CURRENT NEWS ARTICLES

Akmal Dawi Voice of America September 19, 2023 80% of women in Afghanistan reported a drop in their ability to undertake income-generating activities under the Taliban. WASHINGTON — Hundreds of women in Afghanistan say the United Nations should not recognize the Taliban government until women’s access to work and education is restored, according to a new

Ayaz Gul Voice of America 6 September 2023 President of the U.S. Afghan American Chamber of Commerce Jeffrey Grieco, third from left, and Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar, center, co-host a business meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 6, 2023. (Taliban Economic Commission via VOA) ISLAMABAD — An American private sector

By TOLOnews TV Network Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also said in the discussion that leaving Afghanistan alone would be a grave mistake. The leaders of Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkey discussed Afghanistan among other issues at the 78th session General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly. In this discussion, Turkey and Iran emphasized the

TOLOnews TV Network 20 Sept 2023 Meanwhile, some women who have come to this market to buy things asked the Islamic Emirate to provide work opportunities for women in the country. A company established an exclusive women’s market in Kabul, providing more than a hundred female businesswomen an opportunity to find employment. According to the

BY RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press September 20, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations said Wednesday it has documented more than 1,600 cases of human rights violations committed by authorities in Afghanistan during arrests and detentions of people, and urged the Taliban government to stop torture and protect the rights of detainees. Nearly 50% of

BY RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press  September 19, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The mental health of Afghan women, who have suffered under harsh measures imposed by the Taliban since taking power two years ago, has deteriorated across the country, according to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday. Nearly 70% reported that feelings of anxiety, isolation and

By Abid Hussain Al Jazeera Published On 15 Sep 2023 Islamabad, Pakistan – A key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been reopened for pedestrian and vehicular traffic after remaining closed for nine days, following an exchange of fire between the security forces of the two countries. Muhammad Anas, an official in Khyber district of Pakistan’s northwestern

By Manoj Kumar and Mayank Bhardwaj Reuters September 13, 2023 NEW DELHI, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Afghan college students living in India despite the expiry of their student visas staged a protest in New Delhi on Wednesday to urge the Indian government to extend their stay and allow them to resume their studies. India has

Associated Press September 13, 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban on Wednesday hailed China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan with fanfare, saying his arrival is a sign for other nations to come forward and establish relations with them. The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war.

Associated Press September 12, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have waged a systematic assault on the freedom of Afghanistan’s people, including women and girls experiencing “immeasurably cruel” oppression, the U.N.’s human rights chief said Tuesday. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that human rights are in a state of collapse in Afghanistan more than two

Mohammad Amin Pacha Tolo News 11 Sept 2023 They called on the officials of Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their political issues through diplomatic paths. Dozens of people held a demonstration around Torkham area in Nangarhar province to protest the closing of the crossing by Pakistan. The protestors said that Pakistan has been repeatedly closing

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 11 Sept 2023 The Islamic Emirate meanwhile said that the US presence in Afghanistan was affecting both countries.   The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has once again defended the decision about the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, saying “we want to make sure, and as a result of what

By Abid Hussain Al Jazeera Published On 11 Sep 202311 Sep 2023 Pakistan accuses Taliban government of ‘indiscriminate firing’ at the key Torkham border crossing, closed for nearly a week. Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of constructing “unlawful structures” at a key border crossing, calling it a violation of territorial sovereignty. The Torkham

Reuters September 10, 2023 KABUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) – The Afghan Taliban criticised the closure of its main border crossing with Pakistan this week after clashes between security forces, saying the halt in trade would see heavy losses for businesses. The busy Torkham border crossing closed on Wednesday after Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces started firing at

TOLOnews 10 Sept 2023 The retirees said that despite their protests and calls for their rights, they have not received their pensions. Retirees at a gathering in capital Kabul voiced concerns over continued unpaid pensions, saying that they have not been paid their pensions since the fall of the former government. The retirees said that

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 10 Sept 2023 Such steps harm the trade and transit relations between the two countries, the statement said. Local officials in the eastern province of Nangarhar discussed the reopening of Torkham crossing with Pakistani officials. Arafat Mahajar, manager of the department of information in the Directorate of Information and Culture of

By ASSOCIATED PRESS 09/10/2023 07:36 AM EDT The report called Afghanistan’s meth manufacturing a growing threat to national and regional health and security. ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan is the world’s fastest-growing maker of methamphetamine, a report from the United Nations drug agency said Sunday. The country is also a major opium producer and heroin source, even

Natasha Bertrand and Katie Bo Lillis CNN Fri September 8, 2023 New US intelligence assessments suggest that is “unlikely” al Qaeda will revive in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that counterterrorism operations by the Taliban in Afghanistan have degraded the Islamic State’s presence there, two senior US officials said on Friday. The assessments described by the officials in a briefing

By Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 9 Sept 2023 According to some political analysts, the presence of the PM in meetings and meetings with representatives of countries is important. Two months after coming back to Kabul from Kandahar, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the prime minister of the Islamic Emirate, has not been reported to have visited with

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 9 Sept 2023 According to some political analysts, investing in the education of girls and boys in the country is a serious need. Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of the UN’s Education Cannot Wait (ECW), on the occasion of International Literacy Day, said that the official opinion of the ruling authorities in Afghanistan about

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 9 Sept 2023 They added that the terrorist presence in Afghanistan has been waning despite the US military’s withdrawal from the country in 2021. New US intelligence assessments suggest that it is “unlikely” al Qaeda will revive in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that counterterrorism operations by the “Taliban” in Afghanistan have

Akmal Dawi Voice of America/VOA September 07, 2023 8:05 AM FILE – The Mes Aynak valley, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, is pictured March 2, 2022. The unexploited copper source is estimated to be worth nearly $1 trillion. China’s MCC won the contract to exploit the mine over 10 years ago. WASHINGTON — The Taliban, facing

Aziz Rahman Abram Tolo News 8 Sept 2023 International Literacy Day comes as it has been nearly 720 days that girls above the sixth grade in Afghanistan have been denied access to education. Friday, September 8, is international Literacy Day (ILD). International Literacy Day comes as it has been nearly 720 days that girls above

Naweed Samadi Tolo News 8 Sept 2023 The deputy foreign minister once again asked the countries not to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. The deputy foreign minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said that the Islamic Emirate is not involved in any terrorist activity in the region, especially in neighboring countries. Speaking at an

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 8 Sept 2023 However, the Islamic Emirate called these reports propaganda, saying they will find ways to better ensure women’s rights. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report that “Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are committing the crime against humanity of gender persecution against women and girls.” According to report, since

Naweed Samadi Tolo News 8 Sept 2023 Haqqani said that the door of interaction is open to everyone, and every person can return to the country freely. Speaking at a gathering in Bamiyan province, acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani called on influential political leader Mohammad Mohaqiq and former vice president Mohammad Karim Khalili to return

 Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 6 Sept 2023 In the meantime, a source told TOLOnews that Hamid Karzai was not permitted to meet a delegation of seven persons who came to Kabul from Iran. Former president Hamid Karzai’s relatives confirmed there is a ban on Karzai’s travel abroad. The relatives of Hamid Karzai confirmed to TOLOnews

Al Jazeera Published On 6 Sep 2023 Gun battle erupts between Pakistani and Afghan forces, shutting the busiest trade crossing between the South Asian neighbours The main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been closed after security forces from both countries exchanged fire, officials said. Local residents on the Pakistani side reported the sound

Mitra Majeed ToloNews 2 Sept 2023 This meeting is being held without the presence of representatives of the Islamic Emirate. A conference called “Half A Century of Crisis To Redemption” held on Saturday in London drew a number of Afghan civil activists, journalists, and human rights advocates. The aim of this one-day conference, according to

Mitra Majeed Tolo News 3 Sept 2023 The CEO of Islamic Relief also stressed the need for the education of girls in Afghanistan. The CEO of the Islamic Relief Worldwide, Waseem Ahmad, said he believes that the international community cannot be disconnected from Afghanistan for a long time. In an interview with TOLOnews, he said:

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 3 Sept 2023 It has been over two years since the Islamic Emirate came to power, but no country has so far recognized it.   The deputy PM for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said that Afghanistan does not interfere

REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press September 1, 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 840,000 Afghans who applied for a resettlement program aimed at people who helped the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan are still there waiting, according to a report that lays out the challenges with a program intended to help America’s allies in the two-decade

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 1 Sept 2023 In an interview with TOLOnews, he denied the existence of a desert court by the officials of the interim government. The deputy of the Supreme Court, Abdul Malik Haqqani said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the Implementation of Qisas (an Islamic term interpreted to mean retaliation

Josephine Walker Reuters September 1, 2023\s WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Farzana Jamalzada fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, fearful that her work with the U.S. government would put her in danger. She found refuge in the U.S. and moved to New York City where she secured a job with a charity

Sardar Shafaq Tolo News 1 Sept 2023 Speaking at the exhibition, Haqqani emphasized the need to strengthen the forces of the Islamic Emirate. Anas Haqqani, a prominent member of the Islamic Emirate, said that the Islamic Emirate is open for interaction with the world. Haqqani said that the Islamic Emirate even declared the end of

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press August 16, 2023 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the United States has begun easing rules that could allow commercial airlines to fly over the country in routes that cut time and fuel consumption for East-West travel. But those shortened flight routes

Shamsurrahman Khpalwak Tolo News 31 Aug  2023 Families demanded justice from international institutions, especially human rights institutions. Families of those killed in airstrikes by foreign troops in Afghanistan said that during the previous 20 years many civilians have been killed and injured. Families demanded justice from international institutions, especially human rights institutions. One of the

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 31 Aug 2023 Maryam Sadat, a citizen of Afghanistan, committed suicide on Wednesday in Islamabad. Afghan immigrants in Pakistan criticized the delay of their immigration cases. Immigrants from Afghanistan said that the Pakistani military has mistreated them for the past two years and that their future is uncertain. This situation has

TOLOnews TV Network 31 Aug 2023 The contract for seven mines worth more than $6.5 billion was signed on Thursday in the presence of the deputy PM for economic affairs. The acting Minister of Petroleum and Mines Shahabuddin Delawar speaking to the press at a contract-signing ceremony for the extraction and processing of 7 major

By Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 31 Aug 2023 The statement the US is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. US President Joe Biden, on August 21, the second anniversary of the end of the US troop pullout from Afghanistan, said that the United States ended nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan.

By Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 31 Aug 2023 Finally, the twenty-year foreign military presence in Afghanistan came to an end on August 31, 2021, with the departure of the final American soldier. On August 31, 2021, the last American soldier, Major General Chris Donahue, left Afghanistan. 22 years ago today, American soldiers and their allies invaded

By Michael Crowley Reporting from Washington The New York Times Aug. 30, 2023 When the last American soldier flew out of Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021, leaving the country to Taliban rule, the world braced for a human rights nightmare. In that sense, the Taliban have met expectations. The country’s extremist rulers, who seized power

By Whitney Shefte The Washington Post August 30, 2023 When the Taliban began its swift takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Noori family knew they had to get out of the country. They had already seen one family member assassinated and several others had attempts made on their lives. Staying in Afghanistan was not

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 30 Aug 2023 Van Schaack added that in all their engagements with the Islamic Emirate, they are pushing to have some of these restrictions relaxed. Beth Van Schaack, the US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, said that the bans on girls’ education is one of the most unconscionable acts of the

By Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 30 Aug 2023 Addressing the same gathering, the country’s Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, called on the people to support the Islamic Emirate. The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that weakening the Afghan government will harm everyone and that the international community has assured the Islamic Emirate

By Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 28 AUGUST 2023 Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, said that the project will begin mid next year. The Japanese Ambassador in Kabul, Takashi Okada, called on the Afghan “de facto” authorities to strengthen legitimacy within the country to expand international cooperation. Speaking at a signing ceremony for “Enhancing Agriculture Production

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 28 Aug 2023 Earlier, a number of US House of Representatives members voiced their opposition to the American forces’ departure from Afghanistan. A member of the US House of Representatives described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a mistake on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the departure of the

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 28 Aug 2023 Speaking at a press conference, Raisi note that his country has good relations with all its neighbors and is bound by the Helmand River Water Treaty. Amid tensions between Kabul and Tehran over the Helmand River’s water supply, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iranian specialists are looking into

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 28 Aug 2023 Meanwhile, a number of women’s rights activists are asking the UN to take action on human rights issues, especially to support women’s rights in Afghanistan. Heather Barr, director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said that the Human Rights Council meeting will be held in

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 28 Aug 2023 Meanwhile, some students asked the current government to reopen schools and universities for girls in the country. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that that the US has been very clear about the education of girls in Afghanistan. Addressing the press conference, Jean-Pierre said that Washington remains

