Tolo News: Residents of a village in Koh Safi district of Parwan province say that due to landmines left over from past wars, approximately 200 people have lost their lives in just one area. According to the residents, nearly 1,000 families live in this village, which is considered one of the most remote regions in Parwan. Click here to read more (external link).
Bernard
Afghanistan International: Dozens of Afghan women’s civil society organisations have demanded that international bodies launch legal proceedings against Cheryl Benard, wife of former US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad, for comments they say downplayed the Taliban’s gender-based repression. Benard, an author and researcher, recently asserted that Afghan women have not been excluded from society, continue to live and work normally, and that it is safe for refugees to return. Click here to read more (external link).
Qanit
Afghanistan International: Taliban forces have detained the 12-year-old son of prominent cleric and vocal Taliban critic Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Qanit during a raid on the family’s home in Kabul, sources close to the family told Afghanistan International. Qanit himself was arrested two days earlier from the same residence. Mawlawi Qanit is one of the few religious scholars who have consistently and publicly criticised the Taliban’s rule, frequently speaking out against the group’s policies and consolidation of power. Click here to read more (external link).
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Taliban Sohail Shaheen
Afghanistan International: Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s ambassador in Qatar has claimed that Iran and India no longer regard the group as a proxy of Pakistan. Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, Shaheen stated that both New Delhi and Tehran have come to recognise that this perception was inaccurate. He asserted that regional powers have begun to accept the Taliban as the de facto rulers of Afghanistan, engaging with them as a matter of pragmatism. Click here to read more (external link).
Al Jazeera: As Pakistan remained embroiled in a war of words with its archrival India – following a dramatic exchange of missiles and drones nearly two weeks ago – it this week advanced diplomatic efforts with two other neighbors: China and Afghanistan, which could lead to the formal resumption of diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Kabul after nearly four years. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: China has announced that Pakistan and the Taliban have agreed to elevate their diplomatic relations to the level of ambassadors. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed the development, stating that Beijing supports the strengthening of ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although neither Pakistan nor China has formally recognised the Taliban government, both countries have maintained close working relations with the group. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Taliban have shut down at least 11 health science institutes in Kabul for providing training to women and girls, according to several sources familiar with the matter. The closures were ordered by the Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health, the sources said, and targeted institutes that offered basic medical and first-aid education to female students. Click here to read more (external link).
Rubio
Al Jazeera: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the United States is reviewing whether to designate Afghanistan’s rulers, the Taliban, as a “foreign terrorist organization”. Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, “I believe that classification is now, once again, under review.” Click here to read more (external link).