10 Taliban Fighters Killed by NRF in Andrab

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8am: As a result of the ambush of the National Resistance Front (NRF) forces in Andrab, Baghlan province, 10 Taliban fighters were killed and 8 others were wounded. The clash between the forces of the two sides broke out on Thursday night in the Taghanak village of Pul-e Hesar district, Baghlan’s Andarab region. According to sources, the conflict lasted for an hour. At the same time, sources have reported the occurrence of a conflict between NRF forces and the Taliban in Takhar province. Recently, clashes between NRF forces and the Taliban has increased in various parts of Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

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A year of the Taliban: Afghanistan’s tragedy continues

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Japan Times: The Taliban again govern in Kabul, but the group does not control the entire country. Warlords are powerful. There is a chance of renewed civil war. The Taliban could improve their position by honoring promises to moderate their excesses and govern in ways that benefit all the people of Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban marks Afghanistan’s Independence Day

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King Amanullah Khan

Ariana: Marking 103 years of independence from Britain, Mullah Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, acting defense minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) [Taliban], on Friday warned against efforts to divide Afghans. “They are trying to divide us along regional, religious and linguistic lines and cause infighting among ourselves so that they achieve their evil goals. We should never let anyone do this. We should be vigilant,” Mujahid said. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Kidnap, Torture Five Children in Panjshir

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Taliban fighters (file photo)

8am: This incident happened on Thursday (August 18th) in Abdullah Khel valley, Dara district. These children were beaten up by the Taliban when they were taking their cattle to pasture. Sources state that due to the severity of the beating, one of these children’s collarbones was broken. Click here to read more (external link).

The U.S. War in Afghanistan Still Isn’t Over

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Chris Mason via The National Interest: One year ago, I wrote in these pages that the war in Afghanistan was not over. As many as 5,000 Afghan soldiers who the United States trained were still fighting in Panjshir Province, the last redoubt against the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, and I said that the United States as a nation had an obligation to support them. The current administration chose to leave Afghanistan instead, effectively abandoning our allies. The original Taliban mindset is fully back in power; girls’ secondary schools are closed, women may not travel without a male overseer, the free press has been shut down, and extrajudicial killings are on the rise. The Biden administration has been clear that it wants no role in a continuing civil war in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

World Must End Waiting for Reopening of Girls’ Schools in Afghanistan: Barr

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Heather Barr

8am: Associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, Heather Barr, says that the international community should not wait for the reopening of girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan, adding that the world must respond and act to this issue. Heather Barr tweeted on Thursday (August 18) that the doors of girls’ schools above the sixth grade may not be opened soon and expecting this to happen without practical pressure on the Taliban is not achievable. Barr has stated this in response to the statements of the Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid that said that there is a dispute of thoughts among religious scholars regarding the opening of girls’ schools. Click here to read more (external link).

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Back to black: What Afghanistan’s new focus on coal tells us

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openDemocracy: The Afghan official told openDemocracy that the country’s mines are “labour intensive, don’t use high technology and machinery and only provide risky work, without safeguards or insurance”. “But,” they added, explaining how such mines continue to find willing workers, “so many Afghans are starving, they don’t even care about their own life”. Click here to read more (external link).

511 dead, 3,700 injured in flash floods over the past year in Afghanistan

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Ariana: State Ministry for Natural Disasters Management officials said 511 people have died and more than 3,700 people have been injured during the past year in flash floods across Afghanistan. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, officials said more than 23,000 residential areas and 66,700 acres of agricultural land were destroyed and almost 8,000 livestock were killed in these floods. Click here to read more (external link).

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Iran Deports Nearly 3,000 Afghan Refugees

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8am: Local sources in Nimruz province have reported that during the past seven days, nearly 3,000 Afghan immigrants have been deported from Iran. Almost 2,844 Afghan immigrants have entered Nimruz province from the Silk Bridge on the Afghan–Iranian border, sources said on Thursday, August 18. Forced deportation, harassment, and pushing the refugees behind the wall within the Iran territories have been very normal and usual practices against the refugees. Click here to read more (external link).