Al Jazeera Published On 28 Aug 2023 Watchdogs slam Taliban’s ‘flagrant violation of the right to education and freedom of movement’ after Afghan women stopped from boarding a flight to Dubai to study on a scholarship. Human rights groups have condemned the Taliban’s latest restrictions on Afghan women’s education and movement after it barred them from visiting one of

By Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 28 Aug 2023 The ICG said that as the use of sanctions has increased, so, too, has awareness of their collateral effects. The International Crisis Group (ICG), said in a new report that sanctions have become an increasingly prominent tool of US statecraft, but urged

Zahra Nader and Zan Times reporters The Guardian Mon 28 Aug 2023 05.00 EDT First, her dreams of becoming a doctor were dashed by the Taliban’s ban on education. Then her family set up a forced marriage to her cousin, a heroin addict. Latifa* felt her future had been snatched away. “I had two options:

Naweed Samadi Tolo News 26 Aug 2023 Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against any country. British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott claimed that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist organizations continue to operate in Afghan territory. In an interview with Pakistani Geo

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 27 Aug 2023 A part of the statement said that such propaganda gives motivations to the Daesh group and increases destabilization in the region. The Islamic Emirate has once again denied the concerns of the UN Security Council members about Daesh activities in Afghanistan. Speaking at the Security Council meeting on

By Antoinette Radford BBC News 27 August 2023 The Taliban government have banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province. Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said women had not been observing hijab inside the park. He called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from

Carla Babb and Akmal Dawi Voice of America August 24, 2023 7:46 PM FILE — Hundreds gather, some holding documents, near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021. PENTAGON —  This month, the Taliban are marking two years since they retook control of

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 26 Aug 2023 Previously, the United Nations Security Council said in a statement on Friday that Daesh increased its operational capabilities inside Afghanistan. The members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) once again voiced concerns about the presence and increased activity of the Khorasan branch of Daesh in Afghanistan. Speaking

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 26 Aug 2023 “These reports are definitely untrue because they get these reports from the people and they are in line with the opposition,” he said. Panjshir province governor Mohammad Agha Hakim rejected the claims of international institutions and organizations regarding the violation of human rights in this province. In an

By Richard Pérez-Peña The New York Times Aug. 23, 2023 A U.N. mission in Afghanistan reported summary killings, arbitrary detentions and torture of hundreds of onetime soldiers, police officers and others in the old government. Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, hundreds of members of the U.S.-backed former government have been detained,

By Gerry Shih The Washington Post August 20, 2023  AQCHA, Afghanistan — The morning sun was still rising over the shriveled wheat fields, and the villagers were already worrying about another day without water. Rainwater stored in the village well would run out in 30 days, one farmer said nervously. The groundwater pumps gave nothing,

Akmal Dawi Voice of America August 22, 2023 Abdullah Abdullah, left, and Hamid Karzai have remained in Kabul, Afghanistan, since the Taliban seized power. When the Taliban entered Kabul in August 2021, nearly the entire leadership of the Afghan government fled the country fearing for their lives. President Ashraf Ghani, accompanied by his wife and

Ava Sasani The Guardian Sat 19 Aug 2023 Students trying to attend university in the US tell of their frustration after being rejected over the ‘immigrant intent’ test Yalda Azamee blinked back tears as she stared down at the American consular officer. “He did not even give me a chance to explain myself; he rejected

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters August 23, 2023 Aug 23 (Reuters) – The head of a Dubai-based conglomerate on Wednesday said Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities had stopped around 100 women from travelling to the United Arab Emirates where he was to sponsor their university education. Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chairman of Al Habtoor Group, said in

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters August 17, 2023 Aug 17 (Reuters) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is likely to end the financial running of 25 Afghan hospitals by the end of August due to funding constraints, a spokesperson told Reuters, amid growing concerns over a plunge in aid to Afghanistan. “Although we

Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield Reuters August 15, 2023 KABUL, Aug 15 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban marked the second anniversary of their return to power on Tuesday, celebrating their takeover of Kabul and the establishment of what they said was security throughout the country under an Islamic system. After a lightning offensive as U.S.-led foreign forces

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 25 Aug 2023 “Member states have also reported increasing concerns about (Daesh Khorasan) ability to project a threat outside Afghanistan.” The UN Security Council said in a statement that it will convene a briefing on the Secretary-General’s 17th biannual strategic-level report on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq

TOLOnews  TV Network 25 Aug 2023 The report issues a warning on the potential rise of global displacement over the next 30 years. The UN Development Program said in its recent report that Afghanistan currently has a “staggering 6.55 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), making it the country with the second highest tally worldwide after

TOLOnews TV Network 25 Aug 2023 According to UNICEF, Afghanistan is one of the most weapons-contaminated countries in the world. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan said that 85% of the victims of explosions and unexploded mines in Afghanistan are children. According to UNICEF, Afghanistan is one of the most weapons-contaminated countries in

By Christina Goldbaum The New York Times Published Aug. 14, 2023 Two years on from when the Taliban took Kabul, the outflow of young Talibs has renewed fears of violent extremism spilling across Afghanistan’s borders As a child studying in a madrasa in Afghanistan, Mohammad Khalid Tahir dreamed of waging jihad. By the time he

By Kern Hendricks Al Jazeera Published On 18 Aug 202318 Aug 2023 In remote Nuristan province, some who lost their jobs after the Taliban takeover are now working in artisanal mines to support their families amid a struggling economy. Nuristan, Afghanistan – Like a crack of thunder, a deep blast echoes down a tree-lined valley a

By Ruchi Kumar Al Jazeera Published On 16 Aug 2023 Millions of Afghans have fled persecution and poverty since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, and many are stuck in limbo in countries around the world with few rights and freedoms and with no hope for a better future. Nearly 3.6 million Afghans left the country from

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 6 Aug 2023 The detainees will be released if they are proved innocent, Mujahid said, without providing details about the exact numbers of the detainees. The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that some foreign nationals including Americans have been detained on charge of various issues including security issues. Mujahid told

 Hadia Ziaei Tolo News 4 Aug 2023 The assessment was published by the International Development Committee. The UK Parliament in a statement laid out the FCDO Equality Impact Assessment which was provided to ministers earlier this year to inform their decisions on where significant cuts to the Official Development Assistance budget for 2023-24 would fall.

TOLOnews 4 Aug 2023 “Pakistan will continue to provide support to the 29 million Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance and to help revive Afghanistan’s economy,” he said. Representatives of countries including Russia, UK, Pakistan, India, Qatar and Switzerland at the UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate on Famine and Conflict-Induced Global Food Security in

Merwis Omari Tolo News 3 Aug 2023 The National Examination Authority (NEXA) said that in this round, 29,000 graduates of the twelfth grade, all of whom are boys, will take the test. The second round of the university entrance exam (Kankor) started on Thursday in twelve provinces of the country. It is supposed to go

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 3 Aug 2023 The Islamic Emirate spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that such claims are not in the interest of either country or their people. The Islamic Emirate rejects Pakistan’s allegations that Afghan citizens were involved in the attack on the country’s military base that occurred on July 12. The Islamic Emirate

 TOLOnews TV Network 3 Aug 2023 Some immigrants said that even though they had passports and visas, they were detained by the Pakistani police without any reason. The Afghan Immigrant Council in Pakistan announced the detention of more than 17 immigrants in Islamabad. Some immigrants said that even though they had passports and visas, they

TOLOnews TV Network 2 August 2023 Suhail Shaheen, said that the ground realities in Afghanistan and media reports abroad are contrary to each other. Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and his delegation in Qatar met ambassadors and representatives of a number of nations including the UK, the US, Spain, South Korea, the Netherlands, Italy,

BY MUNIR AHMED Associated Press 2 August 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister on Tuesday asked neighboring Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to do more to prevent militants from crossing the border to stage attacks such as the massive suicide bombing earlier this week that killed dozens in a border region. The appeal came days after

Antonio Giustozzi World Politics Review Aug 2, 2023 In early July, U.S. President Joe Biden stirred controversy by stating that al-Qaida no longer has a presence in Afghanistan—thanks, he suggested, to the Taliban. Responding to a question about a recently released State Department report that was critical of his administration’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan,

By Christina Goldbaum The New York Times 1 August 2023 The Islamic State affiliate in South Asia claimed responsibility on Monday for a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan that killed dozens of people and injured about 200 more, in the latest bloody sign of the deteriorating security situation in the country. The death toll from the explosion

Sabria Abdal Tolo News 1 August 2023 According to the statement, US officials expressed “grave” concern regarding detentions, media crackdowns, and limits on religious practice. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and  Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri in a meeting with senior Islamic Emirate representatives in Doha, Qatar, urged

Al Jazeera 1 Aug 2023 Two-day talks in Qatar’s capital focused on economy, human rights and narcotics trafficking, officials say. Taliban leaders have met officials from the United States in Qatar for the first time since their return to power in Afghanistan two years ago. A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

TOLOnews TV Network 30 July 2023 A businesswoman in the capital named Freshta Hashmi is providing work and professional training for more than fifty women.  This businesswoman said that the purpose of creating this workshop is to support homeless women and students. Freshta Hashmi, who has been involved in small businesses for 7 years, now

NICK PATON WALSH AND MASOUD POPALZAI CNN July 28, 2023 at 3:04 AM Afghans who were promised a home in the United States after their country fell to the Taliban say they have waited so long for the US to process their applications that they are now being sent back to the enemy they fled.

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 28 July 2023 Inclusive governance and women’s rights were discussed by the participants of the meeting. Two days before the Doha meeting, US special envoy Thomas West and US special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, Rina Amiri, in Astana met with the representatives of five Central Asian countries

By Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 28 July 2023 Drought-like conditions, floods, insecurity, harsh winters, political and economic instability, and displacement, have increased recession in Afghanistan. In a recent report, UNICEF said 29.2 million people are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2023 and over 15 million people are projected to be in crisis and

Gulalai Hakim Tolo News 27 July 2023 I’m so pleased the committee has passed this important legislation to repay Americans who stepped up to do the work the Biden administration failed to do A US House Foreign Affairs Committee press release said committee chairman Michael McCaul “applauds the passage of the bill to refund money

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 26 July 2023 According to SIGAR, this law will prohibit the US State Department and American donor organizations from sending aid to the current government of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Economy rejected claims it is interfering with the operations of relief organizations. The deputy minister of economy, Abdul Latif Nazari, said

TOLOnews TV Network 27 July 2023 The International Committee of the Red Cross said that it will stop supporting the Afghan governmental hospitals by the end of August 2023 due to a shortage in the budget. “In April of this year, the supply of medicine to 25 hospitals in Afghanistan was stopped by us, but

By Kanishka Singh Reuters July 27, 2023 WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) – U.S. officials will meet Taliban representatives and “technocratic professionals” from Afghan ministries in Doha this week, the State Department said on Wednesday, adding they will discuss economic issues, security and women’s rights. No country has formally recognized the Taliban administration since the group returned

By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 26 Jul 2023 State Department says diplomats will discuss humanitarian issues, ‘critical interests’ with Afghan group officials. Washington, DC – United States diplomats will meet with Taliban representatives in Qatar this week, the US State Department has announced, in what will be rare, direct talks between Washington and the ruling Afghan

Christina Goldbaum The New York Time July 25, 2023 All women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan were set to close on Tuesday, officials said, as part of a Taliban administration announcement early this month that the women-only spaces were forbidden under Shariah law and caused economic hardship for grooms’ families during wedding celebrations. The closing of

BY JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press 25 July 2023 Dozens of Afghan students who fled their homeland when it came under Taliban rule have received scholarships to attend U.S. universities and many are nearing graduation. DALLAS (AP) — As the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, Fahima Sultani and her fellow

Gerry Shih and Lorenzo Tugnoli The Washington Post July 20 at 9:00 a.m. Correspondent Gerry Shih and photographer Lorenzo Tugnoli drove 15 hours from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, along boulder-strewn roads to the remote northeast of the country to explore its lithium industry, hiking two hours up a mountain to reach the mine shafts. Shih is

Diane Taylor The Guardian Sun 23 Jul 2023 11.17 EDT ‘Overjoyed’ justice and son, who spent two years in hiding in Pakistan, reunited with family after landmark case A female Afghan judge who was in hiding in Pakistan after fleeing the Taliban has won a landmark right to sanctuary in the UK. The 53-year-old judge, whose true

