Ariana: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has reported that malaria remains a public health concern as 27% of Afghans live in areas where there is a high risk of the disease. According to UNDP, 50% of the people in Afghanistan live in areas where the probability of contracting malaria is moderate, and only 23% of them live in areas where the risk of contracting malaria is low or does not exist. This organization said the transmission of this disease, which is more prevalent in summer, varies from one region to another for several reasons. Click here to read more (external link).
While Small in Number, Tajik Fighters an Asset for Islamic State-Khorasan
ISIS Militants
Roshan Noorzai
Mohammad Ahmadi
VOA News
January 31, 2024
WASHINGTON — The Iranian government has traced this month’s twin suicide bombings in Kerman city to ethnic-Tajik fighters of the Islamic State Khorasan Province who, experts say, are “fairly small” in number but play “an important part” in the group’s military activities.
The Afghanistan-based branch of the Islamic State (IS-K) claimed responsibility for the January 3 blasts that killed at least 95 people attending the commemoration of the death of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, who was killed in a January 2020 U.S. drone attack in Iraq.
A day after the Kerman city attack, top Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi and IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, claimed that Israel and the U.S. were behind the attack, without offering any evidence.
But a week later, the Iranian intelligence ministry said in a statement that one of the two bombers was a citizen of Tajikistan who received training at an IS-K camp in Afghanistan and crossed to Iran illegally via its southeastern border.
The statement did not name the second suicide bomber but said the mastermind of the attack was also a citizen of Tajikistan who left Iran after planning it.
The number of Tajik citizens in IS-K is “fairly small,” said David Sedney, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, adding, “but they are, I understand, a fairly large portion of the more aggressive and successful fighters.”
Sedney told VOA that Tajik fighters are well-trained and important to IS-K’s military operations.
Tajik fighters are “a very important part of the Daesh military wing, capable of carrying out suicide attacks and other military activities,” said Sedney, using another name for the Islamic State, which is also known as IS or ISIS.
Formed in 2015, IS-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria which, according to a June 2023 U.N. report, is “the most serious current terrorist threat in Afghanistan, neighboring countries and Central Asia.”
The report estimated IS-K’s fighters and their families number between 4,000 to 6,000, including citizens of Central Asian countries.
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told VOA that though the exact number of Central Asians, including Tajiks, in IS-K is not known, they could be in the hundreds.
Roggio, however, said that the Islamic State has “always been effective in poaching … disaffected” members of the other militant groups based in Afghanistan.
The U.N. report said there are around 20 militant groups in Afghanistan, including Jamaat Ansarullah, a Tajikistani extremist group, also known as Tajik Taliban.
“The Islamic State is a natural place for individuals who want to get their jihad on now, and aren’t, you know, afraid to be bold and attack China or attack various places,” Roggio said.
He added that the Persian-speaking militants are an asset for the IS-K.
“They certainly would leverage individuals who could speak Farsi, who could operate a little bit more easily in Iran for certain,” Roggio said.
Islamic State is a Sunni extremist group that considers majority-Shiite Iran as its enemy.
Roggio said that he does not think the Islamic State could pose a significant threat to Iran, but the group can carry out terrorist attacks.
The Islamic State also claimed an attack on a religious shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz in October 2022, killing 15 people. IS-K is a major rival to the Taliban and carried out several high-profile attacks after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference in Kabul last month, Taliban defense chief Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid claimed that most of the attacks in Afghanistan were carried out by Tajik and Pakistani nationals.
He also claimed that the Taliban’s security forces killed dozens of Tajiks and more than 20 Pakistanis, and asserted the number of IS-K attacks has decreased by 90%.
Tajik writer and political analyst Sherali Rizoyon told VOA that the Kerman suicide bombers were trained in Afghanistan, and it “either refutes the Taliban’s claim that they are in full control of Afghanistan or shows that the Taliban have relations with such groups.”
