8am: A traffic accident in the Khwaja Ghar district of Takhar province left 3 dead and 2 injured, sources in the province confirm. Sayed Yusuf, a local official in the district confirmed the accident and said it had taken place on Friday night, February 18. Mr. Yusuf has stated the negligence of drivers as the main reason for the traffic accidents. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghan Ambassador to US to Step Down
Raz
Tolo News: The Afghan ambassador in Washington has stepped down from her post, a senior official at the embassy said, calling the new restrictions imposed by the US Department of State on the embassy the reason for her resignation. Adela Raz is the third senior Afghan diplomat who stepped down from her position within the past six months. Previously, the Afghan ambassadors in China and Turkmenistan resigned from their positions. Click here to read more (external link).
Non-payment of Salaries to Traffic Police in Balkh: 30 People Quit Their Jobs
8am: Sources in the traffic department of Balkh province told Hasht-e Subh that about 30 employees of the department had left their jobs after not receiving their seven-month salaries. Sources confirmed that of the 30 traffic police officers, 26 had gone abroad to work and four others had started personal work. Most people who work in government offices provide for their families only with the salary they receive from the government. Because they have not paid the salaries of some government employees, they have faced many problems. Click here to read more (external link).
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Drug Trafficking From Afghanistan Increases by 69%, States Tajikistan
8am: The Tajik government has stated that instability in Afghanistan has boosted the drug market. Drug trafficking has increased by approximately 69 percent since 2021, officials said. Insecurity in Afghanistan exacerbates the problem of drug trafficking, Tajik media reported, citing Tajik authorities. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – February 18, 2022
Measles outbreak kills 157 children in Badakhshan
Ariana: More than 150 children died following the outbreak of measles in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said Friday. Most of the children who died were living in areas with no access to health services. Click here to read more (external link).
US Plans to Launch New Program for Afghan Evacuees
8am: The United States aims to open a new center in Northern Virginia to receive additional Afghan evacuees, Reuters reported. The center is scheduled to open as the government closes down the last of eight sites on military bases that have contained tens of thousands of people evacuated from Afghanistan since August. Click here to read more (external link).
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Child Trapped in Well in Zabul for 3 Days Has Died
Tolo News: A child trapped in a well for three days in the capital of Zabul province has died, officials said on Friday. Haidar, 6, fell into a well in Jaldak village in Qalat city. The photos and videos of the scene in which Haidar was crying went viral on social media. Several rescue teams in cooperation with residents made attempts to rescue Haidar. Click here to read more (external link).
‘Whatever horrors they do, they do in secret’: inside the Taliban’s return to power
Mazar-e Sharif
The Guardian (UK): Mazar, in the 1990s, was the most secular, socially liberal of Afghan cities. In the first two decades of the 21st century, it was dominated by warlords whose militias had defeated the Taliban. During this time, money surged into the city. And yet, last August, Mazar fell to the Taliban even before cities in the Taliban’s southern heartland, such as Kandahar. The reason, in large part, was local anger at the way their city had been run in the previous 20 years. Click here to read more (external link).