Khalilzad: Doha Deal Path to Govt Through Negotiations

December 28, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
28 Dec 2024

The Doha Agreement, signed in February 2020 between the Islamic Emirate and the United States in Doha.

Zalmay Khalilzad has stated that the “nature of Afghanistan’s political system” is not explicitly mentioned in the Doha Agreement; however, the agreement clearly specifies that the “nature of Afghanistan’s new government” should be determined through negotiations between the Islamic Emirate and other Afghan parties.

The former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation wrote on the social media platform X that the current challenge for Afghans, the Islamic Emirate, and others is how to implement the commitments of the Doha Agreement considering the existing realities.

“The Doha Agreement did not define the nature of Afghan political system, but it clearly stated that a new government would be determined by negotiations and dialogue between the Taliban and other Afghan sides. The challenge for Afghans, Taliban and others, is how to deliver on this commitment, given current realities,” Khalilzad said.

Khalilzad’s comments come as Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the deputy political prime minister, recently stated that the Doha Agreement does not mean the United States can dictate governance to the Islamic Emirate.

Aziz Maharaj, a political analyst, said: “The Doha Agreement outlined discussions on the structure of the state system, which should be finalized through agreement among Afghans. However, the agreement was altered due to contemporary necessities, the Ukraine war, and other issues, leading to the current problems and instability.”

Najib Rahman Shamal, another political analyst, told TOLOnews: “I hope the interim government, with consideration for the interests of the Afghan people and Islamic values, will fully cooperate in implementing the agreement with the US and the international community. This could help resolve the challenges caused by non-implementation and enable Afghanistan to reclaim its place in the international arena.”

The Doha Agreement, signed in February 2020 between the Islamic Emirate and the United States in Doha, includes key provisions such as the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, the initiation of intra-Afghan negotiations, a permanent ceasefire, and the non-use of Afghan soil against the United States and its allies. However, both parties have occasionally accused each other of violating parts of the agreement.

Khalilzad: Doha Deal Path to Govt Through Negotiations
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UN Calls for Political Roadmap and Reversal of Restrictions in Afghanistan

December 28, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
28 Dec 2024

The members also recognized the vital role of the United Nations in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Members of the United Nations Security Council have emphasized the need to develop a political roadmap to achieve a stable Afghanistan, fully integrate it into the international community, and fulfill its international commitments.

In a statement recently released, the UN Security Council said that during a recent meeting on Afghanistan, members expressed deep concern over restrictions on women and girls, including the closure of medical institutes to female students. They urged the interim government in Afghanistan to lift these restrictions.

The members also recognized the vital role of the United Nations in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan, emphasizing that efforts to resolve Afghanistan’s issues, including the Doha Process and regional and global peace, remain critical.

A section of the statement reads: “They underscored that dialogue, consultation, and engagement among all relevant Afghan stakeholders, the region and the wider international community, including through the Doha Process convened by the United Nations, is critical for a political settlement in Afghanistan, as well as peace and stability in the country, the region and beyond.  In this regard, recalling its resolution 2721 (2023), they recognized the importance to discuss the situation in Afghanistan in a comprehensive manner.  Also, they emphasized the importance of developing a political road map to be discussed with all relevant stakeholders, in order to achieve an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbors, fully reintegrated into the international community and meeting its international obligations.”

The statement also addressed the Islamic Emirate’s treatment of women and girls, stating: “The members of the Security Council are deeply concerned with the continuing negative impact of the Taliban’s policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms on Afghanistan’s peace, stability and development and its people.  Recalling its resolution 2681 (2023), the members of the Security Council emphasized the need to ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls in Afghanistan for the country’s future and long-term development and urged the Taliban to swiftly reverse these policies and practices, including the “vice and virtue” directive and the recent decision to suspend women’s and girls’ access to education in private and public medical institutions. Positive developments in this area are crucial for building confidence with the international community.”

The Security Council also reiterated that Afghan soil should not be used against other countries and urged the interim government to strengthen efforts in combating terrorism.

Political analyst Wais Naseri told TOLOnews: “If the right to work and education, participation in society, and the freedom of political activities are not guaranteed, no country in the world will recognize the Islamic Emirate.”

The council’s demands also included combating drug trafficking, eradicating poppy cultivation and narcotics production, and removing barriers to humanitarian aid access. However, the Islamic Emirate has yet to comment on the statement.

