American prisoner released by Taliban after first high-level U.S. visit

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

The Washington Post

March 20, 2025

U.S. citizen George Glezmann has been released by the Taliban after 2½ years in captivity, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Thursday.

Glezmann, an airline mechanic, was detained by the Taliban in December 2022 while visiting Afghanistan for five days as a tourist. In his statement, Rubio thanked the government of Qatar, “whose steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts were instrumental in securing George’s release.”

While Rubio called Glezmann’s release a “positive and constructive step,” he cautioned that it’s also “a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan.”

The Taliban-run Foreign Ministry said Glezmann was released on “humanitarian grounds,” adding that the U.S. delegation and Afghan diplomats “discussed bilateral relations, the exchange of prisoners, and consular access to Afghans in the United States.”

Boehler was accompanied on his trip by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation.

The Taliban has long sought international recognition and access to frozen central bank reserves to allay a mounting economic crisis. But the regime’s repressive policies, including bans on women attending secondary schools and universities, have hampered efforts to reestablish ties with the West.

“I wouldn’t read this as a portent of expanding U.S. engagement with the Taliban,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington. “The administration has limited objectives in Afghanistan, and it isn’t about to accord extensive policy space to developing ties with a regime it doesn’t recognize.”

In January, two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William W. McKenty III, were also released by the Taliban. Corbett, from New York, was detained in Afghanistan more than two years ago, while McKenty’s detention had not been previously publicized.

Negotiations for that prisoner exchange had started two years ago and took place during several rounds of negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

At least one other American, Mahmood Habibi, is still believed to be held in Afghanistan. Habibi, an Afghan American businessman, was taken from a vehicle near his home in Kabul in August 2022.

“It is believed that Mr. Habibi was taken by Taliban military or security forces and has not been heard from since his disappearance,” the FBI said in August, as it appealed for information about his whereabouts.

The Taliban has denied it is holding Habibi.

Victoria Bisset and Haq Nawaz Khan contributed to this report.

Fitrat: Maintaining Stability, Islamic System ‘Our Duty’

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

19 March 2025

British couple held by Taliban due in court on unknown charges, family say

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

Matthew Weaver

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife, Barbie, 75, who run a training business in Afghanistan, were detained last month when they travelled to their home in Bamiyan province.

Barbie Reynolds managed to phone her family from Pul-e-Charki prison in Kabul to tell them a court date had been set for Thursday for her and her husband, amid increasing concern about his health.

No reason has been given for the court hearing. In a voicemail to the family, she said: “We don’t even know what the charges are against us. We will hear the charges for the first time then.”

The couple have been running projects in schools in Afghanistan for 18 years and decided to stay in the country after the Taliban seized power in 2021. One of the projects involved educational training for mothers and children in Bamiyan, one of the largest cities in central Afghanistan.

There is a ban on women working and on female education beyond primary school, but their work had apparently been approved by the Bamiyan local authority.

The couple’s daughter, Sarah Entwistle, told the Guardian she feared her parents would not get a fair trial because their interpreter, Juya, who was arrested alongside them, is also due in court on Thursday and will not be allowed to translate during the proceedings.

She said: “Mum is obviously extremely concerned that without a competent interpreter, their case cannot be accurately or fairly represented and [they] will not be able to properly follow or engage in the proceedings, in serious breach of their rights.”

Juya has also been caring for her father who requires regular heart medication. At the weekend, Entwistle said her father’s life was in danger after his health deteriorated.

On Wednesday, she said: “We remain extremely concerned for Dad in particular. Without access to the medication he needs, his continued detention poses a serious risk to his life.”

She said her parents were being held separately and had been denied access to each other for the last 10 days.

The couple were arrested on 1 February with Juya and a American-Chinese friend, Faye Hall, who had rented a plane to travel with them.

At the time an employee for Rebuild, the couple’s training company, was informed that their flight “did not coordinate with the local government”.

Entwistle said: “Again, we ask the Taliban to release Dad, Mum, Faye and the interpreter as a gesture of goodwill during this season of Ramadan.”

