By Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 25, 2021 The austere form of Sunni Islam that Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers follow is rooted in an Islamic seminary in Deoband, a town in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an interpretation of Islam that is used by the Taliban to justify their clerical government
Al Jazeera: A writer and reporter who has spent several years covering the Taliban said the divisions are the result of a political-military divide. The hardliners, he said, “feel that they are owed things for 20 years of fighting”. Click here to read more (external link).
Press Release September 22, 2021 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-6) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) released the following joint statement: “It was a great honor and privilege to talk to Ahmad Massoud, who is leading the Afghan National Resistance Front. We appreciated hearing his continued commitment to resisting the
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi September 21, 2021 The Taliban-led government has expanded its interim cabinet, releasing a list of deputy ministers solely comprising men despite increasing international criticism that the hard-line Islamist group’s actions were failing to live up to its early pledges of inclusion for women. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid presented the list of deputy ministers
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 18, 2021 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan says he has opened a dialogue with Afghanistan’s Taliban to try to persuade them to form an “inclusive” government in Kabul to ensure peace and stability in the war-torn country. Khan disclosed the initiative Saturday via Twitter, saying it stemmed from his
Bloomberg: Taliban leaders would not hold power in Kabul today if not for Pakistani support. The haven that Taliban commanders, their families and their fighters received within Pakistan allowed the insurgents — devastated and scattered by the initial U.S. invasion in 2001 — to rebuild their ranks. For nearly two decades, elements within the Pakistani
By Ron Synovitz Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 15, 2021 It has been just a month since Taliban militants seized control of Kabul and declared Afghanistan as an “Islamic emirate” that will uphold the militant movement’s interpretation of “Islamic rules and Shari’a law.” But already, the new Taliban regime is struggling to deal with
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 15, 2021 ISLAMABAD – The U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan says he secured a last-minute deal with the Taliban in mid-August to keep the insurgents outside Kabul while they negotiated a political transition. But, he says, President Ashraf Ghani’s decision to flee the country scuttled that plan. Afghan-born envoy Zalmay
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 14, 2021 The Taliban is denying reports that the former head of their political office in Doha has been killed in a shoot-out with another senior Taliban figure during an argument over how to divide power in a Taliban-led caretaker government. The denials come amid persistent rumors of internal divisions