Khaama: Women marched in protest against the Kaaj tragedy in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan after similar demonstrations in Kabul and Herat provinces. The demonstrator women said that no one is safe in a place where “suicides and explosions” are mentioned with pride. They cite Kaaj’s attack as an egregious example of the genocide of Hazaras in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News: Panjshir residents who were displaced and moved to Kabul expressed worry about the approaching winter. They asked humanitarian agencies for assistance, adding that they have nothing to eat and are struggling financially. With his family of ten, Abdulhai, 40, recently relocated to Kabul from Panjshir. Click here to read more (external link).
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
October 1, 2022
Several dozen Afghans, mostly women, have protested after a suicide bombing killed dozens of mostly female students preparing for university entrance exams in Kabul.
Police have put the death toll in the September 30 attack at “at least 20 people,” while the United Nations told the AFP news agency on October 1 that at least 35 people had died and 82 were wounded.
Most of the victims were from the minority Hazara community, a mainly Shi’ite Muslim ethnic minority that has been targeted in brutal attacks in recent years.
Nearly 100 protesters marched past a hospital on October 1 where victims of the attack were being treated chanting, “Stop Hazara genocide” and “It’s not a crime to be a Shi’a.”
Dozens of heavily armed Taliban militiamen watched the protest.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Kaaj Higher Educational Center, but the Islamic State group, which regards Shi’a as heretics, has claimed previous attacks in the area targeting women, schools, and mosques.
The Taliban — which took over the Afghan government in August 2021 following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international coalition — also regards the Hazara as heretics.
The attack is a “shamefaced reminder of the ineptitude and utter failure of the Taliban, as de facto authorities, to protect the people of Afghanistan,” Samira Hamidi of rights group Amnesty International said in a statement.
With reporting by AFP
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8am: The National Resistance Front (NRF) launched an assault on a military base in Parwan province, killing at least three Taliban fighters. This attack took place on Friday night (September 30th) on the Taliban base in the Sehkoti area of Jabal al-Sraj district, Parwan province. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: The Taliban’s latest move comes at a time when some locals and traders in Afghanistan use Pakistani rupees for everyday spending and food purchases. The use of Pakistani rupees is preferred in provinces adjacent to Pakistan over the Afghan currency, Afghani, as they may face a 10% loss in converting the rupee to Afghani. Click here to read more (external link).
By Abubakar Siddique
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 30, 2022
Pakistan has been the Afghan Taliban’s key foreign sponsor for decades, with Islamabad harboring the militant group’s leadership during the nearly 20-year U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan.
But since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, its ties with Islamabad have deteriorated amid deadly border clashes. More recently, the militants have accused Islamabad of permitting its air space to be used by U.S. drones to strike targets in Afghanistan. In turn, Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harboring terrorists.
Experts say the longstanding alliance, which dates back to the emergence of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, is coming under unprecedented strain as their interests diverge.
“The Taliban may have accepted Pakistani support for years but do not wish to be Pakistani proxies forever,” said Husain Haqqani of the Washington-based Hudson Institute who previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States.
Last month, the Taliban accused Pakistan of allowing U.S. drones to use its airspace to conduct strikes inside Afghanistan. The August 28 claim came after an American drone strike in Kabul killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in July. Islamabad has denied involvement in or advanced knowledge of the strike.
On September 14, Islamabad accused the Taliban government of harboring Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e Mohammad (JeI) extremist group and a UN-blacklisted terrorist. The Taliban strongly rejected Pakistan’s claims.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly on September 23, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad “shares the key concern of the international community regarding the threat posed by major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.”
Last month, the Taliban accused Pakistan of allowing U.S. drones to use its airspace to conduct strikes inside Afghanistan. The August 28 claim came after an American drone strike in Kabul killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in July. Islamabad has denied involvement in or advanced knowledge of the strike.
On September 14, Islamabad accused the Taliban government of harboring Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e Mohammad (JeI) extremist group and a UN-blacklisted terrorist. The Taliban strongly rejected Pakistan’s claims.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly on September 23, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad “shares the key concern of the international community regarding the threat posed by major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.”
Experts say another source of tension is the Taliban’s unwillingness to crack down on the TTP, a close ideological and organizational ally. From its bases inside Afghanistan, the extremist group has intensified its insurgency against Islamabad in recent years.
The Afghan Taliban has mediated peace talks between Islamabad and the TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban. But doubts have been cast over the peace process as Pakistan has conducted air strikes against TTP fighters inside Afghanistan. There have also been suspected TTP attacks in Pakistan.
“Pakistan keeps assuming that the Taliban are reliant on them economically and politically,” said Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan. “The Taliban, on the other hand, are overreacting to Pakistani statements because, for a long time, they were accused of being allied to Islamabad.”