UN Calls for Political Roadmap and Reversal of Restrictions in Afghanistan
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Mawlawi Abdul Kabir: Afghanistan Must Maintain Balance Between East, West

December 28, 2024
Mohammad Bashir Soltani
Tolo News
28 Dec 2024

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir also described Afghanistan’s current political situation as positive.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the deputy political prime minister, stated that the interim government is prepared for positive engagement with the world to rebuild and improve the country’s economic situation.

In an interview with RTA, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said that those contemplating the reoccupation of Afghanistan through force should learn from the past struggles of Afghans against major powers.

The deputy political prime minister said: “Anyone who comes with coercion and force is an enemy of our Islamic system. The Afghan people and the Islamic Emirate will never allow it. If they fail to learn from past experiences, Afghanistan’s history against oppressors is clear.”

According to Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Afghanistan has historically suffered due to misguided policies that prioritized the interests of Eastern and Western powers and now it is essential for Afghanistan to maintain a balanced policy between the East and the West.

He stated: “It is necessary that we neither use Afghanistan in favor of the East against the West nor against the East. Afghanistan, as an Islamic and independent state, must preserve its Islamic system, independence, and neutrality.”

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir also described Afghanistan’s current political situation as positive, adding that the interim government has established extensive relations with various countries. He called on nations that have yet to engage with the interim government to establish political relations.

He further said: “Our diplomatic relations are so extensive that we have close to 40 representations worldwide. We call on neighboring, regional, and global countries to maintain positive interactions with us within the framework of Sharia. For countries without embassies in Kabul, we invite them to reopen their missions.”

These remarks about maintaining broad relations with the world come as, more than three years into the Islamic Emirate’s return to power, no country, including neighboring nations, has formally recognized the Islamic Emirate.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir: Afghanistan Must Maintain Balance Between East, West
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Our Reporter Returned to Afghanistan, Seeking Lessons and Secrets

December 28, 2024

Azam Ahmed, a Times correspondent and former bureau chief in Afghanistan, made repeated trips to areas in the country that had once been off-limits to foreigners.

The New York Times

Here’s what he found.

The Talib looked as ragged as his outpost, a trailer banked on a snowy mountain pass. Holes were bored into its sides to ventilate a sputtering wood stove.

Upon seeing foreigners, the Talib, with an unkempt beard and layers of ill-fitting sweaters, ordered us out of the car.

For more than an hour, my colleague Bryan Denton and I waited on the trailer floor as he reviewed our documents. Beside him, two guards slept beneath heaped blankets. It smelled as if they had been there a while.

The Talib asked questions: Why had we come to Afghanistan? Where were we going? What were we doing?

We told him what we had told so many other Taliban members. I covered the war as a New York Times correspondent and bureau chief. Now I wanted to see the war from another perspective, to see what lessons — and secrets — the United States left behind.

I began to wonder if our luck had run out. Bryan turned to me and frowned.

The guard began recording us with his phone, sending our hearts racing. Almost no recording of a foreigner in similar circumstances has ended well this century.

But the Talib had other things on his mind.

“Can you please indicate that you have been treated well, and that no harm has come to you?” he asked, presumably collecting evidence in case we complained to his superiors.

One of the stranger things about our travels was how freely the Taliban allowed us to explore. For most of the war, they had shot, bombed or abducted any foreigner they could find. Times colleagues had been kidnapped or killed.

Yet no matter where we were, if we produced our paperwork, we were granted access to places that few foreigners had ventured in nearly two decades: the other side of the war.

We spent nights in half-constructed buildings, in barren deserts and perched on the edge of raging rivers. We interviewed hundreds of people and surveyed more than 1,000 others about war crimes committed by American allies.

I often think of this moment in relation to Vietnam. In that war, decades passed before the United States engaged its former enemy. By then, parts of history were lost.

Here is what we learned.

READ THE FULL INVESTIGATION
After the withdrawal of American troops, Times reporters made repeated trips to Afghanistan to visit areas that had once been off limits.
America’s Monster
How America Created the Enemy It Feared Most
Behind Afghanistan’s Fall, U.S.-Backed Militias Worse Than the Taliban
The Once Booming Drug Town Going Bust Under Taliban Rule
Is Afghanistan’s Most-Wanted Militant Now Its Best Hope for Change?
Who Was Abdul Raziq?

Time and again, we found, the Americans set the stage for their own defeat well before the Taliban marched to power in August 2021.

The United States empowered warlords and criminals to conduct the war on its behalf, individuals who inspired so much hatred that their very presence became a Taliban recruiting tool. This propensity was embodied by no one more than Lt. Gen. Abdul Raziq, the police chief of Kandahar Province.