A U.N. report released in June said members of the Tajik militant group Jamaat Ansarullah helped Taliban fighters battle anti-Taliban resistance forces in the northern provinces of Afghanistan.
Ghaws Janbaz, former Afghan ambassador to Moscow, told VOA that the Taliban’s return to power has inspired militant groups throughout the region.
“The Taliban’s takeover has encouraged and motivated them,” said Janbaz, adding that “the Taliban claim that they defeated the superpower in Afghanistan so these [militant groups] think that they can easily defeat the governments in the region.”
This story originated in VOA’s Afghan Service.
‘All Doors Are Closed’ For Single And Unaccompanied Afghan Women Under The Taliban
Naqiba Barekzai,
Abida Spozhmai and
Khujasta Kabiri
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 31, 2024
Women have borne the brunt of the Taliban’s repressive laws in Afghanistan, where the extremist group has imposed constraints on their appearances, freedom of movement, and right to work and study.
But women who are unmarried or do not have a “mahram,” or male guardian, face even tougher restrictions and have been cut off from access to health care, banned from traveling long distances, and pressured to quit their jobs.
The Taliban’s mahram rules prohibit women from leaving their home without a male chaperone, often a husband or a close relative such as a father, brother, or uncle.
Single and unaccompanied women, including an estimated 2 million widows, say they are essentially prisoners in their homes and unable to carry out the even the most basic of tasks.
Among them is Nadia, a divorced woman from the northern province of Kunduz. The mother of four has no surviving male relatives.
“These restrictions are stifling for women who now cannot do the simple things independently,” Nadia told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
The 35-year-old said women also need to have a male escort to visit a doctor, go to government offices, or even rent a house.
She said she had to pay a man to be her chaperone in order to meet a realtor and sign a rental agreement.
Nadia also paid a man in her neighborhood around 1,000 afghanis, or $15, to accompany her to the local passport office. But the Taliban refused her passport application and ordered her to return with her father, who died years ago.
“Even visiting the doctor is becoming impossible,” she said. “We can only plead [with the Taliban] or pray. All doors are closed to us.”
Mahram Crackdown
Women who violate the Taliban’s mahram requirements have been detained or arrested and are often released only after signing a pledge that they will not break the rules again in the future.
In its latest report, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the Taliban’s notorious religious police was enforcing the rules by carrying out inspections in public spaces, offices, and education facilities as well as setting up checkpoints in cities.
Released on January 22, the report said three female health-care workers were detained in October because they were traveling to work without a mahram.
In December, women without male chaperones were stopped from accessing health-care facilities in the southeastern province of Paktia, the report said.
And in the southern province of Kandahar, the Taliban visited a bus terminal and checked if women were traveling with a male relative, the report said.
In late 2021, the Taliban said women seeking to travel more than 72 kilometers should not be offered transport unless they were accompanied by a close male relative.
In another incident, the Taliban advised a woman to get married if she wanted to keep her job at a health-care facility, saying it was inappropriate for a single woman to work, the report said.
In a report issued on January 18, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) said the Taliban’s restrictions on single and unaccompanied women has ensured that female-led households receive less income and food.
“Their share of employment has nearly halved, decreasing from 11 percent in 2022 to 6 percent” in 2023, the report said.
The report noted that female-headed households typically care for more children and get paid less for their work and consume lower quantities of food.
“Female-headed households have greater needs for humanitarian assistance and yet report more restrictions to accessing such assistance,” the report said.
“Unaccompanied access by women to public places such as health facilities, water points, and markets has declined in the past two years,” the report added.
‘Deeply Insulting’
Parisa, an unmarried woman, takes care of her elderly parents in the northeastern province of Takhar.
With her father bedridden and her two brothers working in neighboring Iran, she has been forced to take care of the family’s needs.
But she said she has been repeatedly harassed by the Taliban while trying to buy groceries in the local market, located some 10 kilometers away from her house.
“What can women do when men in their families are forced to leave the country for work?” she told Radio Azadi, giving only her first name for security reasons.
