US Envoy West Emphasizes Reintegration of Afghanistan at Doha Meeting

West told TOLOnews that his country’s policy towards Afghanistan is based on two principles.

US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West said that the reintegration of Afghanistan into the global community was one of the key objectives of the countries participating in the Doha meeting.

West told TOLOnews that his country’s policy towards Afghanistan is based on two principles: the national interests of the United States and support for the Afghan people.

The US special envoy for Afghanistan said: “Part of the reason that so many countries came to Doha here, is that we are seeking to launch a process that does envision the reintegration of Afghanistan and the community of nations. That must be an ambitious goal that we have. But along this path that we will build together with Afghans as well as together with the Taliban, there will be incredibly important milestones to hit, now central along this path as my colleague Rina said, will be women and girls’ right to be educated, to work, and to participate fully in society. A part of this path that we will build will be about the fulfillment of security commitments, support of this path will be about the continuing implementation of the ban that they have placed against poppy cultivation, a part of this path will be about the budget transparency as well.”

Thomas West spoke about Washington’s policy towards Afghanistan: “The policy of the United States vis-a-via Afghanistan is … two sets of things above all; number one: our national interest, and number two: how best to support the Afghan people. So on the first set of issues, our national interest, we have in abiding national interest in ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a terrorist threat, a long-term ground for terrorism against the United States and so, in that regard we do engage in a dialogue regarding these steps that the Taliban have taken to fulfill the commitments they have made to the international community and above all to the United States in this regard.”

Meanwhile, some political analysts believe that Afghanistan and the world must resolve the current differences and national and international challenges that stand in their way.

“There are several important issues that need to be resolved and problems that need to be addressed before Afghanistan’s relations with the international community can be restored,” said Sayed Abdul Moqadam Amin, a political analyst.

“Without a doubt, all countries, including the United States, are seeking their interests in Afghanistan; they do not present those interests in front of microphones,” said Salim Paigir, a political analyst.

This comes as US special representatives for Afghanistan once again emphasized the role of Afghan women in society, the continued global support for them, and the stability of the country’s economy.

US Envoy West Emphasizes Reintegration of Afghanistan at Doha Meeting
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Nothing compensates for the stolen years’: the Afghan women rebuilding shattered dreams in Iran

“I was terrified the Taliban would prevent me from leaving,” she says. Last year, they stopped 100 female Afghan students boarding a flight to take up places at university in the United Arab Emirates where they had won scholarships.

As a precaution, Hasina – whose full name has not been given to protect her identity – left Afghanistan with a tourist visa for Iran. She was accompanied by her father, they posed as a family going on a visit, but he returned home alone. Now, Hasina is enrolled at the Iran University of Medical Sciences in the capital, studying to become a surgeon.

It has been more than 1,000 days since the all-male Taliban government shut the door on girls’ education beyond the age of 12 after their August 2021 government takeover. Neighbouring Iran – which had previously denounced the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education – has opened it.

Accurate figures on the number of Afghans living in Iran are hard to come by – many cross through unofficial border points, complicating documentation. Estimates suggest that about a million Afghans have fled to Iran since the Taliban takeover. Many Afghan families left to ensure their children went to school. At least 1.5 million girls in Afghanistan are still barred from education.

With a shared language and many cultural similarities, Iran has become a last resort for many Afghan women determined to finish their studies. According to the World Bank, Iran’s female literacy rate sits at 85%, while Afghanistan’s reaches roughly 23% – despite heavy investment in the education sector during the 20 years of the US-led invasion.

Studying at a private university in Iran is not cheap, Hasina explains, saying she pays $4,500 (£3,550) annually – a discounted rate. Her family scrambles to raise the funds, but is determined to support her education. miss my family and my home and I hope that one day I can go back; I hope the oppression women across our country face will end. Still, nothing can compensate for the years the Taliban has stolen from Afghan girls and women, including from me,” says Hasina, adding that she is surprised to see how different things are in Iran. “There are women everywhere here: professors, doctors, employees. It amazes me.”

