Afghanistan’s first female airline pilot flies once more after fleeing the Taliban for a new life in Europe
Mirzaee
Daily Mail (UK): Afghanistan’s first female airline pilot who fled the country when the Taliban came to power has managed to regain a place in the skies after starting a new life in Europe. Mohadese Mirzaee, 24, made history in 2020 when she became the first woman to fly a commercial airliner in her native Afghanistan. Mirzaee and an all-female crew took to the skies in a Boeing 737, performing various flights to cities in Afghanistan as well as countries including Turkey, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and India. Click here to read more (external link).
Former Taliban Spokesperson Calls for Knife Attacks on Taliban Opponents Abroad
8am: Saied Khosti, the former spokesperson of the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, has threatened to kill opponents of this group both inside and outside of Afghanistan with knives. The former Interior Ministry spokesperson, who apparently does not hold an official position at present, made the threat in a tweet on Tuesday, May 2. Khosti wrote, “Kill the fugitives one by one with knives. If anyone preaches against the country, go and kill them. They are very ruthless and terrifying animals.” He added, “We have hundreds of volunteers in Europe and America. They just want unity and leadership.” Click here to read more (external link).
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4.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan’s Paktia Province
Khaama: An earthquake of 4.6 magnitude hit 39 Km northeast of Gardez, Paktia province of Afghanistan, on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The quake of 4.6 magnitudes occurred at 5:24 am local time, 5 km depth on Tuesday with the epicentre of Sayed Karam district of Paktia province of Afghanistan, reported by the Indian National Center for Seismology. No casualties have been reported so far. Click here to read more (external link).
National Resistance Front Strikes Back: Two Taliban Fighters Killed in Parwan
8am: The attack took place at around 3:00 AM on Monday, May 1, in the Du-saraka area of the Bagram district, as per the source who spoke with Hasht-e Subh. The Resistance Front forces reportedly first targeted the Taliban outpost with rockets before engaging in a firefight with them. As the weather gets warmer, it appears that anti-Taliban armed groups have resumed their sporadic attacks against the group’s fighters in some provinces of Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Freedom Front Strikes Again: Two Taliban Fighters Killed in Kabul Attack
8am: The attack took place around 9:00 pm on Sunday night, April 30, above a Taliban outpost in the Khairkhana area of Kabul’s 11th security district. The group announced the attack through a newsletter and a video on its Twitter page but did not mention any potential casualties among its own forces. Residents of the 315 area in Kabul also reported hearing gunfire in the area. The Taliban have not yet commented on the incident. Click here to read more (external link).
UN holds crucial Afghanistan talks in Qatar, without Taliban
Al Jazeera: The Taliban has not been invited to a United Nations-organised conference on Afghanistan in Doha, with the Afghan group governing the South Asian country saying that the two-day meeting would be “ineffective” without its participation. Envoys from the United States, China and Russia, as well as major European aid donors and key neighbours such as Pakistan, are among the representatives from about 25 countries and groups called to the two days of closed-door talks by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Qatari capital on Monday. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News in Dari – May 1, 2023
Taliban Shut Down Stadium in Bamiyan After Insulting Athletes
8am: Local sources told Hasht-e Subh that officials of the Taliban’s virtue and vice department in Bamiyan on Sunday, 30 April, blocked the stadium after deeming the futsal players’ uniforms as inappropriate. One of the witnesses, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the officials insulted and humiliated the athletes with “aggressiveness and profanity” about why they did not wear “Afghan and Sharia-compliant” clothing. Click here to read more (external link).
Cash-strapped Afghan sports car company suspends work
Ariana: Mohammad Reza Ahmadi, the designer of a sports car made in Afghanistan, said in a video message posted to social media, that due to financial problems, they have been forced to stop work on their vehicle. Ahmadi did not say when they hoped to resume work but stated the main reason for suspending operations was the lack of investors. Click here to read more (external link).