Reprieve for Afghan women students facing forced return after US aid cuts

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

Yogita Limaye

South Asia and Afghanistan correspondent

BBC News

19 March 2025

AFP Afghan women students, with their heads covered with colourful scarves, take a test in a classroom in Ghazni, Afghanistan on 10 December, 2024

More than 80 Afghan women studying in Oman on US-funded scholarships – terminated last month due to Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to foreign aid – have received a temporary reprieve.

A US State Department spokesperson has told the BBC that funding will continue until 30 June, 2025.

“This is great news, and we are very grateful,” one student told the BBC, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals. “But I hope there will be a permanent solution.”

The women fled Taliban ruled Afghanistan to continue their studies abroad, but the abrupt freeze on US Agency for International Development (USAID) funds put them at risk of being sent back.

Since regaining power in Afghanistan nearly four years ago, the Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on women, including banning them from universities.

The students in Oman were pursuing graduate and post-graduate degrees under the Women’s Scholarship Endowment (WSE), a USAID program launched in 2018 to fund studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

On 28 February, they were informed their scholarships were ending and that they would be sent back to Afghanistan within two weeks, prompting “shock and tears”.

“We are relieved now, but we are still deeply concerned about our future,” a student said. “If the scholarship is not renewed, we will be left with no option but to return to Afghanistan, where we cannot study, and our safety could be under threat as well.”

The US government has not responded to the BBC’s inquiries on when a final decision will be made.

The BBC has also contacted the government of Oman to find out whether it is seeking alternative funding.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government says it has been trying to resolve the issue of women’s education, but has also defended its supreme leader’s diktats, saying they are “in accordance with Islamic Sharia law”.

It has cracked down on women protesting for education and work, with many activists beaten, detained and threatened.

Women in Afghanistan describe themselves as “dead bodies moving around” under the regime’s policies.

Before the funding extension, a WSE staff member had told the BBC they were urgently “searching for alternative funding sources”. Calling the situation “dangerous and devastating”, the staff member warned that the students could face persecution and forced marriages upon return to Afghanistan.

The women, mostly in their 20s, qualified for scholarships in 2021 before the Taliban seized Afghanistan. Many continued their studies in Afghan universities until December 2022, when the Taliban banned higher education for women.

After 18 months in limbo, they said they fled to Pakistan last September.

USAID then facilitated their visas to Oman, where they arrived between October and November 2024.

The decision to slash American aid funding has come under the Trump administration and been implemented by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Additional reporting by Aakriti Thapar and Andrew Clarance

Rights group says Pakistan steps up pressure on Afghans to return home where they risk persecution

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

By MUNIR AHMEDAssociated Press

March 19, 2025

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A leading rights group said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s authorities have intensified pressure on Afghan refugees to go back to neighboring Afghanistan, where they risk persecution by the Taliban and face dire economic conditions.

“Pakistani officials should immediately stop coercing Afghans to return home and give those facing expulsion the opportunity to seek protection,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

“The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan should prevent any reprisals against returning Afghans and reverse their abusive policies against women and girls,” she said.

Pakistan set a March 31 deadline for the deportation of all foreigners living illegally in the country. Most of them are Afghans.

The HRW appeal came a month after the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad said that Pakistan has stepped up arrests of Afghan citizens in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi for forced expulsion.

However, Pakistan has dismissed the allegation by Kabul, saying that the authorities were only trying to facilitate conditions for the swift return of Afghans to their home country.

More than 500,000 Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 have been living without papers in Pakistan, thousands of them waiting for resettlement in the United States and elsewhere.

There are also around 1.45 million Afghan refugees, registered with the U.N. refugee agency, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country. Last July, Pakistan extended the stay of refugees registered with UNHCR until June, saying they won’t be arrested or deported at least until the extension expires.

In January, U.S. President Donald Trump paused American refugee programs for at least three months and since then, around 20,000 Afghans who were awaiting resettlement in Pakistan are now in limbo. Afghans waiting for relocation to the United States have also urged Trump to restore the refugee program to end their ordeal.

