Ariana: More than 180 hectares of forest in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar and Nuristan provinces is on fire, officials said on Sunday. The fires come as Afghanistan is experiencing rising temperatures. Currently temperatures in many parts of the country are in the high 30s and are expected to move into the 40s in the next few days. Click here to read more (external link).
Private Companies Start Extracting Marble Mine in Afghanistan’s Baghlan
Khaama: The [Taliban] Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a five-year contract to extract marble from a mine in the Khwaja Zaid Valley of the Doshi district of Baghlan province with two companies. According to company representatives, the marble the two companies export will be marketed locally and internationally. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – June 24, 2023
Plight of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Filled With ‘Continuous Suffering’
Khaama: Following the return of the Taliban to power in 2021, new waves of Afghan refugees moved to Iran and Pakistan due to several reasons including fearing ng death threats and persecution by Afghanistan’s de facto regime. While in Pakistan, these migrants are faced with numerous challenges including arbitrary detentions, harassment, and imprisonment by Pakistani police due to failing to provide valid residential permits and visas. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Refugee News / Reports
Moscow Accuses US, UK of Exploiting Afghan Situation to Destabilize C. Asia
Nikolai Patrushev
Michael Hughes: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev during remarks at a gathering of peers in Kazakhstan said the United States and Britain have tried to take advantage of the chaos in Afghanistan as part of a broader strategy to wreak havoc across Central Asia.
“The Americans and the British are trying to manipulate the terrorist insurgency in Afghanistan to their advantage by provoking tensions on the borders with Central Asian countries,” Patrushev said on Friday at the Russia-Central Asia meeting of security council chiefs. “Given the interest of Afghanistan’s neighbors in strengthening their borders and improving the training and equipping their security forces, the United States and its NATO allies are seeking to expand their presence in Central Asia and create more opportunities to influence them.”
Charities say Taliban intimidation diverts aid to Taliban members and causes
Taliban militant (file photo)
NPR: NPR interviewed six Afghan aid workers from five Afghan provinces. They shared experiences of the Taliban attempting to divert foreign aid to their members through bullying, threats of legal action and even violence. The interviewees, who requested their locations be kept discreet, span four provinces in both the north and the south. Click here to read more (external link).
After Taliban bans opium, a guilt-racked commander winks at harvest
WP: One year on, it’s not clear whether the Taliban will soon make a significant dent on a crop that the United Nations estimated accounts for one-tenth of the entire Afghan economy. The country’s poppy farmers supply the raw ingredients that, after being boiled into bricks, refined and exported to Europe via Iran and Pakistan, make up 80 percent of the world’s opium and heroin supply. If the Taliban falls short, international analysts say, it’ll be because of weak enforcement, corruption, the fact that no economic alternatives exist for farmers. Click here to read more (external link).
Terminally ill child evacuated from Afghanistan dies in US custody
The Hill: A 6-year-old child with a terminal illness who was evacuated from Afghanistan in the midst of the U.S. withdrawal in 2021 died in U.S. custody last week, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The unaccompanied child died on June 13 from “severe encephalopathy,” which is a general term for diseases and disorders that affect the brain. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – June 23, 2023
US, India urge IEA to form inclusive government in Afghanistan
Biden
Ariana: US President Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of the formation of an inclusive political structure in Afghanistan and “called on the Taliban [IEA] to respect human rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to respect freedom of movement,” a joint statement said from the US and India released by White House on Thursday. The statement added that the leaders reiterated their strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
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