By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 1, 2016 The belated funeral ceremony for a controversial former Afghan monarch turned violent in Kabul on September 1, with at least one person killed and several wounded after gunshots were fired during a procession attended by thousands of members of Afghanistan’s ethnic Tajik minority. Mourners carrying
Kyodo: Some 102 cultural assets taken illegally from conflict-torn Afghanistan have been returned to the South Asian country with the help of a Japanese nonprofit organization. The items include a piece of a mural removed from the Bamiyan Caves where giant Buddha statues were destroyed by Taliban militants in 2001, and the “Left Foot of Zeus,” a
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 19, 2016 In Afghanistan, August 19 typically spurs an outpouring of celebration and patriotism over the day in 1919 that the multiethnic country regained its independence from Britain following the end of the third Anglo-Afghan war. But a fuss this time over a contentious historical figure who
KABUL, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — The war-torn Afghanistan on Thursday marked the 97th anniversary of its independence from the British occupation by holding meetings and celebrations across the country amid tight security. “On this historic day, I call on all Afghans to work for peace, prosperity and stability. And I urge Afghan people to stand
The National Interest: After the Soviet Union’s withdrawal in 1989 and the ending of financial assistance in 1992, Afghanistan descended into financial oblivion. The very foundation of Afghanistan’s economic system and livelihood prior to the Soviet Union’s intervention was primarily dependent on muscle labor and rural subsistence farming. The subsequent invasion wrecked a system of living
Tehran Times June 19, 2016 TEHRAN — Afghanistan plans to submit a version of the Kulliyat-i Sadi to be registered on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register list. The version inscribed nine years after the death of the Persian poet is the oldest copy of the collection, which is kept at the National Archives of
Khaama Press: Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said Afghanistan has never accepted Durand Line as border between Afghanistan and Pakistan and will never accept it in the future. In an interview with BBC Urdu, Karzai termed the formation of Durand Line a ‘result of British imperialism’ in the region. “When Pakistan came into being in 1947, they
RT: Nearly 100 mysterious manuscripts thought to be 1,000 years old and written by a Jewish family that lived along the ancient Silk Road have been discovered in an Afghan cave. Scholars and historians are excited about this new cache of documents, which was purchased by Israeli antiquities dealer Lenny Wolfe six months ago. He came across
DW: Where is Rumi from? Should his character be played by Leonardo di Caprio? These are the questions currently preoccupying Afghans and Iranians alike. Now even the Afghan government has waged into the debate. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoF) of Afghanistan on Wednesday strongly criticized the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkey for their attempt to enlist Masnavi Ma’navi (collection of poems) of prominent Persian poet Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī in UNESCO as a common heritage of Iran and Turkey. MoFA said that is