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 23 July 2023 According to Mehrabi, the $3.5 billion funds are not intended for humanitarian needs. Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, Da Afghanistan  Bank (DAB)-Central Bank- supreme council member and board member of the Afghan Trust Fund in Switzerland, said that as a “trustee my role is to protect and preserve” the

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 24 July 2023 FAO requires USD $252.4 million to assist 8 million people in Afghanistan in 2023, the organization said. The Food and Agriculture Organization reported that “severe and widespread drought, in addition to an extremely harsh winter, have impacted farmers…” The FAO, referring to Afghanistan, said “with 80 percent

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 24 July 2023 According to Delawar, the Islamic Emirate is committed to establishing “justice, transparency and professionalism” in the mining sector. The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said that at least 108 contracts to extract various mines were signed in 16 of 34 provinces during the last solar year. Acting

Associated Press Published 4:06 AM EDT, July 23, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan killed at least 31 people and left dozens missing over the past three days, while in neighboring Pakistan 13 people died due to heavy rains and landslides. Shafiullah Rahimi, the ruling Taliban’s appointed spokesman for Afghanistan’s

 Fatima Adib  Tolo News 21 July 2023 Mawlawi Kabir also said that the “Islamic Tahrik of Taliban under the command of Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid rose up and eliminated corruption.” The political deputy prime minister, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, said that the US and NATO would have attacked Afghanistan even if Osama bin Laden, founder of

By Naveed Samadi  Tolo News 21 July 2023 “Six individuals were listed over various forms of sexual and gender-based violence,” said the Council of the EU in a statement. Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid reacted to the European Union’s decision to sanction some leaders of the Islamic Emirate, saying that the move is “not beneficial to

Aubrey Allegretti Senior political correspondent The Guardian Thu 20 Jul 2023 06.19 EDT Conservative MPs have launched an attempt to oust their colleague Tobias Ellwood as chair of the Commons defence select committee after he posted a video praising the Taliban for improving safety in Afghanistan. Ellwood had sought to draw a line under the row, saying

By Jonathan Landay and Charlotte Greenfield Reuters July 21, 2023 WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, July 21 (Reuters) – A U.S.-funded audit of Afghanistan’s Taliban-run central bank has failed to win Washington’s backing for a return of bank assets from a $3.5 billion Swiss-based trust fund, said two U.S. officials and a former U.S. official, a move that would help ease

The Economist Jul 11th 2023 | KABUL Afghanistan’s rulers no longer want to smash up the country’s pre-Islamic riches Pondering the idolatrous When the Taliban barrelled into Kabul in August 2021, the curators of Afghanistan’s national museum stashed away its pre-Islamic treasures. During the Islamists’ previous spell in power, the Taliban minister of finance led an axe-wielding wrecking

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 16 July 2023 Muttaqi asked the Russian ambassador to facilitate visas for Afghan businessmen and citizens. Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, in a meeting with the acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, asked Muttaqi to participate in the upcoming meeting of the Moscow format, which is going to be held

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 16 July 2023 Meanwhile, some political figures who have returned to the country asked the current government to provide work to professionals in the country. The “Commission for the Return and Communications with Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures” said that in the past week, 15 members of the previous government,

BY HEATHER ROUSSEAU Associated Press July 15, 2023 ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Gripping a wrench and pulling back with all his might, Tashmorad Qara loosened the heavy cap on a fire hydrant. When the water spouted, he took a sample, closed the hydrant at a Roanoke apartment complex, then he and his partner headed off

By Jeremy Ball Correspondent, BBC East Midlands Today 12 July 2023 The UK government evacuated thousands of Afghan nationals in 2021 A refugee evacuated from Afghanistan says he now regrets leaving after living in a hotel for almost two years. Sami, whose name we have changed, and his family were among thousands evacuated to the

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 14 July 2023 Takhari said that they are trying to address the challenges of Afghan immigrants in Pakistan. The Afghan consul in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari, said that more than 2.5 million Afghan immigrants are living in Pakistan, of whom 300,000 lack legal documents. Takhari said that they are trying to

Mitra Majeedy, Tolo News 14 July 2023 The officials of the Islamic Emirate have always said that they want official and diplomatic relations with all countries, including neighboring countries. A delegation of the Islamic Emirate led by Maghforullah Shahab, Deputy Director of the First Political Directorate of the Foreign Ministry, met with chargé d’affaires and

Gulalai Hakim Tolo News 14 July 2023 “This is the fact that we never permit anyone to use Afghanistan’s soil against other countries,” said Mujahid. Pakistani military personnel are claiming that Afghanistan is a safe place for TTP and other terrorists who shed the blood of Pakistanis.  Inter-Services Public Relations Pakistan in a statement said

By Brian Osgood Al Jazeera Published On 12 Jul 2023 Afghans fleeing deteriorating economic and humanitarian conditions find themselves with few pathways to seek refuge. The immigration detention centre was packed. There were more than 100 people in a single room meant to accommodate less than 20. A, an Afghan man who asked that his

Habib Rahman Qooyash Tolo News 12 July 2023 The Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock said that farmers and ranchers in Afghanistan need more help. The EU in Afghanistan said in a statement that the European Union provided more than €5.7 million in livelihood support to the Dutch Committee for Afghanistan to improve the lives

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 12 July 2023 They expressed their concerns and urged the Islamic Emirate to review its decision. Instructors who were interviewed by TOLOnews confirmed that “Teacher Training Centers” have been dissolved. The Ministry of Education (MoE) in a letter which was released 6 days ago said that the instructors and employees of

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor The Guardian Tue 11 Jul 2023 08.11 EDT America’s huge, badly-coordinated and politically-driven aid programme in Afghanistan engendered the corruption that undermined its entire mission and turned Afghans away from the western coalition, according to the head of a US aid watchdog. “We did not really understand Afghanistan or how it worked as

Mitra Majeedy, Tolo News 11 July 2023 Wahid Faqiri, a political analyst, said that the US played an important role in the creation of corruption in Afghanistan. The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko said that corruption was the greatest challenge in Afghanistan and it “undermined” the US entire mission in

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 11 July 2023 In Afghanistan’s 15 provinces, at least one Swedish institution operates in the fields of education, health, child welfare, or other areas. The Islamic Emirate on Tuesday suspended all Swedish activities in Afghanistan in reaction to a Swedish citizen burning the Quran. Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid issued a

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 11 July 2023 In the meantime, some residents of the Kabul said that they do not have access to social services in the current situation. On World Population Day, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the need to support the rights of women and girls in the world. On Twitter Guterres

Kabul Times July 11, 2023   KABUL: Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate for Political Affairs Mawlavi Abdul Kabir met with a number of religious scholars, youths and influential figures of the country’s central province of Maidan Wardak, his office said in a statement Monday. In the meeting, Mawlavi Kabir said that the current

ASSOCIATED PRESS Published 7:08 AM EDT, July 11, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two children died as scores of Afghan families fled a Taliban demolition this week of their shantytown homes in Kabul, an international aid group said Tuesday. The Norwegian Refugee Council said the demolition of the ramshackle settlement in the Pul-e-Shina area outside of

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 10 July 2023 However, the Ministry of Information and Culture said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to providing information to journalists. Journalists complained about the lack of access to information, saying that the Islamic Emirate’s spokespersons are not providing information to them on time. “When we want to contact the

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 10 July 2023 With the Islamic Emirate taking over Afghanistan on August 15th, 2021, the Afghan assets in foreign reserves were frozen. The Islamic Emirate has once again called on the international community to remove sanctions, saying that it is needed to facilitate engagement between the Islamic Emirate and the international

BY REBECCA SANTANA AND ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press Published 5:22 PM EDT, July 7, 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — At 31 years old, Nasrat Ahmad Yar had spent most of his adult life working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan before escaping to America in search of a better life for his wife and four children. He found

By Rick Noack The Washington Post July 7, 2023  KABUL — Psychiatrist Shafi Azim spent much of his career attending to the trauma caused by two decades of fighting, which ripped apart buildings and families. But over the past months, his hospital — Afghanistan’s primary mental health facility in Kabul — has filled with patients

Zabiullah Sarier Tolo News 7 July 2023 UNICEF said that Japan has provided $10 million to support the “continuity of children’s learning amidst a learning crisis in Afghanistan.” The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund said in a report that 60 percent of girls and 46 percent of boys of primary school age are currently

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 7 July 2023 The donors include, Kropf said, “New Zealand as well from the European Union, Islamic Development Bank, the United Nations and private donors.” The spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan, Philip Kropf, said that they received contributions from more than 12 countries this year, but

 Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 7 July 2023 The Islamic Emirate reacted to McCaul’s statement saying that the al-Qaeda has no presence in the country. The House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul in a statement reacted to US President Biden’s recent remarks on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, saying that “it is

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 6 July 2023 Japan is one of the countries which has provided various types of assistance to Afghanistan. The Japanese ambassador in Kabul, Takashi Okada, said that his country’s policy is to first help the Afghan people and to engage with the de facto authorities. He made the remarks in an

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 6 July 2023 Last month, Robert Chatterton Dickson was appointed to serve as the British Embassy’s chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister, called for interaction with the current Afghan government, in a meeting with Robert Chatterton Dickson, the ad interim chargé d’affaires of the UK

TOLOnews TV Network 6 July 2023 Earlier, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MMP) said that it had handed signed contracts for two nephrite mines in Nangarhar to two Afghan companies. The spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Homayoun Afghan, said they have signed contracts for four mines with four domestic companies.  Three

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 4 July 2023 They said that they would keep campaigning until girls were allowed to attend schools and universities. University professors, women’s rights activists, and religious clerics have launched a campaign called “Education of Afghan Girls,” with the goal of reopening schools and universities for females in the country. The campaign’s

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 4 July 2023 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at the summit that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan will contribute to global peace, security and progress. Afghanistan was discussed during the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, which was hosted by India and started in virtual form on Tuesday. The participants

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 4 July 2023 In the meantime, Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said that the UN can play an important role in supporting the people of Afghanistan. UN Framework for Afghanistan Prioritizes Women, Minorities, Internally Displaced: Haq The UN will prioritize issues relating to women and girls, ethnic and religious

Al Jazeera Published On 4 Jul 2023 Ministry confirms recent order asking salons to shut within a month in the latest curb to further squeeze women out of public life. The Taliban is banning women’s beauty parlours in Afghanistan, says a government spokesman, in the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of women and

By Michael Birnbaum and Dan Lamothe The Washington Post July 1, 2023 A State Department report released Friday faults the agency’s crisis management and awareness before and during the fall of Afghanistan, findings certain to be trumpeted by Republicans and other critics who have charged that bureaucratic lethargy played a significant role in the chaos

By Rick Noack Washington Post June 29, 2023  SHINDAND, Afghanistan — In the U.S.-built district hospital of Shindand in western Afghanistan, the surge in patients took doctors by surprise. As their wards filled up in recent months, they repurposed staff space to make room for more patients and resorted to prescribing single doses of drugs

By Charlotte Greenfield and Andrew Mills Reuters June 30, 202312:51 PM June 30 (Reuters) – Food assistance to Afghanistan will shrink to nothing by the end of October under current funding projections, the World Food Programme’s country director told Reuters on Friday, as United Nations officials continue to warn against funding reductions amid Taliban restrictions on women.

Nazeer Shinwari TOLOnews’ Reporter 3 July 2023 Economists suggested that humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan should be continued. The United Nations has announced its Strategic Framework for Afghanistan for the period 2023-2025, outlining the priorities of the organization in support of the Afghan people. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement that

TOLOnews TV Network 30 June 2023 According to the commission, hundreds of political figures and former officials have received forms to return to Afghanistan. The “Commission for the Return and Communications with Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures” said that at least 25 Afghans including political figures, former government officials and parliament members have returned

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 30 June 2023 All of these countries have been among the ten least peaceful countries for the last three years, according to the IEP. The Islamic Emirates reacted to the recent “Global Peace Index 2022” of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), saying that the findings regarding Afghanistan are “unjust”.

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 30 June 2023 The MoD spokesman Enayatullah Khwarizmi, said that the aircraft are the property of the people of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) reiterated its call to  Central Asian neighbors Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to return Afghan aircraft that were flown out by former Afghan military personnel during the collapse

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 29 June 2023 OCHA noted in the report that located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, Afghanistan has a long history of earthquakes. Afghanistan is experiencing the most devastating impacts of climate change, according to the country’s envoy at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting.

 Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 29 June 2023 Mehrabi added that the members in charge of the fund elected two new board co-chairs for the trust fund in their third meeting on June 26. Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, Central Bank supreme council member and board member of the Afghan Trust Fund in Switzerland, told TOLOnews that

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 29 June 2023 Political analysts said that improving relations between Afghanistan and India will be beneficial for both countries. The Minister of External Affairs of India, S Jaishankar, said that they have decided not to send an ambassador to its embassy in Afghanistan, but will keep the embassy open. Speaking at

By Christina Goldbaum The New York Times Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan June 29, 2023 While the Taliban have erased most obvious vestiges of the U.S. nation-building effort in Afghanistan, the cultural legacy of two decades of American occupation has been harder to stamp out. There’s a glimmer of the old Kabul hiding in the new

By Gerry Shih The Washington Post June 26, 2023  ACHIN, Afghanistan — Delawar Torkhan, flanked by rifle-toting soldiers, rounded up the opium farmers and spoke loudly enough to ensure he was heard by everyone: the cowering men, the quietly fuming women — above all, his commanding officer perched in a nearby SUV. “We told you

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 27 June 2023 In an interview with TOLOnews, Potzel urged the Islamic Emirate to remain committed to the pledges it has made to the international community. The UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan Markus Potzel called for national dialogue in Afghanistan and the formation of an inclusive government. In an interview

Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 27 June 2023 She made the remarks in response to a question about China’s stance on the UN special envoy for Afghanistan’s latest report. Speaking at a press conference, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing hopes the Afghan interim government will take

Reuters June 23, 2023 KABUL, June 23 (Reuters) – Taliban authorities in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province ordered female aid workers this week to stop work on a refugee project, according to an official letter, reinforcing rules against women working despite exemptions sought by some organisations. The letter between departments of the ministry for refugees in Kandahar,

BY EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press June 21, 2023 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Afghanistan warned the country’s Taliban rulers Wednesday that international recognition as the country’s legitimate government will remain “nearly impossible” unless they lift severe restrictions on women and girls’ education and employment. Roza Otunbayeva told the U.N. Security Council

Al Jazeera Published On 27 Jun 2023 The United Nations says it has recorded a significant number of civilians killed and wounded in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover – despite a stark reduction in casualties compared with previous years of war and armed conflicts. In a report released on Tuesday, the UN’s mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 19 June 2023 They called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen the universities for female students. Female students expressed concerns about their uncertain future as they have been banned from going to universities for around six months. They called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen the universities for female students. “The

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 19 June 2023 The Islamic Emirate has yet to comment regarding the concerns of the participants of the UN Human Rights meeting in Geneva. The participants of the “1st Meeting – 53rd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council,” in Geneva expressed concerns about the human rights situation in Afghanistan. The

Al Jazeera Published On 19 Jun 2023 Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the country is enjoying its greatest stability of the past 40 years. The Taliban has rejected a United States watchdog’s report saying foreign armed groups and domestic security threats have increased in Afghanistan since the group took over the country in a blitzkrieg

By Christina Goldbaum and Safiullah Padshah The New York Times Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan June 18, 2023 Late one night two months ago, a team of Taliban security officers assembled on the outskirts of Afghanistan’s capital to prepare for a raid on an Islamic State hide-out. As the zero hour approached, the men fiddled with their automatic

 Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 17 June 2023 Zardari added that “simultaneously, Pakistan hopes that the Taliban authorities would be responsive to the expectations of the international community.” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called on the international community to maintain a pragmatic approach and constructive engagement with Afghanistan and provide support and assistance to

By Rick Noack The Washington Post June 16, 2023  BAMIAN, Afghanistan — The three Taliban soldiers gazed down at the gaping hole in the 125-foot cliff where one of Afghanistan’s two great Buddha figures once stood and wondered aloud who was to blame for its destruction 22 years ago. “This is the identity of our

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters June 16, 2023 June 16 (Reuters) – The Taliban’s acting governor of the Afghan central bank met China’s ambassador this week to discuss banking relations and business, the bank’s spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. Afghanistan’s banking system has been severely hampered by U.S.-led sanctions, a drop in liquidity from frozen central bank

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters June 15, 2023 June 15 (Reuters) – The U.N. children’s agency said it was holding discussions with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban over “timelines and practicalities” for a possible required handover of its education programmes and that classes would continue in the meantime. Aid officials say that the Taliban had signalled international organisations could no longer

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 15 June 2023 The Ministry of Economics said that children in the country need humanitarian aid and support in the education sector. UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan Fran Equiza said that “16 million children” are in need of protection and humanitarian assistance. Fran Equiza added that in Afghanistan, children’s rights are eroded

Hadia Ziaei Tolo News 15 June 2023 The ICRC called on the international community and development organizations to resume investing in Afghanistan. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a report that the number of unemployed people has significantly increased over the past two years in Afghanistan. According to the report, “in

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 15 June 2023 The acting defense minister also mentioned US violations of Afghan airspace, saying that US has always done so. Acting Minister of Defense Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid denied claims of disputes within the Islamic Emirate and said that any disputes that harm the system do not exist in

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 14  June 2023 The meeting was also attended by envoys from the US, UK, Qatar, Italy, India and Pakistan. Participants at the meeting in Oslo, Norway on the Afghan situation stressed the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and discussed the Islamic Emirate’s commitments to the international community as

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 13 June 2023 Kanaani also urged the Islamic Emirate to cooperate regarding the water rights. The spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said that an agreement has been made and positive steps have been taken regarding the Helmand Water Rights Treaty Kanaani told a press conference that a delegation from

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 13 June 2023 In the meantime, a number of Afghan refugees in the Abu Dhabi camp said that their fundamental desire is to be transferred to the US. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that overall more than 97,000 Afghans have been relocated to the United States. Speaking at a

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 13 June 2023 The Norwegian Refugee Council meanwhile said that the meeting is a huge opportunity to discuss the challenges of Afghanistan. Norway’s foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt announced the ministry “invited three people from the civil service in Kabul to participate in this year’s Oslo Forum,” adding “they are not from

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 10 June 2023 Shaheen noted that no threat has been posed to any country from Afghanistan and that it will not happen in the future. An annual report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team for the UN Security Council Committee has criticized what it considers the

Al Jazeera Published On 8 Jun 2023 At least 11 killed and more than 30 others wounded in blast during memorial for former deputy governor of Badakhshan. An explosion near a mosque in northern Afghanistan killed at least 11 people at a memorial service for the Taliban’s provincial deputy governor, who died in an attack earlier this

By Yogita Limaye BBC News, Afghanistan June 6, 2023 Balancing an AK-47 assault rifle slung around his left shoulder and with a large stick in his right hand, Abdul hits the heads of poppies as hard as he can. The stalks fly in the air, as does the sap from the poppy bulb, releasing the

TOLOnews TV Network 9 June 2023 Sader Khail said that the two sides agreed they should work together to solve the problems Afghans are facing. Haji Obaidullah Sader Khail, head of the Afghan business council in the UAE, said that he met with the US special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West and “spoke about the

Reuters June 8, 2023 WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new process on Thursday that will enable Afghan nationals to renew their parole and continue to live and work in the United States. “The new process is streamlined and will be at no cost, and will provide

Tolo News 8 June 2023 The UN secretary-general’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the reported decision of the interim Afghan government to halt operations of organizations aiding Afghan education would be “horrendous”. Asked about UNICEF’s concerns regarding the possible halt to operations of international organizations aiding the Afghan educational sector, the UN secretary-general’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric,

Al Jazeera Published On 8 Jun 2023 At least 11 killed and more than 30 others wounded in blast during memorial for former deputy governor of Badakhshan. An explosion near a mosque in northern Afghanistan killed at least 11 people at a memorial service for the Taliban’s provincial deputy governor, who died in an attack earlier this

By Yogita Limaye Afghanistan correspondent BBC News 5 June 2023 “I just want someone to hear my voice. I’m in pain, and I’m not the only one,” an Afghan university student tells us, blinking back tears. “Most of the girls in my class have had suicidal thoughts. We are all suffering from depression and anxiety.

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 5 June 2023 Economists said that there is a need for economic assistance to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the country.  A new OCHA report said that the estimated number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan has increased to “28.8 million (up from 28.3 million at the

The Guardian Associated Press Sunday, 4 June 2023 Nearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at their primary schools in northern Afghanistan, a local education official said on Sunday. He said the person who orchestrated the poisoning had a personal grudge but did not elaborate. The attacks took place in Sar-e-Pul province

Reuters June 5, 2023 June 5 (Reuters) – The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have revised the budget for Afghanistan’s aid plan for 2023 to $3.2 billion, down from $4.6 billion earlier in the year, the U.N. humanitarian office said on Monday. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement

By Michelle Nichols Reuters June 5, 2023 UNITED NATIONS, June 5 (Reuters) – An international aid agency in Afghanistan has resumed operations in the southern province of Kandahar – the birthplace of the Taliban and home to its supreme spiritual leader – after its Afghan female staff were allowed to return to work. The move

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 2 June 2023 “Common concern over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan” was discussed. The Heads of State of Central Asia and the President of the European Council met in Kyrgyzstan and participants discussed the situation in Afghanistan in addition to exchanging views on general issues of security, connectivity, climate, digital, and

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 2 June 2023 Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate said that custody of the Afghan seat in the UN should be given to the interim Afghan government. Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, said that the UN is planning a meeting on the situation in Afghanistan

Fatima Adib Tolo News 1 June 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that the pressure will not bring any good results and that the US should focus on engagement instead of applying pressure. 19 US Republican senators on Wednesday were preparing to introduce a bill titled the “Taliban Sanctions Act” to impose sanctions on the Islamic

By Yan Zhuang The New York Times Reporting from Sydney, Australia June 1, 2023 A judge ruled for newspapers that had been accused of defaming the soldier by reporting that he had committed war crimes in Afghanistan. The case had been called Australia’s trial of the century. And though it centered on a claim of

Al Jazeera Published On 1 Jun 2023 Highly decorated veteran Ben Roberts-Smith had sued for defamation after newspapers reported he had murdered civilians in Afghanistan. An Australian court has found that Ben Roberts-Smith, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery, probably killed unarmed civilians in Afghanistan as three newspapers reported in 2018. Roberts-Smith, a

Al Jazeera Published On 31 May 2023 The May 12 talks included a meeting between Taliban’s Haibatullah Akhunzada and Qatar’s Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The Qatari prime minister held talks with the Taliban earlier this month, signalling a new effort by the Taliban to end its international isolation since they took over Afghanistan nearly

TOLOnews TV Network Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry, said that Mohammad Nasir Akhund has good experience in finance Based on the decree of the Islamic Emirate’s leader, Mohammad Nasir Akhund has been appointed acting minister of Finance.  Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry, said that Mohammad Nasir Akhund has

By Ava Sasani The New York Times Reporting from Westchester County, N.Y., and Dallas May 30, 2023 Members of the Afghan Army’s all-female platoon are some of the roughly 70,000 Afghans living in the United States whose temporary status has left them with an uncertain future. It was almost 3 a.m. in New York, but

TOLOnews 29 May 2023 According to the Ministry of State for Disaster Management, in one month, nearly 20,000 acres of agricultural land was destroyed The Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock said that the invasion of locusts, and flooding have seriously damaged the agricultural sector of the country.  “We are witnessing another setback from locusts in

By Christina Goldbaum The New York Times May 29, 2023 The fighting comes amid rising political tension between the two countries over the flow of water from the Helmand River in Afghanistan into eastern Iran. At least three people were killed and several others injured after clashes broke out along the Iranian-Afghan border on Saturday

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 29 May 2023 Since the Islamic Emirate swept into power, there have been many clashes with Iran—although the two sides stressed negotiations to solve the issues. Days after the armed disputes between the Islamic Emirate and Iranian border guards, Kabul said that it does not want tensions with any side including

Al Jazeera 29 May 2023 Several people were reportedly injured in the clash, which came amid tensions between the neighbours over water rights. Two Iranian border guards and one Taliban fighter have been killed after shooting broke out near a border post between Iran and Afghanistan, sharply escalating rising tensions between the two countries amid

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 26 May 2023 He suggested that suspension due to the “Taliban’s policies” is politicizing humanitarian assistance.   The Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, said that he is lobbying for his country’s ambassador — as well other European ambassadors — to return to Afghanistan.   In an interview with TOLOnews’

Al Jazeera Published On 26 May 2023 Taliban crackdown on Afghan women’s rights could constitute gender persecution, Amnesty International and the International Commission for Jurists say. Rights groups have denounced severe restrictions imposed on women and girls by the Taliban in Afghanistan as gender-based persecution, which is a crime against humanity under international law. In

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 25 May 2023 Previously, the US State Department said that if the current Afghan government wants to be recognized by the world, it should remove restrictions on women. Following the reactions to the restrictions imposed on women in the country, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh Tolo News 25 May 2023 This comes as the Ministry of Economy (MoE) said that the suspension of some aid by the US will damage Afghanistan. The US Department of State spokesperson said that Washington has suspended operations in Ghor province following “evidence of continued attempts by the Taliban” to divert assistance.