HRW said in a statement that the human rights situation in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

“Women and girls are banned from post primary education and denied a broad range of rights and freedoms. Human rights defenders, journalists, and former government personnel are at particular risk,” the group said.

The statement also said that Afghans returning to their country struggle to survive amid Afghanistan’s soaring unemployment rate, broken health care system and dwindling foreign assistance.

Earlier this year, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also approved the March 31 deadline for the deportation of those Afghans awaiting relocation to third countries unless their cases are swiftly processed by the governments that have agreed to take them.

“Afghanistan is not safe for any forced refugee returns,” Pearson said, “Countries that pledged to resettle at-risk Afghans should respond to the urgency of the situation in Pakistan and expedite those cases.”

HRW said that Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has also announced that Afghans without official residence documents, along with holders of Afghan Citizen Cards, must leave the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi or face deportation.

“Afghans holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards must leave by June 30,” it said.

More than 800,000 Afghans have returned home or have been expelled by force from Pakistan since 2023, according to the International Organization for Migration, a U.N. agency that tracks migration.

More than 70% of those returning to Afghanistan have been women and children, including girls of secondary school age and women who will no longer have access to education, according to HRW.

The group said that “Pakistani police have raided houses, beat and arbitrarily detained people, and confiscated refugee documents, including residence permits. They have demanded bribes to allow Afghans to remain in Pakistan.”

Pakistan threatens Military action in Afghanistan

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

March 19, 2025

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that Afghanistan is sheltering terrorists and warned that Pakistan may take action within Afghan territory if needed.

Khawaja Asif, the defense minister of Pakistan, stated in a television interview that the country is ready to conduct military operations within Afghan territory to pursue terrorist groups. This statement comes as tensions between Islamabad and Kabul are escalating over the activities of terrorist groups.

In an interview with Geo News on Wednesday, March 18, Asif claimed that the Taliban supports fighters of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and that if necessary, Pakistan will take action in any country to defend itself.

Asif declared that “the enemy must be pursued wherever they are,” stating that those against cross-border action are going against Pakistan’s national interests.

He criticized those who oppose pursuing terrorists into Afghanistan, calling their stance harmful to Pakistan’s security.

At the same time, Pakistan’s Environment Minister, Musadik Malik, also announced in a television program that the government has decided to carry out extensive operations against terrorists. He added, “We will take the war to the doorsteps of those who martyr Pakistani children.”

So far, the Taliban has not responded to these claims.

Meanwhile, Pakistani military officials have declared in a security meeting that they will no longer allow terrorist groups to use Afghanistan’s soil to launch attacks against Pakistan. General Asim Munir, the chief of the Pakistani army, emphasized the need for a firm policy, asking, “How much more do we have to sacrifice?”

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, called Afghanistan a “sanctuary for terrorists” and urged the international community to take a firm stance against the Taliban’s support for extremist groups.

This ongoing tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan highlights the growing instability in the region and the need for effective diplomatic and security measures to address the issue of cross-border terrorism. The international community’s response will be crucial in shaping the future of these two countries’ relations and regional security.

New Academic Year in Afghanistan will begin with schools remaining closed to girls

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

March 19, 2025

The Taliban’s Ministry of Education announced that the new academic year in Afghanistan will start on Thursday, March 20, in colder regions. However, there was no mention of reopening girls’ schools beyond grade six. This marks the fourth year in a row that girls will be excluded from attending schools above this grade.

According to a statement released on March 18, 2025, the Taliban’s Minister of Education, Habibullah Agha, and other officials are scheduled to attend the ceremony to mark the beginning of the academic year at Amaniyeh High School in Kabul. However, there has been no mention of girls’ education at higher levels, signaling a continued ban on girls’ schooling beyond grade six.

The ban on girls’ education has sparked widespread domestic and international reactions. Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, once again urged the Taliban administration to reopen schools and universities for girls, calling this restriction a major obstacle to the country’s progress.

