Ariana: Attack Energy defeated Abu Muslim 4-0 in the 19th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Monday. In the 20th match of the tournament on the same day, Mawj Sahil downed Aino Mina 3-0. Tuesday’s matches will see Khurasan Faryab take on Maiwand at 1pm while Sarsabz Yashlar meet Adalat Farah at 3:30pm. The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television. Click here to read more (external link).
Eliminated Six Taliban Members In 24 Hours, Claims NRF
Afghanistan International: The National Resistance Front (NRF) announced that within the past 24 hours, they have successfully conducted three separate operations targeting Taliban forces, resulting in the deaths of six members. On Saturday night, NRF forces initiated an attack in Kabul’s 6th police security district, eliminating two Taliban operatives. Further actions in Herat and Kabul led to the deaths of four more Taliban members, with an additional three wounded. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News in Dari – April 28, 2024
National Resistance Council Calls for Comprehensive Struggle Against Taliban
Afghanistan International: The National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan has issued a stark warning that the current situation under the Taliban’s rule presents a greater danger than the Soviet occupation. In a statement, the council urged for an extensive and definitive resistance against the Taliban, involving all political, military, and civilian sectors of Afghan society. Click here to read more (external link).
Underdogs Afghanistan qualify for Futsal World Cup
Ariana: Competing in their first AFC Futsal Asian Cup, Afghanistan have concluded a fairy tale tournament by edging the Kyrgyz Republic to reach the FIFA Futsal World Cup. Four second-half goals guided Afghanistan to a 5-3 win and the final 24-strong field for Uzbekistan 2024 is now set. Click here to read more (external link).
Red Cross official seeks staggered return of Afghans from Pakistan
Lisa Schlein
VOA News
April 27, 2024
GENEVA — Changes are being urged to plans for returning thousands of Afghan citizens from Pakistan to make the process more effective.
While Pakistan has delayed the expulsion of some 850,000 documented Afghan refugees to Afghanistan, a senior Red Cross official is appealing for the returns to occur “in a more staggered way” so Afghanistan can better absorb the enormous influx of people.
“It will be important to work with the government of Pakistan in 2024 to ask that if there are going to be returnees,” that they arrive “in smaller numbers at a time just so it is more manageable on the Afghan side,” said Alexander Matheou, regional director, Asia Pacific Region for the International Federation of the Red Cross.
Speaking in the Qatari capital, Doha, Matheou told journalists in Geneva on Friday that he had just concluded his fifth visit to Afghanistan since the autumn of 2021, shortly after the Taliban takeover of the country.
He said the challenges facing Afghan returnees from Pakistan was one of several pressing issues he discussed with de facto Taliban rulers.
“You will be aware that over half a million have crossed the border over recent months, and it is likely that we will see large numbers of new arrivals in the coming months,” he said.
“I imagine this is probably the largest population flow in a short period of time in Asia since the population movement from Myanmar into Bangladesh in 2017,” he added. “So, it is a significant event.”
Returnees ill-equipped to start over
Since October, Pakistan has expelled more than 500,000 Afghan refugees who lacked proper documentation. In a second phase of expulsions, which has been temporarily halted, more than 850,000 Afghans holding identification cards issued by the Pakistani government are slated to be forcibly deported.
Matheou notes many of the returnees have lived in Pakistan for decades and are ill-equipped to begin a new life in a country that to them is unknown, without government or international support.
The humanitarian effort is, he said, ” largely concentrated on trying to help people on arrival at transit stations near the border. He added that the real challenges start once people move away from those transit areas.
“When we interviewed the returnees themselves, it was also clear that most had no idea how they were going to settle in their point of destination or how they were going to build a livelihood with nothing,” he said. “They largely expected to be living with distant relatives, which would actually make very, very poor people some of the poorest communities in the world, even poorer.”
Children make up half of returning Afghans
Matheou described the returnees as being in generally poor health, especially the children, who account for nearly half of all returnees.
“The evidence of that was we visited clinics where they reported a real spike in cases of acute malnutrition coming from the arrivals from Pakistan.
“We visited routine immunization programs of the IFRC and the Afghan Red Crescent in the villages, and there it was clear looking at the children that as well as being anemic, you could see wasting and stunting among the children,” he said.
Wasting in a child is a condition that increases the risk of death and requires intensive treatment and care.
While Afghanistan is a country with multiple challenges, Matheou said there have been a few positive changes since the Taliban came to power.
“There are still plenty of security incidents going on in Afghanistan every day or most days, but the security on the whole is better than it has been for decades, and on the surface it is peaceful, and this is clearly deeply welcomed by a war-ravaged population,” he said, noting there is also a welcomed commitment to reduce theft and corruption.
Human rights crises remain
While security has improved, however, he said the country’s humanitarian and human rights crises remains severe. That is most clearly manifested in the mental health crisis afflicting the population.
“Beneath those crises, there is an invisible crisis of hopelessness, depression, desperation that stem from a collapsing health service, mass unemployment, barriers to education, and frustrated boys, girls, men, and women who are stuck at home all day.
He said the IFRC has a staff in two to three of the provinces of Afghanistan, but the work of ministering to the physical and mental health needs of the population was done primarily through the Afghan Red Crescent.
Despite the Taliban ban on women’s participation in work and education, he said, “We try to ensure that our work is gender balanced. We employ women in all our health, mental health, primary health services, as well as services for women-headed households.”
He warned, though, the outlook for Afghanistan is bleak. If the Taliban does not change its discriminatory policies against women, he said it will be difficult to get the kind of funding needed to turn Afghanistan into an economically viable society.
“The future of where the next generation of doctors and nurses will come from, where the next generation of teachers will come from, and where employment generated for families to be economically independent and hopeful about the future is looking quite grim,” he said.
Main threat to SCO countries emanates from Afghanistan, says Russia
Khaama: Sergey Shoigu, speaking on Friday at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s defense ministers in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, criticized America’s efforts to regain influence in Central and South Asia after withdrawing from Afghanistan. Shoigu states that international terrorist groups seek refuge in Afghanistan due to its politically unstable and ambiguous situation. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – April 27, 2024
New film captures Afghan women’s courage in failed peace talks with Taliban
Reuters: Directed by Roya Sadat, the 95-minute film is a testament to the courage of Afghan women leaders who continue advocating for change since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, and have drastically curtailed women’s freedoms and rights. Click here to read more (external link).
32nd Anniversary of Mujahideen Victory Honored
Tolo News: The Mujahideen, comprising various factions, after fourteen years of struggle, managed to overthrow the last communist regime led by Dr. Najibullah on Saur 8, 1371 (solar calendar), and seize power. After fourteen years of struggle and the Mujahideen victory, Sibghatullah Mojaddedi was selected as the head of the interim administration for two months, after which Burhanuddin Rabbani took power; however, the continuation of Rabbani’s government was met with opposition from some jihad figures. Click here to read more (external link).
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