Brian Mast, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, stated on Wednesday that contrary to the statements made by the Biden administration and the Taliban, former Afghan security forces are systematically and purposefully being killed in Afghanistan.
He accused the Biden administration of dishonesty, alleging that they do not acknowledge the reality of the targeted killings of former security forces and other former colleagues of the U.S. government in Afghanistan.
The Taliban has rejected reports from reputable international organizations and news agencies regarding the killing and torture of former security forces, attributing it to personal vendettas.
Mr. Mast referred to numerous reports from international organizations and stated that these pieces of evidence confirm the deliberate killing of former security forces.
The U.S. Congress Foreign Affairs Committee held a meeting to examine the Taliban’s reprisals against former Afghan military associates of the United States.
This gathering was attended by Republicans, Democrats, and veteran supporters of these local associates, as well as an Afghan journalist.
Brian Mast emphasized the efforts being made by the United States to investigate the Taliban’s reprisals against their former associates in Afghanistan.
Despite the Taliban’s announcement of a general amnesty following their takeover in August 2021, over 200 former Afghan soldiers and officials have been extrajudicially killed.
In its first report since the Taliban’s takeover two years ago, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented 800 cases of serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, a significant number of former security forces from the Afghan army and police have fled to neighbouring countries. They have been driven by concerns over security threats, potential reprisals by the Taliban, and the challenging economic and financial conditions prevailing in the country.
Former Afghanistan Security Forces targeted in Killings, says US Congressman
BBC Newsnight previously revealed that more than 200 members of the Triples who had fled to Paksitan were facing deportation
Former Afghan special forces who served alongside the British but were denied relocation to the UK will have their cases re-examined, the government says.
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said ineligible applications with credible claims of links to Afghan specialist units would be reassessed.
The so-called “Triples” were elite units set up, funded and run by the UK.
But hundreds had their relocation claims denied following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Campaigners have been fighting for them ever since the Taliban swept into Kabul in August 2021, with one describing the government announcement as “a momentous decision and a life-changing day.”
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was launched in April 2021 for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK government in “exposed or meaningful” roles.
Those eligible may relocate to the UK with a partner, dependent children and additional family members who are also deemed eligible, the scheme says.
In a House of Commons statement, Mr Heappey said a review had found inconsistencies in the application of ARAP criteria and “necessary steps” would be taken to rectify this.
He said a new, independent team within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) would carry out the reassessments, adding the UK “owes a debt of gratitude to these brave individuals” who served for, with or alongside British forces in Afghanistan.
‘Duplicitous or incompetent’
Commando Force 333 and Afghan Territorial Force 444 were said to be the elite of the Afghan military.
They were established by the British during the 20-year operation in the country, working “shoulder-to-shoulder” with UK special forces. They were also paid by the British over many years, according to former senior officers who spoke to BBC Newsnight.
When Kabul fell to the Taliban, the Triples were among the last Afghan units standing, even helping to protect British citizens as they fled the capital.
Some managed to escape the country as part of the chaotic evacuation process, but many did not. They had assumed their long association with the British would mean they would be automatically helped under the ARAP scheme, but hundreds of former Triples have ended up stuck in a process described as “a huge miscarriage of justice”.
One campaigner told the BBC it had been “literally hellish”.
“They were so certain they would be taken care of, but to have to go into hiding and see colleagues murdered and not to have received any response or be rejected, was utterly heartbreaking,” they said.
“We failed in our duty of care to these people. These decisions were unlawful. The MoD knew they were unlawful but have just tried to delay the inevitable. They’ve been duplicitous.”
Gen Sir Richard Barrons, who served in the British Army in Afghanistan for over 12 years, previously described the failure of the UK to relocate these soldiers as “a disgrace, because it reflects that either we’re duplicitous as a nation or incompetent”.
Their plight has been the subject of a long-running campaign, with many high-profile military, legal, political and diplomatic supporters. Despite this, the government had until now resisted calls to re-examine their cases.
Just last month, the armed forces minister told the MPs that identification was an issue. Mr Heappey said it was hard to “verify the service of those who just served in the unit rather than explicitly alongside UK personnel”.
While Thursday’s news has been welcomed by campaigners, supporters of the Triples say the delay has cost lives. The exact number is not known, but there are extensive reports of former Triples being attacked, tortured and killed by the Taliban.
“We have lost a number already, not all of them will make it, but for those who do this is the end of two-and-a-half years in hiding. This is finally a ray of hope for them, with the potential to have a life for them and their families.”
