By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi January 17, 2022 Taliban officials in Afghanistan’s southern Uruzgan Province have ordered male employees to stop trimming their beards and wear a turban at work. Seeking to gain recognition and much-needed aid after taking over Afghanistan in August, the hard-line militant group indicated it would adopt a more moderate stance and rights-friendly
Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 17, 2022 Many of Afghanistan’s diplomats watched from abroad as the government they served collapsed in August. But five months since the Taliban takeover, many of them remain loyal to the fallen Western-backed government and have refused to hand over their diplomatic missions to the militant group. Many
Aamaj: Former Iranian president adds that ISIS and Al-Qaeda are rapidly organizing in Afghanistan, and whenever they are ready, they will be a serious threat to Afghansitan’s all neighboring countries. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: The National Resistance Front (NRF) claims that its forces fired a rocket on a building in the Hesa Awal district of Kapisa province. A video message of elements of the (NRF) claims that their forces attacked the building of the Hesa Awal district of Kapisa on Saturday night in response to the arrest of
The Guardian (UK): Gul Bano* and Karima* are activists who ran provincial branches of the ministry of women’s affairs in two different parts of Afghanistan. Their former offices have been taken over by the Taliban’s feared enforcers, the ministry for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice. They are now in hiding, afraid of
Tolo News: Makhdoom Alam, a local commander of the Islamic Emirate who was detained by the government, has been brought to Kabul, officials said. Commander Makhdoom Alam, who was based in Faryab province, was arrested last Thursday in Balkh. The arrest of the commander sparked widespread demonstrations by residents in Maimana, Faryab’s provincial capital. Click here
People living in Afghanistan’s Khost Province are facing long waits to get new passports since the Taliban took over the country in August. For migrant laborers who work abroad in Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, the delay is hurting them financially.
Tolo News: “If the Islamic Emirate agrees to fencing, indeed it means the recognition of the line (Durand Line,” said Sayed Javad Husseini, leader of Hezb-e-Tawsa Wa Adalat. The Durand Line has been a controversial issue between the two neighboring countries for a long time. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan directed Pakistani authorities to send qualified and trained Pakistan manpower to Afghanistan, the Prime Minister’s office said on Friday. Click here to read more (external link). Related Taliban Faces Shortage of Professional Staff: Report – Government jobs are given as patronage to ex-fighters and exiles living quietly in
WSJ: Afghanistan’s Taliban are battling a rebellion by ethnic minority fighters in their own ranks in the country’s north, a sign that ties are fraying within the alliance built by the Islamist group that seized control of the country in August. Some Uzbeks who joined the Taliban, which is dominated by Pashtuns from the country’s