CURRENT NEWS ARTICLES

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

By Ellen Francis The Washington Post February 28, 2023  A new government watchdog report details how poor planning in the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, after years of inadequate oversight, contributed to the rapid collapse of the Western-backed government as the Taliban closed in on Kabul. The report released Tuesday describes an “abrupt and uncoordinated” pullout in 2021 and

Reuters February 28, 2023 KABUL, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban-led foreign ministry said on Tuesday that 80 Afghan citizens, including children, had died in Sunday’s shipwreck off the southern coast of Italy. Rescuers have so far confirmed at least 64 people were killed after a sailboat sank in heavy seas near Steccato di Cutro, a

TOLOnews TV Network 28 Feb 2023 UN special rapporteur for Afghan human rights, Richard Bennett, in a report expressed concerns over the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.   The representatives of several countries at the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva expressed concerns over the existing restrictions on Afghan women and

By Christina Goldbaum and Yaqoob Akbary The New York Times Feb. 28, 2023 QADIS, Afghanistan — When the temperatures plunged far below freezing in Niaz Mohammad’s village last month, the father of three struggled to keep his family warm. One particularly cold night, he piled every stick and every shrub he had collected into their small wood

RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 28 Feb 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two senior regional members of the Islamic State group have been killed in Afghanistan in recent weeks in separate operations by the Taliban security forces, a Taliban spokesman said Tuesday. Taliban forces killed Qari Fateh, the regional IS intelligence and operations chief, during a raid

By Ruchi Kumar and Hikmat Noori Al Jazeera Published On 27 Feb 2023 While a deal to extract oil has raised hopes in the war-torn nation, experts warn of China’s sketchy record. The Taliban-run Afghanistan saw its first significant foreign investment last month when a Chinese firm signed a 25-year-long, multimillion-dollar contract to extract oil. Experts are

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 26 Feb 2023 The media director of the union, Mohammad Karim Nasiri, said that the number of participants has dropped by 70 percent. The union of universities and educational centers said that the recent restrictions on female education has severely affected the universities. The media director of the union, Mohammad Karim

The Economist February 16, 2023 A mega-project in northern Afghanistan risks raising regional tensions Taliban officials have started talking up a new canal under construction in the arid north of Afghanistan. A video recently posted on YouTube shows shiny diggers roaring over sand dunes and workers from different ethnic groups toiling together. The Islamist regime says

Tolo News 25 Feb 2023 However, the Islamic Emirate said it considers intl concerns from the territory of Afghanistan baseless. The US State Department spokesman said that America and Pakistan have a shared interest in ensuring the Islamic Emirate live’s up to the commitments it has made. Speaking at a press briefing, the US State

Al Jazeera 25 Feb 2023 The closure of the key transit point between the countries left people and trucks carrying essential supplies stranded. The usual trade and movement of people between Pakistan and Afghanistan has fully resumed after the two sides reopened a key border crossing that was closed nearly a week ago by Afghanistan’s

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 24 Feb 2023 The report also said that the poverty was estimated to have impacted up to 97 per cent of the population in mid-2022. The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) released a report in which it highlighted the climate change effects coupled with the legacy of four decades

By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 23 Feb 2023 A new report by the International Crisis Group warns against international donors cutting aid to Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s curbs on women’s education and ability to work at NGOs, instead arguing for Western countries to find a “liminal space between pariah and legitimate

By Charlie Savage The New York Times Feb. 21, 2023 A lawyer for the lead group of victim relatives who had sought $3.5 billion in frozen assets said they would appeal. WASHINGTON — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday rejected the effort by relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks to seize

By MUNIR AHED and RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 22 Feb 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s defense minister was in Afghanistan on Wednesday, meeting with officials there in an effort to resolve this week’s closure by the Taliban administration of a key border crossing between the two neighboring countries, officials said. Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s

Al Jazeera 22 February 2023 District judge says victims cannot seize bank’s assets since the US has not recognised the Taliban as a legitimate government. A United States judge has ruled that family members of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are not entitled to funds from Afghanistan’s central bank. In the ruling

By Barakatullah Hasand Tolo News 20 Feb 2023 This comes as the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that the closure of the gate affects the country. Following the closure of Torkham gate, Islamic Emirate forces and Pakistani border guards engaged in a gun battle, according to local officials. There are currently no details available

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh TOLOnews’ Reporter 21 Feb 2023 Nearly two months have passed since the suspension of women’s work in non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan. Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that the Islamic Emirate’s recent decision to suspend women’s employment has significantly impacted aid operations in

