Taliban Extortion and Citizens’ Struggle: Kunduz Residents Voice Grievances Against Municipal Authorities

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8am: Residents of Kunduz city have accused the Taliban municipality of extortion and imposing arbitrary fees. They allege that Taliban officials, along with local representatives, forcibly enter homes to measure them and collect money. Many residents, including female heads of households, express their inability to afford these payments and frustration that the Taliban, instead of creating job opportunities, are financially burdening the public. Click here to read more (external link).

WHO: 7 deaths from acute respiratory illness in Afghanistan last month

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Khaama: On Saturday, November 2, WHO announced that cases of acute respiratory infections and diarrhea have been more prevalent than other diseases in the country. The report states that 29 percent of WHO’s consultations and services over the past month were related to acute respiratory infections and diarrhea, provided through 993 health centers across 34 provinces. Click here to read more (external link).

Trump would be less likely to focus on human rights in Afghanistan: US expert

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Ariana: Michael Kugelman, a US-based foreign policy expert and the Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, has said that Donald Trump, as president, would be less likely to focus on the state of women’s education and human rights in Afghanistan. He believes that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) might be more inclined towards a Trump administration. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban Descent Into Madness Fuels Resistance

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“The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty.” – Jean Jacques Rousseau

Michael Hughes: At some point, based on the laws of human nature, Afghans will no doubt say “enough.” The violations of universal social norms, incompetence, and instability make for a perfect storm and could finally turn the tables. The odds are high a legitimate civil war is brewing that will genuinely threaten Taliban control over vast portions of the country. However, unless the radical regime completely disintegrates from within, history indicates this will be a long and bloody affair. Click here to read more. 

Afghanistan’s taekwondo athletes depart for World Championships in Uzbekistan

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Amu: A team of Afghanistan’s taekwondo athletes left for Uzbekistan on Friday to compete in the ITF World Taekwondo Championships. The delegation includes one coach, one official, and four athletes. The competition is set to take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, from Saturday, November 2, through November 8. Click here to read more (external link).

Lavrov says West making pretexts for resuming military presence in Central Asia

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Lavrov

Ariana: The United States and its allies are making pretexts for resuming their military presence in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Speaking at the Second Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Minsk, Lavrov said that the US and its allies are trying to destablize the situation in Afghanistan. Earlier, Lavrov had said that the US supports Daesh and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, a charge Washington denies. Click here to read more (external link).

Reflections on the New York Times Interview with Haqqani: When a Suicide King Becomes a Pragmatic Politician

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Sirajuddin Haqqani

8am: With a general review, one can conclude that the interview aligns with the effort to whitewash the Taliban and continues the narrative of the “good Taliban and bad Taliban,” portraying the Taliban as different from the 1990s, a narrative that had been discussed during the Doha negotiations. Such interviews by Western media are not unprecedented. If a country’s national interests and policies require it, they can turn the bloodiest figures into gentle personalities, or vice versa. Publicizing the photo of King Amanullah Khan with Queen Soraya to tarnish his image was also part of this tactic. Assigning bizarre titles to Hamid Karzai, such as the best president, and the most fashionable president, or introducing Ashraf Ghani as the second greatest thinker in the world and a specialist in rebuilding failed states, were all part of a Western media strategy to craft their images. Click here to read more (external link).

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