8am: The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has uncovered that the Taliban indirectly access U.S. educational assistance, generating tax revenues for the group. The report highlights the taxation of the income of employees of U.S.-funded educational programs and the tax revenue generated from the sale of American aid items by the Taliban.
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 18, 2023 ISLAMABAD — A new survey finds that most American adults perceive Afghanistan as an adversary rather than an ally of the United States, and two-thirds believe the nearly 20-year Afghan war was not worth fighting. The nationwide poll’s findings from the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts
Tolo News: A US senator has criticized the process of sending money to Afghanistan under the Islamic Emirate. The Senator says that he has suggested legislation preventing US money flowing into Afghanistan. “I have introduced legislation to stop all funds from going to Taliban controlled Afghanistan. And will do so again this week!” reads the
8am: Michael McCaul, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, has stated that the Taliban have never severed their ties with Al-Qaeda and are currently fighting against “ISIS-K as part of an internal struggle for power.” In a press release issued on Monday, October 2nd, the Committee reported McCaul’s
Undark: America’s 20-year military occupation devastated Afghanistan’s environment in ways that may never be fully investigated or addressed. American and allied military forces, mostly from NATO countries, repeatedly used munitions that can leave a toxic footprint. These weapons introduced known carcinogens, teratogens, and genotoxins — toxic substances that can cause congenital defects in a fetus and
Daily Beast: The Taliban has reportedly obtained a years-old security plan created by the U.S. that could help launch a sweeping new surveillance system in Afghanistan, raising concerns among experts that the system could be used for nefarious purposes. The United States has claimed it is not working with the Taliban on the surveillance program,
Reuters: Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the U.S. plan, have not been previously reported. The mass camera rollout, which will involve a focus on “important points” in Kabul and elsewhere, is part of a new security strategy that will take four years to be fully implemented,
AP: The Biden administration said on September 21 that it was giving temporary legal status to Afghan migrants who have already been living in the country for a little over a year. The Department of Homeland Security said in the announcement that the decision to give Temporary Protected Status to Afghans who arrived after March
8am: Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former leader of the Jamayat-E-Islami party, met his demise at the hands of a suicide bomber who allegedly concealed a bomb in his turban. At the time of his unfortunate death, Rabbani held the esteemed position of leading Afghanistan’s High Peace Council. He had also been a prominent figure within Afghanistan’s
The Independent (UK): The US government has warned a Virginia judge that allowing an American Marine to keep an Afghan war orphan as his child risks violating international law. Marine Major Joshua Mast and his wife were accused of abducting the baby girl after her entire family was killed in a US special forces raid.