By Riazat Butt Associated Press May 25, 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The head of a major aid organization said Thursday that the Taliban have agreed to consider allowing Afghan women to resume work at the agency in the southern province of Kandahar, the religious and political center for the country’s rulers. The Taliban last

TOLOnews TV Network 22 May 2023 According to the officials of the Mine and Petroleum Ministry, Qatar has good experience in oil extraction.  The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said that China and Qatar are interested in investing in the oil and gas sector in the country.  Homyaoon Afghan, a spokesman for the MoMP, said

Tom Ambrose The Guardian Sun 21 May 2023 18.57 EDT Bread and Roses, co-produced by Lawrence, documents lives of three women after Taliban’s return to power A documentary about the lives of three women living under the Taliban, co-produced by Jennifer Lawrence, has premiered at the Cannes film festival. Bread and Roses, shown at a special

By Julie Turkewitz The New York Times May 21, 2023 Our journalists trekked with Afghan migrants as they traveled from South America to the United States. Taiba was being hunted by the men she had put behind bars. The death threats came as the Americans withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban marched across her country,

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 21 May 2023  Mujahid said that the issue will cause mistrust between Afghanistan and the international community.  The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the existing travel bans on the leaders of the Islamic Emirate will affect the interim government’s relations with foreign countries.   Mujahid said that the

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 20 May 21023 They said that many female students will pursue their education overseas if the ban continues. A group of students on Saturday called for the reopening of universities for women as five months have passed since the ban on higher education for female students. They said that many female

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 20 May 2023 The ambassador asked the current government of Afghanistan to take practical steps in this regard. Following the rise of tension over Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River in recent days, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan, said the current Afghan government should clarify the issue

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 20 May 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that women’s rights have been respected in accordance with the Islamic Sharia and that an inclusive governance has also been formed. The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) in a statement criticized violations of human rights, particularly recent restrictions by the Islamic Emirate

By ANTHONY ADRAGNA Politico 05/19/2023 04:30 AM EDT Times, and the party’s base, have changed since the Benghazi investigation galvanized conservatives. House Republicans pushed their probe of the nation’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan to the brink this week, threatening to hold the secretary of state in contempt of Congress. Yet some of them aren’t convinced

TOLOnews TV Network 18 May 2023 The ancient relics that were displayed in the National Museum date back to the Kushan Empire and Sasanian dynasty era. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan displayed more than a hundred historical relics from the Mes Aynak area in Logar at the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul on International

TOLOnews TV Network 18 May 2023 At the moment, women are not allowed to enroll in universities, nor are they allowed to work for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, US Representative Michael McCaul, speaking at a discussion on Afghanistan, said the committee will do all in its power to

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 18 May 2023 Earlier, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said that Qatar has been trying to create a political path between Afghanistan and the international community.  The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said that in his meeting with the German Foreign Minister Annalena

Asma Saayin  Tolo News 18 May 2023 Analysts said that the situation might worsen if fundamental measures are not taken to address these issues. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in a new report expressed concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. According to the report, successive droughts and increasing

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 18 May 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — A U.K.-based rights group on Thursday launched an interactive map documenting rampant human rights abuses and violence against civilians since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. The documented violations — committed by both the Taliban and militant groups such as

By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 18 May 2023 Kabir has been associated with Taliban leadership since 2006, when Mullah Omar appointed him as a military commander. Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have appointed Maulvi Abdul Kabir, who played a key role in the 2020 Doha Agreement with the United States, as the country’s new caretaker prime

Alice Speri The Intercept May 17 2023, 1:42 p.m. Some survivors of the 2021 drone strike are struggling in California as they wait for the U.S. to make good on a promised condolence payment. NEARLY TWO YEARS after the U.S. killed 10 members of an Afghan family, including seven children, in a drone strike that prompted

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 17 May 2023 The letter was also signed by some other members of the House of Representatives. US Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in letter to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) expressed concerns over the “Taliban’s misuse and diversion of US-funded humanitarian

 Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 17 May 2023 51 years old, Mawalwi Kabir was born in Tangi village of Nahrin district of Baghlan province. But his ancestors are from Paktika. Mawlawi Abdul Kabir has been appointed acting head instead of Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund by the order of the leader of the Islamic

By Fatima Adib Tolo News 17 May 2023 On May 12, Al Thani arrived in Kandahar and met with officials of the Islamic Emirate including Prime Minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said that it has been trying to create a political path between Afghanistan and the international community. Speaking to reporters, a spokesman

Naseer Ahmad Salehi Tolo News 16 May 2023 Thousands of families lost their members in the war of the past two decades. Dozens of older women sell clothes and other items on the street as they are faced with economic challenges from losing family members in conflicts in the past 20 years.   Many of

Eltaf Najafizada and Ismail Dilawar Bloomberg May 7, 2023 at 2:09 AM EDT The Taliban agreed with China and Pakistan to extend the Belt and Road Initiative to Afghanistan, potentially drawing in billions of dollars to fund infrastructure projects in the sanctions-hit country. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Lizzy Davies The Guardian Thu 11 May 2023 08.47 EDT With 20m people at the highest risk of famine for 25 years, farmers are desperately trying to kill the pests before vast swarms form The northern “breadbasket” of Afghanistan is battling a potentially devastating outbreak of locusts that threaten to eat their way through up

By TOLOnews TV Network 14 May 2023 The OIC said that on May 12, 2023, an official ceremony was held by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Jeddah The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said in a statement that a series of agreements have been signed to carry out a group

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 14 May 2023 Political analysts said that such pressures will cause tension in the region. Zabiullah Mujahid, Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, reiterated that Afghan soil will not be used against anyone including regional countries. This comes as “The Express Tribune” cited sources saying that China has leverage over the “Afghan Taliban” and

Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 10 May 2023 Referring to the UN meeting in Doha, Niklasson said that the meeting was a welcome initiative by the UN to once more put Afghanistan in focus. The European Union’s Delegation in Afghanistan released a press statement by Tomas Niklasson, EU Special Envoy for

By Ariba Shahid Reuters 8 May 2023 KARACHI, Pakistan, May 8 (Reuters) – China and Pakistan on Monday urged donors to bridge gaps in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan, saying aid should be delinked from “political considerations”. Aid to Afghanistan will drop sharply this year as donor countries seek to challenge curbs on female aid workers

Associated Press 10 May 2023 BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday called on Afghanistan to reform its radical policies excluding women from education and public life and “adopt a more resolute attitude in combating terrorism.” The comments from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin came on the heels of a Pakistan-hosted mini-summit of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan that sought to

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 9 May 2023 Coleman outlined the ongoing American assistance to the people of Afghanistan, especially for women and girls. In an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, USAID Deputy Administrator for Plans and Programming Isobel Coleman said that the current bans on women’s activity will harm Afghanistan’s economic future. She said the world

By TOLOnews TV Network 9 May 2023 The Islamic Emirate has said that the closing of girls’ schools is temporary, but there has been no specific date of reopening provided. Schools above sixth grade in Afghanistan have been closed for females for nearly twenty months, but there has been no news about when they will

Al Jazeera 9 May 2023 ‘Discriminatory and unlawful measures’ restrict Afghan women’s and girls’ participation in public life, report says. Some Afghan women employed by the United Nations have been detained, harassed and had restrictions placed on their movement since being banned by the Taliban from working for the world body, the UN says. Afghanistan’s Taliban

COURTNEY KUBE AND ROSE HOROWITCH May 8, 2023 at 2:48 PM Elijah Nouvelage The House Foreign Affairs Committee chair has threatened to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress if he does not turn over a classified cable reportedly warning that Kabul could collapse soon after the August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from

Asma Saayin  Tolo News 8 May 2023 Hannah Neumann urged the Afghan government to end restrictions on women and uphold the practical involvement of women in the social and economic spheres. Hannah Neumann, a German member of the European parliament, in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews emphasized that the participation of women in social and

Asma Saayin Tolo News 8 May 2023 Some farmers whose poppy fields have been destroyed asked the current government to provide them with alternative crops.  The counter-narcotics department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that so far it has destroyed 4,000 hectares of poppy fields in the country. Hasibullah Ahmadi, head of the MoI,

RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press May 8, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — A U.N. report on Monday strongly criticized the Taliban for carrying out public executions, lashings and stonings since seizing power in Afghanistan, and called on the country’s rulers to halt such practices. In the past six months alone, 274 men, 58 women and two boys

Al Jazeera Published On 8 May 20238 May 2023 The two neighbours ‘reaffirm their desire to pursue continuous and practical engagement’ in bilateral talks in Islamabad. Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have agreed to boost trade and lower tensions along their border amid a surge in attacks on Pakistani security forces, officials said. Pakistani Foreign

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh Tolo News 6 May 2023 The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that they expect “Taliban leaders” to fulfill their promises on forming an inclusive government, “not only in terms of ethnic groups but also by ensuring the presence of the entire spectrum of Afghanistan’s political forces.” These promises, Lavrov said have “yet

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 6 May 2023 Muttaqi attended the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral foreign ministers’ dialogue on Saturday. The Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that in the meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Qin Gang the two sides stressed the need for peace and stability in Afghanistan. This comes as the acting Foreign

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 6 May 202 Earlier, SIGAR said that there were 133 access incident reports in January 2023. US State Department’s deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a press briefing responded to a question about the latest Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report, saying “US assistance in Afghanistan does not benefit the Taliban.”

By Abid Hussain Al Jazeera Published On 6 May 2023 The meeting is taking place following the Chinese and Afghan foreign ministers’ arrival in Islamabad. Pakistan is set to host a day-long trilateral dialogue with China and Afghanistan in Islamabad after the arrival of the Chinese and Afghan foreign ministers, Qin Gang and Mawlawi Amir

By Krishn Kaushik Reuters 5 May 2023 GOA, India, May 5 (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of India, Russia and Pakistan on Friday called for a representative government in Afghanistan and the protection of women’s rights, almost two years after the Islamist Taliban swept to power in Kabul. They were speaking at the day-long meeting

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 5 May 2023 Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that ensuring peace in Afghanistan is the key to peace in the region and the world. The foreign ministers of India, Russia and Pakistan on Friday called for a representative government in Afghanistan and the protection of women’s rights. They

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 5 May 2023 The Ministry of Economy noted that UN can play a significant role in reducing poverty in Afghanistan. From April 5 to May 5 the UN told its staff not to show up for work as a result of the restriction on female employees working in UN agencies in

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 5 May 2023 Head of the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar based political office, Suhail Shaheen, said that the Islamic Emirate wants to be recognized by the international community The US Department of State’s deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press briefing that there are several issues in Afghanistan that makes life

Ruchi Kumar The Guardian Thu 4 May 2023 05.00 EDT Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, one-third of journalists have left, while those who remain live with threats, attacks, unlawful detention and extortion Mortaza Behboudi, an Afghan-French journalist, had been drawn back to Afghanistan, which he had left aged 21, to report on the deteriorating humanitarian

TOLOnews TV Network 3 May 2023 Several media representatives criticized what they consider the difficulties facing the nation’s journalists and media. On World Press Freedom Day, some media-supporting organizations said that more than 300 media outlets have shut down in Afghanistan in the past two years and that over 5,000 journalists have lost their jobs.