“I have no choice but to look after my family’s basic needs. The Taliban’s attitude is deeply insulting and extremely aggressive.”
Parisa said she has pleaded with local Taliban leaders to relax the mahram requirements. But she said her efforts have been in vain.
“They start abusing and threatening us whenever we try to tell them that we have to leave our houses to meet our basic needs,” she said.
Parasto, a resident of Kabul, said the Taliban’s restrictions are preventing single women from seeking the limited health care that is available.
“The doctors in the hospitals and clinics are reluctant to see unaccompanied women,” she told Radio Azadi.
Parasto said the Taliban’s mounting restrictions on women, especially those who are unmarried or do not have a male guardian, have made life unbearable.
“Single women are trying to survive without rights and opportunities,” she said.
Written by Abubakar Siddique in Prague based on reporting by Naqiba Barakzai, Abida Spozhmai, and Khujasta Kabiri of RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Related
Wet Winter Weather Brings New Miseries To Vulnerable Afghans
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
January 31, 2024
Ongoing snowfall and rain that ended a long dry spell in Afghanistan are now bringing new problems to impoverished Afghans across the country as heating needs jump while humanitarian aid deliveries are impeded.
Since January 28, most of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces have experienced snowfall or rain.
While the precipitation has been widely welcomed because it will help avoid a much-feared drought, some of the most vulnerable Afghans are struggling in its aftermath.
Many citizens don’t have the means to buy gas, coal, wood, or fuel to cook and heat their households. Those who live in remote regions also face humanitarian aid delays as the heavy snow makes roads impassable.
“People face serious problems after all the rain and snow,” Ali, a resident of the northern Balkh Province, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
“We don’t have any money and remain hungry,” he added.
Khatira, a resident of the capital, Kabul, says her family is miserable because of a lack of heating in the cold winter.
“We cannot keep our children warm by giving them proper clothes or food this winter,” she told Radio Azadi.
Some Afghans are unable to do their jobs because of the weather conditions, curtailing their already meager income.
“We don’t even have a little food to survive because there is no work, and we are losing hope,” Noor Agha, another Kabul resident, said.
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Program says the weather has cut 10 million people off from food aid in Afghanistan.
“Most of whom have to choose between feeding their children or keeping them warm,” the organization said on X, formerly called Twitter.
According to the UN, Afghanistan is expecting a further deterioration in food security by March. Some 15.8 million Afghans, or 36 percent of the total population of over 40 million, will require food aid by the spring.
According to the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), some 29.2 million Afghans out of a population of more than 40 million need humanitarian assistance.
The UN plans to reach 22.3 million of them with more than $3.2 billion in humanitarian funding.
Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Tolo News in Dari – January 31, 2024
Biden’s Afghanistan policy turned the world into hell: Trump
Donald Trump
Khaama: Former President of the United States says that since the day Joe Biden turned a blind eye to America’s dignity in Afghanistan, the world has turned into hell. Donald Trump said the relinquishment of power and capability of America’s deterrence has led to “many deaths” and boundless chaos in the world. In a statement, he referred to Joe Biden as “weak, incapable, and corrupt.” Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Fighter Fatally Shot in Herat Province
8am: Local sources in Herat have confirmed the death of a Taliban fighter in the province. According to reports received on Wednesday, January 31st, the Taliban member was gunned down in the Golran district of Herat. This development follows recent clashes in the province. Two nights ago, skirmishes erupted between Taliban insurgents and unidentified assailants, resulting in the death of one Taliban operative and injuries to four civilians. Click here to read more (external link).
China’s President Receives Afghan Ambassador; Taliban Seek Recognition From Russia, Iran
The Taliban’s ambassador to China, Bilal Karimi, left, is seen presenting his credentials to Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a photo posted on X Jan. 30, 2024, by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson of the Taliban’s foreign ministry.
Akmal Dawi
VOA News
January 30, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday received the credentials of ambassadors from several countries, including neighboring Afghanistan, in what amounts to the first official recognition of the interim Taliban government by a major nation.
