Afghan Resistance Leader Says US Diverted Attention From Afghanistan To Ukraine

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Massoud

Sputnik: The United States diverted its attention from Afghanistan to Ukraine and other places after the Taliban takeover in 2021 just like it did after September 11 when it reallocated resources to invade Iraq, National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan Leader Ahmad Massoud said during a virtual panel hosted by the Aspen Institute. “Unfortunately, once again, the attention from Afghanistan has been diverted to Ukraine and different areas,” Massoud said on Thursday. Click here to read more (external link).

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US Body Reports ‘Horrific Information’ About UN Operations in Afghanistan

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John Sopko

Akmal Dawi
VOA News
July 20, 2023

A U.S. watchdog says it has disclosed to Congress information about diversion and control of international humanitarian assistance by de facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan.

“We have just uncovered, as part of our response to the House Foreign Relations Committee, some really horrific information about the problems with the U.N. operations in Afghanistan,” John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), told an event at King’s College London on Thursday.

Sopko did not offer more details about his findings saying the foreign relations committee had tasked SIGAR to investigate and report to it whether U.S. aid to Afghanistan benefited the Taliban.

“A lot of congressmen are torn in this conundrum between giving humanitarian assistance to Afghans who are suffering versus how much of that [aid] is going to a regime which we hate,” said Sopko.

United Nations officials have not yet responded to VOA questions sent Thursday about what they know about diverted aid.

The Taliban are under U.S. sanctions that date back decades when the group was first in power over much of Afghanistan in the 1990s.

After spending over $146 billion on reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2022, the United States government suspended all development aid to the country following Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.

The Taliban deny they are interfering in humanitarian programs and accuse the U.S. and other Western donors of politicizing aid to Afghanistan.

However, the Islamist regime has imposed gender-based restrictions on aid activities denying Afghan women’s work for the U.N. and other non-government organizations – a move globally condemned as misogynistic.

Meanwhile, the U.N. says there continue to be many incidents of interference involving U.N. aid workers.

“118 gender-related incidents were recorded, with some 97 percent attributed to the de facto authorities and involving, inter alia, interference with programming, incidents at checkpoints, threats against humanitarian workers, assets and facilities, and mahrams [male escorts] required for movement of female staff,” the U.N. Special Representative for Afghanistan reported to the Security Council last month.

The U.N. has reported progress in reducing risks of fraud and diversion of funds in Afghanistan but has not given more details.

Robust funding

The United States, even while enforcing sanctions on the Taliban, has maintained humanitarian funding to Afghanistan amounting to about $2 billion since August 2021.

Despite a reported drop in donors’ response to the U.N. humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan, the United States remains at the top of the donors’ list with over $336 million contribution so far this year. Last year, the United States contributed over $1.26 billion to the U.N. appeal.

As of July 20, only 23% of this year’s Afghanistan appeal has been funded, according to the U.N.

Aid agencies have warned that a lack of funding to the appeal will force millions of vulnerable Afghan households into extreme poverty.

Citing North Korea and Syria, among other countries, John Sopko said in the past “we in the United States held our nose and delivered assistance to people around the world who live under governments we hate.”

Last month, the U.S. Department of States announced an additional $920 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria taking the total U.S. assistance to the country since 2011 to $16.8 billion.

SIGAR said a new proposed draft law, which was passed by the House and under consideration by the Senate, will prohibit any U.S. assistance going “directly or indirectly” to the Taliban. Sopko predicted the bill, if passed, would have “serious implications” for aid to Afghanistan.

British Lawmaker Deletes Video Lauding Taliban Rule in Afghanistan

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Tobias Ellwood

Ayaz Gul
VOA News
July 20, 2023

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — A senior British member of parliament deleted a video Thursday praising the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan and apologized for what he said was the outcome of his “poor communication.”

Tobias Ellwood of the Conservative Party released the video commentary Wednesday on Twitter after his trip to the war-ravaged South Asian nation last week.

He argued in his now-deleted video that the security situation in Afghanistan had “vastly improved” since the Taliban returned to power two years ago.

Ellwood added that “corruption is down,” and the Taliban have almost eliminated the opium trade. He recorded his comments in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, one of the world’s largest opium poppy producers.

“This is a very different country indeed — it feels different now since the Taliban have returned to power,” he said. Ellwood urged Britain to re-engage with the Taliban and reopen its embassy in Kabul.

His video sparked outrage and prompted fellow members to move to seek his ouster as chairman of the House of Commons Defense Select Committee.

“I’m very, very sorry that my reflection of my visit could have been much better worded and have been taken out of context,” Ellwood said Thursday in his statement on Twitter after deleting the video.

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid retweeted the video Thursday, calling it a “positive report.” But he, too, later deleted the tweet without explaining.

