Afghanistan Green Trend Exposes Senior Intelligence Officials of Taliban

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Amrullah Saleh

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT), led by Amrullah Saleh, former Vice/President of Afghanistan, has publicly revealed the names, positions, and contact numbers of 49 senior officials from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence. On Thursday, AGT labeled these officials as “masked terrorists”. The disclosed list includes notable figures such as Mawlawi Abdullah Ghaznavi, the Chief of Staff of the Taliban’s intelligence chief; Dr Bashir, Director of Counterintelligence; Hafizullah Gohar, Head of Border and Foreign Intelligence; Mawlawi Mustaqim Rahib, Head of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence; and Mufti Abdul Hadi, Head of Taliban’s Intelligence in Panjshir Province. Click here to read more (external link).

Rising Natural Disasters and Taliban’s Failures: Lack of Necessary Expertise and Management

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Taliban militants (file photo)

8am: Some of the victims of natural disasters accuse the Taliban of incompetence and mismanagement. According to them, this group has been unsuccessful in combating natural disasters and lacks the necessary expertise in this regard. These victims emphasize that Afghanistan is naturally exposed to numerous threats and fundamental steps need to be taken in raising awareness and information production in this regard. These concerns arise as the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, under Taliban control, has announced that in the recent floods over the past few days, 33 people have lost their lives and 27 others have been injured. More than 20 provinces have experienced severe rains and devastating floods over the past four days, destroying people’s livestock and farmlands. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghanistan loses 3-1 to Iran in Futsal Asian Cup match

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Ariana: Afghanistan’s national futsal team lost 3-1 against Iran in their first match in AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 Thailand. This match between the national futsal teams of Afghanistan and Iran was held in the “D” group of this competition in Bangkok, Thailand. The national futsal players will face Kuwait in their second game next week. Click here to read more (external link).

3 Taliban Members Killed In Kabul, Claims NRF

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Afghanistan International: The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) announced that during an attack by their forces on a Taliban security forces’ vehicle, three Taliban members were killed, and two others were wounded. NRF posted on X social media platform that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening in Kabul city’s fourth police district. Releasing a video of the attack, the front said that the target was a vehicle transporting Taliban members. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban crack down on Afghan TV channels for alleged rule breaches

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 17, 2024

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — The Taliban government in Afghanistan has suspended the broadcast of two privately run local TV channels over alleged violations of official regulations and “Islamic values.”

Free media advocates Wednesday criticized the overnight suspension, calling it a violation of Afghanistan’s media-governing laws.

The Taliban-run information ministry’s Media Violations Commission said in a statement late Tuesday that a court will examine the activities of the two channels, Noor TV and Barya TV, and decide on their fate.

Hafizullah Barakzai, the commission spokesman, said that the broadcasters are barred from conducting operations until then.

Barakzai criticized the channels for not following “journalistic principles” and “not considering “national and Islamic values” during their coverage despite repeated government warnings and recommendations.

He reported that Noor TV was broadcasting music and that its female hosts and guests were not following the official dress code, which requires women to cover their faces, leaving only their eyes visible. Barakzai cited a controversial speech for suspending Barya TV but did not elaborate.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center or AFJC, an independent media watchdog, said in a statement that the suspensions were “against the country’s public media law” and marked another step toward stifling free media in the Taliban-ruled country.

The watchdog demanded that Afghan authorities immediately withdraw the order and reopen the two media outlets unconditionally.

The two channels did not immediately comment on the allegations and suspension of their operations.

Noor TV has been operating in Afghanistan since 2007 and is backed by the country’s Jamiat-e-Islami party of former Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, who fled the country after the hardline Taliban returned to power nearly three years ago.

Barya TV, which launched its operations in 2019, is owned by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister and the leader of his Hizb-e-Islami party.

Critics noted that Afghan media professionals have dealt with work conditions requiring them to strictly follow a set of media guidelines the Taliban introduced after reclaiming power in 2021.

Some directives prevent women from working in national radio and television stations, enforce “gender-based segregation” in workplaces, and prohibit broadcasting female voices and phone calls in certain provinces.

The Taliban have banned television dramas that include female performers, and female news presenters must wear an officially prescribed “Islamic hijab” on air.

Last month, Taliban officials warned media representatives to bar females from media platforms unless the women comply with the official dress code.

“The Afghan repression continues to intensify and specifically targets women’s access to the media, whether as journalists or as listeners and spectators,” said France-based Reporters Without Borders in a statement last month.

The Taliban have prohibited teenage Afghan girls from receiving an education beyond the sixth grade and banned women aid workers from working for nongovernmental humanitarian groups, including the United Nations, except in the health sector. They have placed travel restrictions on women without a male guardian, and access to public parks and gyms is also restricted for women.

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‘Invisible, Disappeared, Erased’: The Systematic Oppression of Afghan Women and Girls Since the Taliban Takeover

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Ms. Magazine: In the Taliban’s Afghanistan, “bit by bit, all public spaces get closed off to women,” said Dr. Lauryn Oates of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

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Iran’s Afghan Community Worried About Prospect Of War With Israel

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
April 17, 2024

Many in Iran are worried about the prospect of a war with Israel and the possible impact on the country’s faltering economy.