By Rick Noack The Washington Post May 3, 2023 DOHA, Qatar — Twenty months after the Taliban returned to power, the United Nations is struggling to plot a course that, in part, would address Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis without running afoul of Western countries seeking to pressure the government in Kabul to moderate its policies. Emerging

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 2 May 2023 The statement said that Iran and India support the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan that involves all ethnic groups. India and Iran expressed concern over the humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan in a joint statement following a visit of India PM’s national security advisor Ajit

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 3 May 2023 The meeting in Doha was held for two days and attended by representatives of more than 22 countries and organizations. The Islamic Emirate deputy spokesperson said that the concerns of participants at the UN meeting in Doha regarding the presence of the terrorists in Afghanistan are baseless. Speaking at a

Associated Press 3 May 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban fighter recently fired his rifle into the air at a food distribution event in Afghanistan, an example of their harassment of nongovernmental groups operating in the country, a report from a U.S. watchdog said Wednesday. The Taliban last December barred Afghan women from working at

By Farnaz Fassihi The New York Times Published April 28, 2023 The resolution, an uncommon display of consensus on the Council, called for the Taliban to end their prohibitions on women working and attending school after sixth grade. In a rare show of unity, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Thursday condemning the

By Yogita Limaye Afghanistan correspondent BBC News 2 May 2023 Three-month-old Tayabullah is quiet and motionless. His mother Nigar moves the oxygen pipe away from his nose and puts a finger below his nostrils to check if she can feel him breathing. She begins to cry as she realises her son is fading. At this

By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 2 May 2023 Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the comments after a closed-door conference in Doha to build consensus on the challenges facing Afghanistan. Doha, Qatar – An international conference on Afghanistan organised by the United Nations has ended in the Qatari capital with no formal acknowledgment of the Taliban, and

By Osama Bin Javaid Al Jazeera Published On 1 May 2023 Talks will include diplomatic envoys and aid donors as the UN plans to press the Taliban to ease restrictions on women. Doha, Qatar – The Taliban has not been invited to a United Nations-organised conference on Afghanistan in Doha, with the Afghan group governing the

By Rahim Faiez Associated Press/AP April 26, 2023 at 6:52 a.m. EDT ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan needs $4.62 billion in humanitarian aid from the international community this year for nearly 24 million people in need, the U.N.’s humanitarian affairs agency said. Afghanistan is facing its third consecutive year of drought, its second year of severe economic

TOLOnews TV Network 25 April 2023 Meanwhile, some doctors at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kabul said that each day 2 to 3 malaria-affected patients come to the hospital. On World Malaria Day, the Ministry of Public Health said that in 2022 malaria cases increased by 45 percent from 2021 in Afghanistan. “In the last

By FARNOUSH AMIRI, MATTHEW LEE, AAMER MADHANI and LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press 26 April 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — A ground assault by the Taliban killed the Islamic State militant who spearheaded the August 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that left 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghans dead during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 23 April 2023 It has been nearly two years since the Islamic Emirate has begun reviewing the curriculum. The Ministry of Higher Education said that the curriculum review is 50 percent complete. It has been nearly two years since the Islamic Emirate has begun reviewing the curriculum. “in total there are

TOLOnews TV Network 24 April 2023 It has been more than one and a half years since schools have remained closed for girls in grades 7- 12. The former US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, called on the relevant educational organizations to reopen schools and universities for girls and women in Afghanistan. The US

TOLOnews TV Network 23 April 2023 The leader of the Islamic Emirate in a part of his speech, asked the officials to implement justice equally among all. Audio reportedly of the Islamic Emirate’s supreme leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, published on Twitter by the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, included the leader saying that he would

By Dan Lamothe Joby Warrick The Washington Post April 23, 2023  Less than two years after President Biden withdrew U.S. personnel from Afghanistan, the country has become a significant coordination site for the Islamic State as the terrorist group plans attacks across Europe and Asia, and conducts “aspirational plotting” against the United States, according to a

Fatima Adib  Tolo News 23 April 2023 The Washington Post cited a “classified Pentagon assessment that portrays the threat as a growing security concern.” The Islamic Emirate denied the report of The Washington Post saying that Afghanistan has become a significant coordination site for a Daesh group that plans attacks across Europe and Asia, and

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 23 April 2023 The religious clerics said that modern education is essential for girls and women. Former US special envoy for Afghanistan’s reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad reacted on Twitter to the Islamic Emirate leader’s statement at the Eid ceremony “my order is valid when it is in accordance with Sharia; if it is opposed

TOLOnews TV Network 21 April 2023 Afghans across the country, including Kabul, celebrated the first day of Eid-al Fitr in a bit more secure environment than in recent times. The Office of the PM’s Chief of Staff said Eid prayers were held among senior members of the Islamic Emirate. According to the office, the words

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 21 April 2023 The political analysts believe that the formation of the inclusive government can solve the main problems of Afghanistan. Iran President Ebrahim Raisi stressed the need for an inclusive government representing all ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan. Raisi made the remarks at an Iftar event with the

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 21 April 2023 The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman said that recognition is the right of the Afghan interim government. The US Department of State’s deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that any discussion at the UN meeting about recognition of the Afghan interim government would be unacceptable to Washington. Patel made the

By Michelle Nichols Reuters 20 April 2023 UNITED NATIONS, April 20 (Reuters) – A U.N.-convened meeting on Afghanistan next month will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration, a U.N. spokesperson stressed on Thursday after comments by the deputy U.N. chief sparked concern and confusion. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set

By Karoun Demirjian The New York Times April 20, 2023 The special inspector general for Afghanistan’s reconstruction accused the Biden administration of blocking his efforts to track assistance. WASHINGTON — The top inspector general for Afghanistan accused the Biden administration on Wednesday of stonewalling his efforts to procure records about assistance to the country since

TOLOnews TV Network 20 April 2023 The UNICEF representative in Afghanistan said that 28 million people in Afghanistan, including 15 million children, are in need of humanitarian support. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that “amidst increasing restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan, and in a shrinking humanitarian space, UNICEF is committed

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 20 April 2023 A spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that the current government has the right to be recognized by the world. Following the remarks of the UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed about the recognition of the Islamic Emirate, now the UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, in a press conference,

By Ruchi Kumar Al Jazeera Published On 20 Apr 2023 Six million Afghans, the UN food agency warns, are one step away from famine as it appeals for more funds for Afghanistan. Amina Mohammadi, a 34-year-old Afghan widow from the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, is among millions of Afghans reliant on rations provided by

By Kelly Ng BBC News, Singapore 18 April 2023 Weak signs of recovery in Afghanistan’s economy are at risk of being undone by Taliban restrictions on women working for NGOs, the UN says. Donations to the UN are under threat of falling sharply because of the ban on Afghan women working for it, the United Nations

Asma Saayin  Tolo News 19 April 2023 The UN previously reported that 28 million people in Afghanistan need relief, of whom six million are at risk of famine. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a report that two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population will require urgent humanitarian assistance in 2023. IOM seeks to mobilize US$

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 19m April 2023 This comes as the UN warned earlier that it would be forced to pull out of Afghanistan if its female workers were not allowed to work. UN Dep. Secretary-General Amina Mohammed speaking at an academic event in the US said the UN plans to arrange a conference

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 19 April 2023 The report said that there have been several improvements recently including security conditions, and “corruption has reportedly fallen.” The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that 17,000 female staff members are not leaving the work force and they are working from home, and they will continue to be

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN Associated Press April 18, 2023 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations is ready to take the “heartbreaking” decision to pull out of Afghanistan in May if it can’t persuade the Taliban to let local women work for the organization, the head of the U.N. Development Program said. U.N. officials are negotiating with the

By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 19 Apr 2023 Special inspector says oversight has been hindered by State Department’s ‘persistent refusal’ to provide information. The head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has decried a lack of transparency from United States agencies that he said has made it impossible to determine if

TOLOnews TV Network 17 April 2023 This comes as the National Statistics and Information Authority said that the prices have increased due to a surge in operational expenses. Afghan applicants expressed criticism over the rising of electronic ID cards, saying that they have been asked to pay 500 Afs per one ID. They also urged the

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 17 April 2023 In order to improve relations, the Islamic Emirate asked this high-ranking Kazakh official to receive the diplomats of the current Afghan government. The first deputy of the prime minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said that Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and Minister of Trade and Integration,

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 17 April 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan authorities are closing education centers and institutes supported by non-governmental groups in the south until further notice, officials said Monday. The centers are mostly for girls, who are banned from going to school beyond sixth grade. The Education Ministry ordered the Taliban heartland

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 15 April 2023 “Qatar is a crucial partner as we seek to protect US interests, support the Afghan people and defend their rights,” West said. US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, who is on a regional trip, met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and special envoy

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 15 April 2023 The Russian foreign minister also expressed his concerns over the spread of “terrorist groups” and threats from Afghanistan. Russian Foreign Minister Russian Sergei Lavrov has said that the recognition of the current Afghan government is possible by establishing an inclusive government and respecting the rights of women and

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 13 April 2023 For two years no country has recognized the Islamic Emirate, but some countries like Iran, UEA, and Turkey have accepted Islamic Emirate diplomats. The Prime Minister’s office said that considering the current situation, political and diplomatic agencies can continue their activities with full confidence in Afghanistan. One

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 13 April 2023 According to the OIC, the process of delivering aid to the people of Afghanistan will also be discussed.  A delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will travel to Kabul to discuss various issues with the Islamic Emirate, including lifting the ban on women’s work, the organization said.

BY JEFF SCHOGOL Task and Purpose PUBLISHED APR 12, 2023 Aformer Afghan interpreter who served with the U.S. Marines in his home country has earned the title of Marine. Marine Pfc. Aimal Taraki, who left Afghanistan after serving as an interpreter for U.S. forces, graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on April 7, 2023.

Associated Press 13 April 2023 The top diplomats from Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan attended a conference Thursday that focused on ensuring regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan. The foreign ministers of the four countries met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and discussed the need to cooperate with Afghan authorities to maintain political stability

Reuters 12 April 2023 KABUL, April 12 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has said forbidding Afghan women from working for the United Nations was an “internal issue,” after the global organisation expressed alarm at the decision and said it would review its operations there. In the Taliban administration’s first statement on the decision since the

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar Reuters 12 April 2023 KABUL, April 12 (Reuters) – Defence has received the largest share of funds in Afghanistan’s budget as the Taliban government aims to boost forces by a third and build anti-aircraft missile capacity, the army chief told Reuters in a rare interview to foreign media. The defence ambitions of

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 12 April 2023 This comes as some political analysts said that the meetings of the US special envoy have not been significantly effective. The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, is traveling to the UAE, Qatar and Turkey to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. In Doha, West will meet with

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 12 April 2023 An economist, Shabir Basheeri said that the issue will cause a rise in poverty in Afghanistan. The UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that almost 24 million Afghans need humanitarian assistance.  “UN national personnel – both women and men – have been instructed not to report to UN offices, with only

Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 12 April 2023 China also vowed to provide assistance through bilateral and multilateral channels for the Afghan refugees. The embassy of China in Kabul shed light on 11 points that clarified the country’s position regarding Afghanistan. The point first, the embassy said in a statement, was

Associated Press 12 April 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban’s chief spokesman said Wednesday there are no obstacles for the U.N. to function in Afghanistan, after they barred Afghan women from working at the global body. Last week, the country’s Taliban rulers took a step further in the restrictive measures they have imposed on women

Al Jazeera Published On 11 Apr 2023 UN says negative consequences of the crisis for Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities. The United Nations is being forced to make an “appalling choice” about whether to continue operations in Afghanistan while the Taliban government bans women from working for the organisation. Taliban

By Christina Goldbaum and Yaqoob Akbary The New York Times April 9. 2023 SABZAK PASS, Afghanistan — The hotel is perched on the side of a mountain blanketed in snow. The ice-slicked road outside is treacherous. It stretches for miles in either direction through jagged peaks as it winds around the edges of cliffs and dips past

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 10 April 2023 The World Population Review placed Afghanistan third for highest crimes rates in the world in 2022. Afghanistan ranked fourth among countries with the highest crimes rates in 2023 according to the World Population Review website. The report said that crime is present in various forms, including corruption, assassinations/contract killings,

By Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 10 April 2023 However, the Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on this. The suspension of work of the UN Afghan national staff in Afghanistan has been extended for another 26-days, a source privy to the issue told TOLOnews. The source said the Afghan employees of the UN will continue their

Associated Press 10 April 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.N. food agency said Monday it urgently needs $800 million for the next six months to help Afghanistan, which is at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century. Aid agencies have been providing food, education and health care support to Afghans in

Associated Press 10 April 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan’s northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday. The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places, he said. It was

By Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler CNN Updated 11:49 AM EDT, Fri April 7, 2023 In this photo from the US Central Command Public Affairs office, US Marines assist with security at an evacuation control checkpoint during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 20, 2021. Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/US Marines/US Central

Akmal Dawi Voice of America April 6, 2023, 6:53 PM FILE – Afghan women protest during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 26, 2022. The U.N. said April 5, 2023, it cannot accept a Taliban decision to bar Afghan female staffers from working at the agency. Afghan women and men who work for the U.N.