Xi welcomed Bilal Karimi, the Taliban-appointed Afghan ambassador, in a formal ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, along with ambassadors from Cuba, Pakistan, Iran and 38 other countries.
“China has understood what the rest of the world has not,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, said Tuesday at an event on the social media platform X.
“We are not in a unipolar world,” Mujahid said while calling on Russia, Iran and other countries to take similar steps and upgrade bilateral diplomatic relations with Kabul.
Xi told the new ambassadors that China is seeking deep friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with their countries, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said whether Beijing has officially recognized the Taliban regime is for Chinese officials to clarify.
“I have seen some comments from them to the contrary,” Miller told VOA on Tuesday. For the United States, Miller said, the Taliban’s relationship with the international community depends on their actions.
“China may be getting ready to break ranks and take the final technical step either within the U.N. system or outside of it through a bilateral initiative,” Omar Samad, a former Afghan ambassador, wrote to VOA.
Javid Ahmad, Afghan ambassador to the United Arab Emirates under the former Afghan government, called the Chinese move an act of recognition.
“The signal is unmistakable, as no head of state would accept ambassadorial credentials unless they recognize the government. In this instance, the Chinese leadership is treating the Taliban envoy in the same manner as other ambassadors, a clear indication of recognition,” Ahmad told VOA.
While China’s recognition marks a significant step, it remains an isolated one. No other major nation has recognized the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” and the United Nations has repeatedly denied their requests for representation at the world body.
The United States and European countries have imposed economic and political sanctions on Taliban leaders and entities, accusing them of grave human rights violations, particularly concerning women’s rights to education and work.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have steadily established control over many Afghan diplomatic missions, primarily in neighboring countries. The group now oversees embassies in at least 14 countries, including Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Some countries, including Russia, China and Iran, have maintained their embassies in Kabul.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in New York that Moscow had not recognized the Taliban regime because of political and human rights considerations.
“We, as the rest of the U.N. members, do not officially recognize the Taliban,” Lavrov said through a translator.
Last month, the U.N. Security Council authorized the secretary-general to appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan to facilitate coordinated international engagement with de facto Taliban authorities.
Taliban officials have objected to the appointment of the new envoy, saying the U.N. should stop treating Afghanistan as an anomaly within the international community.
VOA correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this article.
Afghanistan falls 12 places to 162 in global corruption index
Ariana: Afghanistan has fallen 12 places to 162nd position in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2023 compared to the previous year, Transparency International said in a report released Tuesday. Afghanistan has scored 20 out of 100 in the new index, ranking 162 out of 180 countries and territories. Last year, Afghanistan stood at the 150th spot with a score of 24. This comes as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) [Taliban] has repeatedly said that corruption has been reduced to nearly zero since it took power in August 2021. Click here to read more (external link).
Conserving Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage Under Taliban Rule
Destroyed Buddha Statue
HIR: The Taliban’s dynamiting of the Bamiyan Buddha marked just one of many instances of cultural loss in Afghanistan’s history. In the 1960s, French archaeologists caused irreparable damage by using bulldozers to excavate Ai-Khanoum, an ancient Greek city. In 1989, Russia ended its 10-year occupation of Afghanistan. When its forces pulled out, civil war ensued. During the conflict, in 1993, a bomb aimed at the Ministry of Defense hit an unintended target across the road: the National Museum of Afghanistan. That opened up the walls to plunderers, who stole an estimated 70 percent of the museum’s collection over the following months, including statues from antiquity and the famous Begram ivories, thousands of decorative plaques and figures carved from ivory and bone. The loss of cultural heritage persists today. In April 2023, a report revealed that Dilberjin, the largest ancient city in northern Afghanistan, had been significantly and systematically looted from 2019 to 2021. Looting and illegal excavations in the Bamiyan Valley, where the Bamiyan Buddhas had been located, have also been reported. Click here to read more (external link).