Heather Barr, a director at Human Rights Watch, says there are no signs of any positive developments regarding education or women’s rights in Afghanistan. “The Taliban are intensifying their crackdown, sending the message that women shouldn’t be educated – and that extends to education outside Afghanistan as well,” she says, adding that the Taliban’s ban has been “denounced by the Muslim community, including Afghanistan’s neighbours Iran and Pakistan”, two countries where many Afghan women now study.

Many Iranians have voiced concerns over growing numbers of Afghans entering the country, with Afghans repeatedly reporting discriminatory and derogatory behaviour towards them.

There have also been reports of pushbacks at the border. Still, Iran could benefit from the influx, as its population growth rate had dropped to 0.7% in 2022, down from 2.3% in 2015. Afghan students who have been accepted into universities additionally invest in the Iranian economy and could contribute to the workforce in the future.

Farzaneh, 23, arrived in Tehran four months ago, accompanied by her brother. She is continuing her journalism studies at Allameh Tabataba’i University, hoping to one day return home to “cover Afghanistan”. She pays about €800 (£680) a year; funded by part-time jobs. Tuition fees in Kabul, where she previously studied, were lower, but when the Taliban took over Farzaneh was dismissed from classes. For two years she struggled to find a way to continue her studies – this year she was finally accepted into university in Tehran.

“Most women just want to leave Afghanistan now to rebuild their destroyed dreams elsewhere. This is so painful to me. If the situation for women continues like it has, I don’t have hope,” Farzaheh says. “I’m studying to make my family – my father – proud, but I miss my friends and my home. I remember those days when we smiled and were happy together. These days are gone.”

Nothing compensates for the stolen years’: the Afghan women rebuilding shattered dreams in Iran
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Deportation of nearly two thousand Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations reported that nearly two thousand Afghan migrants have entered the country after being expelled by Iran and Pakistan.

According to a newsletter released by the ministry on Thursday, June 4th, 1,897 Afghan migrants returned following their expulsion from Iran and Pakistan.

Yesterday, these returnees arrived in Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak border in Kandahar province and the Nimruz province along the Silk Road.

Despite international outcry, the deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan continues unabated. Many of these returnees face significant challenges upon their arrival, including dire humanitarian conditions and human rights abuses.

Upon their return to Afghanistan, many deportees find themselves in a precarious situation. The sudden influx of returnees strains already limited resources and infrastructure, exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis. Access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, and healthcare becomes even more challenging, particularly in regions already grappling with poverty and insecurity.

Furthermore, the deportation process often lacks adequate safeguards, raising concerns about violations of human rights. Reports indicate instances of mistreatment, arbitrary detention, and separation of families during the deportation proceedings. Such conditions not only violate international humanitarian standards but also exacerbate the vulnerabilities of Afghan refugees already in distress.

The forced return of Afghan refugees also poses socio-economic challenges to the communities receiving them. Local authorities and organizations struggle to provide adequate support and integration services, further straining their limited capacities.

This influx can disrupt local economies and social structures, creating tensions and instability in already vulnerable regions.

Deportation of nearly two thousand Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan
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The Take: How a notorious US prison still haunts Afghanistan

Al Jazeera

Podcast

Thousands of people were imprisoned for years without charge or trial by the United States during its so-called “war on terror”. Moazzam Begg was one of them. For the first time since he was detained more than 20 years ago, Begg returns with Al Jazeera to the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where he witnessed terrible abuses that continue to haunt him.

In this episode: 

  • Moazzam Begg (@Moazzam_Begg), former Bagram and Guantanamo detainee

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and Zaina Badr, with Khaled Soltan, Chloe K Li and our host Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Watch the full film ‘Echoes of Bagram’ by Al Jazeera Witness, here.