By blindly trampling into places they did not understand, the Americans seeded hatred. Errant airstrikes not only killed innocents. They killed American allies — the very people who supported them the most.

In the rugged region of Nuristan, we traced the origins of one of the deadliest assaults on American soldiers. We discovered that American troops had created the enemies that they feared the most — and in places that they never needed to be.

After the war, the Taliban declared that, no matter which side you had been on, the fighting was over. Former enemies were prohibited from settling scores — and for the most part people listened.

The Taliban has also declared an end to poppy, seemingly accomplishing one of Washington’s key war goals.

The district, Bakwa, had once been a barely inhabited stretch of desert. But thanks to American efforts to eradicate poppy — and the opium trade — people had flocked to the desert district, where the Taliban embraced them.

President Biden blames the Afghan Army for crumbling so quickly. President-elect Donald J. Trump blames Mr. Biden.

Both versions ignore the history in places like the north of Afghanistan, a region where values like democracy and women’s rights might have actually lasted.

There, the United States empowered militias to fight the Taliban. Instead, these groups tortured, kidnapped and massacred civilians. They created such hatred toward the Afghan government and its American allies that people turned to the Taliban.

Before the Americans withdrew, the Taliban were already negotiating their rise to power.

Azam Ahmed is international investigative correspondent for The Times. He has reported on Wall Street scandals, the War in Afghanistan and violence and corruption in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Our Reporter Returned to Afghanistan, Seeking Lessons and Secrets
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UN condemns Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika, Afghanistan

December 27, 2024
Khaama Press

Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, has expressed his regret over the Pakistani airstrikes in the Bermal district of Paktika province.

On Friday, December 27, Bennett posted a message on X/Twitter, expressing his sorrow over the deaths of Afghan civilians, including women and children, in the airstrikes.

He emphasized the need to adhere to international law and called for an investigation and accountability to prevent further harm to civilians.

Previously, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) had reported credible information regarding the deaths of dozens of civilians, including women and children, in the Pakistani airstrikes on Paktika.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also stated on Thursday that it had received reports of at least 20 children being killed in the airstrikes on the Bermal district of Paktika.

The tragic loss of life in these airstrikes highlights the growing vulnerability of civilians in conflict zones, particularly in border areas like Paktika. The deaths of women and children are especially concerning, as they reflect a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law, which calls for the protection of non-combatants during armed conflicts.

As tensions continue to rise in the region, the international community must urgently address the issue of cross-border military actions and work towards ensuring the protection of innocent lives.

The call for an independent investigation into these airstrikes and holding accountable those responsible for violating international law is crucial in preventing further civilian casualties and ensuring justice for the victims.

UN condemns Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika, Afghanistan
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Kabir: Doha Agreement Does Not Define Nature of Our System

December 27, 2024
Bibi Amina Hakimi
TOLOnews’ Reporter
27 Dec 2024

He also emphasized that all citizens who worked under the previous regime have been pardoned by the Islamic Emirate.

Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said the caretaker government is working within the framework of Islamic principles to expand relations with the world.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Paktia province, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir stressed that the Islamic Emirate brings a message of peace and unity, but warned that if any party resorts to violence, they will face a serious response.

He stressed that with the establishment of the Islamic system, there is no justification for war in Afghanistan, and Afghans will always defend their religious and national values without hesitation.

He clarified that the Doha Agreement was not about the United States dictating governance to the Islamic Emirate but was solely about the timeline for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said: “Do not be deceived about the Doha Agreement. In Doha, Qatar, the Islamic Emirate made commitments with the Americans, but these commitments were not about them dictating how our system should operate. It was merely about scheduling the withdrawal of US forces.”

The Islamic Emirate official praised the activities of schools and madrasas in remote areas and stated that the Islamic Emirate is fully committed to developing all educational centers without any discrimination.

He also emphasized that all citizens who worked under the previous regime have been pardoned by the Islamic Emirate.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir said: “Over the past 20 years, anyone who worked with the Americans or NATO was pardoned after the Islamic Emirate came to power. Whether they were soldiers or members of parliament, no Mujahid has troubled them because our conflict was with foreign forces.”

Some political experts believe that to strengthen the Islamic Emirate’s relations with the world and maintain stability in the country, interactions with regional and global countries must be enhanced.

