8am: Farmers in Takhar Province allege that they are being forced to pay “ushr and zakat” under the guise of “one-tenth” to the head of the province’s agriculture, irrigation and livestock department. According to them, local Taliban officials are engaged in extortion and coercion. The farmers emphasize that when Taliban employees come to collect the
Al Jazeera: Beyond economic empowerment, the salons provided Afghan women with a much-needed community. “It was a safe, female-only space where we could meet outside of our homes and without a mahram [male guardian],” a former beauty business owner who did not want to be named for safety reasons tells Al Jazeera. Click here to
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 13, 2024 The Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of its return to power in Afghanistan with a military parade on August 14 amid what international aid groups say is one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises. Taliban forces seized Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on August 15, 2021, after the U.S.-backed government
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 8, 2024 Fawad was already reeling from the deadly earthquake that struck western Afghanistan in October and severely damaged his home and crops. But the Taliban dealt the small-scale farmer from the western Herat Province another crippling financial blow. Fawad, who grows lentils and wheat, was recently forced to pay “ushr,”
8am: Over the past three years, the Taliban have extensively forced the displacement of residents from specific areas, primarily Tajik and Hazara communities. This action by the Taliban has been criticized by international human rights organizations, the United Nations, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan, deeming it a
Afghanistan International: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that Washington has provided approximately $21 billion in aid to Afghanistan since 2021. According to SIGAR, this funding has been allocated for humanitarian aid, the relocation and resettlement of refugees, and the repayment of Afghanistan’s foreign assets. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Sources from the Hazara community in Uruzgan province reported that under Taliban pressure, they have paid 15 million of the 30 million Afghanis demanded by the group members for settling a land dispute with Pashtuns. Residents of Gizab district stated that the Taliban have warned them to pay the remaining 15 million Afghanis
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal August 1, 2024 Pakistani authorities have banned the entry of Afghan drivers through the Torkham border crossing as of August 1 unless they have passports and visas. Torkham, a critical trade route between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, had been reopened by Pakistan in January after a 10-day closure prompted by Islamabad’s imposing
Tolo News: A number of retirees are once again demanding the payment of their pensions by the Islamic Emirate [Taliban]. Some of those who have gathered outside the Pension Fund office say they are facing various economic challenges in the current situation. Abdul Hakim, a retiree, said: “I need to be fed; they should give
8am: Several Persian-speaking employees in government offices in the country have raised complaints about language discrimination by their superiors, many of whom are affiliated with the Taliban. They claim that their job security is jeopardized due to linguistic discrimination and that they could be dismissed at any time by the Taliban. These long-serving government employees