With special thanks to Horia El Hadad and Michael McEvoy.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

The Take: How a notorious US prison still haunts Afghanistan
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Talks with the Taliban – no women allowed

By Caroline Davies
BBC News
2 July 2024
EPA Afghan girls attend to their schools in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 18 September 2022
Girls above primary school age are barred from education and most jobs by the Taliban

Two days of talks between the international community and the Afghan Taliban have been productive, diplomats say.

The meetings in Doha were the first to include the Taliban – whose government no country recognises – since they seized power three years ago.

At the Taliban government’s insistence, no civil society representatives were in the room with the Taliban officials, meaning no women from Afghanistan were included, prompting criticism from rights groups and activists.

UN officials met Afghan civil society groups separately on Tuesday.

As the diplomats and media vacate the vast air-conditioned ballrooms of the Qatari capital, has anything changed for Afghanistan in the last few days?

There were no grand announcements, no massive breakthroughs, no solutions – but then none were expected – from the organisers or participants. Instead, the Taliban officials and diplomats seemed quietly and tentatively positive.

The tone was “respectful”, “engaged”, “frank”, according to different diplomats the BBC spoke to. The most repeated phrase was “this is a process”.

There were no concessions gained, nor pledges won from the Taliban delegation, led by spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. I asked him what the Taliban government would be willing to offer.

“When we go ahead we will see what they [the international community] want and what we can do based on Sharia law,” he told us. “ Whatever is against Sharia law we will not discuss it. Whatever is in the framework of Sharia we will solve it. It is a process and it will continue; we will see where it will take us and how much we will improve.”

The topics on the agenda were counter-narcotics and the private sector, easier topics to cover than issues like human rights or the role of women.

On the latter, the Taliban remained immovable on their view that this is an internal matter.

“We don’t want to discuss these sorts of issues between other countries. We will find a solution for it back home,” said Zabihullah Mujahid.

When the BBC pointed out to him there had been no solutions for nearly three years, and asked why that was, he said: “We are not ignoring it, we are working on it. We are finding a solution for it based on Sharia law.”

EPA Taliban's government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid talks to journalists during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, 29 June 2024.
Zabihullah Mujahid said the role of women was not being ignored – but there was no sign of any progress

The UN itself referred to the situation in Afghanistan as “gender apartheid” where women and girls are not able to attend secondary school, visit parks or gyms and hold certain jobs among an increasing list of restrictions.

“It is not just an internal issue and we have made that clear to them,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s lead in these talks.

She cited the different treaties signed by Afghanistan prior to the Taliban authorities’ takeover in August 2021 that agree to human rights.

“It doesn’t matter if the government changes, they are still party to those.”

“I think they are ready to talk about some of these things [women’s rights], but they are not ready to move,” Tomas Niklasson, special envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan, told the BBC.

“I am hopeful that things will change on women’s rights, but I’m not sure about the time perspective.”

What made him hopeful?

“I’m surprised to see the way in which Afghans still manage through resilience to push back,” he said, adding after a pause. “Hope is not always a rational thing.”

The UN did arrange for a separate meeting to take place on Tuesday with civil society activists, although several chose to boycott it and none of those who attended wanted to speak to the media.

According to the list of attendees provided by the UN, several countries including China and Russia chose not to attend the session. The UN told us that several delegations not in attendance had travel arrangements.

There is no set date for the next meeting of this kind, although many of the countries that attended already meet the Taliban bilaterally and told the BBC that that would continue. All officials we spoke to thought that the few days had laid groundwork for more engagement and conversation.

After nearly three years of the Taliban authorities in control, the general mindset of the diplomats we met was that little would improve in Afghanistan if there was not an attempt to engage, at least on the areas of some overlap.

“We felt we had to start somewhere,” Ms DiCarlo said in Tuesday’s closing press conference.

The question still is where might these talks lead.

Talks with the Taliban – no women allowed
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UNICEF plans to reconstruct 190 schools in Afghanistan

Khaama Press

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it plans to reconstruct 190 schools in Afghanistan this year. On Tuesday, July 2nd, the organisation announced that rebuilding these schools will provide education opportunities for 200,000 children.