Many members of the Triples assumed they would be eligible under the ARAP scheme Mr Heappey said assessing eligibility presented a “unique set of challenges” as the government did not hold employment records and comprehensive information about them.
But he added: “Understanding the depth of feeling ARAP evokes across this place and beyond, we thank members for their ongoing advocacy and support for ARAP. We have that same depth of feeling in the MoD and in government, and we will now work quickly to deliver it.”
Despite Thursday’s announcement, supporters of the Triples who have spoken to the BBC say questions remain about the speed at which those deemed eligible will be brought over, as well as the reason it took so long for the government to change a policy they say was a “shameful betrayal”.
Ex-Afghan special forces to have UK relocation claims re-examined
But Mujahid said that serious fighting took place against Daesh.
The Islamic Emirate in reaction to the United Nations Security Council’s report said that counterterrorism is the main principle of the interim Afghan government.
This comes as the UNSC in its recent report said al-Qaida was reported to have established up to eight new training camps in Afghanistan, including four in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan Provinces, with a new base to stockpile weapons in the Panjshir Valley.
“The greatest threat within Afghanistan still comes from ISIL-K, with its ability to project into the region and beyond,” the report said. “Overall, ISIL-K targeting patterns were directed first against the Shia, then the Taliban, and ultimately civilians.”
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid meanwhile denied the report and said: “From the address of the United Nations, a regular slander program has been created against the Islamic Emirate, and they always spread propaganda against them.” He said in an audio recording that there is no Al-Qaeda base in Afghanistan.
“The stance of the UN is misused. We call on the countries who are members of the UNSC but have good relations with Afghanistan to not allow the reputation of the organization to be harmed,” he said.
“The world says that there are TTP [Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan] and al-Qaida groups but the Taliban says they do not exist. But both sides neither provide evidence nor take any action,” said Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat.
According to the report, “the Taliban are generally sympathetic to TTP aims.”
“Besides supplying weapons and equipment, Taliban rank and file, Al-Qaida core and AQIS fighters assisted TTP forces in cross-border attacks,” the report cited. “Despite the Taliban instructing TTP fighters not to participate in operations outside Afghanistan, many had done so with no apparent consequence. Some Taliban members also joined TTP, perceiving a religious obligation to provide support. Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families receive regular aid packages from the Taliban.”
But Mujahid said that serious fighting took place against Daesh.
“Fighting against Daesh is important for the security of Afghanistan. There has been serious fighting and all of them were eliminated,” he said.
“If they have any allegation they should share it with the Islamic Emirate, media of Afghanistan or at least their own media,” said Abdul Hai Qanat, a political analyst.
Since its arrival to power in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate within nearly the past three years has repeatedly assured the international community that the Afghan soil is not a threat to any country.
Kabul Reacts to UNSC Report, Saying Counter Terrorism Main Principle
Matthew Miller said that Washington wants to see the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan improved.
A US State Department spokesperson said that Washington calls on any country engaged with Kabul to urge improvement on women’s and girls’ rights.
Addressing a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Washington wants to see the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan improved.
“So we very much want to see the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan improved, and we would urge any country that engages with the Taliban to urge improvement on that front,” he said.
Rabia, who is fourteen years old and was in the eighth grade more than two years ago, said that she began studying calligraphy and painting when the schools were closed to girls.
“When I couldn’t go to school, I did not become disappointed, because when Allah closes one door for us, he opens another door and I turn to calligraphy and painting,” she told TOLOnews.
“I ask the Islamic Emirate to immediately reopen schools for girls so that we have a bright future,” Sana, another student, told TOLOnews.
However, the Islamic Emirate said that the rights of all women and girls in the country are guaranteed, adding that the world should consider the cultural differences of the country and define the rights of women and girls.
“It is better that there is interaction. Afghanistan is a safe country and it is an Islamic country which gives rights to its citizens and it is necessary that it should grant rights to its citizens and it is the commitment of the government. However, the rights should be defined — what rights should be ensured. And they should also consider opinion and cultural differences,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman.
Earlier, in a meeting with a number of female education activists, former president Hamid Karzai said that the reopening of girls’ schools and universities was vital to the development of Afghanistan.
Nations Engaged With Kabul Should Urge Women’s Rights: US State Dept
Afghanistan has scored 20 out of 100 in the new index, ranking 162 out of 180 countries and territories.
The Islamic Emirate responded to a Transparency International report by saying that Afghanistan’s ranking of 162nd in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) does not mean that corruption levels have risen in the nation.