British media quoted Mark Francois, a defense committee member, telling the House of Commons on Wednesday that the video was “utterly bizarre” and advising Ellwood to be “very careful” in expressing his views.

“Tobias Ellwood’s video could have been issued by the Afghan tourist board,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, a British member of parliament, said in a sarcastic Twitter comment.

On Thursday, Ellwood appeared to defend some of his remarks in the controversial video, including criticism of the British government for not engaging directly with the Taliban, saying, “our current strategy of shouting from afar, after abruptly abandoning the country in 2021” was not working.

“However well-intentioned, reflections of my personal visit could have been better worded,” he said.

“I stand up, speak my mind, try to see the bigger picture, and offer solutions, especially on the international stage, as our world turns a dangerous corner. I don’t always get it right,” the lawmaker added.

“My simple call to action was to see our embassy reopen again and pursue a more direct strategy to help the 40 million people that we abandoned,” Ellwood said.

The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021 when the United States and other Western allies withdrew all their troops after almost two decades of involvement in the war.

The fundamentalist de facto rulers have since introduced their strict interpretation of Islamic law or Sharia, squeezing women out of public life and placing an indefinite ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade. The restrictions on Afghan women and other human rights concerns have kept the international community from granting legitimacy to Taliban rule.

Taliban leaders defend their government, saying it is aligned with the Afghan culture and Sharia.

A U.S. State Department spokesman told reporters Wednesday that “we are not reconsidering opening an embassy at this point” in Afghanistan. He was responding to a question about Ellwood’s video.

“We have always made clear to the Taliban that there are certain steps that we expect them to take if they want to gain any form of international legitimacy, which they are a long way from reaching, if at all possible,” Matthew Miller said and denounced as “abhorrent” curbs the Taliban have placed on Afghan women and girls.

“We strongly object to those steps, and of course, we know that others in the international community take note, and they consider those in assessing their relationship with their government.”

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“Eradicating” Terrorism: The Deceptive Political Rhetoric

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8am: The Pakistan Army has played a significant role in the expansion and fortification of the terrorist industry, profiting the most from its existence. For several decades, the Pakistani military has been responsible for establishing and controlling terrorist groups to achieve their strategic objectives. The Taliban is among these groups that ultimately triumphed in dominating Afghanistan with the aid of the Pakistan Army. Click here to read more (external link).

US would have invaded Afghanistan even without bin Laden: Taliban deputy PM

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Abdul Kabir

Ariana: The United States would invade Afghanistan even if al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden left the country, Maulavi Abdul Kabir, [Taliban] deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said on Wednesday. “It was the zeal of our Amir-ul-Mominin that he didn’t leave something that would taunt us, which would be handing over a Muslim to infidels. But we should understand that even if that Muslim voluntarily left the country, US and NATO would certainly invade Afghanistan,” Abdul Kabir said addressing a gathering of local elders. Click here to read more (external link).

Sri Lanka to Host Afghanistan’s Home Series Against Pakistan

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Khaama: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will host the bilateral one-day home series between Pakistan and Afghanistan next month. According to reliable sources at the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which has its headquarters in Kabul, the SLC has been approached about allowing three One Day Internationals (ODI) against Pakistan to be played at the same venue, Daily Mirror reported. It is also said that the SLC has agreed to rent out its ground and the Stadium. Click here to read more (external link).

First Round of University Entrance Exams Held Without Girls

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Tolo News: The first round of university examinations of the 1402 solar year was held on Thursday in 11 of 34 provinces without the presence of female students. According to the officials, the examination will be taken in two days, in which at least 24,000 people are attending. Meanwhile, some of the female students who are not allowed to attend the examination expressed criticism towards the officials of the Islamic Emirate for not allowing girls to attend the examination. “We also want to be part of it and form our future. Please, I request they allow girls to get their education,” said Hadia Mohammadi, a student. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghan Professors Say Taliban-Appointed Clerics Taking University Jobs

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
July 19, 2023

Several public university professors have complained that Taliban members and those around them have started taking some of the top positions at universities and other educational institutions in Afghanistan as the Taliban-led government’s Higher Education Ministry increases its control of the school system.

According to the professors, some of whom spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, Akram Shah Asim has been appointed president at Kandahar University, while Mohammad Yaqub Haqqani has been installed in the same post at Khost University. The social media pages of the state universities now show the two — both of whom come from the madrasah religious school system — as presidents of the universities.

Three others who are linked to the Taliban — Shafiullah Haqqani, Mohammad Sediq Kamal, and Shir Ahmad Abbas — have been appointed as the head of higher education institutions in Maidan Wardak Province, Nimroz Province, and Paktika Province.