UNICEF emphasized that these schools will be constructed with the cooperation and financial support of the European Union to ensure education for 200,000 children in Afghanistan.

Earlier, UNICEF reported funding the construction of six schools in Pul-e-Alam city and Mohammad Agha district of Logar province.

UNICEF further underscored its commitment to investing in the education sector in Afghanistan, stating in a report, “Investing in education is investing in the future of the country.”

According to the organization’s statistics, more than one million girls in Afghanistan are deprived of their right to education and have banned education beyond sixth grade for girls since the Taliban took power in the country.

This is despite the lack of standard school buildings and educational facilities being highlighted as a major challenge in the education sector across various provinces, especially in rural areas.

Amid a dire humanitarian crisis and widespread poverty in Afghanistan, there has been a troubling rise in forced marriages and underage unions, particularly affecting girls.

The underlying reasons behind this alarming trend include pervasive poverty and the longstanding barriers to girls’ education in the country.

The lack of educational opportunities for girls has exacerbated societal challenges, contributing to a situation where many families see marriage as a coping mechanism amid economic hardship.

This unfortunate reality highlights the urgent need for sustained efforts to improve access to education and alleviate poverty, essential steps towards safeguarding the rights and futures of Afghan girls.

UNICEF plans to reconstruct 190 schools in Afghanistan
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US Calls for Prisoner Release, Islamic Emirate Seeks Mutual Action

Mujahid said that he had 24 meetings with representatives of different countries, which were as productive as the Doha meeting.

Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesman for the US Department of State, said that Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, pressed the Islamic Emirate during the third Doha meeting to release American citizens imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press briefing, he said that this is a constant request from the United States, and at every opportunity, they emphasize the unconditional release of American citizens imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Vedant Patel said: “During these meetings, Special Rep West pressed for the immediate and unconditional release of U.S. citizens unjustly detained in Afghanistan, noting that these detentions impede progress in the Taliban’s own desire for international recognition. U.S. officials continue to press for their release continuously and at every opportunity.”

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, who also led the interim government’s delegation in Doha 3, confirmed the talks about American prisoners in Afghanistan and said that the US must also consider the conditions of the Islamic Emirate in this regard.

Zabihullah Mujahid said: “Yes, we discussed some remaining issues, including the matter of two American citizens imprisoned in Afghanistan. We had previously discussed their release, and Afghanistan’s conditions must also be accepted. We have prisoners in Guantanamo Bay who need to be released in exchange for our nationals. Otherwise, just as American citizens are important to them, Afghans are important to us.”

Zabihullah Mujahid, briefing reporters about the outcomes of the third Doha meeting, said that on the sidelines of this meeting, he had 24 meetings with representatives of different countries, which were as productive as the Doha meeting.

Mujahid reiterated that the issue of girls’ education is an internal matter of Afghanistan and that until the Islamic Emirate is recognized under the framework of the United Nations, it is not obliged to adhere to international conventions.

Mujahid added: “Conventions or world agreements come into being based on commitment, and we can only agree to them when the Islamic Emirate is recognized by the framework of the United Nations. We can adhere to or agree with international conventions and agreements as long as they do not contradict Islamic Sharia and the national interests of Afghanistan.”

In the third Doha meeting, economic issues, including humanitarian aid to reduce poverty in Afghanistan, support for the private sector to facilitate investors, combating drug trafficking, and aid for alternative livelihoods for farmers, were also discussed.

Zabihullah Mujahid said there was no discussion about the fourth Doha meeting.

US Calls for Prisoner Release, Islamic Emirate Seeks Mutual Action
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Coordinated, Integrated Strategies for Afghanistan’s Challenges

According to Fitrat, currently, the Islamic Emirate has good relations and positive interactions with most countries.

Tariq Ali Bakhit, the Special Representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Afghanistan, has called creating a strategic and coherent solution to solve Afghanistan’s challenges.