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 7 April 2023 The German mission for Afghanistan on Twitter said “we strongly condemn the Taliban’s” ban on women working for UNAMA. The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on the interim Afghan government to revisit its decision regarding barring Afghan female staff of the UN agencies

By Dan Lamothe and Karen DeYoung The Washington Post April 7, 2023  The White House said Thursday that it now prioritizes the early evacuation of Americans during security crises overseas, offering a tacit admission of fault two years ago in Afghanistan as the Biden administration provided Congress with long-awaited internal assessments of its chaotic response

By Fatima Adib Tolo News 6 April 2023 A UN spokesman on Tuesday said that the organization will discuss the negative impacts of the decision with the Afghan Ministry of Foreign on Wednesday. The United Nations Security Council will have a discussion about women’s employment in Afghanistan on Thursday evening in response to the ban on

Al Jazeera 6 April 2023 Zabihullah Mujahid asked to work from Kandahar in addition to Kabul in a move seen as an assertion of control by the Taliban chief. Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, has been asked to work from the southern city of Kandahar in addition to the capital Kabul,

By Rick Noack and Haq Nawaz Khan The Washington Post April 5, 2023 at 12:32 p.m. EDT The United Nations said Wednesday that Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have banned Afghan women from working for the organization in the country, effective immediately, prompting strong condemnations and raising questions about foreign aid amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. In

TOLOnews TV Network 4 April 2023 “More than 4,150 identified hazards remain, posing a lethal threat to communities, in particular children,” OCHA said.   The acting State Minister for Natural Disasters urged the international community to help Afghanistan in efforts to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance. Speaking at an event held to mark the International

Patrick Wintour  Diplomatic editor The Guardian Wed 5 Apr 2023 07.49 EDT All staff in Afghanistan ordered to stay home for 48 hours to give officials time to negotiate with Taliban United Nations staff in Afghanistan have been ordered to stay at home for 48 hours to give UN officials time to persuade the Taliban

Al Jazeera 4 April 2023 The United Nations has reportedly asked all staff not to come to the office for 48 hours. The Taliban have issued an order to ban Afghan women employees of the United Nations staff from working throughout Afghanistan, according to a UN spokesman. Stephane Dujarric said this was the latest in

By Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 4 April 2023 OCHA said that 28.3 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid, of which 23% are women, 54% are children, and 8.3% of them are with severe disabilities. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that despite Afghanistan being the world’s largest and most

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 4 April 2023 The Islamic Emirate called for its inclusion in the meeting, saying that representatives of the Islamic Emirate should be invited to the conference. Russia has announced it will hold a conference on Afghanistan in Uzbekistan on April 13, and representatives of neighboring countries will attend. TASS reported that

Al Jazeera 4 April 2023 A police spokesman says an ISIL hideout in Nahri Shahi district was targeted and six fighters were killed. Taliban forces have killed six members of the ISIL armed group (ISIS) in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province during an overnight raid, a Taliban spokesman said on Tuesday. The raid comes as the Taliban

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 3 April 2023 “Without educated girls and women, Afghanistan is facing a dark future,” HRW said.  Human Rights Watch said on Twitter that Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans girls from going to secondary school. “Without educated girls and women, Afghanistan is facing a dark future,” HRW said.

By Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 3 April 2023 This comes as military veterans said the protection of military equipment is important for the country’s future. Officials at the Ministry of Defense said that they have prevented the trafficking of military equipment and weapons abroad over the last year.  A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense,

Al Jazeera 2 Apr 2023 Non-profit group says charity medic, traveller and unnamed third man ‘being well-treated’ as UK foreign office seeks contact with them. Three British men, including a charity worker, are being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan, a UK non-profit organisation says, and the UK foreign ministry says it is working to

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 1 April 2023 According to the ministry’s figures, there are now 360 NGOs operating in the nation, with the majority of them engaged in providing humanitarian help. William Byrd, a United States Institute of Peace (USIP) expert writing for the LAWFARE blog, said that international aid to Afghanistan is decreasing, and

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 1 April 2023 The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), said that more than 800,000 Afghans returned from Iran over the last year. 400,000 of these immigrants have been forcefully returned to the nation, according to Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, the spokesperson for the ministry. The ministry added that these immigrants were

Associated Press 1 April 2023 JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — A women-run radio station in Afghanistan’s northeast has been shut down for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, a Taliban official said Saturday. Sadai Banowan, which means women’s voice in Dari, is Afghanistan’s only women-run station and started 10 years ago. It has eight staff,

By Hannah Beech The New York Times Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan. March 31, 2023 In a time of famine and money shortages, meals are a rallying point — and a topic of worry — during a season of change in Afghanistan. The last lunch for the last president of Afghanistan was vegetable fritters, salad and

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 30 March 2023 Kabul residents said both men and women must work in order for the economy to thrive in the nation. Afghan women criticized restrictions on female employment, saying their economic difficulties are becoming increasingly dire. Farzia, a former employee for the Administrative Reforms Commission, said that since losing her

TOLOnews TV Network 31 March 2023 It has been nearly one month since the start of the educational year, but female students have yet to be allowed to attend their universities. Female students said they are seeking education overseas after universities were closed to females.   The students said that they have applied for scholarships

Fatima Adib Tolo News 31 March 2023   This comes as political analysts said that the reopening of the embassies in Kabul will have a positive impact on the caretaker government. The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that efforts are underway for certain countries to reopen their embassies in Kabul in

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 31 March 2023 The office quoted the deputy PM as saying that the Islamic Emirate wants to engage with the international community. The political deputy PM, Abdul Kabir, met with UN special envoy Roza Otunbayeva, the Office of the PM’s Chief of Staff tweeted. The office quoted the deputy PM

By Ruchi Kumar Al Jazeera Published On 31 Mar 2023 Matiullah Wesa, an advocate for girls’ education in Afghanistan, is arrested as the Taliban cracks down on women’s rights activists. On the fifth day of the holy month of Ramadan, Matiullah Wesa, an advocate for girls’ and women’s education in Afghanistan, went to a neighbourhood mosque

By Missy Ryan The Washington Post March 29, 2023  A senior U.S. lawmaker sent the State Department a subpoena for a classified diplomatic cable on Tuesday, escalating a standoff over the Biden administration’s exit from Afghanistan. The move by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, intensifies the dispute over a July 2021

Associated Press 29 March 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Calls mounted Wednesday for the Taliban to free a girls’ education activist arrested earlier this week in Kabul, as a minister in the Taliban-led government defended the detention. Matiullah Wesa, founder and president of Pen Path — a local nongovernmental group that travels across Afghanistan with a

Justo Robles in Sacramento The Guardian Tue 28 Mar 2023 06.00 EDT On the day he turned 24 earlier this month, Asmatullah checked the status of his asylum request online, hoping that an approval would be his birthday gift. When he realized that his case was still pending, he took a deep breath and looked up

By Charlotte Greenfield and Mohammad Yunus Yawar Reuters 27 March 2023 Internet fails thwart Afghan girls’ online study KABUL, March 27 (Reuters) – Sofia logs in to class on a laptop in Kabul for an online English course run by one of a growing number of educational institutes trying to reach Afghanistan’s girls and women digitally in

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 28 March 2023 Former President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and called it against human and Islamic values. The blast near the Foreign Ministry in Malik Asghar Roundabout in downtown Kabul on Monday has sparked reactions from Afghan politicians and Kabul-based diplomatic missions. At least six people were killed and

 Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 28 March 2023 According to Decker, Washington will continue its aid to Afghanistan to prevent a humanitarian crisis. The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, said that in the past eighteen months the US has contributed nearly $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Speaking at a

TOLOnews TV Network 28 Marchn 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that the rights of women are fully secured in Afghanistan and other countries should not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The deputy spokesman of the US State Department said that Washington “deplores the edicts that the Taliban have promulgated regularly that fundamentally repress the right

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press March 28, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — An Afghan rights activist who has campaigned for girls’ education has been arrested in Kabul, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said Matiullah Wesa, founder and president of Pen Path — a local nongovernmental group that travels across Afghanistan

Obaidullah Baheer Lecturer of Transitional Justice at the American University in Afghanistan Al Jazeera Published On 28 Mar 2023 Inclusivity is important, but more important is not to bring back corrupt officials of the previous government. For the past year and a half, the Taliban has taken the international community and the Afghan population on

TOLOnews TV Network 26 March 2023 The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi, said that there is no threat from Afghan soil toward any country. Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch called on the Afghan interim government to take steps against “terrorist entities and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to

 Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 25 March 2023 Previously, Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, said that the department is committed to cooperate with the committee’s work. The Republican chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday gave the State Department until Monday to produce documents related to

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 25 March 2023 Several Kabul and Khost residents asked the Islamic Emirate to comply with the people’s demand to open schools for girls. Female students in Kabul said on the opening day of the 1402 academic year that they once again felt hopeless as a result of the closing of their

Associated Press 25 March 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban government is trying to take charge of more Afghan embassies abroad, a spokesman said Saturday, amid their continued international isolation because of restrictions on women and girls. The Taliban initially promised a more moderate rule after their takeover in August 2021, but instead imposed sweeping

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 24 March 2023 Some political analysts believe that the fate of Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions abroad will not be clarified until the Islamic Emirate is recognized. The Islamic Emirate has sent diplomats to at least 14 countries, a spokesman said, adding that efforts are underway to take charge of other diplomatic missions

By Missy Ryan, John Hudson and Dan Lamothe The Washington Post March 24, 2023  The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday threatened to subpoena the State Department over documents related to the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, raising the stakes in America’s ongoing reckoning over its chaotic exit in 2021. Rep. Michael

Patrick Wintour The Guardian Fri 24 Mar 2023 Slashing funding to the programme from a promised £7m to just £1m sends a ‘stark message to the world’, says Save the Children The UK government has cut almost £6m in funding to a programme in Afghanistan supporting vulnerable women and girls. Save the Children said it has been

The Kabul Times March 23, 2023 Mullah Badri was named as the acting Minister of Finance and Haji Mohammad Idris as chief of the country’s central bank in a cabinet meeting of the 1400 solar year. KABUL: Mullah Hedayatullah Badri was appointed as governor of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the country’s central bank on Wednesday,

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 24 March 2023 The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Rina Amiri, in an interview with CNN voiced concerns about the situation of Afghan women. US Vice President Kamala Harris said on that she is “deeply saddened by the one-year anniversary of the ban on girls’ secondary school attendance in Afghanistan, and

TOLOnews TV Network 23 March 2023 However, the political leaders said that the official government is essential for the “proper” management of government departments. The Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the lack of laws and a “few other issues” are the main obstacles ahead of the announcement of an official government. It has

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 23 March 2023 But the Islamic Emirate said that women’s rights is an internal issue of Afghanistan and that foreign countries should not interfere. US President Joe Biden said that Washington stands with women in Iran and Afghanistan “who are facing down violence.” Biden made the remarks in a White

Al Jazeera Published On 23 Mar 2023 Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, only girls aged 12 and under have been allowed to go to school. Afghanistan’s schools have reopened for the new academic year, but hundreds of thousands of teenage girls remain barred from attending classes as Taliban authorities ban their attendance in secondary

Reuters March 22, 2023 WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers on Wednesday that the State Department has been putting together a review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and will share findings with Congress by mid-April. “We’ve now been spending time putting all of this together to make

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press 22 March 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — The results of the long-delayed government review of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will be released next month, the White House announced Wednesday, with Congress and the public set to see an assessment of what went wrong as America ended

Mohammad Amin Pacha Tolo News 22 March 2023 The earthquake also shocked Panjshir, Takhar, Kunduz, Panjshir, Laghman, Kabul and several other provinces as well as some regional countries. At least four people have been killed and around 80 others were wounded in an earthquake that rocked the northeast on Tuesday night, officials said. The United States Geological Survey

Reuters March 21, 2023 March 21 (Reuters) – An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said on Tuesday. The quake was at a depth of 184 km (114 miles), GFZ added. India’s ANI news agency reported that tremors were felt in the country’s

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 21 March 2023 According to figures from the ministry, 44 citizens were released from kidnappers, while six people who were abducted were murdered. The Ministry of Interior said more than 100 abduction incidents were recorded in the nation in 1401 (the solar year), and close to 200 people were arrested in

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 21 March 2023 Female students have called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen their schools and universities. The UN experts said in a statement said that the “Taliban de facto authorities” have no justification to deny the right to education, on any grounds, including religion or tradition for girls in

Danya Hajjaji The Guardian Sat 18 Mar 2023 17.47 EDT Citizens who worked with British government or helped army told to get necessary documents stamped by the authorities The Ministry of Defence has apologised after an investigation found Afghan applicants to a resettlement scheme were told they could only come to the UK if their documents were

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters March 20, 2023 KABUL, March 20 (Reuters) – A drop in donor funding could push parts of Afghanistan into famine this year, the World Food Programme said on Monday, adding that up to 9 million Afghans could be left without food aid after it had already had to slash rations. A

Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 20 March 2023 Director for South Asia George Laria, and the Chief of Strategic Partnerships at Education Cannot Wait Organization Nasser Fakih also participated. Qatar hosted talks on the future of education in Afghanistan and the challenges and obstacles facing it, the Qatar foreign ministry said

