Current News Articles | Page 17 | Afghanistan peace campaign

ICRC warns of “Severe” Humanitarian Crisis for millions in Afghanistan

January 23, 2025 Current News Articles

Khaama Press

January 23, 2025

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that millions of people in Afghanistan are facing a “severe” humanitarian situation.

On Thursday, January 23, the ICRC posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), stating that many families in Afghanistan are currently unable to meet their basic needs.

The committee also pointed out that with the winter cold setting in, many families are struggling to heat their homes.

This comes as international humanitarian organizations have continuously raised alarms about the increasing need for aid to the Afghan people.

Previously, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan published a report stating that in 2025, around 5.8 million people in Afghanistan will require emergency shelter and non-food items, with a need for $179 million to address these needs.

Additionally, aid organizations in Afghanistan have warned about halting their operations due to budget shortages in the country.

According to the World Food Programme, approximately 15 million people in Afghanistan are facing a crisis and severe food insecurity this winter.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues to worsen as winter sets in, further complicating the already dire living conditions for millions of families.

Urgent international support and funding are needed to prevent even more widespread suffering, with organizations calling for immediate action to meet the escalating needs of the Afghan population.

ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban supreme leader and Chief Justice

January 23, 2025 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

January 23, 2025

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that arrest warrants have been issued for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice.

Karim Khan, in a statement published on the ICC’s official website, confirmed that his office has submitted two requests for arrest warrants to the ICC’s Second Pre-Trial Chamber.

As of now, the Taliban has not issued an official statement regarding the ICC’s request for arrest warrants against its leaders, Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

The statement mentioned that the gathered evidence provided reasonable grounds to believe that “Akhundzada and Haqqani are criminally responsible for crimes against humanity and gender-based violence.”

According to Karim Khan, his office concluded that these two Afghan nationals are responsible for the persecution and torture of Afghan girls and women, as well as individuals who do not conform to the Taliban’s ideological views on gender identity.

The statement further noted that the abuse and torture of Afghan women and their allies have been ongoing throughout Afghanistan since August 2021 (the fall of Kabul).

*Leader of the Islamic Emirate Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada (PHOTO: Social Media)*

The continuous abuse has deprived Afghan women of their fundamental rights, including physical integrity, freedom of movement, education, privacy, family life, and the right to free assembly, in violation of international law.

Karim Khan’s office also stated that the Taliban has committed other crimes, including murder, imprisonment, torture, sexual assault, forced disappearances, and other inhuman acts.

The statement emphasized that the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law should not and cannot justify the deprivation of basic human rights.

So far, the Taliban has not officially responded to the arrest requests for its leaders.

Karim Khan’s office has expressed its readiness to cooperate fully in efforts to arrest the Taliban leaders if the ICC judges issue the arrest warrants and has called on ICC member states to assist in enforcing the warrants.

Investigations into the actions of the Taliban and ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan are ongoing. Karim Khan’s office remains committed to ensuring that the Afghan people, who have long suffered injustice, receive accountability and justice.

NRC: Engagement with Afghan Authorities Key to Restoring Women’s Rights

January 23, 2025 Current News Articles

Hadia Ziaei

Tolo News

22 Jan 2025

The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on these statements by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has stated that restoring human rights for Afghan women and girls requires engagement with the caretaker government of Afghanistan.

Jan Egeland, the head of NRC, has called on the international community to engage with the current Afghan authorities and increase their support for principled humanitarian aid.

He added that the lack of engagement by many countries with Afghanistan’s caretaker government not only results in the imposition of further restrictions but also increases migration.

Egeland stated: “Restoring human rights for women and girls requires engagement with the Afghan authorities. More seminars in Western capitals will have little impact. We urge the international community to engage with the authorities in Afghanistan, like we do, and increase their support for principled humanitarian assistance, for which the authorities must create an enabling environment. Many countries’ continued disengagement with authorities in Afghanistan is only enabling more restrictions and suffering for the women, girls and families here – many of whom see no option but to risk their lives on perilous journeys.”

Regarding this issue, Nageena Daneshjoo said: “Considering the problems we Afghan girls face, along with immense stress and anxiety, we urge the Islamic Emirate to take more serious action regarding the situation of Afghan girls.”

Women’s rights activist Bahara Ataee also stated: “If engagement takes place, countries must ensure that these interactions lead to the strengthening of human rights, especially the rights of Afghan women and girls, with a primary focus on their basic needs.”

