8am: They [Taliban] seem willing to betray their own co-religionists for the sake of wealth and power, underscoring that their primary priorities are money and authority within the realm of political Islam. Click here to read more (external link).
Akmal Dawi VOA News May 25, 2023 WASHINGTON — Among a small number of ambassadors who remain in Kabul, Wang Yu, Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, appears the busiest. This week, Wang met with three Taliban ministers, two of whom are particularly shunned by Western diplomats — Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister who has a $10 million
Khaama: Since August 2021, China has increased its diplomatic relations and economic investments with Afghanistan’s de facto government. In the recent past, Islamic State-Khorasan and other terror outlets in Afghanistan have targeted these significant investments. Sources reported that an attack on Chinese projects is considered a kind of retaliation for the cruel behaviour of the
ANI: The move comes as unstable and volatile Afghanistan threatens Chinese interests and could be a hurdle to the success of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Moreover, Chinese sources have expressed concern that uncertainty and unrest could lead to Afghanistan becoming a hotbed for terrorists “targeting China’s Xinjiang and its interests overseas, such as
South China Morning Post: Chinese nationals will remain a target in 2023 for an Islamic State offshoot operating in Afghanistan, because of China’s alleged suppression of ethnic Uygur minorities in Xinjiang, according to analysts. China’s ties with the Taliban will add to the risks for its citizens in Afghanistan as the Islamic State Khorasan (Isis-K)
VOA News May 16, 2022 Navbahor Imamova WASHINGTON — In the two most recent U.S. presidential administrations, Central Asia has been caught up in Washington’s “strategic competition” with Beijing, experts say. And, they add, that under the presumption that Central Asians share Washington’s concerns, the United States, highlighting human rights violations in China’s western region of
Asim Kashgarian VOA News February 1, 2022 WASHINGTON — It’s approaching six months since the Taliban took over the Afghan capital, Kabul, on August 15. And in the months since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, neighboring China has taken a keen interest in the fate of the Central Asian country. The interest, in fact, predated the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 25, 2021 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Taliban representatives during a visit to Qatar, in their latest high-level talks since the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces in August. The visit to Doha, where the Taliban has its political office, is scheduled for October 25-26 to discuss “issues
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News October 14, 2021 KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — China wants to invest billions of dollars in Afghanistan if the Taliban guarantee security for their workers and their assets. This, according to the Taliban’s acting Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Zabihullah Mujahid, who also said his government is ready to deliver. In a television
By RFE/RL’s Tajik Service October 4, 2021 KHATLON, Tajikistan — The Taliban has provided Tajik militants based along the border with Tajikistan with new military vehicles, weaponry, and other equipment over the past two weeks, security sources in Tajikistan and northeastern Afghanistan say, amid an ongoing military buildup on both sides of the frontier. The sources