Al Jazeera: Omar Sadr, an Afghan academic and former professor at the American University of Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that China’s engagement with the Taliban is based more on security rather than economic interests. China is also aware of the Taliban’s limitations and, as a result, has not committed much, Sadr added. The investments under the Taliban deal are significantly less than those announced between 2002 and 2021. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghan consulate in Istanbul handed over to Taliban
Ariana: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) [Taliban] said in a statement on Tuesday that the diplomats sent by the Islamic Emirate to Tehran have officially started their work at the Consulate General of Afghanistan in Istanbul. A number of countries such as Russia, Pakistan, China, Iran and Turkmenistan, which have close relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, have accepted the diplomats of the Islamic Emirate. Experts say that handing over the political and diplomatic offices of Afghanistan one after the other to the Islamic Emirate, the Afghan government takes another step closer to recognition. This is while the Afghan embassy in Tehran was officially handed over to the Islamic Emirate on Monday The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has introduced Fazl Ahmad Haqqani as the Chargé d’affaires of Afghanistan in the embassy in Tehran. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News in Dari – February 28, 2023
US and Ghani government ‘set the stage’ for the collapse of republic: SIGAR
Ariana: In his report to Congress, Sopko said first the decision by the United States to withdraw all U.S. military forces “fundamentally changed the behaviors of the United States, the [Ashraf] Ghani administration, and the Taliban (IEA).” He said many Afghans thought the U.S.-Taliban agreement was an act of bad faith and a signal that the “United States was handing over Afghanistan to the enemy as it rushed to exit the country,” he said adding that “its immediate effect was a dramatic loss in ANDSF morale”. Click here to read more (external link).
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Forced Marriage Ends Up in Tragic Suicide of Young Girl in Kunduz
8am: It has been reported that following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, incidents of domestic violence and forced marriages have seen a surge. This has resulted in the loss of many young lives, especially of women and girls, and raised concerns about their safety and protection in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
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Taliban Forces Kill Top IS Commanders in Afghanistan
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
February 27, 2023
ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban said Monday their security forces killed two key Islamic State commanders in an overnight counterterrorism raid against their hideout in the capital, Kabul.
The announcement came hours before the United States said in a new report that up to 3,000 IS fighters were operating in the South Asian nation and conducting terrorist activities.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a late-night statement that “the intelligence and operations chief of Daesh” in Afghanistan was also among those killed in the operation late Sunday. He identified the slain terror leader as Qari Fateh.
Daesh, or Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), is an Afghan affiliate of Islamic State and a key Taliban adversary.
Mujahid said Fateh had masterminded recent attacks against diplomatic missions, mosques and other targets in Kabul.
“The criminal was served justice last night for his brutal actions at the hands of IEA [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] special forces during a complex operation in the Kher Khana residential area [in Kabul],” he noted, using the official title for the Taliban government.
IS-K did not immediately comment on the Taliban’s claims of killing its top leader.
Mujahid also confirmed in his statement Monday that a Taliban counterterrorism operation earlier this month had killed the IS-K chief for the Indian subcontinent, Ijaz Amin Ahangar, along with his two commanders. He added, without elaborating, that “a number of Daesh members, including foreigners” were also detained in recent days.
IS-K last week confirmed the death of Ahangar, also known as Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri, saying in a statement he was killed in a clash with the Taliban on February 14 but did not mention the exact location.
The Taliban have periodically carried out operations against IS-K since returning to power in Kabul in August 2021 as U.S.-led foreign troops withdrew from the country.
For its part, the terrorist group has routinely launched high-profile attacks targeting civilians, Taliban members and foreign diplomatic missions in the country.
The United States describes IS-K as a “dangerous” affiliate of Islamic State and remains skeptical about the effectiveness of Taliban counterterrorism efforts.
The U.S. State Department issued the 2021 country reports on terrorism on Monday, noting that IS and other regionally focused terror groups maintained “an active presence” and conducted terrorist activities in Afghanistan.
“ISIS-K remained a resilient enemy with roughly 2,000 to 3,000 fighters in the country, although precise estimates are hard to determine,” the report said. “Although the Taliban committed to preventing terrorist groups from using Afghanistan to stage attacks against the United States or others, the extent of its ability and willingness to prevent AQ [al-Qaida] and ISIS-K from mounting external operations remained unclear,” it added.
The international community has not yet recognized the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, urging them to respect human rights, lift education and work bans on women, cut ties with terrorist groups, and govern the country through a politically inclusive government.
The Taliban defend their governance, saying it is in line with local culture and Islamic law. They have also dismissed the reported presence of thousands of IS-K fighters in Afghanistan as baseless.
Tending The Flame At Kabul’s Women-Only Restaurant
Samira Mohammadi’s restaurant in the Afghan capital, Kabul, is run exclusively by and for women. It serves as a rare safe space in a society where the Taliban has been restricting basic freedoms for women since coming to power in 2021.
Pakistan threatens Afghanistan with war even as Taliban refuses to act against TTP bases
Firstpost: “Our delegation delivered a very loud and clear message to Afghan Taliban leadership to stop Afghanistan-based militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from launching any spring offensive inside Pakistan and eliminate them from Afghan soil,” a Pakistani official was quoted as saying by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency. “In case of failure to stop the TTP from cross-border attacks and does not take any action to eliminate them or expel them from their hideouts, then Pakistan has no other choice except to target their hideouts in border areas inside Afghanistan,” he added. “We showed them proof of how TTP planned and carried out recent attacks in Bannu and Peshawar from Afghanistan and warned them that any further attack would result in a tough response from Pakistan. We have no other option but to target militants’ hideouts in border areas inside Afghanistan. We have delivered this message to them.” Click here to read more (external link).
Afghan Refugees Protest in Islamabad Against UNHCR’s Failure to Review their Cases
Khaama: Dozens of Afghan migrants in Islamabad on Monday said they have protested for more than three weeks in front of the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid (SHARP) Office, however, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has not paid attention to the living conditions of migrants in this country so far. The protestors claim that UNHCR Pakistan has failed to review their immigration cases, as they have not heard back from the UN refugee agency since they sought asylum. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Forces Reportedly Kill Two Islamic State Members In Kabul Raid
AP: Taliban security forces killed two militants from the Islamic State extremist group and detained a third in an overnight raid in the Afghan capital, Kabul, a spokesman for the Taliban administration said on February 27. The regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the Islamic State-Khorasan — is a key rival of the Taliban. The militant group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan’s Shi’ite minority. Click here to read more (external link).