“If any country lacks relations with its neighbors or the international community, it is like a paralyzed person. Therefore, we must strengthen our relations with all nations as much as international relations demand,” said Moeen Gul Samkanai, a political analyst.

Earlier, the deputy prime minister for political affairs announced that the Islamic Emirate has established direct relations with countries worldwide.

Kabir: Doha Agreement Does Not Define Nature of Our System
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Building resilience to address Afghanistan’s food security crisis

December 26, 2024

FARIS HADAD-ZERVOS

DINA UMALI-DEININGER

World Bank Blogs

Building resilience to address Afghanistan's food security crisisFarmer planting wheat seeds in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Photo: FAO/Hashim Azizi

Afghanistan is facing a severe food security crisis, with millions struggling to access adequate food. An estimated 11.6 million Afghans—25 percent of the population—are experiencing food insecurity.

Climate shocks are exacerbating this crisis. The ongoing drought—among the worst in decades—has drastically reduced rainfall, severely impacting rain-dependent agriculture. Earlier this year, catastrophic flooding in provinces like Baghlan, Takhar, and Badakhshan, caused widespread destruction of homes, agricultural lands, and livestock.

Afghanistan ranks fourth on the list of countries most at risk of climate-related crisis and is considered the seventh most vulnerable country with the least coping capacity. The frequency of droughts in the country has increased from an average of once every 3 years over 1986–2012, to once every other year over 2013–2023.

These intensifying droughts and floods damage crops, disrupt supply chains, and increase food prices. Such climatic shocks—coupled with economic instability and conflict—worsen food insecurity.

Impact on agricultural economy

A new World Bank study examined the effects of climate and weather shocks on Afghanistan’s agricultural economy, with an emphasis on food security, prices, and wages. The findings reveal that both flooding and drought significantly increase food insecurity, directly and indirectly.

Floods cause immediate crop and infrastructure damage, while droughts exacerbate water scarcity and lower crop yields, driving up food prices and lowering agricultural wages. Economic factors, such as inflation, rising fuel costs, and currency depreciation, further reduce the purchasing power of consumers and strain affordability. These combined challenges leave vulnerable households particularly at risk.

Investing in long-term resilience

Addressing food insecurity requires a comprehensive approach. Investments in climate resilience, like drought-resistant crops and livestock, crop diversification, improved irrigation and integrated watershed management, are essential. Simultaneously, economic measures such as income support for vulnerable populations and improved market access can help mitigate the effects of rising costs.

Moving beyond emergency aid, Afghanistan must invest in long-term resilience. While emergency aid is necessary to address urgent needs, sustainable solutions are essential for lasting food security. This includes enhancing local agricultural production, promoting sustainable farming practices, enhancing agricultural value chains, and developing early warning systems for climatic events.

The World Bank is helping address the food security crisis through the Afghanistan Emergency Food Security Project (EFSP) which supports the Afghan population by boosting food crop production among smallholder farmers and addressing the nutritional needs of women-headed households, in partnership with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is also promoting resilience and commercialization of agriculture production systems through the private sector by scaling up climate-resilient seed value chains, investing in improved water management technologies, and promoting value addition facilities to connect food supply chains to markets. The project has benefited more than 5 million people, employed more than 170,000 women farmers, increased production of wheat by 26 percent, and provided improved irrigation and drainage services on 523,000 hectares of land.

The Water Emergency Relief Project (WERP) is supporting a pilot to improve surface water irrigation systems to reduce the impact of droughts and thus foster greater agricultural climate resilience in partnership with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Agha Khan Foundation (AKF). By replacing diesel pumps with sustainable energy solutions, the project enhances farmers’ access to water and energy resources. It is also fostering community-private partnerships to deliver longer term solutions for drought-affected rural communities. The project will benefit 2,000 farmers and 100,000 community members.

The World Bank is also partnering with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to strengthen the delivery of hydrometeorology and early warning services to Afghan people. A drought forecasting and early warning tool is being developed, leveraging satellite remote sensing datasets and machine learning prediction models, to strengthen drought risk management and anticipatory actions. This open-source tool can help farmers to prepare in advance by adjusting their crop management practices, such as altering irrigation schedules, selecting drought-resistant crop varieties, or delaying planting to avoid the most vulnerable periods.

The challenges posed by climate change and its cascading impacts on food security in Afghanistan will continue to increase over time. By focusing on resilience and sustainable food system solutions, Afghanistan can build a more robust and adaptive food system that ensures food security and safeguards the livelihoods of the millions of Afghan people.