Bakhit said at the third Doha meeting that achieving this goal requires engaging continuously and constructively with the existing authorities in the country.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said that the organization is continuing its discussions with officials of the Islamic Emirate regarding women’s rights to education and work.

A statement of this organization said there is an “urgent need to adopt a coordinated and integrated strategic approach to deal with the many challenges facing Afghanistan and its people, stressing that the way to achieve this goal is to engage continuously and constructively with the existing authorities in the country.”

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, says that if countries want to solve their challenges with Afghanistan, they should interact with the interim government.

According to Fitrat, currently, the Islamic Emirate has good relations and positive interactions with most countries.

The Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate said: “If the countries of the world want to solve their challenges with Afghanistan, they should come forward to interact with the Islamic Emirate, and in this field, most countries understand this fact and interact with the Islamic Emirate at a high level.”

Several political experts said that the Islamic Emirate should take a series of actions for greater interaction and recognition by the international community.

“It is better to interact with Afghanistan, and this interaction does not mean that it is only with the government, but interaction will make it easier for the government and the people of Afghanistan,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a political analyst.

Nasser Shafiq, another political analyst, said: “Our foreign policy must be neutral and maintain the balance of the interests of the countries of the region and the world, and in domestic politics, we must ensure the creation of national unity for both the region and the international community by maintaining diversity.”

Earlier, the Islamic Emirate said that the caretaker government has embassies and representative offices in about 38 countries, and more countries and organizations have opened their embassies and representative offices in Afghanistan.

Coordinated, Integrated Strategies for Afghanistan’s Challenges
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An Afghan woman wanted to be a doctor. Now she makes pickles as the Taliban restricts women’s roles

BY  RIAZAT BUTT
Associated Press
July 3, 2024

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Frozan Ahmadzai is one of 200,000 Afghan women who have the Taliban’s permission to work. She should have graduated from university this year in pursuit of her dream of becoming a doctor, but the Taliban have barred women from higher education and excluded them from many jobs.

Now, instead of suturing, she sews in a basement in Kabul. Instead of administering medication, she makes pickles.

Half of Afghanistan’s population now finds itself locked out of the freedom to work at a time when the country’s economy is worse than ever.

Few jobs are still available to women. They include tailoring and making food, which the 33-year-old Ahmadzai now does along with women who once were teachers or aspired to be one.

Women’s participation in the workforce in Afghanistan, always limited by conservative cultural beliefs, was 14.8% in 2021, before the Taliban seized power and imposed harsh restrictions on women and girls. They include banning female education beyond sixth grade, barring women from public spaces like parks, and enforcing dress codes.

Women’s participation in the workforce was down to 4.8% in 2023, according to World Bank data.

Ahmadzai’s eyes flare when talking about the new reality for Afghan women. “We are only looking for a way to escape,” she said, referring to the work in the basement. It’s a step, at least, beyond being confined at home.

But profits are slim for her and her 50 colleagues in the collective. In a good month, the pickle-making and tailoring businesses bring in around 30,000 afghanis ($426).

The women also have other complaints familiar to anyone in Afghanistan: The rent and utility bills are high. The sewing machines are old-fashioned. The electricity supply is erratic. Local retailers don’t compensate them fairly. They don’t receive support from banks or local authorities to help their businesses grow.

Just obtaining permission from the Taliban to work is challenging for women, though under Afghan labor laws, the process for work permits ought to be the same for both sexes.

The ministry responsible for issuing permits has banned women from its premises, setting up a female-only office elsewhere. It’s to “speed things up and make things easier” for women, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Samiullah Ebrahimi.

There, women submit their paperwork, including their national identity card, a cover letter and a health certificate from a private clinic. That’s assuming they have the documents along with the money to cover any costs. It also assumes they can move around without being harassed if unaccompanied by a male guardian.

Last year, a top United Nations official said Afghanistan had become the most repressive country in the world for women and girls. Roza Otunbayeva, head of the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, said that while the country needed to recover from decades of war, half of its potential doctors, scientists, journalists and politicians were “shut away in their homes, their dreams crushed and their talents confiscated.”

