8am: Domestic abuse and forced marriages have risen in the nation due to the Taliban‘s limitations on female mobility, the closure of educational institutions, and other regulations. Consequently, women are now experiencing more psychological issues than ever before due to this pressure. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – February 26, 2023
Taliban rejects reports it asked Pakistan for funds to fight TTP
TTP Flag
Ariana: The Express Tribune newspaper in Pakistan reported on Friday that IEA [Taliban] proposed a plan to control TTP and it envisaged disarming TTP fighters and moving them away from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas. The report stated that IEA asked Pakistan to fund the proposal and bear the costs of rehabilitating the TTP. IEA’s spokesman, however, rejected the report, saying it had not made any such request. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Launch House-to-House Search Operations in Nimruz
8am: According to sources cited by Hasht-e Subh, the Taliban has reportedly imposed strict security measures in Zaranj city, including shutting down secondary roads to vehicular traffic, and deploying a significant number of armed personnel in the area. These actions were apparently taken on Sunday. Zaranj residents reported that Taliban militants have entered their residences without any advance notice or warning. Click here to read more (external link).
Fatal Crash In Bulgaria Involving Afghan Citizens Appears To Be Latest In Series Of People-Smuggling Cases
By RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service
February 26, 2023
Bulgarian authorities say a van carrying migrants crashed early on February 26, killing one person and injuring 32 others.
The driver of the vehicle, which was carrying 46 people, all citizens of Afghanistan, fled the scene and authorities are searching for him, Stara Zagora district prosecutor Dicho Atanasov told the BTA state news agency. He is believed to be a Pakistani citizen, and the person killed was an Afghan, Atanasov said.
The injured people were transported to hospitals in Stara Zagora and Chirpan. Health Minister Asen Medzhidiev said there were no life-threatening injuries.
One person has been arrested, BTA reported. It is not known what their role was in the incident.
The van had no seats in its passenger compartment and no windows along its side panels.
Authorities cited a punctured tire as the cause of the accident. The driver lost control of the vehicle and the van hit the guardrail.
The crash comes just over a week after the bodies of 18 migrants were found in a truck abandoned along a highway near Sofia. The driver of that truck also fled, and another 34 people were found in the truck in serious condition.
Five people have been remanded in custody in that case. They are accused of organizing a channel for the trafficking of migrants. Another suspect has been arrested in Greece, and a decision on whether to extradite him is pending.
Authorities discovered another van carrying 43 migrants near the town of Ihtiman, southeast of Sofia ,three days after the truck with the 18 bodies was found. District prosecutor Natalia Nikolova told the media that 10 of the migrants were children. She said all appeared to be healthy.
Deputy Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov told a news briefing on February 18 that the truck found with the 18 bodies was “another transport of migrants” carried out by an organized criminal group that has been making at least two such transports a month.
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Afghanistan beat Maldives, move to final in 4 Nations Volleyball Tournament
Ariana: Afghanistan scored 3-0 against the National Volleyball Team of Maldives and managed to move to the final. The tournament attended by Afghanistan, Singapore and Malaysia volleyball teams along with the host country Maldives, started on February 23 and will continue until February 27. Click here to read more (external link).
Pakistan-Afghanistan trade resumes as Torkham crossing reopens
Torkham border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan
Ariana: The usual trade and movement of people between Afghanistan and Pakistan resumed on Saturday after the two sides agreed to reopen the Torkham border, which was closed for almost a week. According to the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, the border was reopened on Saturday. Local officials in Nangarhar province and Pakistani authorities both confirmed the border crossing had reopened to travel and trade. Click here to read more (external link).
Teachers Complain About Reduction in Pay
Tolo News: Several school teachers in Kabul expressed their displeasure at the reduction in pay, saying that they could not afford to provide for their families with this amount of money. The teachers said that their salaries had been cut by 1000 afghanis since the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] was established, and they are asking a pay increase from the Islamic Emirate. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – February 25, 2023
Suicide bomber killed outside Bank in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province
Khaama: A suicide bombing occurred on Friday outside a bank branch in Faizabad city, the provincial capital of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province. According to Muezuddin Ahmadi, the provincial director of the Taliban’s Media and Culture Department, the suicide bomber was shot down before he could reach the crowd assembled at the bank. Ahmadi continued, “No one was significantly hurt except for the attacker. There was not immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, said officials. Click here to read more (external link).