Building resilience to address Afghanistan’s food security crisis
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Dozens of House lawmakers rally around funding Afghan visa program as Trump vows major spending cuts

December 26, 2024

By Elizabeth Elkind

Fox News
Published December 24, 2024

Trump promised to cut ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ in spending

A group of 51 bipartisan lawmakers is urging House negotiators to keep up the flow of dollars to a visa program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country.

Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, wrote to the House of Representatives’ top appropriators as they continue to negotiate federal funding for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2025.

“We write to urge you to maintain critical provisions for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program1 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations package. Authorizing new Afghan SIVs is critical to vetting and relocating qualified Afghan principal applicants currently in the processing pipeline,” they wrote to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and others.

It comes as President-elect Trump promised to work toward steep spending cuts in the coming federal funding fights. He wrote on Truth Social last week, “The United States will cut Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in spending next year through Reconciliation!”

Lawmakers are calling for the preservation of an Afghan visa program as President-elect Trump vows steep spending cuts. (Getty Images)

People in Trump’s orbit, including some House Republicans, are pushing for him to have greater control over how congressionally appropriated funds are spent.

Meanwhile, Trump tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy last month to lead an advisory panel on cost-cutting dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The duo have already positioned themselves as influential players in Congress’ spending discussions as well, having led the revolt against a 1,547-page government funding bill that was a product of bipartisan negotiations. They have not, however, said where they want to see Congress pull back on spending.

The 51 lawmakers pushing for the Afghan SIV program to be preserved argue it is “a life-saving path to safety for Afghan nationals who face serious danger as a result of their work alongside U.S. troops, diplomats, and contractors.”

“Congress must continue this work so that the State Department is able to issue visas to eligible Afghans who face imminent threats from the Taliban, Islamic State, and other hostile groups because of their service to the U.S. and our allies,” they wrote.

The Afghan SIV program was first enacted in 2009, but saw new importance after the Taliban’s lightening-fast takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 – which precipitated the U.S.’s withdrawal after decades in the Middle Eastern country.

Congressional negotiators have so far failed to come to an agreement on FY 2025 spending, forcing lawmakers to pass two extensions of last year’s funding levels to prevent a partial government shutdown.

The most recent extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), gives lawmakers until March 14 to make a deal.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives

Dozens of House lawmakers rally around funding Afghan visa program as Trump vows major spending cuts
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Pakistan air strikes in Afghanistan spark Taliban warning of retaliation

December 26, 2024
Al Jazeera
Published On 25 Dec 2024

Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani military conducted air raids in neighbouring Afghanistan late on Tuesday night, targeting hideouts of the Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, armed group in Paktika province, according to security officials.

While no official statement was issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attacks took place in the Barmal district of Afghanistan, near Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The interim Afghan government, ruled by the Taliban, also confirmed the attacks but insisted that civilians had been targeted. The Taliban spokesperson’s office told Al Jazeera that at least 46 people, including women and children, were among those killed in air raids.

“The Pakistani side should understand that such arbitrary measures are not a solution to any problem,” Enayatullah Khowarazami, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry, wrote on social media platform X. “The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered and considers the defense of its territory an inalienable right,” he added, referring to Afghanistan by the name given by the Taliban government.

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The air raids, which were conducted for the second time this year, came just hours after Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadi, met interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.

“Met Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Held wide-ranging discussions. Agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote peace and progress in the region,” Sadiq posted on X.

Sadiq’s visit to Kabul, which also included a meeting with Afghan interim Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Monday, took place amid deteriorating relations between the two neighbours, and ties are likely to sink further following the Tuesday night attacks, say analysts.

Increasing attacks

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan government of harbouring armed groups, especially the TTP, which it claims carries out cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani security forces.

Last week, TTP fighters claimed responsibility for killing at least 16 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan in one of the deadliest recent attacks on security personnel.

While the Taliban denies providing refuge to armed groups or allowing their territory to be used for cross-border attacks, Pakistan asserts that the TTP conducts its operations from Afghan sanctuaries.

During a United Nations Security Council briefing last week, Pakistan said thousands of Pakistan Taliban fighters have sought shelter in Afghanistan.

“The TTP, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed terrorist organisation operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our border, it poses a direct and daily threat to Pakistan’s security,” Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadoon said at the UN briefing.

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Data indicates a rise in attacks and deaths, particularly in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and southwestern Balochistan province, both of which border Afghanistan.