Afghanistan has fallen 12 places to 162nd position in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2023 compared to the previous year, Transparency International reported on Tuesday.
The Islamic Emirate spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that Afghanistan is now free of corruption, and if the investigation of the Transparency International was carried out closely in the county, Afghanistan would be in the first place.
“The fact that Afghanistan is ranked 162nd means that very serious steps have been taken against corruption; if they were close here in [Afghanistan], Afghanistan might have been placed first or second, because here transparency and absence from corruption are very evident. It is considered an important achievement from a state that was in the first rank of corruption,” Mujahid said.
Afghanistan has scored 20 out of 100 in the new index, ranking 162 out of 180 countries and territories.
“The reactions of governments to the figures presented by international organizations can sometimes be positive and sometimes negative, but the main thing is that these figures should not be considered useless,” said Sayed Masoud, an economist.
“In reality, presenting these reports serves as a warning about the governance system in the governments, emphasising the need for significant action to address the flaws,” said Najibullah Shamal, an international relations analyst.
Previously, the Islamic Emirate has said that the fight against corruption is one of the most important principles of current governance in Afghanistan.
Islamic Emirate Reacts to Transparency Intl Report
Abdul Latif Nazari, the deputy minister of Economy, referring to DAB said that this bank operates independently.
The Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in a report said that the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) blocked DAB from accessing its assets held in U.S. accounts, and international donors—including the U.S. government—and aid organizations suspended their funding and programming activities in Afghanistan. As a result, Afghanistan fell into economic and humanitarian crises.
SIGAR said: “Since August 2021, using international donor contributions, the UN has purchased, transported, and transferred at least $2.9 billion in cash for use in Afghanistan. The US is the largest international donor to Afghanistan, having provided about $2.6 billion in funding to the UN, other public international organizations (PIOs), and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Afghanistan since August 2021.”
The report added that to alleviate the crises, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls issued seven General Licenses between November 2021 and February 2022 to clarify the sanctions regime and to allow international donors and aid organizations to resume humanitarian and development assistance in Afghanistan.
“Because private Afghan banks and money exchangers typically do not hold large amounts of afghanis (Afghanistan’s national currency), which are needed to purchase goods and services in some parts of the country, the banks and money exchangers often use UN-provided U.S. dollars to purchase afghanis from the Taliban-controlled DAB at currency auctions. Consequently, the Taliban have a large supply of U.S. dollars due to DAB exchanging cash for international aid organizations,” the report said.
“The aid given to Afghanistan by the international community in two and a half years has had a significant impact on the exchange rate and the stability of the exchange rate,” Mir Shekib Mir, an economic analyst, told TOLOnews.
“Unfortunately, due to the political complications, Da Afghanistan Bank does not have a relationship with the Ekman Group, which is a committed institution consisting of seventy financial units, and the relations between the Central Bank of Afghanistan and other banks in the world are still suspended,” Seyar Quraishi, another economic analyst, told TOLOnews.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy said that world aid has been able to reduce economic problems in the past two years, but there is a need to increase aid in the development sector.
Abdul Latif Nazari, the deputy minister of Economy, referring to DAB said that this bank operates independently.
Nazari said: “The aid of the international community in the last two and a half years was not enough, but it has been effective, since the system of the Islamic Emirate is an independent system, so all departments, including DAB, operate independently and are not affected by any trend.”
SIGAR added that in January 2022, to address Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, the UN made its largest appeal for aid for a single country, requesting $4.4 billion to assist over 22 million Afghans.
Factors of Afghan Economic Crisis from SIGAR’s Point of View
It’s 4pm, and 19-year-old Ekil Latifi has been at the indoor cricket centre at Lord’s for eight hours. Nor is she planning on going home any time soon. Having finished her day job with the MCC schools and community team – she arrived two hours early to get in some net practice – she’s now heading for a training session at the gym, which is, to her, one of the perks. How is she not exhausted already? She shrugs. “It’s just my passion.”
Growing up in Afghanistan, Latifi was always sporty. She wanted to be a professional footballer until her early teens, when an injury caused her mother to announce there would be no more kickabouts. She enjoyed volleyball and basketball, but her lack of height held her back. In 2015 she watched her compatriots play Scotland at the men’s Cricket World Cup. There was a bat in her house, and she picked it up with a new purpose.