During his visit to Afghanistan, Egeland warned that after decades of conflict, crippling economic collapse, and devastating climate shocks, the country is not prepared to accommodate millions of people who may face deportation from neighboring countries in the coming months.

Former diplomat Aziz Maaraj said: “Human rights must be upheld in Afghanistan, especially women’s rights regarding work and employment, and schools should be reopened for Afghan girls. Unless this issue is resolved, further problems will arise in Afghanistan, affecting the economic, social, migratory, and even political and security sectors.”

The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on these statements by the Norwegian Refugee Council. However, it has previously emphasized its desire to maintain good relations and expand engagement with all countries worldwide.

Afghan refugees feel abandoned after Trump executive order halts flights

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

By Rick Noack, Haq Nawaz Khan and Abigail Hauslohner

The Washington Post

January 22, 2025

The fate of tens of thousands of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the U.S. hangs in the balance after Trump suspended the refugee admissions program.

President Donald Trump’s executive order this week suspending the U.S. refugee admissions program has left in limbo tens of thousands of Afghans who were hoping to start new lives in America.

Under President Joe Biden, nearly 200,000 Afghans were resettled in the United States, according to the State Department — most of them evacuated during or soon after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal in 2021, when the Taliban seized control of the country. Tens of thousands of men and women who had worked for the U.S. military, American diplomats or government-funded organizations were left behind.

Between 40,000 and 60,000 Afghans around the world are actively seeking resettlement in the United States, and thousands had already received U.S. government approval, estimated Shawn VanDiver, the president of AfghanEvac, a volunteer organization formed during the U.S. withdrawal that has helped Afghans flee the country. About 1,700 people were expected to be moved out of Afghanistan over the next four months, he added.

“These are folks who for one reason or another are at risk because of their association with the United States — and they’re hiding because they’re scared,” VanDiver said. They include family members of Afghans serving in the U.S. military, as well as women and minorities who fear persecution under the Taliban.

The U.S. president has broad authority to decide how many refugees are admitted to the country in a given year, and to allocate funding for resettlement. During his first term, Trump dramatically reduced refugee admissions, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. Biden swiftly raised the admissions ceiling when he took office in 2021, but it took years to build up the country’s resettlement capabilities. In the last fiscal year of Biden’s presidency, the United States took in just over 100,000 refugees from around the world.

Trump’s executive order, which suspends the refugee admissions program in its entirety, did not mention specific nationalities, and did not explicitly target Special Immigrant Visas, or SIVs — reserved for Afghans who directly supported the 20-year U.S. war effort, including as military interpreters. VanDiver said he was optimistic that families would continue to arrive under the SIV program, which brought in more than 30,000 Afghans in fiscal 2024.

The State Department declined to comment for this article. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Afghans and their advocates are bracing for the worst. On Wednesday morning, AfghanEvac posted screenshots to X of a State Department letter sent to groups that coordinate refugee resettlement. “All previously scheduled travel of refugees to the United States is being cancelled, and no new travel bookings will be made,” it read in part.

Danilo Zak, the policy director at Church World Service, an official U.S. resettlement agency, told The Washington Post on Wednesday that “flight cancellations, including for refugee minors … began rolling in this morning.”

VanDiver said his phone hasn’t stopped ringing, as those affected try to make sense of what to do next. Many fled to neighboring Pakistan months or years ago and are running out of money. They say they can’t afford another delay.

“This is so disheartening,” said Spesali Zazai, a 52-year-old Afghan woman. She has been stuck in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan, for almost three years, waiting for resettlement in the United States with three of her daughters. Poland, another NATO member, took in her fourth daughter.

“Going back is not an option,” she said. “For women, there’s nothing left to live for in Afghanistan.”

The Taliban has imposed increasing restrictions on women since it returned to power, banning them from secondary and university education and limiting their freedom of movement and expression. While the government initially portrayed its education ban as temporary, hopes among women that classes would resume have faded over the past year as authorities introduced draconian measures governing nearly every aspect of public life.

Many Afghan men who were associated with the United States and its allies may also be at risk from the Taliban, human rights observers say, despite the regime’s general amnesty for those who served in the previous, Western-backed government. The United Nations documented over 200 extrajudicial killings of former officials and members of the armed forces after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The Afghan Foreign Ministry rejects those figures, saying that “no military staff of the previous administration has been arrested, detained or tortured because of his activities in the security institutions.”

