8am: The girl committed suicide on Monday night (November 21st) in the sixth police district of Jalalabad, the capital city of Nangarhar province. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the suicide rate among young people, especially girls, has been on the rise in Afghanistan, and forced marriages have been said to be one of the factors. Click here to read more (external link).
Balkh Residents Criticize Lack of Uniforms for Security Forces
Taliban fighters (file photo)
Tolo News: Mazar-e-Sharif residents expressed concerns about Islamic Emirate’s [Taliban] security forces members not wearing uniforms, saying that civilians have a problem distinguishing security forces from criminal imposters. Residents said that recently crime has increased in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Arrests 12 NRF Members in Kapisa
8am: In the videotape released by the Taliban Intelligence Directorate of the alleged confessions, signs of torture can be seen in the detainees. Although the NRF has not yet confirmed this allegations and news, local sources say that among the 12 detainees, only two of them are NRF members. Ten of these people are civilians and are not affiliated to any group, according to local residents. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – November 21, 2022
A year in, the Taliban escalates its war against girls’ education in Afghanistan
LA Times: The group claims it has no interest in restoring its 1990s regime, when girls were banned from school and almost all jobs, and endured corporal punishment for violations such as not wearing a burqa in public. Yet every few months, new decrees are issued about which careers women may have, how far they may travel without a male guardian and what they may wear outside the home. One edict said the most devout women would not leave the house at all, unless there’s need. Click here to read more (external link).
Unfinished Dam in Herat Faces Serious Flooding Damage: Officials
Tolo News: Officials of the Pashdan Dam in Herat province said that after a one-and-a-half-year hiatus of construction, most areas of the dam are in disrepair. They warned that if the water in the Pashdan dam is not released soon, floods will destroy the water source. Last year, the flood destroyed part of the structure of this dam. “If water in Pashdan Dam is not released soon, we will witness more damage to the canal walls of this dam, which will result in more expenses,” said Abdul Saboor, procurement manager of Pashdan band construction company. With the halt to the project, 1,300 workers and technical employees of the project have become jobless. Click here to read more (external link).
First-ever Afghanistan-Made Supercar ‘Mada-9’ Goes Viral on Social Media
Afghans have designed a supercar. #Afghanistanrising
pic.twitter.com/kkiEp2Ydn8— Open girls' schools – د نجونو ښوونځي پرانیزئ (@paykhar) November 16, 2022
TechJuice (Pakistan): A team of supercar enthusiasts and engineers, ENTOP, from Afghanistan has developed a supercar called ‘Mada-9’. A video post of the ‘Mada 9’ sportscar is going viral on social media with people showing appreciation for the effort. Click here to read more (external link).
Pakistan to Reopen Busy Afghan Border Crossing Shut Over Fatal Shooting
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
November 20, 2022
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has decided to reopen a key southwestern border crossing with landlocked Afghanistan for trade and pedestrian movements starting Monday, a week after sealing the facility over the killing of a Pakistani security guard by an Afghan “terrorist.”
The deadly shooting, which also wounded two soldiers, took place November 13 at the Chaman border terminal between the two countries, known as the Friendship Gate.
Abdul Hameed Zehri, a top Chaman district administration official, announced Sunday that Pakistan had agreed to restore the cross-border movement after receiving “firm assurances” from the Taliban government that “the culprit will soon be arrested and severely punished.”
The Taliban have rejected allegations that the assailant was one of their border guards, saying an investigation was swiftly launched to locate and apprehend him.
Security camera footage shared with VOA shortly after the attack shows the gunman among a group of several Taliban guards before he quickly brings out his weapon and shoots at Pakistani soldiers near an entry point before running back to the Afghan side along with other partners. One of them later returns and is seen firing several shots at the security camera, eventually damaging it.
The Chaman terminal and the northwestern Torkham border crossing serve as the main trade and transit routes for Afghanistan for trade between, and through Pakistan. There are several other, smaller, terminals on the nearly 2,600-kilometer border separating the two countries.
The weeklong border closure has stranded hundreds of trucks on both sides carrying Afghan transit trade goods and freight between the two countries.
The Taliban took over Afghanistan 15 months ago and have relied mostly on trade with Pakistan to generate much-needed revenues for their cash-strapped new government through increased bilateral and transit trade.
The Pakistani government has also removed tariffs and eased visa rules in recent months to facilitate trade activities with the conflict-torn country where the United Nations warns millions of Afghans face acute food shortages.
Islamabad has also dramatically increased Afghan coal imports since the Taliban returned to power, tilting the annual trade balance in favor of Kabul for the first time in the history of bilateral trade.
No country has yet recognized the Islamist Taliban due to human rights issues, particularly their treatment of women.
The absence of legitimacy and the international economic sanctions following the Taliban takeover have pushed the Afghan economy to the brink of collapse.
Pakistan maintains it has no option but to help Afghanistan achieve stability to deter an influx of Afghan refugees and a resurgence of cross-border terrorism.
However, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Buhtto Zardari Friday reiterated that Islamabad would not formally recognize the Taliban government without global consensus, urging the Islamist rulers to fulfill their commitments to the world that they would respect rights of all Afghans, including women, and effectively combat terrorism.
Related
Many Afghan Children Out of School And Working on Street
Child Laborers (file photo)
Tolo News: As the World Children Day is being celebrated on November 20th around the globe, children in Afghanistan are bearing the worst of the humanitarian crisis. Fatima, 8, is an orphan, who is selling bread on a street in capital city of Kabul. Fatima is in the second grade but she sees no clear future for herself, as the schools beyond grade six remained closed for female students. Click here to read more (external link).
Unidentified Gunmen Kill Two Taliban Members in Faryab
8am: The incident took place at 11:00 o’clock on Saturday night (November 19th) in front of the appeals court in Faryab province. Local sources confirmed that unknown gunmen shot dead two Taliban fighters at a security checkpoint, fleeing the scene immediately after the assassination. Click here to read more (external link).