Afghanistan International: Maulawi Abdul Qahir, a prominent cleric in Balkh, delivered a fiery sermon on Friday, 16 May, at the Rawza Sharif Mosque, where he condemned the Taliban for promoting tribalism and ethnic discrimination. He warned that such practices would lead to the downfall of any Islamic system. According to local sources, Taliban forces attempted
8am: Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, millions have fled the country due to fear of retribution, systematic discrimination, widespread repression, poverty, and unemployment. This mass migration has triggered a profound crisis of individual and collective identity among the displaced. Those remaining in Afghanistan, struggling under the brutal oppression of the Taliban, hoped that
8am: The Taliban have established a “Permanent Housing and Land Distribution Committee for Kunduz Migrants” in the northeastern province of Kunduz. This committee is tasked with distributing land to Taliban fighters and their families residing in Pakistan. A letter from this committee, obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, reveals that the Taliban have called on
Afghanistan International: Rawadari, a human rights organisation, has exposed widespread violations against ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. In its latest report, the group accuses the Taliban of deliberately denying minorities access to government services, infrastructure projects, and humanitarian aid. In Badakhshan, no infrastructure projects have been carried out in Ismaili-majority areas,
Khaama: The Council for the Protection of Jihadi Values held a meeting in Kabul where they strongly criticized the Taliban for monopolizing power, particularly by the Kandahari faction, and called for an inclusive government. A council member stated that in addition to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, 12 Taliban cabinet ministers are from Kandahar province, highlighting a
Amu: Local sources alleged that Abdullah Sarhadi, the Taliban governor of Bamiyan, coerced and threatened members of the Shia community in the province to denounce the ICC’s actions. According to reports, Sarhadi contacted several Shia elders in Bamiyan, instructing them to publicly condemn the ICC prosecutor’s request. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Previously, the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) reported that of the 1,137 senior Taliban officials, 891 were Pashtun, 53 Tajik, 28 Uzbek, and 6 Hazara. According to this research, 40 of the top-tier Taliban Supreme Leaders, including the Supreme Leader, prime minister, and ministers of defense, higher education, education, culture, rural development, labor and
Forbes: In November 2024, the Guardian, the Centre for Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness project, Lighthouse Reports and the Afghan news outlets Zan Times and Etilaat Roz published the findings of their investigation into the Taliban’s “regeneration program” across Kabul. According to the report, the Taliban began the “redevelopment” in Kabul soon after returning to power
8am: Many Kyrgyz representatives from the Pamir region of Badakhshan province, who traveled to Fayzabad, the provincial capital, to raise their concerns, have voiced frustration over the lack of healthcare facilities, impassable roads, and extortion by Taliban fighters under the pretense of collecting tithe and “zakat” (alms). They warn that if their basic needs remain
8am: The Taliban, too, claim to enforce God’s Sharia and incessantly speak of Islam and Islamic law. Yet, their actions practically fulfill the aspirations of ethnonationalists, achieving their goals and dreams. It is no coincidence that some ethnic nationalists sympathize with the Taliban, ecstatic that political and military power has fallen into their hands. The