Kam Air (file photo)
Business Insider: A routine 90-minute flight in Afghanistan just made history. The country’s only private airline, Kam Air, is celebrating its first flight with an all-female crew, which it says is the first in the South Asian country’s history. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Kandahar officials said on Saturday that the local unemployment rate is estimated to be at 80 percent due to the ongoing conflict that has raged for the past four months between the Taliban and the Afghan security forces in the province. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
February 27, 2021
Afghan officials say at least two people have been killed and several others wounded in separate bomb blasts in the country.
Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said on February 27 that one person was killed and two others injured when a bomb attached to a vehicle went off in Bagram district, located on the outskirts of the capital.
Kabul has seen multiple attacks in recent months using “sticky” bombs attached under vehicles and detonated remotely or by timers.
The assassinations have targeted security forces, officials, judges, civil society activists, and journalists.
Meanwhile, Abdul Qahar Qadir, a member of the provincial council of the eastern province of Nangarhar, was wounded when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in the provincial capital, Jalalabad.
A bystander was killed by the blast.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Taliban attacks have soared in recent months despite peace talks between the militants and the Afghan government over a peace deal aimed at ending decades of war.
Based on reporting by Tolo News and Khaama
Ashraf Ghani
Ariana: President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said during an event to mark National Soldiers’ Day that the international community has deprived Afghanistan of peace in the past 40 years. “International community deprived a nation… from peace, it is not acceptable, we want a dignified peace that people want and security forces want, peace is coming. Why is bloodshed continuing in the country? Is our blood not red? ” said Ghani. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
Tolo News: A competition featuring traditional wrestling, known as Koresh, was held in Samangan on Monday and ended with the selection of seven top athletes to join the province’s team. Over 100 athletes from five Samangan clubs participated. Koresh is a traditional wrestling sport that originated in Central Asia. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Sports News
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Saturday reported seven new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,064 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 55,714, the total number of reported deaths is 2,443, and the total number of recoveries is 49,288. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
February 26, 2021
Three family members of a slain journalist in western Afghanistan have been shot dead by gunmen amid a rising wave of killings targeting journalists and civil society activists.
At least five others were wounded in the attack late on February 25 on the home of Afghan journalist and activist Bismillah Adil Aimaq, Ghor provincial council member Hamidullah Mutahid said on February 26.
An official at the Afghan Interior Ministry, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the five wounded were all children.
Ghor provincial governor Noor Ahmad Kohnaward blamed the Taliban for killings, without providing any details to back up his claim.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied any involvement of the militant group in the attack, which has not been claimed by any group.
Aimaq was shot dead in an unclaimed attack nearby Ghor on New Year’s Day.
Earlier this week, unidentified assailants shot and killed Khalil Narmgo, former head of a journalists association in the northern Baghlan Province.
The campaign of targeted killings against journalists and civil society activists comes as the Afghan government and Taliban negotiators have resumed difficult talks in Qatar toward a tentative peace deal.
Most attacks remain unclaimed and have pushed Afghan reporters toward self-censorship, immigration, or quitting their jobs.
A United Nations report released last week says that at least 11 human rights defenders and journalists were killed in targeted attacks in Afghanistan between September and the end of January 2021.
The Afghan media advocacy organization Nai said in a statement on February 26 that the government should investigate the wave of attacks on journalists.
Based on reporting by AP and TOLOnews
Rashid Khan
Ariana: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that former captain Rashid Khan is a doubt ahead of their Test series against Zimbabwe, which begins next Tuesday. According to the ACB, the leg-spinner is battling a finger injury and is presently undergoing treatment. Click here to read more (external link).