Tolo News : Tahira Sultani is a coach of Taekwondo and mountaineering sports. She has earned awards at the national level as well as abroad in the past eight years. “Since the Taliban came to power, I was not allowed to exercise. I referred to many sport clubs for training. But, unfortunately, they said that the women’s section is closed,” she said. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – January 5, 2022
Afghan Diplomats Scuffle At Embassy In Rome As Deputy Claims Taliban Appointment
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 5, 2022
Afghanistan’s embassy in Rome says it was forced to call Italian police for help after a sacked Afghan diplomat attacked the ambassador.
The embassy said in a statement on January 5 that the former diplomat — identified as Mohammad Fahim Kashaf — entered the embassy building a day earlier claiming he had been named ambassador by Taliban militants, who seized power from the government in August.
The statement said Kashaf “attacked the ambassador in the presence of an embassy employee but the ambassador defended himself and called the Italian police.”
Kashaf was escorted by police out of the embassy, it added.
The embassy in Italy, like many of Afghanistan’s other diplomatic missions, remains in limbo with most staff still loyal to the Western-backed government toppled by the Taliban.
According to the statement, Kashaf had lost his job recently due to a “lack of commitment to national values and the values of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.” The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the internationally recognized name of the country. The Taliban calls the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
In Kabul, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Taliban-led government denied Kashaf’s appointment as ambassador but also said he had not been dismissed.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the ministry’s records showed Kashaf was appointed first secretary at the embassy in Rome in December 2020, with a contract valid until December next year.
“But the ministry has also not appointed him as ambassador of the Afghan Embassy in Rome. Kashaf’s contract is valid, and his termination is illegal,” Balkhi said in a statement.
The Taliban-led government, which is not recognized by any country, hasn’t appointed new diplomatic representatives to most Afghan diplomatic missions abroad.
With reporting by AFP and BBC Pashto
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.
For Afghan refugees, traditional rugs offer comfort
Chicago Sun Times: Rugs are so central to Afghan culture they often are used as currency. So it is a shock when refugees must leave their rugs behind. Having a traditional rug in their new place can help them adjust. Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghanistan’s blue mountain lakes deserted as tourists stay away
Reuters: The winter landscape around the deep, blue mountain lakes of Band-e-Amir in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan presents an arresting spectacle empty of people – but the absence of visitors is costing locals dearly. Click here to read more (external link).
John Ondrasik releases graphic video for ‘Blood On My Hands’ featuring footage of Afghanistan under Taliban
01/03/21
Abandoned to TalibanAmerican Citizens–100+
Allies–60K+
Afghan Brothers in Arms 200K
Women Rights Decimation 20M
Music Outlawed
LGBTQ hunted
Children sold for food
Accountability – 0Blood On My Hands – White House https://t.co/VMARuBAFy9#AmericansforAfghanistan pic.twitter.com/rTsUBbQvf0
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) January 3, 2022
Fox News: Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik released a graphic and chilling video for his song “Blood On My Hands” in which he uses news footage from around the world to criticize the U.S. government for its hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Durand Line Issues to Be Handled Diplomatically: Qureshi
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Tolo News: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday acknowledged there were “some complications” pertaining to the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border but said that the matter was being discussed with the Islamic Emirate government. “We are not silent. We have fenced the border (with Afghanistan), and it will continue,” Qureshi said in response to a question. Click here to read more (external link).
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Taliban to include suicide attack battalion in new army
Zabihullah Mujahid
Ariana: During an interview with Radio RFE/RL the deputy minister of information and culture and spokesperson of the IEA Zabiullah Mujahid said that the battalion will be part of their special forces and will fall under the defense ministry. “Our Mujahideen, who are in the martyrdom battalions, are also in the army; but they will include Special Forces; all of them will fall under the ministry of defense; these forces will be created in special numbers and will be used for special operations,” Mujahid told RFE/RL. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – January 4, 2021
VOA Unpacked: Afghanistan Full Circle
Since its emergence as an independent kingdom in 1919, Afghanistan has experienced cycles of internal strife, often reflecting the tension between those pushing for modernization and liberalization (particularly with respect to women’s rights), and tribal and religious leaders fighting for a conservative, traditional Muslim society. Invasions by foreign powers also contributed to decades of continuous violence in the country. In this video, VOA explores the circle of these conflicts over the past century.