Taliban Regime Marginalising the People, Says Former Afghan Official

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Ghani (left) and Amarkhail (right)

Afghanistan International: Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhil, the former governor of Nangarhar, has accused the Taliban regime of marginalising the Afghan people and ignoring their voices. Amarkhil asserted that neglecting public demands has created a significant divide between the populace and the ruling authorities. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban Extort Funds from Publicly-Funded Projects in Ghazni Province

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8am: Sources from the Jaghori district confirm that several construction projects remain incomplete this year due to Taliban extortion. These sources explain that the lack of sufficient funding has halted implementation and that the Taliban district governor collects the money. Click here to read more (external link).

Clashes between Taliban, Daesh leave four dead in Faryab: Sources

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Amu: Clashes between Taliban forces and ISIS-K fighters in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab Province left four people dead, local sources confirmed on Saturday. The skirmishes occurred late Friday in the Qarai area of Almar district, resulting in the deaths of three Taliban members and one ISIS-K affiliate. Additionally, four Taliban fighters and two civilians were wounded during the confrontation, the sources said. Click here to read more (external link).

UN Hard-Pressed to Aid Some 23Mln Afghans in Need as Winter Strikes

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Michael Hughes: Nearly 23 million vulnerable Afghans, most of them children, will likely suffer more than usual this winter because the Taliban have intensified restrictions that hinder UN aid delivery.

“In 2025, 22.9 million people [in Afghanistan] will require humanitarian assistance, including 12.4 million children,” UNICEF said in a statement released on December 5. “The operating space continues to shrink through increasing impediments and challenges. As the situation worsens, it is imperative that UNICEF stay and deliver.”

UNICEF said Taliban decrees and laws obstructing timely service are expected to escalate, just when a robust field presence is required. The UN agency said restrictions on women and girls are among obstacles in the delivery of aid to a huge swathe of a suffering and starving population. The Taliban measures have increased protection risks as well as humanitarian needs at the household level, UNICEF added.

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Prominent politicians form new coalition to oppose Taliban rule

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Amu: A group of prominent political leaders has announced the formation of a new coalition, the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan, aimed at addressing the country’s current crisis and opposing Taliban rule. The coalition, unveiled during a virtual meeting on Friday, includes key political figures such as Ahmad Massoud, Atta Mohammad Noor, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Karim Khalili, Salahuddin Rabbani, Omar Daudzai, Rahmatullah Nabil, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Ismail Khan, Yunus Qanooni, Sarwar Danish, Rahela Dostum, Shah Jahan, Abdul Haq Shafaq, Tadeen Khan, and Sadeq Madbur. The coalition’s stated goal is to coordinate efforts to rescue Afghanistan from its current state of turmoil and provide a unified front against the Taliban’s governance. Click here to read more (external link).

ICC prosecutor prioritizes gender-based crimes in Afghanistan investigation

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Karim Khan

Amu: Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), met with Afghan women’s rights activists on Friday to underscore the court’s focus on addressing gender-based crimes in Afghanistan. In a statement posted on X, the ICC said, “Alongside victims and civil society, the Office of the Prosecutor has prioritized action on gender-based crimes in Afghanistan.” The announcement comes as six nations — Chile, Spain, France, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Luxembourg — formally referred cases of alleged human rights violations by the Taliban to the I.C.C. last week. Click here to read more (external link).

Related

Germany’s Merkel calls withdrawal from Afghanistan a ‘terrible failure’

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Angela Merkel

euro news: The former German chancellor was the last witness to testify before a parliamentary inquiry committee on the German military’s role in the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan during the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a parliamentary inquiry on Thursday that the hasty withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan in 2021 was “a terrible failure”. Merkel was chancellor in August 2021, when Western powers withdrew their forces from Afghanistan in a chaotic exit culminating in a suicide attack at Kabul airport which killed over 170 civilians and 13 US soldiers. Click here to read more (external link).