Madrassah (file photo)
8am: Students and professors report that the Taliban are systematically turning universities into madrasas. Alongside dismissing professors, they are altering curricula, engaging in ideological confrontations, and prioritizing clerics over qualified educators. These practices, coupled with a lack of legal structure and clerical dominance, have driven many professors to leave universities. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Heavy rain led to the abandonment of the first one day international between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday. The second of the three match ODI series will be played at the same venue on Thursday. Click here to read more (external link).
Kam Air (file photo)
Amu: Kam Air, a private airline in the country, on Wednesday inaugurated direct flights between Kabul and Doha, the capital of Qatar. After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, operations by many airline companies were stopped. Few companies, including Kam Air, Qatar Airways and Ariana Afghan Airlines, have resumed their operations since then. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Russia’s parliament approved legislation on Tuesday that would allow the country’s Supreme Court to remove the Taliban and other previously “designated terrorist organizations” from its list of banned groups. According to Reuters, the bill could pave the way for Russia to normalize relations with the Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, and potentially with other groups such as Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Local sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International on Monday that Taliban forces shot dead a 14-year-old Ismaili boy in Wakhan district. A source close to the Taliban described the incident as an “accident” and said that two Taliban forces were arrested. A few days ago, the Taliban shot and killed a man in the city of Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan. Click here to read more (externa link).
Taliban militants (file photo)
Khaama: The Taliban Ministry of Urban Development and Housing has announced that, at the request of the group’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it will build a housing complex for foreign diplomats in Kabul. On Tuesday, December 17, the Ministry added in a statement that this housing complex will be constructed in the Darul Aman area of Kabul. The creation of a housing complex for foreign diplomats, while demolitions are taking place in impoverished areas, has sparked criticism among local residents. It highlights the stark contrast between the Taliban’s priorities in accommodating foreign diplomats and their treatment of the Afghan population, particularly those in need of stable housing. As the situation unfolds, there are increasing calls for the Taliban to address the housing crisis for Afghan citizens and ensure that their basic needs are met. Click here to read more (external link).
Buzkashi (file photo)
Amu: A buzkashi tournament featuring 70 riders was held in Mazar-e-Sharif, the center of the northern province of Balkh, on Tuesday, according to the local buzkashi federation. The tournament concluded with Pahlawan Zakaria who successfully delivered the target—a goat carcass—into the “Circle of Justice,” securing victory as declared by the field judges. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Afghan Sports News
Amu: The Taliban’s ban on education for girls above sixth grade and women in universities has forced many young women into marriages they neither wanted nor consented to, as families struggle with the restrictive environment. Ziba, a 21-year-old former university student, is one such victim. Forced into marriage after the Taliban shut down universities, she endured a year of physical and emotional abuse from her husband and his family. She now lives in hiding, separated from her husband, with little hope of justice. “I was a student who worked hard to get into university,” Ziba said, speaking under a pseudonym. “But when the universities closed, my family arranged my marriage to the son of a tribal elder in our province of Badghis. For over 11 months, I faced beatings and violence because my dreams and way of thinking didn’t align with my husband’s.” Click here to read more (external link).
Rahmatullah Nabil
Amu: The Afghanistan National Liberty Party, led by Rahmatullah Nabil, the former chief of the National Directorate of Security, announced on Monday that it would not be joining the recently formed political coalition known as the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan. In a statement, the party cited differences in “political paths and approaches on key issues” as the primary reason for its decision to remain independent. The leadership council of the Afghanistan National Liberty Party opted against joining the coalition to preserve its political autonomy and to focus on initiatives aimed at inclusive engagement of all citizens, particularly influential and active groups in Afghan society, the statement added. The announcement comes amid the formation of the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan, a new political coalition of prominent anti-Taliban figures. The coalition, unveiled in a virtual meeting on December 6, includes key political leaders such as Ahmad Massoud, Atta Mohammad Noor, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Karim Khalili, Salahuddin Rabbani, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Ismail Khan, Yunus Qanooni, Sarwar Danish, Rahila Dostum, and several others. Click here to read more (external link).