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 21 Feb 2023 The new figure shows a significant increase compared to the previous year, according to the spokesman of the MoF, Ahmad Wali Haqmal. The Ministry of Finance announced that it earned 100 billion Afs in revenue from the custom offices over the past 11 months. The new figure

By RIAZ KHAN Associate Press 21 Feb 2023 PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The main crossing on the Afghan-Pakistan border remained shut Tuesday for the third straight day, officials said, after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers earlier this week closed the key trade route and exchanged fire with Pakistani border guards. The closure has added to increasing tensions

Al Jazeera Published On 20 Feb 2023 The closing of the Torkham border crossing comes after relations between Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban and Pakistan deteriorated. Torkham, the main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been closed with residents of the area reporting hearing gunfire near the normally bustling border transit point. It was not immediately

Story by Susannah George The Washington Post Feb. 18, 2023 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the group quickly launched what officials called a “purification” campaign aimed at stripping the country of civil laws and institutions to build an entirely Islamic society. A year and a half later, the Taliban has gutted

Haroon Janjua The Guardian Fri 17 Feb 2023 Reports that fighters have threatened those issuing birth control medicines come as Afghan midwives and activists warn of impact on women’s health and rights Taliban fighters have stopped the sale of contraceptives in two of Afghanistan’s main cities, claiming their use by women is a western conspiracy

Mitra Majeedy Tolo News 17 Feb 2023 Economists said that funding for development projects by foreign countries is beneficial for Afghanistan’s self-sufficiency. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, citing German authorities, Germany will fund its projects in Afghanistan as Afghan women will benefit from them. This media outlet said that Germany stopped almost all its projects

Habib Rahman Qooyash Tolo News 17 Feb 2023 Economists said that the World Bank’s support for Afghanistan over the last 20 years has been crucial. The Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Finance said that efforts are being made to resume World Bank projects in Afghanistan following David Malpas, the president of the World Bank, announcing that

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 17 Feb 2023 Meanwhile, female students asked the Islamic Emirate to finalize its decision about reopening schools and universities for girls as soon as possible. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the dreams of 222 million girls & boys are being crushed by conflicts, displacement & climate chaos.

Reuters February 17, 2023 KABUL, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Afghan police have arrested the former bodyguard of a female member of parliament who was shot to death at her home in Kabul last month, the Taliban administration said on Friday. The case has raised concern about the security of women and led to calls from

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press 17 Feb 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — Several Biden Cabinet members, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a letter Friday from House Republicans as they launched the second investigation into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee,

BY CAMILO MONTOYA-GALVEZ CBS News FEBRUARY 16, 2023 / 12:57 PM Washington — Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees who were evacuated to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 are at risk of losing their work permits and deportation protections this summer unless Congress acts, unpublished government data show.Fewer than 5,000 of the 77,000

By Charlotte Greenfield, Mohammad Yunus Yawar Reuters FEBRUARY 16, 2023 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – In a chilly classroom in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement, teenage girls pore over Islamic texts as the disembodied voice of a male scholar emanates from a loud speaker. Pupils take turns to email questions

Metra Majeedi Tolo News 15 Feb 2023 Meanwhile, some women criticized the Islamic Emirate and said that they are concerned about the closing of schools and universities for women. The acting foreign minister at a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet forces said that Islamic Emirate has made some progress and

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 16 Feb 2023 Price made the remarks in response to a question asking about the UN report on al-Qaeda.  A spokesman for the US Department of State, Ned Price, said that the “Taliban” made private and public commitments to not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used as

The Hindu February 15, 2023 United Nations It said that ISIL-K portrays itself as the “primary rival” to the Taliban de facto administration, with its strategic focus on Afghanistan and beyond in the historical Khorasan region Afghanistan remains the primary source of terrorist threat for Central and South Asia, with groups such as ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda

RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press Thu, February 16, 2023  ISLAMABAD (AP) — A rare public show of division within the ranks of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban emerged in recent days when Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, a powerful government figure, gave a speech seen as implicit criticism of the movement’s reclusive supreme leader. The Taliban leadership has been

By Christina Goldbaum The New York Times Feb. 16, 2023 Walking down its streets a year ago was like wandering into the modern ruins of another empire come and gone from Afghanistan. Now, the Taliban have adopted the former diplomatic enclave as their own. Scattered across a neighborhood in central Kabul are the ruins of

Associated Press 16 Feb 2023 BEIJING (AP) — China and Iran have urged mutual neighbor Afghanistan to end restrictions on women’s work and education. The call came in a joint statement Thursday issued at the close of a visit to Beijing by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during which the two sides affirmed close economic and