People’s campaigns, such as “Let’s Read Together,” led by the Women’s Freedom Movement, have also called for the removal of this ban, warning that its continuation will have irreparable consequences for the future of the younger generation. UNESCO also announced in August 2024 that the deprivation of 1.4 million girls from education has destroyed the achievements of two decades of education in Afghanistan.

However, some officials of the Taliban regime have shown a different perspective. Shir Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the former political deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a controversial speech in January 2025 that led to his escape from Afghanistan, stated that the ban on girls’ education has no religious basis and is merely a personal decision by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban.

This internal criticism is described as a reflection of divisions within the leadership of the Taliban, but no changes have been made to the official policy so far.

With the start of the new academic year, it will be the fourth year in a row that girls’ schools have been kept closed for higher education. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, they have shut down girls’ schools above grade six and banned women from working with NGOs, further curtailing their freedom and opportunities.

The previous government used to mark the beginning of the academic year on the third of March, but the Taliban has now shifted the start to first March, disregarding the traditional Nowruz celebrations. The Taliban claims that they need to ensure “conditions according to their requirements” and adjust the curriculum before reopening schools and universities for girls.

Despite nearly four years in power, the Taliban’s objectives regarding women’s and girls’ education remain unmet. They continue to ignore international reactions, labeling the issue as an “internal matter” of Afghanistan, and refuse to lift the ban on girls’ education. This ongoing situation has led to widespread condemnation from global organizations, yet the Taliban remains resolute in its position.

The continued restrictions on girls’ and women’s access to education in Afghanistan severely limit their opportunities for growth and development. These policies not only violate fundamental human rights but also harm the future of Afghanistan society as a whole.

The international community must continue to exert pressure on the Taliban to reverse these oppressive measures and ensure that girls and women in Afghanistan can access education and contribute to their communities.

Economy Ministry Urges Global Support for World Health Organization

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

19 March 2025

Two days ago, WHO warned that by June this year, 80% of the health centers it supports in Afghanistan would be shut down due to a lack of funding.

Following the announcement of the suspension of 80% of World Health Organization (WHO) centers in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate has called on world countries to support the organization.

Two days ago, WHO warned that by June this year, 80% of the health centers it supports in Afghanistan would be shut down due to a lack of funding.

Abdul Latif Nazari, the technical deputy minister of economy, stressed the crucial role of WHO in supporting Afghanistan’s health sector, saying: “Our request to the international community and humanitarian organizations is to support this organization so that it can continue providing its services to the Afghan people.”

Doctors in the country have also highlighted the significance of WHO in delivering healthcare services, funding medical staff, and preventing infectious diseases in remote areas. They warned that such a decision could lead to the collapse of the country’s health system.

“Unfortunately, this decision will create many problems for our people, and it will force patients from provinces to travel to central areas, which will cause even greater difficulties,” said Madad Khan Danishwar, a doctor.

“It will have a direct negative impact on our health sector. On one hand, many doctors will become unemployed, and on the other, the number of controllable diseases will rise, ultimately affecting the general public,” said Mujtaba Sufi, another doctor in Kabul.

Meanwhile, in another report, WHO revealed that in February, it provided health services to 171,583 people across 20 provinces of Afghanistan. These services were delivered through 123 health centers.

“These aid efforts must continue. People are not in a good financial condition to buy medicine. They simply cannot afford it,” said Gul Mohammad, a resident of Kabul.

Earlier this week, WHO announced that by March 4, 167 health centers in 25 districts that had been serving 1.6 million people were shut down due to budget shortages.

Additionally, Save the Children has reported that 18 health centers in Afghanistan have recently closed.

UN Extends UNAMA Mission, Islamic Emirate Calls for Intl Engagement

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

18 March 2025

The UN Security Council, after a month of deliberations, unanimously approved the resolution on UNAMA’s mission extension on Monday.

The Islamic Emirate, following the one-year extension of UNAMA’s mission in the recent UN Security Council meeting, has called on the UN representation in Afghanistan to work towards facilitating the country’s global interactions.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, reiterated this request while also rejecting claims of threats emanating from Afghanistan toward neighboring countries.

