For Afghan women struggling with the pressures of living in Tajikistan as refugees, the Ariana Learning Center is a source of hope and healing. Located in the city of Vahdat, some 20 kilometers east of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, the center offers computer, language, and art training while providing psychological counseling. The UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, says most of the 7,000 refugees in Tajikistan are Afghans who fled their country after the Taliban took power in 2021.
Khurasani
8am: During the years of military confrontation with the security forces of the previous regimes, the Taliban were able to secure the assistance of several Uzbek, Tajik, and Hazara leaders in certain areas, including the north of Afghanistan. These local leaders, who were familiar with the territory of the northern provinces, made a significant contribution to the Taliban’s progress and the capture of cities and districts. However, since the fall of the Republic, the Taliban have been increasingly driving away non-Pashtun leaders with unique ideologies. Among the most famous non-Pashtun leaders who were subsequently dispatched to the southern provinces were Salahuddin Ayoubi, Makhdoom Alam Rabbani, and Abdul Hamid Khorasani. Reports suggest that these commanders, who are currently serving in the ranks of the Taliban in the southern provinces of the country, do not have the authority to carry out their tasks and are essentially exiled troops. Furthermore, some people who spoke out about “rights” had to face campaigns from their old colleagues and were removed from power. Click here to read more (external link).
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada
Khaama: The de facto regime of Afghanistan’s supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhudzada on Tuesday released an Eid-ul Fitr message and asked the people of Afghanistan to be thankful for “peace and Islamic Sharia System.” Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada said, “Significant reform measures have been taken in culture, education, economy, media and other fields, and the bad intellectual and moral effects of the 20-year occupation are about to finish.” Meanwhile, he said about providing education and training to all children. “Extending education and training to the whole country and providing good training to all children is one of the responsibilities of the Islamic Emirate, and effective plans for further development are also worked on,” he said. However, since the de facto government took control of power in August 2021, girls were banned from education beyond primary school. In addition, last year, in December, females were banned from going to university. Click here to read more (external link).
VOA News
April 18, 2023
At least two people are dead after a landslide buried dozens of trucks on the main road between Pakistan and Afghanistan Tuesday.
More than 20 trucks were buried in the disaster, which struck at the border crossing on the Khyber Pass, a major point of trade between the South Asian nations. Several people were also injured.
Officials said a heavy rain storm overnight could have triggered the landslide.
8am: Sources spoke to Hasht-e Subh on Monday, April 17, stating that the incident occurred in the areas of Gul-chah and Chah-Takhta in the Kushk Robat Sangi and Gholran districts of Herat province. According to the sources, nearly 30 armed militants from the Taliban governor’s associates launched a nighttime attack on the shepherd and his herd in the mentioned areas, hitting several of them and tying up their hands and feet. It is worth noting that the Taliban have been accused of looting people’s property and assets in other provinces before. Click here to read more (external link).
MEMO: Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said on Monday that he discussed the dispute with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Uzbekistan. The top diplomat tweeted that he “emphasised in detail” the issue of Iran’s claim on the Helmand River. The Afghan side, he added, “also emphasised its commitment to Iran’s water rights” and both sides “agreed to take immediate action” in this regard. Originating in the Hindu Kush Mountains near Kabul, the river covers a distance of 1,127 kilometres (700 miles) south before streaming into the Hamoun wetlands in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province. Click here to read more (external link).
AP: Afghan authorities are closing education centers and institutes supported by non-governmental groups in the south until further notice, officials said Monday. The centers are mostly for girls, who are banned from going to school beyond sixth grade. Click here to read more (external link).
Baradar
Tolo News: “The West has affected all countries and they were expelled from Afghanistan in shame, for this reason, they don’t want Afghanistan to progress,” said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar urged traders to return to the country and invest here. “All traders that are in Afghanistan and abroad, we ask them to return and invest here,” said Mullah Abdul Ghani. Click here to read more (external link).