That includes members of Iran’s large community of Afghan refugees and migrants, one of the most vulnerable groups in society.

Experts have warned that a full-scale war is a possibility in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel on April 13.

Afghans in Iran, speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, described a wartime atmosphere in Iran since Tehran’s first-ever direct attack against Israel.

They also said the authorities have intensified their crackdown on undocumented Afghans, many of whom fled war, poverty, and persecution in Afghanistan.

“This situation is alarming for all Afghan migrants in Iran,” said Omid Poya, an exiled Afghan journalist living in Iran. “Those who don’t have legal documents [to stay in Iran] don’t even leave their houses anymore.”

An Afghan migrant, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said “Iranian cities are in an emergency-like situation” since the April 13 attack, referring to the deployment of additional law enforcement officers on the streets. This, he said, has “forced many of us to worry about our future.”

An estimated 4.3 million Afghans currently live in Iran, according to the UN. More than 1 million have been deported in the past year as part of Tehran’s plan to expel all undocumented Afghans.

Afghans suffer widespread abuse and discrimination in Iran, where they have often been blamed for insecurity and unemployment.

Life More Difficult

Many Afghans are worried that a possible war between Iran and Israel will worsen the already dire economic situation in the Islamic republic, which has witnessed soaring inflation, rising unemployment, and growing poverty in recent years.

Following Iran’s April 13 attack, the national currency, the rial, plummeted to a new record low against the U.S. dollar.

That has had a direct impact on the livelihoods of Afghans and how much money they can send back to their families in Afghanistan.

“Life has become more difficult after the dollar rose against the Iranian currency,” said Azizgul Afghan Beg, an Afghan living in Tehran. “Our main concern is where we will escape if a war breaks out here.”

An estimated 70 percent of the estimated 3.6 million Afghans who have fled their homeland after the Taliban seized power in 2021 moved to Iran.

Afghans, including journalists, activists, and former soldiers and police officers, said they fear being forced to flee Iran and return to their homeland.

“Our lives will be in danger,” Qadariah Rezaei, said an Afghan rights campaigner residing in Iran. Afghans would pay a “heavy price” if Tehran becomes embroiled in a conflict with Israel, she said.

Other Afghans say they are contemplating returning to Afghanistan.

“It is better to return to our homeland because of the mounting worries over war and the sharp slump in employment,” said Shamsul Rahman, an Afghan living in the southeastern city of Kerman.

Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by 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.

Rashid Khan: Cricket Should Not Be Influenced By Government Policies

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Rashid Khan

Tolo News: Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan expressed his disappointment following the cancellation and postponement of matches with Afghanistan by the Australian Cricket Board. He said that cricket is a “source of happiness” and should not be involved in government matters. Rashid Khan said: “As a player you can’t do much about it,” he said. “It’s the issue of governments to resolve. But what hurts me the most is when things like that happens, why it is hurting cricket [in Afghanistan]? Click here to read more (external link).

Heavy rains and floods kill over 100 across Pakistan and Afghanistan

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 16, 2024

ISLAMABAD — Authorities in Pakistan and Afghanistan said Tuesday that intense unseasonal rainfall, lightning and floods across both neighboring countries had killed at least 100 people over the past several days.

A spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said floods had caused human and material losses in 13 of the country’s 34 provinces.

Janan Saiq reported that the disaster resulted in nearly 50 fatalities, dozens of injuries, and the loss of hundreds of livestock.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan said Tuesday that the recent heavy rains and floods have affected more than 1,200 families and damaged almost 1,000 houses and at least 25,000 hectares of agricultural land.

The statement noted that the U.N. and partners “are assessing the impact and related needs and providing assistance.”

The Afghan meteorological agency has predicted that more heavy rainfall is expected in most provinces.

Poverty-stricken Afghanistan has been reeling from the devastation of years of conflict and natural disasters, including floods, droughts and earthquakes.

Last October, a series of earthquakes rattled western Herat and surrounding provinces, killing around 1,500 people.

Devastation in Pakistan

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s federal and provincial authorities reported that over 50 people have died due to heavy rains, flash floods, lightning, storms and landslides.

Most of the fatalities occurred in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, and central Punjab province. Officials said that at least 42 people were killed in both provinces, and many more were injured.

Southwestern Baluchistan province and areas elsewhere in Pakistan have reported the rest of the casualties and losses to houses, as well as agricultural land.

The National Disaster Management Authority has advised emergency services to remain on high alert, as another spell of heavy rains is expected later this week.

Officials have blamed climate change for the unusually heavy rains in Pakistan.

Although the South Asian nation, with an estimated 250 million population, contributes less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is listed as one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.

Pakistan experienced severe flooding in 2022 due to seasonal heavy monsoon rainfall and floods, resulting in at least 1,700 deaths, affecting 33 million people and submerging approximately one-third of the country.

After visiting flood-hit areas in 2022, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Pakistanis were “facing a monsoon on steroids — the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding.”

Guterres criticized a lack of climate action, despite rising global emissions of greenhouse gases.

“Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country,” he said.