WP: The Taliban-run government is fostering a thriving community of YouTube influencers and video bloggers in Afghanistan, seeking to shape a positive narrative about the country by rewarding those who have welcome viewpoints with access to stories that can draw millions of views online. Meanwhile, videos that are critical of the Taliban have largely disappeared
Worldcrunch: Nothing can beautify life in Afghanistan under the Taliban. So how can we promote a country whose government practices terrorism against its people? That’s what Arab world influencers are doing. The Taliban has invested heavily in the male Arab YouTubers and influencers to promote the rosy life in Afghanistan under its rule, and these
WP: More than two years after Taliban fighters streamed into the Afghan capital, seizing power here and vowing to cleanse the country of Western decadence, many of them have come to embrace the benefits of urban life. Some Taliban members are already developing expensive taste. While officials in the new government initially went shopping for
AFP: Authorities in the Afghan province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, ordered officials on February 18 not to take pictures or videos of “living things.” In a letter addressed to civilian and military officials, the provincial department of the interior directed them “to refrain from taking pictures of living things in your formal
Naqiba Barekzai, Abida Spozhmai and Khujasta Kabiri Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 31, 2024 Women have borne the brunt of the Taliban’s repressive laws in Afghanistan, where the extremist group has imposed constraints on their appearances, freedom of movement, and right to work and study. But women who are unmarried or do not have a “mahram,”
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi January 31, 2024 Ongoing snowfall and rain that ended a long dry spell in Afghanistan are now bringing new problems to impoverished Afghans across the country as heating needs jump while humanitarian aid deliveries are impeded. Since January 28, most of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces have experienced snowfall or rain. While the precipitation
By Michael Scollon Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 28, 2024 Afghan men have limited options when visiting the barbershop if they do not want to be accused of walking away looking like a trendy Westerner or a North Korean dictator. No haircuts that make them look like an “infidel.” No trimmed eyebrows. And no shaved faces
NIKKEI Asia: Afghan women say they are afraid to leave their homes, after the Taliban began intensifying its wide-ranging crackdown on hijab-wearing and making arrests across the country at the start of the year. Kabul resident Farkhunda, 27, told Nikkei Asia that since she and four others were arrested, her sister has been too scared
8am: Applicants are risking their lives to obtain passports at a time when, according to global assessments, Afghanistan’s passport was recognized as the “most worthless passport” in the world in 2023. Most people view the sacrifice of people with their lives for the world’s most worthless passport as a sign of dissatisfaction with the Taliban.
8am: In Ghazni, some women, and girls strongly criticize the Taliban for their dual standards towards local women, and foreign women visiting the province. They assert that the Taliban consistently tightened their strict restrictions on women in Ghazni province, while foreign women freely move around different parts of the province without any prohibitions, enjoying full