Islamic State Bomber Kills Top Taliban Cleric in Kabul

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
August 11, 2022

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — A suicide bombing Thursday at a religious seminary in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, killed a prominent Taliban cleric known for his fiery speeches against Islamic State militants.

A spokesman for the ruling Taliban confirmed the assassination of Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani in what he said was a “brutal enemy attack.”

Bilal Karimi on Twitter described the slain cleric as “the country’s great academic personality.

Reports said the bomber, who had previously lost his leg, detonated explosives hidden in a plastic artificial limb. Taliban authorities said an investigation into the attack was underway.

There were no immediate claims of responsibly for the deadly attack on Haqqani, who would challenge in his speeches the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), an Afghan affiliate of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group fighting Taliban rule and carrying out bombings against the country’s minority Shi’ite Muslims.

ISIS-K emerged in Afghanistan in early 2015. It has intensified attacks across the country since the Taliban seized power almost a year ago.

Haqqani had previously survived two unclaimed assassination attempts, including one in neighboring Pakistan. In media interviews, the religious leader had suspected at the time ISIS-K was behind the attacks.

The religious leader, like many senior members of the Afghan Taliban, graduated from Darul UloomHaqqania, a major religious seminary near the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Taliban Rebels Kill Two Addicts in Kabul

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Taliban militant (file photo)

8am: Sources report the killing of two drug addicts by the Taliban in Joy Shir area of ​​Kabul city. On Wednesday, sources said that Taliban fighters first beat up two addicts and then one of the Taliban fighters hit one of the addicts with a knife and when the addict ran away, the Taliban fighter followed him and stabbed him with a knife for the second and third time. Then, the other addict was shot and injured by another Taliban rebel, sources said. Click here to read more (external link).

‘I am still president of Afghanistan’, Ghani says in TV interview

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Ashraf Ghani (left) and Zalmay Khalilzad (right)

Ariana: Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the former president of Afghanistan, said in the first television interview since he fled the country on August 15 last year that according to the country’s constitution, he is still technically the country’s president. In an interview with the newly established ABN channel, Ghani said: “I am the president according to the constitution and until the people of Afghanistan legally elect someone else, I am the president.” In addition, Ghani stated that all politicians had a part in the downfall of the previous regime and he accuses Abdullah Abdullah, the former head of the National Reconciliation Council, for destabilizing the republic system. He also criticized Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for Afghanistan who led peace talks with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [Taliban] and secured the Doha agreement in February 2020. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Commander Rapes a Woman in Takhar Province

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8am: Local sources in Takhar province have reported that a Taliban commander has raped a woman in this province. This Taliban commander’s name is Gulzar Gajar, he had entered the victim’s house under the pretext of the house-to-house search operation. Due to the fear of the Taliban, the localities and villagers have remained silent and the case has not been investigated. Click here to read more (external link).

The U.S. lost track of why it was in Afghanistan, former commander says

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McKenzie (file photo)

NPR: Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie: I will tell you, I don’t believe Afghanistan is ungovernable. I believe Afghanistan is ungovernable with the Western model that will be imposed on it. And so I think that’s sort of what draws out to me. We lost track of why we were there, and we did not keep the main thing the main thing. Click here to read more (external link).

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Sold off: the Trafficked Children of Afghanistan

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DW: Poverty has run rampant in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. So much so that an ever-increasing number of Afghan parents are being forced into trafficking their own children. Be it to childless couples, as brides or even as fighters for radical Islamic groups. Most of the affected children come from internally displaced families: forced to flee from the Taliban or because they could no longer make a living in their home regions. Click here to read more (external link).

 

Afghan Girls’ Lives ‘Shattered’ Since Return Of Taliban, Says New Report

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
August 10,  2022

A humanitarian group says that one year into the return to power of the Taliban, Afghan girls have been confronted with a grave economic crisis, a crippling drought, and new restrictions that have shattered their lives, excluding them from society and leaving them hungry.

As a result, a quarter of Afghan girls are showing signs of depression, Save the Children said in a new report on August 10.

The report, titled Breaking Point: Life For Children One Year Since The Taliban Takeover, found that a whopping 97 percent of families are struggling to provide enough food for their children and almost 80 percent of children said they had gone to bed hungry in the past month.

Girls were almost twice as likely as boys to frequently go to bed hungry, and eat less in general.

Hunger is affecting children’s health and development, with 90 percent of the girls saying that less and less food over the past year caused them to lose weight and lack energy to work or even play.

The girls’ mental and psychosocial well-being has also been endangered seriously, the report said.

According to the research for the report, 26 percent of girls are showing signs of depression compared with 16 percent of boys, while 27 percent of girls are presenting symptoms of anxiety compared with 18 percent of boys.

Since taking power following the withdrawal of NATO-led forces in August last year, the Taliban has failed to achieve recognition for its government, with many in the West demanding that the group respect the rights of women and minorities in the country.

Billions of dollars in international aid were blocked, foreign currency reserves were frozen, and the banking system collapsed.

Furthermore, since the militant group’s return to power, thousands of secondary school girls were ordered to stay home, reversing years of progress for gender equality.

Girls interviewed by Save the Children expressed disappointment and anger over the fact that they can no longer go to school and said they felt hopeless about their future because they don’t have the rights and freedoms they had previously.

More than 45 percent of the girls interviewed by the humanitarian group said they’re not attending school, compared with 20 percent of boys.

“Life is dire for children in Afghanistan, one year since the Taliban took control. Children are going to bed hungry night after night. They’re exhausted and wasting away, unable to play and study like they used to,” said Chris Nyamandi, Save the Children’s Country Director in Afghanistan.

“Girls are bearing the brunt of the deteriorating situation. They’re missing more meals, suffering from isolation and emotional distress, and are staying home while boys go to school. This is a humanitarian crisis, but also a child rights catastrophe,” Nyamandi said.

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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Taliban Orders Residents of Zabul to Prevent Women From Attending Wedding Parties

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8am: The Taliban’s virtue promoters have started their social campaign in the center of Zabul province. Local sources in Zabul province said on Wednesday (August 10th) that the so-called Taliban’s virtue promoters, using loudspeakers mounted on cars, asked the men of Zabul not to allow their wives to attend wedding parties. Click here to read more (external link).