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 15 February 2023 Nearly 2 million people were killed and thousands more were left disabled during the former Soviet Union’s more than nine-year presence in Afghanistan. At a ceremony celebrating the 34th anniversary of the Soviet forces’ withdrawal, acting Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said, “We should

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 15 Feb 2023 Abdul Salam Hanafi, the second deputy prime minister, stressed the need to strengthen educational institutions, during a seminar for academics at universities. The US special envoy for Afghanistan’s women, girls and human rights, Rina Amiri, said that nothing gives her more hope than seeing Afghans take the lead

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 15 Feb 2023 This comes as the WFP said that it will continue its aid to the people who deserve it in Afghanistan in 2023. The decree banning Afghan women from working for NGOs is causing many women and children to miss out on life-saving aid during the most severe

Nasir Ahmad Salehi TOLOnews Reporter 15 Feb 2023 Abdul Salam Sadat, a resident of Nimruz province, said that Soviet soldiers killed 25 of his family members and his relatives. Some Afghans who witnessed the former Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan have traumatic stories of the brutality and terror of the Red Army. They said that

Ayaz Gul Voice of America 15 Feb 2023 FILE – Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept. 14, 2021. ISLAMABAD — The chief diplomat in Afghanistan’s ruling Islamist Taliban has rejected as baseless Russia’s allegations that thousands of Islamic State militants have gathered in northern Afghanistan and

By Dominic Casciani Home and legal correspondent BBC News 14 Feb 2023 Eight Afghan journalists who worked for the BBC could be evacuated to the UK after a judge ordered ministers to reconsider their plight. The group has spent more than a year in hiding in Afghanistan after they were left behind during the August

Associated Press 14 February 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Taliban intelligence forces killed three Islamic State group militants and arrested one in an overnight operation in the Afghan capital of Kabul, an official said Tuesday. The raid on a residential building targeted IS militants who organized recent attacks in the capital, said Khalil Hamraz, a Taliban-appointed

By Sam Tobin Reuters 13 Feb 2023 LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Eight Afghan journalists who worked for the BBC broadcaster won a legal challenge on Monday against Britain’s refusal to relocate them from Afghanistan, which they said put them at high risk of being killed by the Taliban rulers. The journalists’ lawyers told London’s High

Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 13 Feb 2023 Kabulov added that Moscow is trying to create this approach and China has supported it. The Russian special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that Moscow has proposed the creation of a new regional approach for Afghanistan. In an interview with THE WEEK magazine, Kabulov said that this

By Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 13 Feb 2023 The Islamic Emirate welcomes the humanitarian assistance provided by the world community to Afghanistan. The UNHCR’s deputy high commissioner for refugees, Yumiko Takashima, said that humanitarian aid to Afghanistan needs to be continued. In an interview with TOLO News, Takashima said that ninety-eight percent of the people

Ayaz Gul Voice of America February 13, 2023, 11:31 AM FILE – Students attend a class on-air at Radio Begum in Kabul, Nov. 28, 2021. Approximately 34% of radio stations have ceased operations since Afghanistan’s Taliban returned to power in 2021. ISLAMABAD — Economic hardship and media restrictions stemming from the 2021 return to power of

Asma Saayin  Tolo News 12 Feb 2023 The head of this department said there are no political prisoners incarcerated and and 15,000 people have been released after their cases were investigated. The Directorate of Prisons Affairs said that out of 14,000 people imprisoned across the country, 1000 of them are women. Officials of this department

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 12 Feb 2023 TOLOnews reached out to a professional who is at home now since the Islamic Emirate ordered a nationwide ban on female workers at NGOs. Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abas Stanekzai said that the Islamic Emirate will provide access to work and education to all citizens particularly

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 11 Feb 2023 According to representatives of the embassy, Islamabad pledged that after this Afghan immigrants would not be imprisoned in Pakistan. The Embassy of Afghanistan in Pakistan said that Pakistani officials have pledged to address the issues with issuing visas to Afghan citizens and to better facilitate this in the

By Abubakar Siddique February 10, 2023 Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, a new RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. I’m Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. Here’s what I’ve been tracking and what I’m keeping an eye on in the days ahead. A Taliban fighter stands guard after a blast

Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai Head of TOLOnews’ Online Department 10 Feb 2023 At this date, the report said that 72,269 applications were awaiting a decision. The UK House of Commons Defense Committee released a report on Afghanistan’s withdrawal, in which it highlighted the Doha agreement and fall of the former Afghan government; the evacuation and