“I told my best friend, Feroze Afghan, I’ll buy you a ball, and you can bowl at me,” remembers Latifi. “And one day you’ll be the best bowler in the country and I’ll be the best batter.” The pair inspired their group of friends to take up cricket alongside them, and learned all they could from watching it on TV. They played every day, skipped classes, and eventually got themselves entered into a school tournament, which they won. Latifi was named best batter, and Afghan best bowler.
Over the next four years, the pair poured their time and efforts into developing their skills, training at a local football ground because there were no cricket facilities in her home city of Herat. Under the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s programme to develop the country’s first ever women’s team, they were both among 25 women offered professional contracts in 2020. They had not even received the paperwork by the time the Taliban’s return put an end to that dream.
The women’s team fled the country and most of the players – including Afghan – were found new homes in Australia. Only Latifi, then aged 17, came to the UK, and she did so alone. She continues to pursue her dream of a professional career in cricket, whatever that might look like. “If there is any hope of playing for my country, I want to be ready for that,” she says. “That’s why I’m training.”
The desire to reform Afghanistan’s women’s team has been raised repeatedly by the Australia-based players over the past year. While the men’s team was being feted for its best World Cup performance last October, their female counterparts felt their exclusion was being conveniently forgotten about.
A national women’s team training and playing in exile might be an unconventional proposition, but it is not an inconceivable one – many of the male players live away from home on the franchise carousel. As Latifi points out: “The men’s team aren’t mostly in Afghanistan, they’re playing all over the world. So why can’t we live outside the country and play under the flag too?”
Latifi had just finished her year 12 exams when she understood that she and her teammates were in danger. She hid all evidence of her involvement in the game, including the clothes she wore for training: “We were scared that if they knew we played cricket they were going to kill us.” Her mother took the first opportunity that presented itself to get her daughter on a flight out of the country to safety – and Latifi arrived in the UK as a child refugee. She hasn’t seen any of her family since.
A foster family took her in, and she was traumatised and depressed during the months that followed her flight. “And then someone sent my foster mum an email asking if I wanted to play in a cricket tournament, and I said OK,” she says. She took part in the UK segments of a five-day FairBreak tour, which not only brought her pleasure and purpose but introduced her to other women’s players who offered to support her. She now plays for Bexley women, and has toured Ireland with an MCC side.
Ekil Latifi had to flee Kabul for the UK, leaving her family behind. Photograph: James Bailey
“A lot of things happened to me in the past, and if I think about them I’m going to be sad,” she says. “If I think about the future, there are lots of negative questions in my mind, and I feel scared. But if I think about right now, today, I can keep going. I’ve got lots of plans but it’s going to take time and discipline. I believe in myself that one day I’ll be playing professional cricket, if not in the Afghanistan team then elsewhere.”
There is no sporting consensus on how to protest against the Afghanistan government’s flouting of basic rights for women. The International Cricket Council continues to ignore its own anti-discrimination policy and allow Afghanistan full-member status despite its complete failure to fulfil the criteria requiring a national women’s cricket programme. And while Australia have refused to play bilateral fixtures against the men’s side, there are those who now think that boycott should be lifted.
Feroze Afghan, who now plays for Prahran in the Victoria Premier League, was invited to speak to Cricket Australia on the subject in January. She has no issue with the men’s teams playing each other but wants acknowledgment and support of the women’s side.
“I know that there are issues with the men speaking publicly about this back home because of the regime, but they could speak up for us in private,” says Afghan. “They could send an email to the ICC to say we stand with our women’s team, and push them to accept our players here. We haven’t had any support from them and that’s too bad, after all of the times we’ve supported them.”
For Latifi, the men’s team’s improvement and progress through last winter’s World Cup have been an inspiration in their own right. “They have learned from their mistakes, and now they can beat any team,” she says. “If they make our people happy that’s all I want. It shows we can work hard, and dream big.”
Afghanistan cricket exile Ekil Latifi: ‘We were scared they were going to kill us’
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday received the credentials of 42 ambassadors to China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
A day after the Chinese President Xi Jinping accepted the credentials of Bilal Karimi as the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador to Beijing, a US State Department spokesperson fielded questions about the significance of Beijing’s move.
Addressing a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the relationship of the “Taliban” with the international community depends entirely on their actions.
“I think I would let the Chinese Government speak to what this means in terms of their relationship and whether they have formally recognized the Taliban or not. I’ve seen some comments from them to the contrary,” Miller added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday afternoon received the credentials of 42 ambassadors to China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi conveyed greetings and best wishes to the leaders and people of the countries represented by the envoys, emphasizing that China profoundly cherishes its friendship with people around the world.