The Taliban have a different view. They have tried to provide women with a “safe, secure and separate” working environment in line with Islamic values and Afghan traditions in sectors where women’s work is needed, according to ministry spokesman Ebrahimi. They can work in retail or hospitality, but it must be a female-only setting.

He said women don’t need degrees for the majority of permissible work including cleaning, security screening, handicrafts, farming, tailoring or food manufacturing.

It’s heartbreaking for Ahmadzai and her colleagues to see their expertise go unused. Several also were training to be makeup artists, but beauty parlors have been closed.

Some jobs for women remain in education and health care, so Ahmadzai has pivoted to a nursing and midwifery course so she can become a medical professional. But not a doctor. The Taliban don’t want more female doctors.

The challenges for Afghan women of obeying Taliban edicts while helping to support their families while living conditions worsen is a strain on health, including mental health.

Ahmadzai said one of the few positives about her work in the basement in Kabul is the camaraderie and support system there.

“Afghan women nowadays all have the same role in society. They stay at home, care for children, mind the house and don’t work hard,” she said. “If my family didn’t encourage me, I wouldn’t be here. They support me because I work. My husband is unemployed and I have small children.”

Salma Yusufzai, the head of Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, acknowledged that working under Taliban rule is a challenge.

The chamber has almost 10,000 members, but the lack of female representation within the Taliban-controlled administration is a challenge.

Yusufzai said the chamber supports women by giving them a platform at local markets and connecting them with the international community for participation in overseas exhibitions and other opportunities.

Chamber members include key Afghan industries like carpet-making and dried fruit. The businesses are male-owned but kept alive by women who want to support the economy, which she said would collapse without them.

She acknowledged that the chamber’s limited work was only possible through engagement with the Taliban: “If I close the door then nothing will happen, nothing will remain.”

Yusufzai once had three gemstone businesses and gave them up because of her chamber role. But she can’t own them anyway under Taliban rule, so the businesses are in her husband’s name.

“Since we are living in this country, we have to follow the rules,” she said. Her smile was tight.

“From nothing, it is better to have something.”

An Afghan woman wanted to be a doctor. Now she makes pickles as the Taliban restricts women’s roles
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Nebenzia: ‘Taliban’ Should Not Be Ignored as Afghanistan’s Current Rulers

Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, welcomed the remarks of Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN about Afghanistan.

Vasily Nebenzia, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that the ‘Taliban’ are the current rulers of Afghanistan, and no one can ignore this fact.

Vasily Nebenzia said: “Taliban are de facto authorities in Afghanistan, and we’ve been saying consistently that you have to recognize this fact and deal with them as such. Because whether you like it or not, this movement is running the country now. And you cannot simply ignore that and on how far we are from removing them from the sanctions list on which they are now with Russia. I cannot tell you a definite answer. But I heard some talk about it. But generally speaking, it is good that the Taliban was finally invited to Doha this time.”

On the other hand, the US State Department said that the reason for banking sanctions on Afghanistan is the lack of adherence to human rights by the ruling officials in Afghanistan.

Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, added: “I can say that Tom made clear that the primary reason private banks have reservations about doing more business in Afghanistan is reputational, and that it is rooted in the Taliban’s atrocious human rights conduct. We know that the Taliban often complains about sanctions, but given the broad general license issued by the Treasury Department, relief organizations as well as businesses have the leeway they need to support the Afghan people.”

However, Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, welcomed the remarks of Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations about Afghanistan and called Moscow’s move to remove the names of Islamic Emirate officials from the blacklist a positive step.

The Deputy Spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate said, “It is the right of the Afghan people that the names of the officials of the interim government be removed from the blacklist, and all sanctions imposed on Afghanistan should end.”

Previously, the Russian Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs had reported to President Vladimir Putin about the possibility of removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups.

Nebenzia: ‘Taliban’ Should Not Be Ignored as Afghanistan’s Current Rulers
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