Donald Trump
Afghanistan International: In a speech marking his first joint campaign with his running mate, J.D. Vance, Donald Trump asserted that the Afghanistan crisis would never have happened if he had been president. He also stated that he would have retained control of Bagram Air Base, which he claims is now under China’s control. Click here to read more (external link).
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By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal
July 21, 2024
Pakistan on July 21 reopened a key border crossing point with Afghanistan after a nine-month closure following complaints by residents. Pakistan in October closed the Chaman-Spin Boldak border that runs through Pashtun communities, ending the century-old Easement Rights, which had allowed certain communities along the 19th-century Durand Line border to cross freely. Pakistan began requiring people show valid documents like passports and visas to cross into Spin Boldak, a district in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province, sparking anger. Pashtun communities on both sides of the border argued that it harmed their livelihoods and caused significant financial losses.
Tolo News: Afghan migrants who were imprisoned in Pakistan report being tortured against all human norms. These migrants, who were returned through the Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar, said that despite having legal documents, they were still arrested by Pakistani forces and severely tortured while in prison. They call the treatment of Afghan prisoners by Pakistani security institutions a blatant violation of human rights. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ariana: Over the past 20 years, more than 39,000 Australian soldiers served in Afghanistan. As part of peacekeeping efforts alongside the United States and other allies, 400 Australian soldiers were deployed until their withdrawal in 2021. During that time, an investigation revealed that Australian soldiers committed war crimes, including the murder and abuse of numerous Afghan civilians. Incidents included shooting prisoners, planting weapons, radios, and grenades next to bodies to suggest they were legitimate targets. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Local sources in Bamiyan have told Afghanistan International that at least two villagers had been injured during clashes between nomads and villagers in Punjab District. According to these sources, one of the injured individuals was shot, while the other sustained a head injury after being hit by a stone. Click here to read more (external link).
Michael Hughes
July 19, 2024
Afghanistan was not at the forefront of mind for most American voters in 2020, but four years later the situation is much different. With less than four months until the U.S. presidential election Afghanistan is at the center of attention, but not about go-forward policies. It is all about the past. The fall of Kabul is still alive as a hot political issue, revived time and again by the Republicans, a fiasco the Biden administration wants to bury, and most Afghans likely want to forget.
Family members of thirteen U.S. troops killed in the 2021 Kabul terrorist attack took to center stage at the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week to chastise Biden for his handling of the Afghan withdrawal. Cynical no doubt, but an impressive political stunt by the Republicans, and devastating for the Biden campaign. Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a hot convention speech said he was disgusted by the “incompetent” rush from Afghanistan and suggested Biden is unfit to answer the proverbial “3:00 a.m. phone call” during a national security crisis.
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
July 19, 2024
The homes of several Afghan migrants in the southern Iranian city of Khur have reportedly been set on fire in apparent retaliation for the killing of an Iranian man allegedly by an Afghan national.
Hosna, an Afghan who lives in Khur, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi on July 19 that he moved his family from Khur to Shiraz in Fars Province out of fear for their safety.
“People in the region are very angry and set homes of several Afghans on fire,” he claimed.
Hosna and others who spoke to Radio Azadi attributed the anger to the July 3 killing of a 62-year-old restaurant owner in the town of Khenj by his 17-year-old apprentice. Iranian media have not identified the nationality of the suspected killer, but Hosna said the suspect was an Afghan citizen.
“The people of the region have sworn not to sell 1 kilogram of meat, or even a piece of bread, to Afghan nationals,” Hosna said. “So, many were forced to flee to Shiraz.”
Anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran has been on the rise in recent years, especially after a mass influx of migrants following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
Occasionally, a hashtag that describes the expulsion of Afghan migrants as a “national demand” becomes a top trend on X, formerly Twitter, often boosted by anonymous accounts.
Last week, an unsubstantiated claim on social media blamed Afghan migrants for an alleged rise in leprosy cases in Iran.
The UN’s refugee agency says Iran hosts around 780,000 Afghan refugees, in addition to some 2.6 million undocumented Afghan migrants. But Iran claimed last year that the number of illegal Afghan immigrants was closer to 5 million.
The authorities have vowed to deport illegal refugees and hundreds of Afghan migrants are sent back to Afghanistan every day. They are also banned from living or working in half of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Afghans living in Iran have complained to Radio Azadi about rising harassment, even during deportation.
Tehran has for years maintained that it does not receive sufficient financial aid from international organizations to handle the number of refugees on its soil.