ISIS Is Stinking of Desperation Right Now

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ISIS in Afghanistan

ISIS members in Afghanistan – photo by PBS

Daily Beast: While on the surface, ISIS’s shift toward mass-casualty attacks, accompanied by a targeted anti-Taliban media campaign, can be seen as signals of confidence—it’s far more likely that the group is acting out of pure desperation. Both locally and globally, the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan threatens ISIS in profound new ways, and marks yet another major defeat from which ISIS will likely not recover. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban Requests Mattresses and Pillows from Ghor Residents

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8am: Sources in the Bura-Khana area of the provincial capital told Hasht-e Subh that the demands of the Taliban, in addition to the long-running war, drought, and lack of facilities, have made life bitter for them. Ghor residents say they will face harsh treatment from the Taliban if they do not deliver the mentioned items. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghan Wins Gold Medal at Intl Taekwondo Contest

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Tolo News: Afghan athlete Ghulam Murtaza Saleh won a taekwondo gold medal after six victories in Pakistan’s G-1 Taekwondo Championship 2021. Saleh defeated four of his Pakistani rivals, one Albanian and an Egyptian athlete to earn the gold medal in the competition. Click here to read more (external link).

Other Sports News 

Investigate the Beating of Allah Gul Mujahid, Says Taliban PM

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Allah Gul arrested by Taliban

8am: On Tuesday, November 9, the Prime Minister of the Taliban Mohammad Hasan Akhund ordered the General Directorate of Taliban Intelligence to precisely inquire into the case of the arrest and beating of the former representative of Parliament Allah Gul Mujahid and to bring the perpetrators to justice. Click here to read more (external link).

U.S.-Trained Afghan Pilots Preparing To Leave On Flight From Tajikistan

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By RFE/RL’s Tajik Service
November 9, 2021

Around 150 U.S.-trained Afghan pilots are preparing to depart Tajikistan to be relocated to the United States after nearly three months of detention, pilots and U.S. Embassy officials said.

The 143 pilots and about 50 other Afghans, including journalists, are waiting at the airport in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, for a flight organized by the U.S. government that appears to have been delayed, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported on November 9.

A U.S. Embassy representative told RFE/RL that the group will be taken to a third country for processing before being granted immigration rights in the United States.

The flight could arrive today or in the coming days, pilots and embassy officials said.

Among pilots the pilots are two women, one of whom is pregnant.

“The U.S. Embassy is working to expedite their departure from Tajikistan,” an embassy spokesperson said.

The Afghan Air Force pilots fled to Tajikistan in military planes when the Taliban seized power in Kabul in mid-August, only to be detained at a sanatorium on the outskirts of Dushanbe.

The English-speaking pilots trained by the U.S. Air Force have been waiting for their documents to be processed to eventually be relocated in the United States.

RFE/RL reported in October that the Taliban has pressured some of the pilots to return to Afghanistan by threatening to kill their relatives.

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Ahmad Massoud in Iran for talks

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Massoud

News18: The National Resistance Front (NRF) leader Ahmad Massoud is reportedly in Iran . Reports say that Massoud travelled to Iran to meet former Afghan cabinet minister, Ismail Khan. Ismail Khan fought against Taliban fighters before the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani govt in August. Click here to read more (external link).

Related

CNN report about the marriage of a 9-year old girl with a 55-year old man for money is a ‘TV Drama’ and ‘Fake News’.

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Aamaj News Revealed; CNN report about the marriage of a 9-year old girl with a 55-year old man for money is a ‘TV Drama’ and ‘Fake News’.

After several days investigation Aamaj News attained the information which indicates that the CNN report about the marriage of a 9-year old girl named Parwana with a 55-year old man named Qurban for money is a fake news. Sources confirm to Aamaj News that this incident was an artificial scenario and nothing else. The sources say Abdul Malek father of Parwana is actually nephew of that 55-year old man the certain Qurban.

Aamaj News reporter interviewed Parwana’s father Abdul Malek, and he accepted that Qurban is his uncle, but said that he sold Parwana for Af 350000 to his uncle, and has received Af 150000 so far.

US Envoy Starts Trip to Discuss Way Forward on Crisis-hit Afghanistan

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
November 8, 2021

ISLAMABAD — The United States’ special representative for Afghanistan Monday began his first trip to Europe and Asia to discuss developments in the South Asian nation, where almost 23 million people, including children, are threatened with starvation.

Ambassador Thomas West’s first stop will be Brussels where his discussions with allies and partners will focus on the way forward on Afghanistan.

“I look forward to advancing America’s vital interests and supporting the Afghan people,” West said in a pre-trip tweet. “The international community must act together to be effective,” the U.S. envoy stressed.

The United Nations has warned that more than half of Afghanistan’s estimated 40 million population is likely to go hungry this winter unless more funds are forthcoming from donors. The World Food Program said in a statement Monday that fuel costs are up, food prices are soaring, fertilizer is more expensive, and all of this feeds into the unfolding Afghan crisis.

The return to power of the Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan last August after the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops has plunged the country into an economic crisis and increased Afghan humanitarian needs to unprecedented levels, which stem from years of war and a prolonged widespread drought.

The international community has refused to grant diplomatic recognition to the Taliban government mainly over human rights concerns under the Islamist movement’s rule.

The absence of legitimacy led to suspension of several billions of dollars in annual foreign assistance to Kabul and blocked the Taliban’s access to about $10 billion in Afghan assets, mostly held in the U.S. Federal Reserve. The sanctions have made it extremely difficult for the Taliban to pay salaries or import essential goods.

Dilemma Over Taliban

Analysts say Washington and other Western governments have few good options in Afghanistan: They can either try to work with the Taliban, and in effect collude with human rights violations, or watch the worsening crisis from afar and see 20 years of development work reversed.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in an interview CNN aired on Sunday, noted that Washington remains the largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan and provided nearly a half-billion dollars in funding just this year alone.

The advisor defended the reliance on aid organizations, arguing the Biden administration was “not yet in a position to be able to provide money directly” through the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.

“We think that is the best way to actually help the people of Afghanistan without creating a circumstance in which some of those funds could be used for purposes that are problematic to the national security interest of the United States,” Sullivan said.

“Until we see a substantially improved approach to everything from inclusive government to other elements that we are discussing with them (the Taliban) regularly, our focus, our emphasis is going to continue to be on providing funding in the hundreds of millions of dollars just this year alone and to mobilize the rest of the international community through international organizations and non-governmental organizations,” he added.

Sunday, the Taliban appointed 43 provincial governors and police chiefs in a bid to solidify their rule.

The Islamist group formed an interim government in Kabul in September, but the global community has been pressing the Taliban to install a governance set up that represents all Afghans, including women and minorities.

The Taliban have dismissed criticism of their government and repeatedly assured the global community they will protect human rights of all Afghans, including women and minorities. The Islamist group has demanded diplomatic recognition and unfreezing of Afghan assets abroad to be able to prevent an economic meltdown and provide urgent assistance to those in need.

“What the Taliban should note is that they risk remaining unrecognized by the international community like last time if they don’t bring non-Taliban into governance posts in Afghanistan, and that will not be good news for the country,” Torek Farhadi, a political analyst and former Afghan government adviser, told VOA.

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