Taliban Spreads Panic in Central Afghanistan: Arrests, Tortures and Extortions Intensify in Behsud, Maidan Wardak

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8am: For the past two weeks, the Taliban have been harassing the residents of Behsud of Maidan Wardak province on charges of vague and baseless pretexts. Local sources claim that the Taliban have recently arrested, tortured and extorted a large sum of money from the residents of Hesa-i-Awal and Markazi Bihsud districts. According to the residents, in most cases, the Taliban detains residents of the two districts of Maidan Wardak on charges of collaborating with Abdul Ghani Alipour, a former local commander. The detainees are being tortured and beaten “to death.” Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Kills Two Students in Andarab Baghlan

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8am: Local sources in Baghlan province have reported that the Taliban are detaining, torturing, and shooting innocent civilians in Andarab district of Baghlan province. Sources told Hasht- e Subh that the Taliban shot dead two young students last night in one of the villages of Andarab. According to sources, the victims were students of a madrassa and had no ties to any armed group. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghan Women Protest New Burqa Decree Despite Taliban Threats

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
May 10, 2022

KABUL — Around a dozen women’s rights activists have protested a Taliban order making it mandatory for women to wear the all-covering burqa, including face veils, when they are in public.

The women marched through the streets of the capital, Kabul, on May 10 holding signs calling for justice despite intimidation attempts by Taliban operatives, who threatened them with violence.

“We were faced with harsh behavior by the Taliban. It was terrifying…They even told us if we move one step forward, they will fire 30 rounds at us,” one women said in a video made by the group, called Afghanistan’s Powerful Women’s Movement.

The decree, announced on May 7, calls for women to only show their eyes and recommends they wear the head-to-toe burqa. Head scarves are common for most Afghan women, but in urban areas such as Kabul, many do not cover their faces.

Failure to comply will result in a woman’s father or closest male relative being reprimanded, imprisoned, or fired from employment.

It immediately sparked criticism from many Afghans and the international community amid an outcry over the erosion of human rights in the country, especially for women and girls.

“Under the latest draconian decree, Afghan women are ordered to follow full veil and avoid unnecessary movement. This violates fundamental human rights of women to chose what to wear & move freely,” Amnesty International’s South Asia department said in a tweet a day after the measures were announced.

“Despite continued assurance of Taliban de-facto authorities that they respect women & girls rights, millions of women & girls are exposed to systematic gender based discrimination,” it added.

Girls have been banned from school beyond the sixth grade in most of the country since the Taliban’s return last August. In March, the Taliban ordered girls’ high schools closed on the morning they were scheduled to open.

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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Clashes Escalate in Different Parts of Panjshir Province

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8am: It has been for four days that the clashes have been escalated in different parts of Panjshir province between the Taliban and Resistance Front forces, sources have reported. Last night, the Resistance Front forces killed and injured nearly 100 Taliban fighters in an ambush while the Taliban were trying to enter Dara Abdullah khail district. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Rebels Kill 10 Civilians in Andarab Baghlan

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8am: Local sources in Deh Salah district of Andarab in Baghlan province have confirmed that the Taliban killed 7 civilians last night and took away 10 others to an unknown place. Last night, the Taliban fighters killed the innocent civilians in revenge when the Resistance Front forces attacked the Taliban’s vehicle in Qassan valley of Deh Salah district, according to sources. Click here to read more (external link).

WFP: Record Levels of Hunger Persist in Afghanistan

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Tolo News: The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has once again warned of an increase in hunger in Afghanistan, saying that almost half of Afghanistan’s population is facing acute hunger. According to a WFP report, the prolonged drought and deep economic crisis will threaten the livelihoods of millions of people across Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

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Deported Refugees in Islam Qala Border: Taliban Filters Refugees from Panjshir During the Investigation

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Taliban fighters (file photo)

8am: With the rise in attacks of the National Resistance Front forces on Taliban bases in Panjshir province, the Taliban have been harassing ordinary civilians on the bases of their ethnic affiliation for the past couple of weeks in different parts of the country. Click here to read more (external link).

NRF: Taliban Defeated in Andarab Baghlan

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Sibghatullah Ahmadi

8am: The National Resistance Front has claimed that its forces have defeated the Taliban fighters in clashes in areas of Andarab, Baghlan province. According to Sibghatullah Ahmadi, the NRF spokesman, the Resistance Front forces in attack and defense in the areas of Pol-e Hesar, Khair Dara, and Dara Jar-e-Andarab, and in some other areas have got victories against the Taliban. Recently, the clashes between the NRF forces and the Taliban have increased in different parts of the country, especially in Andrab Baghlan, Panjshir and Takhar. Click here to read more (external link).

Blackburn: Is Taliban using abandoned U.S. data to target allies in Afghanistan?

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Ripon Advance News Service: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led seven of her Republican colleagues in questioning the State and Defense departments about a disclosure that the Taliban is using biometric data left behind by the United States during its withdrawal from Afghanistan to target American allies who remain in the war-torn nation. Click here to read more (external link).