A Hero the Taliban Didn’t Expect
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).
Tag Archives: Ethnic descrimination
International Mother Language Day: Concerns Over Unfair and Exclusionary Language Policies in Afghanistan
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).
The Taliban’s War on Persian: When the Language Cannot Coexist with Pashto and English
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
Taliban confirm four killed in Takhar gold mine clashes
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
Linguistic Purge from Streets to Universities: How the Taliban Are Translating Proper Names
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
Taliban Have Sidelined Thousands Of Tajik & Uzbek Fighters
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).
Admission of Arbitrary Arrests and Torture Fuels Growing Internal Dissent Within the Taliban Over Intelligence Practices
8am: For years, the Taliban repeatedly denied torturing or humiliating prisoners in their detention facilities. An audio document obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily challenges those claims. In the recording, a local Taliban official openly confirms that Taliban intelligence tortures detainees and carries out arbitrary arrests. The document reveals that many people are detained and
Taliban Shake-Up in Badakhshan: Pashtun-Origin Fighters Seize Control of Border Regions and Mines
8am: The Taliban started replacing their Tajik-origin fighters with Pashtun-origin ones after militants from the group killed five Chinese citizens in Tajikistan. Sources reveal that the group decided to transfer and disarm some Tajik-origin fighters. At the same time, they stripped local Taliban members of duties like collecting mine revenues and distributing land for extraction.
Taliban’s cabinet largely dominated by leaders from Kandahar
Amu: The provincial skew underscores what critics describe as the Taliban’s insular and exclusionary approach to governance. Cabinet roles are overwhelmingly filled by ethnic Pashtuns from the south and southeast, while much of the country — including major provinces such as Kabul, Nangarhar, Herat, and Balkh — are entirely absent from the cabinet’s makeup. Women,
Removal of the Uzbek Language from Jawzjan University’s Signboard: A Stark Symbol of Taliban Linguistic Discrimination and Hostility
8am: Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, former First Vice President, reacted to the removal of the Uzbek language from the Jawzjan University plaque, stating that this act has further revealed the discriminatory nature of the Taliban. According to him, such measures are an insult to the identity and culture of the country’s Turkic communities and inflict