A key question now will be how the Pakistani government responds to Trump’s executive order. Pakistan has forced about 800,000 Afghans to return to their country since fall 2023. So far, Afghans awaiting resettlement in the United States and other countries have largely been spared, but authorities in Islamabad have indicated repeatedly that they are running out of patience.

A Pakistani Foreign Ministry official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, said the government is still waiting for clarity from Washington.

The suspension of the refugee admission program takes effect Monday. While it does not have a set end date, it is expected to be reviewed after 90 days.

The order leaves room for “case-by-case” exceptions to the suspension, though it is unclear who would qualify. Refugee advocates are calling for much broader exemptions that would apply to applicants under the P-1 and P-2 programs, which include former Afghan officials and journalists.

Adam Bates, a senior supervisory policy counsel at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said Trump’s suspension of the refugee admissions program is “a direct assault on the promises that the U.S. government made for 20-plus years to Afghans.”

Biden vowed in August 2021 that “we will continue to support the Afghan people,” but was criticized by refugee advocates throughout his term for not doing more to hasten the resettlement of America’s Afghan allies. The criticism intensified in 2022 as the administration worked quickly to resettle Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion, even as many Afghans were still waiting for their number to be called.

“We had hopes to be able to start over in the U.S., to build a future for our families,” said Homaira Haidari, 28, who has been in Pakistan since early 2023 waiting for relocation to the United States. She found out about Trump’s executive order on social media. “It feels like our dreams are falling apart,” she said.

Haidari, a former journalist and midwifery student, has seen her prospects in Afghanistan wither. Female reporters have become a rare sight under the Taliban, and as of last month, women were banned from pursuing careers as nurses or midwives.

The United States has remained a major contributor of financial aid to Afghanistan, sending money through U.N. agencies and other organizations that allow the funds to bypass authorities in Kabul. But Trump suspended all foreign assistance programs on Monday for 90 days, pending review, and has threatened to permanently cut off funding unless the Taliban returns the billions of dollars in military equipment left behind by U.S. troops.

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned that a sustained halt to U.S. assistance would have severe ripple effects in Afghanistan, worsening the country’s economic crisis and probably forcing aid groups to lay off female workers.

“Women and girls in Afghanistan would further suffer, and lives will be lost,” he said.

Shaiq Hussain contributed to this report.

Landmine charity’s lifesaving work supported

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

BBC News

PA Media Someone with their face covered and wearing protective clothing sifts through the parts of an unexploded bomb

The world’s largest land mine clearance charity – the south of Scotland-based Halo Trust – has secured funding to continue its work in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

The UK government has awarded it more than £7m towards its efforts to remove deadly explosives around the world.

International Development Minister Annaliese Dodds visited its headquarters near Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway to see their demining training in action.

“No one should have to live in fear of being killed or maimed by one wrong step,” she said.

“These deadly devices sow fear and destruction for decades and organisations like the Halo Trust do a vital job in clearing mines.”

In addition to the extension of contracts in Ukraine and Afghanisation, the minister also announced £250,000 to dispose of unsafe ammunition and explosives in Somaliland.

Ms Dodds said the funding should allow the Halo Trust to continue its “life-saving work removing deadly devices from some of the most hazardous parts of the world”.

As part of the visit, she also spoke to female deminers operating in Syria and Ukraine from the trust’s situation room.

She added: “During my visit today I have been given fascinating insights into the challenging conditions under which Halo’s deminers work.

“I was struck by the increasingly important contribution that female deminers are making in a traditionally male-dominated sector.”

UK Government International Development Minister Annaliese Dodds is shown around the Halo Trust landmine clearance charity headquarters by a man with a beard in a blue shirt as they look at metal detectors and other demining equipment

Since its establishment in 1988, the Halo Trust has cleared two million mines and other explosive ordnance – saving an estimated two million lives and giving more than 10 million people safer access to schools, health clinics and farming land.

Ruth Jackson, chief strategy officer at the trust, said: “There can be no genuine recovery from conflict until all deadly unexploded mines and munitions are safely cleared.”

She said the funding would make a “huge difference” to tens of thousands of people at risk from “dangerous levels of explosive contamination”.

“Until the last landmine is out of the ground and the last bomb defused, large numbers of people will continue to live in fear,” she said.

“We remain dedicated to continuing our lifesaving work alongside the Mines Advisory Group and other partners until this is achieved.”

