8am: The Taliban rebels have shot dead eight prisoners of the National Resistance Front (NRF) forces in Panjshir province, including Mohammad Yar, one of the commanders of NRF and his two young sons, local sources reported. According to sources, these members of NRF were captured by the Taliban fighters on Monday in Shaba base in Khenj district, and they were killed Monday night in Dara district. It is reported that they were captured after four hours of fierce clashes. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – September 13, 2022
Despite peace, economic woes keep Afghanistan’s Bamiyan from becoming a tourist hub
Al Araby: In the past, families and visitors would come to Bamiyan and to Band-e Amir, but then they either had to take expensive flights (between $150 and $200 roundtrip), or had to contend with dangers potential Taliban checkpoints on the road, which was a major deterrent, especially for families. Click here to read more (external link).
International Criminal Court Should Reach Decision on Afghanistan
HRW: Delay in a critical International Criminal Court (ICC) ruling has protracted the wait of Afghans seeking some measure of justice for grave international crimes. In the 16 years since the court’s prosecutor first began considering potential cases in Afghanistan, the conflict in Afghanistan has been marked by a laundry list of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. On August 26, the current prosecutor, Karim Khan, filed his office’s latest submission in favor of launching an investigation, arguing that the Taliban, who now control the country, “are not continuing, cannot continue and will not continue” relevant national justice efforts. It is crucial for justice in Afghanistan for the court’s judges to rule. Click here to read more (external link).
China promoting Taliban 2.0 for better business deals in Afghanistan
ANI: China is currently engaged in pampering the Taliban, which finds itself in a state of diplomatic isolation. Its focus is on business with hopes of a better deal. China’s recent efforts to promote and support the Taliban 2.0 regime indicate that it is getting ready to recognize the government currently in place in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Women’s Rights: A Year After The Taliban Takeover
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Despite claims by the Taliban that women would not be discriminated against by its new government, the rights and freedoms of women and girls have been dramatically curtailed in Afghanistan, raising alarm among international human rights organizations. Click here to read more (external link).
Health minister says two hospitals built with Iran’s help to open soon
Ariana: Afghanistan’s minister of health Qalandar Ebad said Tuesday that two new hospitals funded by Iran will open soon – one in Kabul and one in Bamiyan. According to Ebad, he discussed a number of issues with Iranian officials and reached agreements during a recent trip to Tehran. Among the issues were improving the capacity of Afghan health workers, modernizing blood banks, improving capacity to handle organ transplants and facilitating medical visas. Click here to read more (external link).
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UN Expert: Afghanistan Descending ‘Towards Authoritarianism’ Under Taliban Rule
Taliban Militants in Kabul (file photo)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 12, 2022
A UN human rights expert says conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule indicate a “descent towards authoritarianism” and called for radical changes to stop the trend.
“The severe rollback of the rights of women and girls, reprisals targeting opponents and critics, and a clampdown on freedom of expression by the Taliban amount to a descent towards authoritarianism,” Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, told a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on September 12.
The mandate to monitor human rights violations in Afghanistan was established by the council almost a year ago after the Taliban takeover last August and is now up for renewal.
A year after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, teenage girls are still barred from school and women are required to cover themselves from head to toe in public, with only their eyes showing. Hard-liners appear to hold sway in the Taliban-led government, which imposed severe restrictions on access to education and jobs for girls and women, despite initial promises to the contrary.
On September 10, Taliban authorities shut down girls’ schools above the sixth grade in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia Province, according to witnesses and social media posts. The schools had briefly opened after a recommendation by tribal elders and school principals.
Earlier this month, four girls schools above grade 6 in Gardez, the provincial capital, and one in the Samkani district began operating without formal permission from the Taliban Education Ministry.
On September 10, all five schools were once again closed by the Taliban, sparking protests.
A resident of Paktia Province, who declined to be identified for security reasons, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi that the girls protested in Gardiz, the capital of Paktia Province, the same day the Taliban closed the schools.
Several videos of the demonstration circulated on social media. In one of them a student asks: “Why did you play with our feelings and why did you send us back to our homes disappointed?” She described herself and other girls as “oppressed people.”
Maulvi Monib, the head of education in Paktia Province, declined to answer Radio Azadi’s questions about the demonstration and the closing of the schools. He said that he was traveling and would provide information about it later.
The chief spokesman for the Taliban-led government, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a press conference that authorities are investigating the issue of who ordered the opening of schools in Paktia Province.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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Tolo News in Dari – September 12, 2022
Online shopping services shut down in Afghanistan due to economic crunch
ANI: Almost all major online shopping services in Afghanistan have shut down, with the two major online shopping services recently announcing to shut down their services due to the financial crisis in the country. Online shopping services in Afghanistan had facilitated and improved communications between customers and shopkeepers but this come as some other major online businesses including an online Taxi service called ‘Bubar’, Finest superstores online shopping portal and Hindukosh online shopping website were closed months after the collapse of the Afghanistan republic administration. Click here to read more (external link).