RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 6, 2021 Local officials in western Afghanistan say Taliban fighters have entered the provincial hub of Zaranj and its Kabul-backed governor and other senior officials have fled, leaving the militant group poised to capture its first major population center since an all-out offensive began four months ago. A provincial administration official
Reuters: At least seven Afghan pilots have been assassinated off base in recent months, two senior Afghan government officials told Reuters, part of what the Islamist Taliban says is a campaign to see U.S.-trained Afghan pilots “targeted and eliminated.” Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: At least seven Afghan pilots have been assassinated off base in recent months, according to two senior Afghan government officials, Reuters reported. According to Reuters, this series of targeted killings, which haven’t been previously reported, illustrate what U.S. and Afghan officials believe is a deliberate Taliban effort to destroy one of Afghanistan’s most valuable
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News April 1, 2021 ISLAMABAD – The Afghan Taliban are deliberately targeting, intimidating and killing journalists, particularly women, according to a new report issued Thursday by an international rights group as well as VOA’s own research. Human Rights Watch found militant commanders in areas under Taliban influence use direct threats and violence to try
By Radio Free Afghanistan February 9, 2021 KABUL — Afghan officials say unidentified gunmen have shot dead four government employees in the capital. Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told reporters that the gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying staff from the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry, killing four of them. A spokesman for the
Roshan Noorzai VOA News January 21, 2021 WASHINGTON – A recent string of targeted killings in Afghanistan has created an atmosphere of fear among Afghan journalists who say they cannot carry out their duties under growing threats. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, a local media advocacy group, has warned that the country might lose one
1TV: Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh suggested on Monday that some Taliban detainees should be executed in response to rise in assassinations. Saleh said that the core reason why assassinations have increased in major cities is that the Taliban detainees think that they would be pardoned and not punished. Click here to read more
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 17, 2021 ISLAMABAD – Officials in Afghanistan said Sunday two female judges working for the Supreme Court were shot dead in the capital, Kabul, the latest victims of targeted killings in recent months. A court spokesman said the slain judges were on their way to work in the morning when
Ariana: Media support bodies in Afghanistan have accused government of not properly investigating the targeted killings of journalists adding that because of this and the high level of threats they face, some have already left the country. “Unfortunately violence against journalists has not reduced, because government has not followed up on the cases of journalists
Ariana: The Afghan security forces arrested five members of a Taliban-Haqqani Network cell on charges of espionage in Paktika province, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) said on Monday. According to the NDS, the group, operating under ISI directions, was involved in the planting of IEDs and in targeted killings in the eastern parts of