Advocates and family react as Trump cancels Afghan refugee resettlement

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

Al Jazeera

Afghans, some already approved to arrive in the US, are left in limbo after the US president suspends refugee resettlement.

Afghans who fled their home country after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 are pleading for the United States to reconsider a decision cancelling all existing refugee resettlement efforts.

On Wednesday, reactions continued to pour in against an executive order Trump had signed two days prior, on his first day in office.

That order called for the suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which processes refugees for resettlement in the country, starting on January 27. All applications and arrivals through the programme have likewise been suspended.

But the sudden halt to USRAP has left Afghan refugees — many already approved to enter the US — in limbo, facing instability and the threat of violence.

Mahnoosh Monir, a former medical student and teacher at a language centre in Afghanistan, fled to Pakistan after the Taliban shut down the school where she worked.

Since taking power, the Taliban has severely restricted women’s rights, even banning their ability to speak in public.

Monir expressed surprise at Trump’s actions in an article published in The Associated Press on Wednesday. She told the news agency women would struggle to “survive” under Taliban rule.

“I didn’t expect this suspension to happen,” Monir said. “A long span of waiting makes us think of very disappointing probabilities, like being sent back to Afghanistan or waiting for a long time in Pakistan as a refugee at risk, which are like nightmares to all of case holders.”

Afghans, some already approved to arrive in the US, are left in limbo after the US president suspends refugee resettlement.

The US ‘owes Afghans a great debt’

Others questioned whether the US was abdicating its responsibility to the Afghans who supported its military presence in the country for two decades.

Thousands of Afghans had worked with US armed forces and the US-backed government during its two-decade-long war in the country. After the collapse of the US-backed government in August 2021, many feared retaliation from the Taliban and hoped to find safe haven in the US.

“President Trump’s decision to cancel the flights of Afghans and other refugees who were cleared and vetted to come to the United States is cruel, ugly and racist,” Arash Azizzada, co-founder of the US-based advocacy organisation Afghans For a Better Tomorrow, told Al Jazeera via text.

“This decision will ensure that Afghans seeking safety could face being targeted, imprisoned, tortured or even worse under a brutal Taliban rule. The United States owes Afghans a great debt, and we will ensure America pays that debt, long after this administration is over.”

Another advocacy group, Afghan USRAP Refugees, published an open letter to Trump and members of the US Congress, calling for action.

“Many of us risked our lives to support the U.S. mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders, and allies,” the letter read.

Even across the Afghan border in Pakistan, it warned that refugees faced dangerous conditions.

“In Pakistan, the situation is increasingly untenable. Arbitrary arrests, deportations, and insecurity compound our distress.”

A great demand

An estimated 15,000 Afghans are currently waiting in neighbouring Pakistan to be approved for resettlement. Some have waited for years and spent countless hours navigating the complex bureaucracy of the US immigration system.

Others have travelled to South America to make the perilous journey north to the US-Mexico border, so they can seek asylum.

The United Nations has called the situation in Afghanistan “one of the world’s most urgent crises”. It projects more than a half million Afghans will need resettlement in 2025.

According to a report from the US Department of State, more than 160,000 Afghans have arrived in the country since August 2021. Still, advocates had criticised the administration of former President Joe Biden for slow-walking decisions on entry.

Trump, who replaced Biden on Monday, had campaigned on a platform of severely restricting immigration into the US. During his first term, from 2017 to 2021, the Republican leader also implemented a ban on entry for citizens of several Muslim-majority countries, leading critics to dub the policy “the Muslim ban”.

In Monday’s executive order, Trump defended his actions as necessary, depicting the US as overwhelmed with arrivals.

“The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans,” the executive order said.

It is not clear when, or if, USRAP will be resumed. Trump called for a report about the programme at the end of 90 days — and at the end of every 90-day period thereafter, until he determines that the “resumption of the USRAP is in the interests of the United States”.

The announcement has caused anxiety among those in the US, including military service members, with family members still in Afghanistan or in refugee camps.

“I’m just thinking about this all day,” an Afghan American soldier with the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, who spoke to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

His sister remains in the Afghan capital of Kabul. “I can’t even do my job properly because this is mentally impacting me.”

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Amir Khan Muttaqi meets UN special envoy in Afghanistan

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

By Khaama Press

Khaama Press

January 22, 2025

The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Amir Khan Muttaqi, the group’s Foreign Minister, met with Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.