The professors said that most of the vice chancellors of the financial and administrative departments at universities have also been filled with people linked to the Taliban, and that people close to the Taliban have taken the lead in other scientific departments.

Since regaining power following the exit of international troops in August 2021, Taliban militants have moved to assert control over the country’s education sector, converting scores of secular schools, public universities, and vocational training centers into Islamic seminaries.

The group also has banned women from attending university and girls above the sixth grade from going to school.

The Taliban’s efforts to eradicate secular education and replace it with radical religious instruction has raised fears among observers that the moves are likely to contribute to the spread of extremist ideologies in Afghanistan.

“When I was in the university, they brought many changes. In the university, they identified those who were like-minded [and] brought them to professorships, heads of departments, vice presidents, and presidents of universities,” Mohammad Qayyum Sial, a former professor at Paktia University who went to France a year ago to continue his studies, told Radio Azadi from France.

Qayyum Sial said he expects that after the changes in the leadership of the universities, professors will end up experiencing the same fate.

Jandad Jahani, who taught at an Afghan government university before going to Germany after the Taliban came to power, said the Taliban promised in the beginning to only make changes in political positions and not replace professional and academic positions.

But according to Jahani, the Taliban has not kept to its promise and instead brought “nonprofessionals and uneducated people to strategic and academic positions — those who have not even finished high school,” Jahani said from Germany.

Hamed Obaidi, a spokesman for the Higher Education Ministry in the former government, also noted that the Taliban has made many changes in the leadership of public universities and appointed its own people. In his opinion, these appointments will have a negative impact on the educational process and on academic institutions.

According to Article 23 of the Law for Civilian Higher Education in Afghanistan, a university president should be appointed from among a group of professors who have the proper academic qualifications, a guideline Obaidi says needs to be followed to ensure quality education.

“The president of the university is an important position. Without an academic figure, it is very difficult to manage an academic department. It will be the biggest punishment if professional people and professors are removed from their duties and are replaced by people who have no idea about how an academic institution works,” Obaidi said.

Ziaullah Hashemi, the spokesperson of the Higher Education Ministry, declined to comment on the issue of the appointments when contacted by Radio Azadi.

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Taliban Violently Disperse Women Protesting Ban on Afghan Salons

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
July 19, 2023

ISLAMABAD — Taliban forces in Afghanistan fired shots into the air and used fire hoses Wednesday to forcefully disperse dozens of women staging protests in Kabul over a recent nationwide ban on beauty salons.

Witnesses said the incident happened as around 30 female owners and workers gathered outside their beauty parlors in a central part of the capital to demand the Taliban reverse the ban.

Protesters accused security forces of beating them with batons and snatching mobile phones from some of them to stop them from filming the violence. Rally participants carried banners that read: “Livelihood, justice, work and education.”

Video posted on social media shows Taliban forces resorting to aerial firing and spraying protesters with water.

Taliban authorities did not immediately respond to the allegations.

“Reports of the forceful suppression of a peaceful protest by women against the ban on beauty salons – the latest denial of women’s rights in #Afghanistan – are deeply concerning,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Twitter. “Afghans have the right to express views free from violence. De facto authorities must uphold this.”

In early July, the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue ordered hundreds of beauty parlors across Afghanistan to close within a month. It noted that the decision had stemmed from a decree issued by the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

In a subsequent video statement, a ministry spokesman defended the ban on beauty salons, saying they “implant hair and pluck eyebrows, which are against the Sharia (Islamic law).” Additionally, the Taliban said salons burden men with unnecessary and excessive costs during their wedding ceremonies when brides are taken to these facilities.

Owners and workers have since staged several rallies in Kabul and elsewhere in the country, appealing to Akhundzada to reverse the decree to prevent thousands of women-led households from being impoverished. They deny salons engage in any un-Islamic practices, saying they strictly adhere to personal hygiene and cosmetic services.

The ban marks the latest in a series of sweeping restrictions imposed on Afghan women by the fundamentalist Taliban government, or the so-called Islamic Emirate, effectively blocking their access to public life and education.

Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have indefinitely barred teenage girls from attending schools beyond the sixth grade and blocked female students from university classes. Women are not allowed to visit public parks, gyms, and bathhouses.

The restrictions have outraged the international community, with the United Nations and human rights groups denouncing the de facto Afghan administration as a “gender-apartheid regime” and accusing it of trying to squeeze women out of public life.

No country has recognized the Taliban government. The U.N. and the United States maintain that curbs on women’s rights must be lifted before they consider granting legitimacy to the de facto Afghan authorities.

Taliban leaders justify the policies, maintaining they are aligned with Afghan culture and Sharia, claims scholars in other Islamic countries dispute and reject.