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 10 Feb 2023 The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate said that efforts are ongoing to suppress this group in various parts of the country. Ambassador Richard Mills, Deputy Representative to the United Nations, at a UN Security Council meeting asked the current government of Afghanistan to adhere to

By Pamela Constable The Washington Post February 10, 2023 KABUL — In a startling echo of the chaotic scenes that followed the Taliban takeover 18 months ago, several thousand Afghans rushed toward the airport in the capital late Wednesday after rumors spread that planes were taking volunteers to Turkey to help with earthquake relief. The

By Ted Loos The New York Times Feb. 9, 2023 The Afghan-Canadian artist Hangama Amiri fled the Taliban as a child. Her new museum show reclaims space for women with colorful textile works. Hangama Amiri with two of her works, from left, “Setayesh, Beauty Salon” and “Mah Chehra Beauty Parlor,” both from 2022. The artist

By Chris Massaro Fox News February 6, 2023 The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 paved the way for China to move in and deepen its influence in the country and the wider region. While much of the international community has shunned the Taliban for its archaic policies, particularly toward women, China has little to say on the

Zahra Joya Thu 9 Feb 2023 02.00 EST The Guardian As the Taliban denies women access to any schooling, there has been a rise in students being married off to ease family poverty It is six weeks since the Taliban closed the door on girls’ education across Afghanistan and Zeina’s last vestiges of hope for her future

Eltaf Najafizada Bloomberg News February 9, 2023 Indian and Iranian missions also face ISIS’s threats Militant group has as high as 6,000 fighters in the region UNITED NATIONS Islamic State militants have threatened to target Chinese, Indian, and Iranian embassies in Afghanistan in an effort to isolate the Taliban from a handful of countries it

Asma Saayin  Tolo News 9 Feb 2023 Meantime, some female students at the university called on the Islamic Emirate to reverse their decision about women education. The public and private universities union said that due to economic challenges many institutions have stopped their activities. Officials of the Union said 35 universities will be closed if the

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 9 Feb 2023 The fifth multilateral meeting of security envoys was held on Wednesday in Moscow. The meeting lasted for two days. Russian President Vladmir Putin pointed out that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated, with “four million” Afghans needing urgent emergency assistance. The fifth multilateral meeting of security envoys was

Agence France-Presse February 04, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Islamabad will ask the secretive supreme leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban to rein in militants in Pakistan after a suicide bombing killed scores of police in a mosque, officials said Saturday. Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul, Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in attacks in regions bordering

Asma Saayin  Tolo News 7 Feb 2023 Meanwhile, some economists believe that foreign assistance is crucial to preventing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Finance said that in the past fifteen months more than one million tons of humanitarian aid worth 164 billion Afghanis has arrived in Afghanistan. This aid, according to the

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 7 Feb 2023 “Treat the prisoners well, train them and teach them Islamic faith and religious issues,” said Khalil Rahman Haqani. Officials of the Directorate of Prisons Affairs said Tuesday that more than twelve thousand people are imprisoned across the country. Attending a ceremony to introduce the new uniform for military

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 7 Feb 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that the security of diplomats and embassies is better than before. Saudi Arabia’s diplomats left by air and relocated to Pakistan late last week due to warnings of heightened risks of attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul, Reuters reported citing a

By Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 7 Feb 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that it will seek a legal approach to the release of Afghanistan’s assets if they are not freed.  A member of the Afghan Central Bank’s supreme council, Shah Mehrabi, urged the Central Bank to engage with legal counsel to protect its assets

By Eric Schmitt The New York Times Feb. 4, 2023 Bilal al-Sudani’s financing of the ISIS branch in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. troops in 2021 elevated him on U.S. kill-or-capture lists. WASHINGTON — Bilal al-Sudani was no stranger to American counterterrorism officials. Before joining the Islamic State affiliate in Somalia, Mr. al-Sudani was subjected

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 6 Feb 2023 Some political analysts consider the role of Qatar as important in resolving the Afghanistan issues. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution, Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, had discussions with

Asma Saayin Tolo News 6 Feb 2023 This comes as the vulnerable people in Afghanistan called on the aid organizations to provide them with assistance.  The United Nations warned that two thirds of Afghans are facing severe hunger and are in urgent need of aid, with six million facing the risk of famine. Omar Abid,

Gulalai Hakim Tolo News 7 Feb 2023 The report said that sanctions imposed by the international community have crippled the economy. Doctors Without Borders said in a report that a broken healthcare system, widespread poverty, and increased bans on women are fueling the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. This organization in a report titled “Persistent

By Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 6 Feb 2023 Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid called on Moscow to invite a representative of the Afghanistan’s caretaker government. Moscow is set to host a meeting of senior regional security officials on the situation in Afghanistan next week, a Russian diplomat said. The Islamic Emirate said that the participants are expected

Mohammad Amin Pacha Tolo News 6 Feb 2023 The religious leaders said that providing education is one of the responsibilities of the Islamic Emirate. The Ministry of Higher Education said it is working on a plan for the education of female students so that there will not be barriers to their education in the future.