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 20 March 2023 According to government-provided numbers, more than a hundred Daesh fighters have been killed in these operations. The Islamic Emirate has conducted 70 military operations in the past year with the aim of suppressing the Khorasan branch of Daesh group in Afghanistan, officials reported. According to government-provided numbers, more

 Mohammad Farshad Daryosh Tolo News 20 March 2023 The Afghanistan consulate in Istanbul and the Afghan embassy in Tehran were handed over to the Islamic Emirate. At the turn of the solar year, no country has officially recognized the interim government of the Islamic Emirate, however, its diplomats have been sent to some consulates and

BY SIMMONE SHAH  Time MARCH 17, 2023 8:00 AM EDT Almost two years after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the jihadists who transitioned from the battlefields to paper-pushing government jobs in the city are ready to quiet quit. The Afghanistan Analysts Network, a non-profit policy research organization working to increase the understanding of life in Afghanistan, released

By Ahmad Masih Noori and Lisa Barrington Reuters March 18, 2023, 8:09 AM  KABUL/DUBAI  Dozens of Afghan businesswomen took part in an exhibition in Dubai remotely this week to promote carpets, jewellery, dried fruit and other handmade goods as part of a push to access international markets after work options for women shrank in Afghanistan under the

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters 18 March 2023 KABUL, March 18 (Reuters) – The U.N. World Food Programme has been forced to cut rations to 4 million Afghans this month, it said in a statement late on Friday, due to a funding shortfall in the midst of the country’s severe humanitarian crisis. “Due to funding constraints,

TOLOnews TV Network 19 March 2023 Political analysts and women’s rights activists called the ban on female’s education harmful for the country. More the 70 countries and EU representatives in a UN CSW statement said the ban on female education puts Afghan women and girls at increased risk of “gender-based violence, including child, early, and

By Samuel Horti BBC News 19 March 2023 The leader of the Taliban has ordered Afghan officials to sack relatives they have hired to government positions. Hibatullah Akhundzada’s decree says officials should replace appointed sons or other family members – and refrain from hiring relatives in future. The Taliban dismissed some senior staff when they

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 18 March 2023 The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that Afghanistan’s security is now ensured and that neighboring nations have the chance to invest. Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi said that Beijing and Islamabad play significant roles in maintaining security and peace in Afghanistan. In an interview with China’s CCTV, Alvi

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 17 March 2023 Meanwhile, the US democratic Senator Jack Reed said that the President Joe Biden pledged that Afghanistan will not become a harbor of terrorist groups. The head of US Central Command, Michael Kurilla, said that Daesh In Afghanistan will be able to attack American or Western interests outside

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 18 March 2023 Mujahid said the assessment should not be for producing propaganda against the system and based on false information. In response to the new UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution concerning the call for an “independent assessment to address the challenges in Afghanistan,” the Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 18 March 2023 Akif Muhajir, said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to upholding women’s rights in accordance with the Sharia law. The Ministry of Vice and Virtue said that some groups are attempting to portray the current government as an enemy of women’s rights and girls’ education. In a meeting

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press March 16, 2023 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday calling for independent recommendations on how a united international community should address the enormous challenges confronting Afghanistan — above all the Taliban’s drastic curtailment of education and work for women and girls, but also

Al Jazeera 17 Mar 2023 The United Nations Security Council renews UNAMA and asks for recommendations on working with the Taliban-ruled country. The United Nations Security Council has renewed the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year while also asking for recommendations on the best way for the international community to continue its work

Fatima Adib Tolo News 14 March 2023 The Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Defense said that its forces have reached between 100,000 and 150,000 troops. The ministry’s spokesman, Enayatullah Khwarazmi, said that facilities and equipment have been provided for these forces, and their salaries will be paid at the designated time. “We have between 100,000 and

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 13 MMarch 2023 According to the commission, more than 500 people including ministers, governors and political figures have returned to the country. The “Commission for the Return and Communications with Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures” said that talented and honest former officials and political figures who return to Afghanistan will be provided with

By Reuters Staff MARCH 13, 2023 KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan has launched its annual polio inoculation campaign aimed at reaching 9 million children, the health ministry said on Monday, the second year in a row the vaccination drive has taken place under Taliban rule. Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries with endemic polio,

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 11 March 2023 The deputy spokesman of the foreign ministry said that the current government also wants good interactions with the world. The Foreign Ministry welcomed aspects of the report of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council, particulary his call for the world to interact patiently with the

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 11 March 2023 Several experts in international relations believe that UNAMA plays an important role in Afghanistan’s political, human rights, economic and social sectors. The International Peace Institute (IPI) said in a report that the UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 11 March 2023 Although, the new academic year will start in the next two weeks, so far no new decision has been made to reopen girls’ schools. The US Permanent Representative to the UN Human Rights Council, Ambassador Michèle Taylor, stated on Twitter that female students in Afghanistan face unacceptable restrictions

Al Jazeera Published On 11 Mar 202311 Mar 2023 An explosion during an award ceremony for journalists in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province has killed at least one person and wounded eight others, according to a Taliban police spokesman. The explosion took place at the Tabian Farhang centre in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the province, as

Reuters March 9, 2023, 4:37 PM EST KABUL, March 8 (Reuters) – Afghan broadcaster Tolo News on Wednesday aired an all-female panel in its studio with an audience of women to mark International Women’s Day, a rare broadcast since the Taliban took over and many female journalists left the profession or started working off-air. A

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 10 March 2023 The students said that they cannot make decisions about their futures if the exit examinations are not held. Female medical students from various faculties of private and government universities called on the Afghan interim government to determine their exit examination. The students said that they cannot make decisions

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 10 March 2023 The Islamic Emirate earlier appointed Suhail Shaheen, current head of the political office in Qatar, as Afghanistan’s UN ambassador. The Afghan caretaker government called on the UN to give the seat of Afghanistan to its designated ambassador. It has been more than 19 months since the Islamic

RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 10 March 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed the governor of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province and two other people at his office. The regional affiliate of IS — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — is a key

Lauren Gambino The Guardian Wed 8 Mar 2023 19.36 EST Witnesses described the chaos and panic of the 2021 US departure during the Republican inquiry, which had people in tears at times Military members and veterans of the Afghanistan war offered harrowing eyewitness testimony of the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from the country’s longest conflict, during an

By Michelle Nichols Reuters MARCH 8, 2023, 2:46 PM UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The U.N. envoy in Afghanistan warned on Wednesday that a Taliban administration crackdown on women’s rights is likely to lead to a drop in aid and development funding in the country, where women fear being cut from public life as much as violent

Al Jazeera Published On 9 Mar 2023 Mohammad Dawood Muzammil’s killing comes a day after he met top government officials visiting from capital Kabul A bomb blast in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province has killed three people, including its Taliban governor, police said. “Two people, including Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the governor of Balkh, have been killed

By Dan Lamothe The Washington Post March 8, 2023 at 7:05 p.m. EST House Republicans, vowing to scrutinize the Biden administration’s decision-making as the war came to a tragic close, signaled more hearings are in store Veterans of the war in Afghanistan pleaded with Congress on Wednesday, at times fighting through tears, to ensure there

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 8 March 2023 The female protestors issued a statement saying the current challenges against women should not be forgotten. Women held a protest in Kabul on International Women’s Day, calling for women’s access to education and work. The protestors called for the removal of restrictions imposed women in Afghanistan. “It is

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 8 March 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, deprived of many of their basic rights, the United Nations said Wednesday. In a statement released on the International Women’s Day, the U.N. mission

TOLOnews TV Network 7 March 2023 Bennett also said that the existing restrictions on women and girls will affect the whole Afghan nation in the long term. The UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan Richard Bennett said that the “slide” of the human rights situation has accelerated in Afghanistan. Bennett presented his report about the human

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 7 March 2023 Guterres made the remarks at a session of the Commission on the Status of Women conference. The UN Secretary General António Guterres said that women and girls “are erased from public life” in Afghanistan. Guterres made the remarks at a session of the Commission on the Status

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 7 March 2023 Nadim said that there has been no drop in female instructors and directors’ salaries. The Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadim, said that the closing of universities for female students is a temporary decision and not permanent. Speaking at a graduation ceremony, the acting minister also stressed

By Barbara Plett Usher BBC News, Delhi March 7, 2023 Afghan universities have begun reopening after a winter break, but the new term is another painful reminder to young women of how their world is shrinking. The higher education ministry announced late last year that female students would be barred from returning to class, reversing policies

By Mellissa Fung Al Jazeera Published On 5 Mar 2023 On a cold November day, Aqila Tavakali and her 14-year-old son brace themselves against an icy wind as they walk the several blocks from their temporary apartment to his new school. Abolfazl says goodbye to his mother at the corner, and Aqila watches as he

Mark Townsend  The Guardian, Home Affairs Editor Sat 4 Mar 2023 Press members living under the Taliban, and living uncertain lives in Pakistan, must be given clarity say campaign groups Hundreds of Afghan journalists remain stranded in increasingly “dire” circumstances as frustration mounts over the UK government’s refusal to share the latest entry criteria for

Reuters March 6, 2023 GENEVA, March 6 (Reuters) – The Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan could amount to a crime against humanity, according to a U.N. report presented on Monday at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Taliban seized power in August 2021, drastically curtailing women’s freedoms and rights, including their

TOLOnews TV Network 6 March 2023 In response to a question on how could the “Taliban” show they have the support of the people of Afghanistan, Niklasson said: The European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, said that the “de facto” officials in Afghanistan need to prove they have the people’s support through an

 Hadia Ziaei Tolo News 6 March 2023 Farnosh is a medical student and said that after years of education, she is now concerned about their final exam. The Afghanistan Medical Council said that after the approval of this council’s plan by the Islamic Emirate, the final exam for medical university will be taken by women.

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 6 March 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — A leading international rights group appealed on Monday for the U.N. Human Rights Council to address the ongoing, “relentless abuses” by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, including severe restrictions on women and freedom of speech. Despite initial promises for a more moderate stance, the Taliban have

Al Jazeera Published On 6 Mar 2023 The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in 2021. Male students have trickled back to their classes after universities reopened in Afghanistan following a winter break, but women remain barred by the ruling Taliban. The university ban is one of

By Susannah George The Washington Post March 5, 2023 Taliban law has voided thousands of divorces, experts say, and many remarried women are now considered adulterers KABUL — After her stepfather sold her into marriage at the age of 13 to support his drug habit, the young Afghan woman fought for years to escape an abusive

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 4 March 2023 Thomas West is “frankly not hopeful” females will be allowed to attend classes in the new school year. The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, said that the Islamic Emirate’s promise to reopen schools and universities for women has not been fulfilled. In a special interview

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 4 March 2023 Amnesty International called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism in Afghanistan. Amnesty International expressed concerns over the violations of human rights in Afghanistan. Amnesty International called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism in Afghanistan. “The United

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 4 March 2023 The committee issued a letter saying that if the department’s noncompliance persists, the committee will be forced to proceed with “compulsory process.” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul once again called for information from the Biden administration about the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. The

By Charlotte Greenfield Reuters February 28, 2023, 9:50 PM EST KABUL, March 1 (Reuters) – The board of the Swiss-based trust fund managing some $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan central bank assets met for a second time last month, one of its trustees said, and discussed options for disbursing funds in line with achieving monetary

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 3 March 2023 According to Mujahid, the meeting was also attended by clerics from Kabul, Khost, Nangarhar and other provinces. The supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, met with the heads of the interior, foreign, and defense ministries as well as religious clerics and officials of several provinces,

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 3 March 2023 This comes as women’s rights activists and citizens urged the Islamic Emirate to facilitate women’s access to work. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that 29 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid. In a video message marking the 75th year since the Universal Declaration of

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 3 March 2023 However, the Islamic Emirate said that effective steps have been taken to maintain the relations between the two countries. The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, said Washington has not seen significant steps towards normalization with the Islamic Emirate. In a special interview with TOLOnews, West

Shah Meer Baloch in Pakistan The Guardian Thu 2 Mar 2023 Pakistan crackdown on Afghan refugees leaves ‘four dead’ and thousands in cells Refugees are reportedly dying in Pakistani prisons, and children are being arrested and tied together with ropes, as a wave of detentions and deportations spreads fearamong the hundreds of thousands of Afghans who

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 2 March 2023 Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate said that it has fulfilled to Doha agreement, but America violated some points of the agreement. The spokesman for the US State Department once again accused the Islamic Emirate of violating the Doha agreement. Ned Price in a press conference said that Islamic Emirate