VOA News: In the following interview, McCaul accuses White House officials of “stonewalling” the investigation and mentions his September 3 decision to subpoena Secretary of State Antony Blinken for testimony even though findings of the full report were released Monday. “We’re still not finished with the investigation,” McCaul told VOA on Tuesday. Click here to read more (external link).
US Congressman Proposes Bill to Support Anti-Taliban Process in Vienna
Afghanistan International: On Wednesday, US Representative Tim Burchett introduced a bill to the House of Representatives calling for US support of the “Vienna Process,” which involves the National Resistance Front and other anti-Taliban groups. The bill urges the United States and other nations to participate in the Vienna meetings. Several anti-Taliban groups, including the National Resistance Front led by Ahmad Massoud, have held multiple meetings in Vienna, Austria. The most recent session in June brought together 70 opposition figures to discuss “political unity and a clear, common future for free Afghans”. Click here to read more (external link).
Australia strips medals from Afghan war military commanders
By Phil Mercer
VOA News
September 12, 2024
Australia has stripped military honors from senior defense commanders over alleged war crimes committed under their watch during the long conflict in Afghanistan.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles on Thursday told the Federal Parliament senior military officers who served in Afghanistan would lose their distinguished service medals.
The medals are mainly awarded to Australian military members, recognizing command and leadership in action.
Stripping some commanders of their medals was recommended by the 2020 Brereton Report, which dealt with war crimes allegedly committed during the war in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. It found “credible evidence” elite Australian soldiers had unlawfully killed 39 people during the conflict.
Marles told Parliament senior officers were responsible for the actions of their units.
“When you command a unit, you will receive often the benefits and the accolades of what that unit does irrespective of whether you have personally been right there at the front line and, commensurately, you accept the responsibility of that unit in terms of what failings occur,” he said.
The government has not said how many officers have had their military honors rescinded, but media reports say the decision affects up to nine serving and former military commanders. Their identities have not been publicly disclosed.
They have not necessarily been accused of war crimes but have been punished for allegedly ignoring or not reporting misconduct by their troops.
Andrew Hastie, Australia’s shadow defense minister and a former military officer who served in Afghanistan, told Parliament on Thursday that commanders had an obligation to oversee the actions of their soldiers.
“Those who are alleged to have shed innocent blood are alone responsible for that,” he said. “I do not say this to absolve or condemn anyone but those in the chain of command who saw the pictures of dead individuals had an obligation to ask questions.”
The government has stressed that the vast majority of Australian service personnel who were sent to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021 had given “sacred service,” and it commended those who helped expose alleged wrongdoing.
Dozens of Australian soldiers are reportedly being investigated for alleged war crimes. So far charges have only been laid against one, a former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz.
The government has said it could take years before the cases are investigated, prosecuted and resolved because of their complex and sensitive natures.
Allegations also have been made of crimes committed by British and American forces in Afghanistan.
Tolo News in Dari – September 12, 2024
Taliban’s Morality Law in Action: Women Barred from Bargaining with Shopkeepers
8am: The Taliban’s Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has intensified restrictions on citizens, particularly women, to enforce their new law. The group’s Morality Police in some provinces have instructed men not to send their wives to the market. According to these Morality Police, women, when haggling with shopkeepers, lead men astray as their voices are heard by unrelated men. The Taliban have emphasized that women should shop without speaking or bargaining. Multiple reports from various provinces indicate that the Morality Police have increased violence and repression to enforce their new laws. In a recent incident, the Taliban’s Minister for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, during a visit to Ghazni Province, did not allow journalists to film. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
WHO: 2.9 million children in Afghanistan suffering from malnurition
Khaama: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that food insecurity has turned into an escalating crisis in Afghanistan, with 2.9 million children under the age of five facing severe malnutrition. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, stated in a message posted on X/Twitter on Thursday, September 12, that 850,000 of these children are suffering from acute malnutrition. He emphasized that one-third of Afghanistan’s population lives in areas with food insecurity, exacerbated by floods and droughts. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan, Turkmenistan begin work on long-delayed gas pipeline
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
September 11, 2024
ISLAMABAD — Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and neighboring Turkmenistan on Wednesday marked the resumption of work on a long-delayed gas pipeline designed to run through the two countries, Pakistan and India.
The estimated $10 billion Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India, or TAPI, project is designed to annually transport up to 33 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas from the southeastern Galkynysh field through the proposed 1,800-kilometer pipeline.
Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund of the de facto Taliban government traveled to the Turkmen border region of Mary and joined top leaders of the host country to inaugurate construction of a vital section of the TAPI project. It is intended to link the city of Serhetabat in Turkmenistan to Herat in western Afghanistan.
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov joined and addressed the ceremony via video link. “This project will benefit not only the economies of the participating countries but also the entire region,” he said.
Taliban authorities declared a public holiday in Herat, the capital of the province of the same name, to mark the occasion, with posters celebrating the TAPI project plastered across the border city.
Initially signed in the early 1990s to provide natural gas to energy-deficient South Asia, the TAPI project has faced repeated delays due to years of Afghan hostilities, which ended in 2021 when the then-insurgent Taliban recaptured power as all U.S. and NATO forces exited the country.
While Turkmen leaders Wednesday pledged to enhance bilateral ties between Ashgabat and Kabul and carry forward the TAPI project, experts remain skeptical that the gas pipeline will become operational soon. They cite funding issues, U.S.-led Western economic sanctions on Afghanistan and the international community’s refusal to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government over restrictions on Afghan women’s rights.
Islamabad’s persistent diplomatic and military tensions with New Delhi are also considered a significant obstacle to the materialization of the TAPI project.
According to officials of the participating countries, Pakistan and India, each one plans to purchase 42% of the gas exports, and Afghanistan will receive the rest. Kabul will also earn around $500 million in transit fees annually.
Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan deteriorated after the Taliban takeover over terrorism concerns. Islamabad complains that Kabul shelters and facilitates fugitive anti-Pakistan militants to orchestrate cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghan sanctuaries, charges the Taliban reject.
Taliban’s Preparation for a New Catastrophe: Is the Threat of September 11 Re-emerging?
8am: The security and intelligence gaps created by the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan and the extensive presence of active terrorist and radical Islamic groups under their umbrella represent a significant and growing threat. This environment has created a remarkable opportunity for international terrorist organizations, including ISIS-K, al-Qaeda, and TTP, to strengthen and expand their operations. If the global community does not address this threat with a coherent and unified strategy, it could lead to severe security challenges worldwide shortly. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
Tolo News in Dari – September 11, 2024
Women Protest in Western Kabul; Call for Overthrow of Taliban Govt & Equal Rights
Afghanistan International: A group of women took to the streets in western Kabul on Wednesday to protest against the Taliban’s policies toward women. Members of the “Afghanistan Movement to Change Women’s History” marched, chanting slogans against the Taliban, labelling the group as “terrorists,” and called for the overthrow of the Taliban government. The women, emphasising on equal rights for both men and women, chanted slogans such as “Taliban commits crimes, and the world supports them”. They also reiterated the popular slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”. Click here to read more (external link).