He stated: “This representation should pursue its main objective. Instead of creating unnecessary concerns in the country and exploiting minor issues, they should not provide grounds for propaganda against Afghanistan or become a tool of malicious circles.”

The UN Security Council, after a month of deliberations, unanimously approved the resolution on UNAMA’s mission extension on Monday.

The one-year mission will focus on humanitarian conditions, economic matters, international aid, human rights, and fostering engagements.

Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN, emphasized: “This resolution reaffirms strong commitments to Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity. It reflects the Council’s positions, expectations, and concerns regarding Afghanistan’s evolving challenges. The resolution also highlights Afghanistan’s economic difficulties, humanitarian funding shortages, and obstacles to international aid.”

Several UNSC members, including the UK, South Korea, and the US, stressed UNAMA’s focus on human rights in Afghanistan, particularly women’s rights.

The Russian representative emphasized pragmatic engagement and Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international community as key to lasting peace.

Anna Evstigneeva, deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UN, stated: “We are convinced that achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan is impossible without a comprehensive and realistic approach toward its final international reintegration. This approach must be based on objective assessments and patient dialogue with the de facto authorities, including under UN supervision.”

Dorothy Shea, the US representative at the UN, said: “We call on UNAMA to strengthen its efforts to promote Afghans in enjoyment of human rights, particularly for women and girls. We support UNAMA’s work to help address the widespread humanitarian crisis and stabilize the economy.”

Pakistan’s representative, however, once again criticized Afghanistan’s interim government regarding terrorism.

Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, stated: “Apart from the need for adequate humanitarian assistance to destitute Afghans, Pakistan has consistently asserted that the foremost amount the challenges faced in Afghanistan is terrorism within and from Afghanistan. The Taliban government has not been effective in eliminating ISIS, Daesh. It has tolerated several other terrorist groups and is complicit in the cross-border attacks.”

UNAMA’s mission has been extended until March 17, 2026.

Torkham Crossing Reopens for Freight Traffic After Nearly a Month

March 20, 2025 Current News Articles

Sadaqat Ghorzang

Tolo News

19 March 2025

On the other hand, several passengers and drivers have expressed happiness over the reopening and called for more facilities at the crossing.

The Torkham crossing has reopened for transit after being closed for nearly a month. Local officials said both sides also agreed to fully reopen the crossing for all types of movement on Friday of this week.

The closure of this crossing not only posed serious challenges for travelers and emergency patients but also inflicted millions of dollars in losses on traders from both sides.

Abdul Jabar Hikmat, the Torkham commissioner, stated: “After several meetings, this route was reopened for freight trucks at 4:00 PM. As the systems at the crossing are down, it will open for passengers and patients on Friday.”

Following the reopening, Mohammad Younus Mohmand, deputy of the chamber of commerce and investment, said: “This route should never be closed. It is a commercial and transit route, and the committee that contributed to reopening the crossing will continue its efforts and provide good recommendations to both governments.”

Meanwhile, traders and investors say the closure of the Torkham crossing caused them millions of dollars in losses. They demand the separation of trade activities from political issues.

Ghulam Mustafa Rahimi, head of the Nangarhar chamber of commerce and investment secretariat, told TOLOnews: “This route should not fall victim to politics. Trade is free worldwide, and ports should not face restrictions.”

Abdul Wali Babakarkhail, deputy of the Nangarhar chamber of commerce and investment, commented on the losses: “Traders from both countries lost more than a million dollars daily. Now that it has been 27 days, imagine how high the total losses are.”

Pakistan closed the Torkham crossing 27 days ago in response to the construction of facilities by Islamic Emirate forces near the disputed hypothetical Durand Line.

On the other hand, several passengers and drivers have expressed happiness over the reopening and called for more facilities at the crossing.

“This route should never be closed; it must always remain open. When it’s blocked, all goods, including fruits and vegetables, spoil on both sides,” said Aminullah, one of the drivers.

This comes after multiple skirmishes occurred between Islamic Emirate forces and Pakistani soldiers following the border closure, which left hundreds of families displaced.

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