Khaama: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that out of 92 confirmed cases of polio in 2024, 25 cases were recorded in Afghanistan and 67 in Pakistan. On Tuesday, January 7, WHO released a report indicating an increase in polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan compared to the previous year. According to the report, most of the confirmed polio cases were documented in the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries globally where polio has not been eradicated, continuing to affect children. Click here to read more (external link).
Trump claims US sends billions to ‘Taliban Afghanistan’
Donald Trump
Amu: President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized the Biden administration on Tuesday, claiming that billions of U.S. dollars are being funneled to “the Taliban Afghanistan”. “It’s not even believable. Billions of dollars, not millions—billions,” Mr. Trump said. “We pay billions of dollars to essentially the Taliban Afghanistan. And that’s given by Biden.” This comes after debate among some US congressmen, including Tim Burchett, who in a letter to Trump, has outlined his concerns about U.S. financial aid allegedly benefiting the Taliban, citing reports of funds transferred to Afghanistan under the Biden administration. He has also pointed to large cash shipments sent to Afghanistan’s central bank, suggesting they are difficult to track and vulnerable to exploitation by the Taliban. “These cash shipments are auctioned off, and after that, they are nearly impossible to trace. This is how the Taliban is being funded and plans to fund terrorism around the world,” he alleged. Click here to read more (external link).
ISIS-K Has Been Revived In Afghanistan, Claims Prominent American Politician
Afghanistan International: Michael McCaul, former chairman of the US House Foreign Relations Committee, warned that ISIS has been revived in Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. McCaul said that the Trump administration, which will begin its work soon, should take the growing threat of ISIS-K seriously and take action against it. “Another issue that I’m very concerned about is the fall of Afghanistan and the catastrophe that happened there,” McCaul told ABC News on Monday. We are witnessing the revival of ISIS-K in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This really worries me.” Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News in Dari – January 7, 2025
Widespread Criticism as Hundreds of Afghans Arrested in Islamabad
Tolo News: The Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Pakistan has reported the arrest of nearly 800 Afghan citizens in Islamabad, the capital. Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, acting ambassador of the Islamic Emirate in Islamabad, said that despite possessing visas and residency documents, Afghan citizens were detained by Pakistani police. “The number of those detained is between 700 and 800. Some were even taken from their homes and transferred to a facility known for deporting Afghans,” he said. Afghan migrants in Pakistan have also reported that police conduct day and night raids on their homes. Click here to read more (external link).
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England Cricket Board rejects call to boycott Afghanistan match over women’s rights
Amu: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has rejected calls for the national team to boycott an upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy, despite widespread condemnation of the Taliban’s assault on women’s rights. More than 160 British lawmakers, including prominent figures such as Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, and Lord Kinnock, signed a letter urging the ECB to withdraw from the February 26 group-stage match in Lahore. The letter, spearheaded by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, described the Taliban regime as an “insidious dystopia” and called for decisive action to protest the suppression of Afghan women and girls. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Sports News
Taliban An Unusual Regime For Neighbouring Countries, Says Former Iranian Ambassador
Afghanistan International: Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee and a former ambassador to Afghanistan, called the Taliban’s rule a threat to all countries in the region. Referring to the Taliban’s non-compliance with Afghanistan’s commitments, Maleki said that the Taliban has neither a parliament nor a government. Click here to read more (external link).
Iran will use ‘all means’ to restore water rights from Afghanistan
Ariana: Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday Tehran will use all means to restore its water rights from Afghanistan and that the Islamic Emirate should take the issue seriously. Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman for the foreign ministry, said in response to a question at a press conference on the construction of water dams in Afghanistan, that Tehran has been following the issue closely for some time now and has lodged objections to the issue of dams being built in Afghanistan, IRNA news agency reported. “It is clear that the waters that have flowed from Afghanistan to Iran for thousands or millions of years create rights for parties on both sides of the border,” Baqaei said, adding that there is a specific agreement in this regard. “We will use all means to restore rights in this regard,” he added. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo New in Dari – January 6, 2025
Afghanistan triumphs in Test victory against Zimbabwe
Ariana: Afghanistan secured victory on Monday against Zimbabwe in their second test match, winning by 72 runs in just 15 balls at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Rashid Khan played a key role, claiming 7-66 and helping Afghanistan clinch the series. This marks Afghanistan’s fourth test win since obtaining test status in 2017. Click here to read more (external link).