Roshan Noorzai VOA News December 11, 2021 Farmers in Afghanistan say that they will continue to grow poppy amid uncertainty over the Taliban’s poppy eradication policy. “We have no choice but to cultivate opium poppy,” said Noor, 52, a farmer living in a remote village in the western Farah province. For safety reasons, he did
Al Jazeera: In the biting cold of a Kabul autumn, Hadia Ahmadi, a 43-year-old teacher who lost her job after the Taliban seized Afghanistan’s capital in August, sits by the roadside trying to earn the equivalent of a few cents polishing shoes. Click here to read more (external link).
AP: Afghanistan’s drought, its worst in decades, is now entering its second year, exacerbated by climate change. The dry spell has hit 25 of the country’s 34 provinces, and this year’s wheat harvest is estimated to be down 20% from the year before. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says representatives of the Turkish and Qatari private sectors will hold talks on the management of Kabul Airport. However, the identities of these companies have not been determined yet, so the Turkish president says that the companies are scheduled to hold talks with the Taliban in the near future.
The Daily Mail (UK): Taliban militants pulled guns on United Nations aid workers and took off with 3.7 tonnes of Australian flour meant to be delivered to some of Afghanistan’s poorest families as the war-torn country faces a catastrophic famine. The Australian Government donated the vital baking staple through the World Food Program as part
8am: Sarai Shahzada exchange market announced that one dollar was exchanged for 100 afghanis in this market today (Tuesday, December 7). This is the first time the value of a US dollar has risen to three digits against the Afghan currency since the publication of the current banknotes. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 7, 2021 ISLAMABAD — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched its largest ever single-country appeal Tuesday to urgently respond to the humanitarian needs of “over 24 million people in Afghanistan, half of whom are children.” The relief agency said the appeal for $2 billion would help avert the imminent collapse
8am: The aid reportedly included primary foods, including flour. The flour distributed by this agency cannot be cooked, therefore, they have been forced to give it to livestock, the families stressed. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 4, 2021 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Saturday it will host a conference of foreign ministers from Islamic countries later this month in a bid to avert a looming humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore that the “extraordinary session”
8am: Credible sources in Parwan province accuse Taliban officials of monopolizing and embezzling aid from the international community… The aid has been allocated to the military and people close to the Taliban… Click here to read more (external link).