“It is hoped that ambassadors will have a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China and serve to strengthen the bond of cooperation and build a bridge of communication for bilateral relations. The Chinese government will provide support and convenience for ambassadors to perform their duties,” Xi said.
“Chinese President Xi Jinping has welcomed Bilal Karimi as the ambassador and special representative of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to China while accepting the credentials,” said Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman of the foreign ministry.
According to some political analysts, the acceptance of credentials of Bilal Karimi as the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador to Beijing is important in the recognition of the current Afghan government.
“China has shown interest and with this other countries will also be interested, but I think that these moves of China are only for trade,” Amanullah Hotaki, a political analyst told TOLOnews.
“China has acknowledged a certain amount of confidence from Afghanistan that Afghans are able to interact with Beijing, and China’s acceptance of the Islamic Emirate’s credentials has the message of strengthening the interaction with the Islamic Emirate,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a political analyst said.
The Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Zhao Xing presented his credentials to the Islamic Emirate’s PM Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund in Kabul in September 2023.
However, it has been over two and half years of the Islamic Emirate rule in Afghanistan, no one has recognized the current Afghan government.
US Reacts to China’s Relations with Islamic Emirate
Abid added that the Islamic Emirate is committed to solving the ethnic conflicts and more than 140 other conflicts are getting solved.
Abdul Khaliq Abid, the deputy minister of tribal affairs and borders, in an exclusive interview told TOLOnews that after the Islamic Emirate came to power, 750 ethnic conflicts have been solved in the country.
Abid added that the Islamic Emirate is committed to solving the ethnic conflicts and more than 140 other conflicts are getting solved.
According to the deputy minister, after the Islamic Emirate came to power, people will no longer be allowed to marry off their daughters as retribution for murders committed by her male family members.
He added that this tradition [marrying off girls to compensate for murder] has been stopped across the country.
Regarding solving ethnic feuds, Abid said: “Across the country, 750 big and small conflicts have been resolved. From 10 years to nearly 100 years these conflicts have existed, when several people were killed among these parties, and now they are resolved.
He added that small and big conflicts in Nooristan, Panjshir, Badakhshan and a number of other provinces have been solved and the long-time conflicts have changed to friendship.
According to this official of the ministry, after the Islamic Emirate came to power, no girls have been married off in exchange for murders committed by her family members.
He said: “No one can marry off his daughter or his sister for the murder they committed because God has given a clear verdict for the murderer.”
Meanwhile, a number of analysts consider it important to resolve conflicts in order to unite the citizens of the country.
“By solving ethnic enmities, people will trust the government and ethnic unity will be ensured among the citizens of the country,” Gul Mohammadudin Mohammadi, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.
Abdul Khaliq Abid, the deputy minister of tribal affairs and borders, in this interview added that the rights of all Afghan citizens are guaranteed throughout the country, and claims that the rights of minorities are not protected in the country are not true.
750 Ethnic Conflicts Solved Since Islamic Emirate Rule: Abid
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stated that, in light of the collapse of Afghanistan’s economic system, it has supported 50 women in the central regions of the country in various aspects, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to infrastructure and healthcare services for women.
On Monday, 29th January, this organization released a report, affirming that the goal of UNDP’s development programs is to support women entrepreneurs in strengthening and enriching communities.
Friba, a college student at Bamyan University’s Law School, who couldn’t continue her education due to limitations, expressed to this organization that she wanted to support her family after completing her studies. However, due to the constraints, she has established a small dairy business in a residential complex in Bamyan.
She, who collects raw materials from villages across the region to produce dairy products, emphasized that with the “cessation of dairy product purchases, orders decreased by over 60%, and women in the districts even had to stop raising sheep and cows because there was no demand. I lost hope and considered quitting.”
Friba, expressing her satisfaction with the United Nations development programs, stated, “One of the reasons women are subjected to violence is their lack of economic independence.”
According to the UNDP report, in addition to supporting women entrepreneurs, the organization has also provided them with business opportunities worth over USD 1,500.
This is happening while, after two years, women are still deprived of access to their fundamental rights, including education, work, and active participation.
The United Nations Development Program had previously announced that it has created communal kitchens to provide work opportunities and income.
According to the UNDP development program, the prohibition of women’s work has affected Afghanistan’s economy, causing a blow of 600 million to 1 billion dollars to the country’s economy.
UN emphasizes support for women’s businesses in Afghanistan
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
