The China Project: In 2008, the Afghan government and a state-owned Chinese company signed a deal to mine copper at Mes Aynak, just south of Kabul. The Taliban renewed the agreement. So why is the project stalled? For now, China and MCC hold all the cards. Ultimately, what will happen will depend much more on Beijing’s geopolitical calculus than on the preferences of the Taliban. Meanwhile, as Noorani noted in our interview, “Afghanistan is the loser, and receives neither revenue nor employment.” Click here to read more (external link).
36 Cases of Congo Fever in Afghanistan’s Herat in 2 Months
Ariana: In the past two months, 36 instances of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever have been reported by doctors in the western province of Herat, Afghanistan, including five deaths. The number of cases increased this year, according to Mohammad Asif Kabir, Deputy Public Health of Herat which has led to authorities’ concern about the spread of diseases, especially throughout Eid-ul-Adha. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
In These Corners of Kabul, Western Influences Live On
NYT: While the Taliban have erased most obvious vestiges of the U.S. nation-building effort in Afghanistan, the cultural legacy of two decades of American occupation has been harder to stamp out. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – June 29, 2023
Taliban rejects Gallup survey suggesting Afghanistan is least positive country
Ariana: In the 2022 survey by Gallup – conducted one year after the IEA’s [Taliban] return to power and amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan – 98% of Afghans described their life as poor enough to be considered suffering. This number is even higher than it was in the immediate aftermath of the IEA’s resurgence in 2021, when 94% of respondents described their life this poorly. Click here to read more (external link).
India Says It Will Maintain Embassy in Kabul But Without Ambassador
Tolo News: The Minister of External Affairs of India, S Jaishankar, said that they have decided not to send an ambassador to its embassy in Afghanistan, but will keep the embassy open. Speaking at the India International Centre, Jaishankar added that it is still too early to judge the recent events in Afghanistan, but India will monitor the situation in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Tajikistan’s Concerns Regarding the Presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan
8am: Tajikistan shares a border of over 1,300 kilometers with Afghanistan, specifically with the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, and Kunduz. The shared border with Afghanistan has raised concerns for Tajikistan, which have been further amplified by the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, particularly their plans to relocate the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to the northeast of Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – June 28, 2023
Muted Eid Celebrations In Afghanistan As Economic Crisis Worsens
RFE/RL: As Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha, many Afghanis are struggling to afford basic necessities amid a deepening economic crisis and Western sanctions. Click here to view photos (external link).
Amid Growing Unemployment in Afghanistan, Taliban Baradar Calls it ‘Foreign Propaganda’
Baradar
Khaama: Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Afghanistan Abdul Ghani Baradar on Wednesday on the occasion of Eid al-Adha prayer said there is enough work in Afghanistan, adding foreigners fuel the rumor of unemployment. Click here to read more (external link).