human and material losses in 13 of the country’s 34 provinces.
Janan Saiq reported that the disaster resulted in nearly 50 fatalities, dozens of injuries, and the loss of hundreds of livestock.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan said Tuesday that the recent heavy rains and floods have affected more than 1,200 families and damaged almost 1,000 houses and at least 25,000 hectares of agricultural land.
The statement noted that the U.N. and partners “are assessing the impact and related needs and providing assistance.”
The Afghan meteorological agency has predicted that more heavy rainfall is expected in most provinces.
Poverty-stricken Afghanistan has been reeling from the devastation of years of conflict and natural disasters, including floods, droughts and earthquakes.
Last October, a series of earthquakes rattled western Herat and surrounding provinces, killing around 1,500 people.
Devastation in Pakistan
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s federal and provincial authorities reported that over 50 people have died due to heavy rains, flash floods, lightning, storms and landslides.
Most of the fatalities occurred in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, and central Punjab province. Officials said that at least 42 people were killed in both provinces, and many more were injured.
Southwestern Baluchistan province and areas elsewhere in Pakistan have reported the rest of the casualties and losses to houses, as well as agricultural land.
The National Disaster Management Authority has advised emergency services to remain on high alert, as another spell of heavy rains is expected later this week.
Officials have blamed climate change for the unusually heavy rains in Pakistan.
Although the South Asian nation, with an estimated 250 million population, contributes less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is listed as one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.
Pakistan experienced severe flooding in 2022 due to seasonal heavy monsoon rainfall and floods, resulting in at least 1,700 deaths, affecting 33 million people and submerging approximately one-third of the country.
After visiting flood-hit areas in 2022, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Pakistanis were “facing a monsoon on steroids — the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding.”
Guterres criticized a lack of climate action, despite rising global emissions of greenhouse gases.
“Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country,” he said.
WION: All-rounder Rashid Khan is reconsidering playing in the Big Bash League (BBL) after Cricket Australia (CA) indefinitely postponed the T20I series with Afghanistan last month. Rashid said he was ‘hurt’ by CA’s decision and that him playing in Australia’s premier T20 franchise tournament was undermining his teammates. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: A recent U.S. military review has revealed that the perpetrator behind the bombing outside Kabul airport in August 2021, which resulted in the deaths of 170 Afghans and 13 American service members, was an Islamic State operative. He had previously been detained in a coalition facility in Afghanistan but was released by the Taliban, marking the first identification of his involvement. Despite claims from certain service members present at the airport on that fateful day, who asserted they had identified the suicide bomber and were instructed not to intervene, a review determined they had targeted the wrong individual. Consequently, the strike was deemed unpreventable. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Former Jihadi leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has criticized the United States for patrolling Afghanistan’s airspace with drones. Hekmatyar said in a speech Tuesday that any form of American presence in Afghanistan is unacceptable. “Afghanistan’s airspace is under occupation. Expressing this issue is our religious responsibility. We have sacrificed the most for freedom. We do not accept any presence of America. We do not accept any kind of foreign rule,” he said. Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghanistan International: On Sunday, the National Resistance Front (NRF) announced that in an attack by its forces on a Taliban vehicle, two members of the group had been killed, and two others were injured. The Front stated that the attack took place in the fourth police district of Kabul city. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Resistance News