Roza Otunbayeva met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, noting that development aid to Afghanistan has increased compared to humanitarian assistance.

According to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, January 22, the two discussed humanitarian aid and the country’s economic growth during their meeting.

During the meeting, Muttaqi also emphasized the importance of strengthening economic stability in various sectors and assured that Afghanistan will experience rapid economic growth in the near future.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, halted U.S. financial aid to Afghanistan for 90 days, causing concerns among international organizations.

With millions in Afghanistan relying on humanitarian aid, some international bodies have described Trump’s decision as alarming, underscoring the fragile state of the country’s population.

Afghanistan faces a dire humanitarian crisis, with over 23 million people urgently needing assistance, according to aid organizations. The worsening economic and social conditions have left many families struggling to survive.

Neighboring countries have exacerbated the crisis by forcibly deporting Afghan refugees, leaving thousands displaced and without support. This has led to a significant exodus of Afghan youth, who are fleeing the country in search of safety and stability.

Immediate international action is critical to addressing the humanitarian crisis and preventing further displacement. Aid organizations call for sustained funding and cooperation to meet the urgent needs of millions.

Chinese citizen killed by unidentified gunman in Takhar, Afghanistan

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

January 22, 2025

Unidentified gunmen killed a Chinese citizen on Tuesday evening in Takhar province, Afghanistan.

Sources reported that unidentified gunmen killed a Chinese citizen on Tuesday evening, January 21, in Khwaja Bahauddin district of Takhar province, Afghanistan. The interpreter and driver accompanying the victim fled the scene and sought refuge at a Taliban checkpoint.

Local Taliban officials confirmed the death of the Chinese citizen, identified as “Li,” according to the spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Takhar.

Mohammad Akbar Haqqan, spokesperson for the Taliban’s security command in Takhar, stated that the victim, along with his interpreter, had traveled without informing Chinese office authorities or security officials. They were attacked by unidentified assailants in the Dasht Qala area of Takhar.

Taliban authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and are interrogating the driver and interpreter, according to intelligence sources. The victim was reportedly involved in mining activities in the region.

The killing of a foreign national highlights the escalating tensions and insecurity in the region, where foreign citizens, including Chinese nationals, have increasingly become targets of violence in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The targeting of foreign nationals adds to the instability in the region, complicating diplomatic relations and international investments. The situation underscores the urgent need for enhanced security measures and regional cooperation to prevent further violence.

WFP: 15 Million Afghans Face Food Insecurity This Winter

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

Habib Rahman Qooyash

Tolo News

22 Jan 2025

Islamic Emirate: ‘Terrorists’ Placed in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

January 22, 2025 Current News Articles

Mohammad Bashir Soltani

Tolo News

22 Jan 2025

According to this information, these forces have been recruited from several Asian and European countries.

The Islamic Emirate’s Security & Clearance Commission of the Ministry of Defence has stated that, based on credible information, newly recruited forces are being transferred via Karachi and Islamabad airports to centers in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal areas. Their objective is to carry out attacks in regional and global countries, particularly Afghanistan.

According to this information, these forces have been recruited from several Asian and European countries.

The commission, in its annual achievements report, also stated that the attacks carried out in Afghanistan over the past year were planned abroad and executed by foreign nationals, especially citizens of Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the commission’s spokesperson, Sediqullah Nusrat, has called on the UN Security Council and the international community to obtain information about Afghanistan’s security situation from the relevant institutions of the caretaker government.

Nusrat said: “The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly clarified that it will not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used against other countries and calls on other nations not to provide shelter to malicious elements.”

He further said: “The Islamic Emirate, based on its religious responsibility, has sincerely fought against drug trafficking, and the international community and regional countries should obtain information in this regard by contacting the relevant institutions of the Islamic Emirate.”

The Security & Clearance Commission of the Ministry of Defence has also highlighted the reduction of criminal activities, strengthening border security, professionalization of security forces, and combating drug trafficking as its key achievements.

The commission has urged neighboring countries to prevent drug smuggling into Afghanistan and make greater efforts in combating drugs.

“Unless Pakistan decides not to be a troublesome neighbor for us, our policies will not progress. This is not the first Afghan government that Pakistan has had issues with,” Obaidullah Baheer, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.

Earlier, the Counter-Narcotics Department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs had also urged neighboring countries to prevent drug trafficking into Afghanistan.

The US ‘owes Afghans a great debt’

A great demand

Recent Posts