Graeme Smith, a consultant for the International Crisis Group, says Pakistan and the Taliban have many incentives to cooperate despite their differences. He cites the rapidly growing trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“The relationship will remain very fractious,” he said. “It’s worth monitoring the flare-ups of violence, but the incentives for cooperation are overwhelming.”
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Khatera Ahmadi
Muska Safi
VOA News
September 30, 2022
ISLAMABAD — It’s a photo that caught the world’s attention: A news anchor at one of Afghanistan’s most prominent news outlets, pictured with her head in her hands after the Taliban ordered women to cover up.
The woman pictured, TOLOnews anchor Khatera Ahmadi, says that despite increasing restrictions on women in Afghanistan, at the time that photo was taken in May, she still planned to stay and be a voice for other women.
But mounting pressures and a later attack on her husband forced the family to rethink their plans. In June they moved to Pakistan.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders estimates nearly 60% of journalists lost their jobs since the Taliban returned, with women disproportionately affected. Female journalists no longer work in 11 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
A spokesperson for the Taliban did not respond to VOA’s request for comment.
At the time when women were ordered to cover up on air, a spokesperson said it was a religious order that “helps with their modesty and honor.”
The Taliban have also said they would respect media freedom and women’s rights.
In an interview with VOA, Ahmadi says she has no faith in Taliban comments that women are free to work in journalism or other professions, saying the restrictions already imposed are “suppressing (women’s) voices and forcing them to stay home.”
This interview has been translated and edited for length and clarity.
VOA: When the Taliban ordered female journalists to cover their faces, your picture was widely shared. How did you feel in that moment?
Ahmadi: I wanted to reassure myself that everything was fine, and (tell myself) “If you keep fighting, things will get better, you can be the voice of thousands of Afghan women who are oppressed today.” I wanted to boost my morale.
Our male colleagues, in solidarity, wore masks, and this began with our station, TOLOnews. They wanted to show we were not alone in our fight.
But after a few days, they received threatening messages.
Taliban officials tweeted that if the men did not remove the masks they would act against them. The threats increased. Some even received death threats.
Eventually, they removed their masks.
VOA: How and when did you decide to leave Afghanistan?
Ahmadi: The situation in Afghanistan is very difficult for everyone, particularly female journalists. Every day, we faced a new law. The [Taliban’s] Vice and Virtue Department had no other job but to make new laws for women.
Our outfits in the media were not acceptable to them. Faces of women presenters had to be covered. We faced threats on the street. Taliban spokespersons were not willing to be on our shows because we were women.
Our cars were followed. At every checkpoint, we were stopped and told that as a Muslim woman, as an Afghan woman, we should not appear on TV. Our drivers were slapped and asked where they were taking us and why we sat in the front seat.
We were known because reputable international media had interviewed us. They knew where we were [living] and working. Even when we went to the bank, we would hear the Taliban saying our names and pointing.
We were very scared. But we were saying that this is our country, and we have to be there and adjust to the (Taliban’s) laws.
That changed when my husband was attacked.
He was on his way to work when he was taken by the Taliban and beaten.
That was the day I decided we could not stay in Afghanistan anymore.
Editor’s Note: Ahmadi’s husband Ekram Asmati was a journalist for a local news station. He was left unconscious in the attack. Officials at the time said they would investigate.
VOA: How are your former colleagues in Afghanistan doing?
Ahmadi: They are all depressed, as I was in Kabul. Their situation is worse now.
They call and ask how life is (in Pakistan).
Being a refugee is difficult. But their situation is worse. Each one of them calls and asks, “How can we find a way out of Kabul to another country?”
I tell them it is not easy to go to a new place. When you become a refugee, the situation becomes more difficult. It is tough when you leave your country and those you know. Getting passports and visas is also a problem [in Afghanistan]. Some of our colleagues had to leave [without families]. They had to make a difficult decision, just like I did.
VOA: The Taliban claim they have no problem with women working, including female journalists. What is your view?
Ahmadi: I have no faith in what the Taliban say. People don’t believe them either because they have not fulfilled any of their promises. They said that they would open schools. A year has passed since their return. They have not.
They said they do not have any problem with women working outside, but we witnessed that women in [government] ministries were told to introduce male members of their families to replace them.
They said they have no problem with women journalists and women working outside, but all the rules they have imposed on women and girls are aimed at suppressing their voices and forcing them to stay home.
But as far as I know, [Afghan] women will not stop fighting [for their rights].
This story originated in VOA’s Afghan Service.
8am: Sources told Hasht-e Subh that on Thursday (September 29th), a military unit consisting of nearly 500 Taliban forces was deployed to Badakhshan through Paryan district, Panjshir province. The Taliban group has not yet expressed an opinion on this matter. Earlier, the head of information and culture of the Taliban in Badakhshan also said that the situation in this province is under control. Click here to read more (external link).