Wisden: The ICC have failed to support women in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover, it’s time for the ECB and Cricket Australia to withdraw from the governing body completely – write Raf Nicholson and Megan Maurice. Sport can be a powerful tool in international diplomacy – it is now widely acknowledged that the sporting boycott of South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s helped bring about the end of apartheid. But on the basis of their latest Board meeting (which concluded yesterday), the International Cricket Council – who led the way in the South Africa boycott – don’t feel that the rights of women are worth making a stand about. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Demands US Stop Supporting ISIS Campaign in Afghanistan
Zabihullah Mujahid
8am: Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for Taliban, has stated that the remarks made by American officials regarding the number of ISIS fighters in Afghanistan do not match reality and that America should stop supporting the group’s campaign. On Friday, Mujahid expressed this on his Twitter page. He stated, “the interest of the US officials in this matter and their grandiosity is aiding and abetting the ISIS insurgents, which should be stopped.” Mujahid claimed that ISIS has already been significantly weakened. Click here to read more (external link).
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US working to rescue dozens of Americans from Afghanistan
Blinken
Ariana: The US is working to assist 44 Americans who want to leave Afghanistan as well as several others detained by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday. “There are several Americans who are being detained by the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan). We are working to secure their freedom,” Blinken told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. “The families have asked that we protect their identities and don’t speak publicly to their cases,” he added. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – March 24, 2023
Taliban Leader Establishes Separate Army Amid Afghan Poverty Crisis
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada
8am: Despite warnings from international organizations about a looming food crisis in Afghanistan, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has created a 40,000-person army due to internal conflicts. This was recently made public by Rahmatullah Nabil, the former national security chief of Afghanistan. Mr. Nabil reported that the Taliban leader has used government funds to build this army. It has been reported that Mullah Hibatullah’s rival unit is working to expand its power. The Taliban leader has taken government revenue, which is derived from taxes paid by businessmen, to create a separate army, while donor organizations have announced a reduction in the budget to continue financial assistance to Afghanistan and warned that if food is not provided to the Afghan people quickly, hunger will spread throughout the country. Afghans have also criticized the Taliban leader for using government money to build a separate army. Click here to read more (external link).
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- Grenade Explosion Kills and Injures Four Taliban Fighters in Samangan – sources in Samangan province claim that before the explosion, Taliban members had a verbal altercation with each other
Earthquake and Flash Floods Kill at Least 10 People in Afghanistan
Khaama: State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management of the Islamic Emirate says that due to recent flash floods and earthquakes, at least 10 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured. Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesperson of the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management on Thursday announced the latest update on the number of deaths and injuries from the recent natural disasters in the country. The recent natural disasters have resulted in serious financial and human losses, as a result, roughly 800 houses have been completely destroyed in earthquakes, and more than 100 residential houses have been demolished in flash floods across the country. Click here to read more (external link).
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Taliban Exempts Opium Sales Tax in Nimruz Province for 10 Months
8am: According to reliable sources in Nimruz province, the Taliban has given smugglers of opium in this province 10 months to sell and export their opium from Afghanistan without paying any sales tax or customs duty. On Friday sources reported that, in addition to the 10-month deadline, the Taliban has also exempted drug smugglers in Nimroz province from paying any taxes or customs duties. Reports show that since seizing the power in Afghanistan, the Taliban has been charging a sales tax of 600 Afghanis per kilogram of opium in Nimruz province and allowing heroin to be smuggled out of the country through its borders. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – March 23, 2023
OCHA: COVID-19 Death Toll in Afghanistan Approaches 8,000
8am: According to the latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, 7,886 people have died from the virus. The OCHA report, released on Friday, March 3, shows the number of COVID-19 deaths in Afghanistan up to February 28 of this year. Based on this report, more than 209,000 people in the country have been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic until late February. The published information indicates that 91.3% of those infected have recovered, while 3.8% have died. Click here to read more (external link).
Earthquake Destroyed Around 665 Houses in Several Provinces of Afghanistan: OCHA
Khaama: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the earthquake damaged and destroyed around 665 houses across Badakhshan, Bamyan, Panjshir, Parwan, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, Samangan, and Takhar Provinces. The organization added that the earthquake in Badakhshan killed five people. In contrast, it injured 58 others and “Partners have deployed assessment & response teams to provide immediate relief to affected families, OCHA said in a tweet on Wednesday. Click here to read more (external link).