According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, more than 1,500 violent incidents in the first 10 months of this year have resulted in at least 924 deaths. Among the casualties were at least 570 law enforcement personnel and 351 civilians.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based research organisation, reported more than 856 attacks so far in 2024, surpassing the 645 incidents recorded in 2023.

Risk of retaliation

Pakistan maintains that it has repeatedly shared evidence with the Taliban regarding TTP operations but claims these concerns have not been adequately addressed.

The Pakistani government launched a military campaign, Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability), in June, and security analyst Amir Rana believes that the latest air raids are likely part of this operation.

“Discussions within military circles have focused on conducting offensives on Afghan soil after the recent surge in attacks against security personnel. These strikes appear to be triggered by last week’s attacks on soldiers,” Rana told Al Jazeera.

Rana, who is also the director of Islamabad-based security think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), further says the Kabul visit by Sadiq, Pakistani special representative to Afghanistan, might not be connected to Tuesday’s air raids.

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“Sadiq’s visit was more about conveying the government message to share its apprehensions about increasing attacks by TTP networks which operate from Afghanistan, and was likely a trust-building exercise,” he added.

Ihsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said Pakistan has conducted at least four air raid operations on TTP hideouts in Afghanistan over the past few years.

However, Tipu added that a serious flaw in Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy was its “inconsistent approach”.

“Historically, Pakistan’s approach has been personality-driven rather than strategy-driven. Actions such as cross-border air strikes should be part of a comprehensive and well-planned policy instead of reactive measures,” Tipu, who is also a co-founder of The Khorasan Diary, a security research portal, told Al Jazeera.

Tipu also suggested that while the Afghan government has promised retaliation, the real response may come from the Pakistan Taliban.

“The actual reaction may come from the Pakistani Taliban, who have been discussing revenge attacks in their internal communications already, alleging that the strikes killed their women and children,” he said.

Rana from PIPS said such cross-border attacks are becoming a norm globally, and it was unlikely that Pakistan would face any criticism or consequences from the international community for the air raids.

“But this also presents a big challenge to us, and a matter to introspect, that despite four decades of engagement in Afghanistan, we still have not developed diplomatic skills to hold dialogue with rulers in Afghanistan, whoever it might be, in a constructive manner,” Rana said.

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Tipu, meanwhile, emphasised that the TTP issue remained a big obstacle to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

“With Sadiq’s reappointment as special envoy, there were hopes for détente between the two countries. However, Tuesday’s strikes may significantly hinder any progress before it formally begins,” he said.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
Pakistan air strikes in Afghanistan spark Taliban warning of retaliation
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Over 180 cases of Journalists rights violations recorded in Afghanistan in 2024: AFJC

December 26, 2024
Khaama Press

The Afghanistan Journalists Center released its annual report on December 26, 2024, highlighting the challenging situation for media outlets and journalists in the country. The report indicates that 181 cases of journalist rights violations were recorded, and 18 media outlets were shut down due to the Taliban’s repressive policies.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has reported 181 instances of media rights violations by the Taliban in 2024, as part of its annual report.

The report, released on Thursday, December 26, indicates that 18 media outlets have been shut down due to the Taliban’s repressive policies over the past year.

According to the Center, over 50 journalists were arrested and imprisoned by the Taliban on various charges in 2024.

The center emphasized that the suppression of media freedom has increased by 8% compared to the previous year.

The report further notes that the legal framework for media operations in 2024 remains unclear, with the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture largely sidelined.

The Taliban sent the proposed amendments to the Media Law and the Access to Information Law to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s supreme leader, for approval.

The center also pointed out that the Taliban’s “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law has imposed even stricter restrictions on media, intensifying pressure on journalists.

The Taliban issued at least seven new directives in 2024, compared to only four in 2023. These included bans on filming, restrictions on women’s communication with the media in some provinces, and the prohibition of broadcasting live political programs.

The report highlighted how journalists who defy these directives face threats, imprisonment, or severe penalties, with media outlets often subjected to shutdowns. The Taliban’s control over the media landscape continues to grow, limiting free expression and press freedom across Afghanistan.

Female journalists, in particular, face an even harsher reality, as they are frequently targeted for their involvement in media work. The restrictions imposed on women’s participation in public life have led to a sharp decline in the number of female journalists, with many opting to leave the profession or the country altogether.

This further marginalizes the already vulnerable position of women in Afghanistan, making it difficult for them to contribute to the country’s media landscape and limiting their voices in a time of crisis.

Over 180 cases of Journalists rights violations recorded in Afghanistan in 2024: AFJC
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