Afghanistan International: Local sources in Badakhshan tell Afghanistan International that the Taliban have detained several individuals, including relatives of a number of the group’s ethnic Tajik commanders, amid an ongoing dispute over gold. According to these sources, those detained include Khaled, a nephew of Mawlawi Amanuddin Mansoor, the Taliban’s governor in Helmand; Musa Kaka, a
8am: Baloch residents of Nimroz province are raising complaints about what they describe as discriminatory and double-standard treatment by the Taliban. They say that years of drought had pushed most people in Nimroz to rely on informal fuel imports for their livelihoods, while others worked in passenger transport or guided laborers crossing smuggling routes into
8am: Recently, a video has been circulated on social media that indicates systematic ethnic discrimination and has triggered widespread reactions. The young man who recorded the video says that his father was discharged from an operating room bed at a hospital in Kandahar solely because he was Hazara, without undergoing surgery, and was told that
8am: Several citizens of Afghanistan have complained about negligence and disorder in offices under Taliban control. They say that improper, arbitrary, and unprofessional conduct are among the serious problems in these offices. According to them, in many cases, visitors who are not proficient in Pashto are not treated properly by Taliban staff. These citizens further
NYT: A triumph in indoor soccer has turned Alireza Ahmadi, 17, and other players from the Hazara minority, long marginalized in Afghanistan, into national heroes. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: The majority of Persian speakers and speakers of other commonly used languages in the country have expressed concern over what they describe as unfair and exclusionary language policies of past ruling authorities, as well as the language policies of the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: The inauguration of a major hospital in Kabul could have been a positive development in itself, especially under a regime whose name is synonymous with violence, bloodshed, and a detachment from public service. Yet, by omitting Persian from the hospital’s signage, the Taliban turned what should have been a celebrated moment into a source
Amu: Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Taliban-run interior ministry, said three local residents and one employee of a mining company were killed in fighting in Chah Ab district. Five others were wounded, he said. Qani said the Taliban deputy governor for Takhar had travelled to the area to investigate the incident. Mining operations at
8am: For more than four years, the Taliban have systematically erased Persian words and expressions from schools, universities, and even city streets. In recent days, images shared on social media have revealed a new phase of this effort. Taliban authorities have removed urban signboards in Kabul, rearranged text, replaced Persian with Pashto, and gone so
Afghanistan International: The United Nations Security Council says the Taliban have dismissed thousands of their Tajik and Uzbek fighters, particularly in provinces with large Tajik and Uzbek populations. It follows a 20 percent reduction in the group’s security forces. Click here to read more (external link).