Putin
Tolo News: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is attempting to build relations with the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] and that Russia wants to see all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan take part in running the country. He made the statement in a meeting with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon during the Russian leader’s first trip abroad since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: The Taliban have unlawfully and extrajudicially executed civilians for being Hazaras after breaking the lines of the local forces led by Mawlawi Mehdi in Balkhab district, Sar-e-Pul province. According to video clips obtained by Hasht-e Subh on Wednesday (June 29th), Taliban forces in Balkhab district have killed civilians, including miners and shepherds, after interrogating them and noticing that they are Hazaras. The footages, which have apparently been recorded by Taliban members, show a Taliban fighter questioning a civilian about his ethnicity. The Taliban fighter kills the person immediately after noticing that he is a Hazara. Click here to read more (external link).
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It’s been estimated that 95 percent of the medicine in Afghanistan enters the country illegally. According to an investigation by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, a significant portion of the pharmaceuticals come from Iran and are smuggled into Afghanistan on trucks and buses.
Bloomberg: Since the Taliban returned to power last year, the economic collapse of the already-fragile nation had pushed many Afghans to turn to online forex or cryptocurrency trading, partly to preserve their money and keep it out of the group’s reach. The bank has also tweeted a video showing two men in a boxing gym discussing how online trade in foreign currencies was against their Muslim faith. It’s unclear whether the central bank will also ban cryptocurrency trade in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
The Hindu: Aziz Amin, former principal secretary to former President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, said China was wary of the Taliban and its promises and is concerned about the non-State actors in Afghanistan. “All the discussions between China and the Taliban have been as to how to neutralise these threats. But expecting the Taliban to crackdown on the Al-Qaeda and other militant groups will come with political consequences,” he said. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
June 28, 2022
The United Nations’ humanitarian coordination organization, the OCHA, has launched an emergency appeal to help hundreds of thousands of people in areas of Afghanistan devastated by last week’s deadly earthquake.
The 5.9-magnitude quake on June 22 struck villages in the mountainous regions of Paktika and Khost provinces near the country’s border with Pakistan, flattening homes and triggering landslides. At least 1,150 people were killed in the quake, and hundreds more were injured. Tens of thousands were left homeless.
OCHA said that together with its partners it had launched an appeal for $110 million to urgently help 362,000 people for the next 90 days in the hardest-hit areas of Paktika and Khost.
“In addition to the tragic deaths and injuries, the earthquake also destroyed homes, health facilities, schools, and water networks, leaving thousands vulnerable to further harm,” spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters.
He said the appeal was part of this year’s overall Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan.
The plan’s full implementation would require $4.4 billion, but has so far only been 34 percent funded, Laerke said.
“We and our partners are borrowing supplies, personnel, and resources from other humanitarian programs,” the OCHA said in its statement.
On June 25, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths also released $10 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund to help boost the support.
With reporting by AP
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Ariana: Gallup said Afghans’ lives were already in a tailspin before the [Taliban] Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021. Most Afghans were struggling to afford food and shelter, few felt safe, and they saw their lives getting worse with every passing year, it said. Gallup surveys conducted in August and September — as the U.S. withdrew and IEA [Taliban] took control — reveal Afghans were losing the remaining joy that they had, the report said. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban militant (file photo)
8am: Local sources in Maidan Wardak province have confirmed that the Taliban group has seized the aid package and has distributed it to its members, which was the rights of Bamiyan residents. According to reliable sources, more than 100 Taliban members, who are the main residents of Maidan Wardak and whose duties are in Bamiyan province, have transported several food and non-food trucks from Bamiyan to Maidan Wardak province. Click here to read more (external link).