Associated Press 6 Feb 2023 PARIS (AP) — Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders along with 14 French media outlets and production companies on Monday called on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to release a journalist imprisoned for a month in Kabul. In a joint statement, RSF and French media said journalist Mortaza Behboudi, with dual French and

By Pamela Constable The Washington Post February 5, 2023  Washing clothes in the snow, heating homes with scavenged trash, families struggle to survive KABUL — In a yard ankle-deep with mud and snowy slush, a woman named Farzana, 32, squatted and scrubbed clothes in a bucket last week. When she stood, her hands were stiff

Reuters February 3, 2023, 1:06 PM EST KABUL, Feb 3 (Reuters) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights called on Afghanistan’s Taliban administration on Friday to release a university lecturer and education activist detained by security forces in the capital Kabul. Local media reported Ismael Mashal had been distributing academic and other books

Ayaz Gul Voice of America February 03, 2023 7:02 PM   FILE – John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman, speaks at the White House in Washington, June 23, 2022. Kirby told VOA the Taliban will continue to be isolated from the international community unless they reverse restrictions on women. ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON  — The United States

Fatima Adib  Tolo News 3 Feb 2023 She further said that the US and United Nations are going to judge the Islamic Emirate on its actions. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, said that the Islamic Emirate has not been recognized due to its policies imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan. She

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 4 Feb 2023 John Kirby said he considered Daesh a viable threat to the current government of Afghanistan and the world. John Kirby, the US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said that the Islamic Emirate will continue to isolate itself from the international community by reneging

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 3 Feb 2023 The leader of the Islamic Emirate visited the commanders and high-ranking officials of 207 Farooq, 203 Mansouri, 217 Omari and 201 Khaled bin Waleed corps. The leader of the Islamic Emirate, Mawlawi Hebatullah Akhundzada, said at a meeting with army corps commanders that pressure from

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 3 Feb 2023 Earlier, the US Department of State announced that West was set for travel to Pakistan, Germany and Switzerland.  The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, on his visit to Germany met with the country’s senior officials and discussed ways of bringing Afghan women back

Reuters February 3, 2023 KABUL, Feb 3 (Reuters) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights called on Afghanistan’s Taliban administration on Friday to release a university lecturer and education activist detained by security forces in the capital Kabul. Local media reported Ismael Mashal had been distributing academic and other books on Kabul’s streets

Al Jazeera Published On 3 Feb 2023 The Taliban confirms the detention of Ismail Mashal, who tore up his degrees on live TV to protest against the ban on women’s education. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have detained an academic who tore up his degrees on live television in protest against a ban on women’s university education in the country, his

Reuters 2 Feb 2023 MADRID, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Pushing her son on a swing at a playground on a sunny winter’s day in Madrid, former Afghan prosecutor Obaida Sharar expresses relief that she found asylum in Spain after fleeing Afghanistan shortly after the Taliban took over. Sharar, who arrived in Madrid with her family,

Akmal Dawi Voice of America January 31, 2023 For more than a decade, Afghanistan was continuously ranked among the 10 most corrupt governments. But this year, the country has left its disreputable position, and the Taliban claim credit for it. On Tuesday, Transparency International, a Berlin-based nongovernment corruption watchdog, released its latest annual corruption perception

By Mica Rosenber, Kristina Cookeand Jackie Botts Reuters 1 Feb 2023 Afghans traverse 11 countries to reach the U.S. SAN PEDRO TAPANATEPEC, Mexico, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Their journey starts with a humanitarian visa for Brazil: one of the few remaining exit routes for Afghans fleeing Taliban rule. It ends, after a perilous trek overland through

Asma Saayin Tolo News 2 Feb 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that it has detained around 4,500 people on charges of drug dealing. A hospital with a capacity of 5,000 beds was opened in Kabul on Wednesday to provide medical treatment and support for drug addicts. The inauguration ceremony was attended by senior members of

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 2 Feb 2023 According to the report, Afghanistan has climbed 24 places compared to 2021 when the country was ranked 174 out of 180 countries. In a recent report released by Transparency International, Afghanistan was ranked 150 in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in 2022 out of 180 countries. According to

By Junaid Kathju NBC News Jan 30, 2023 Since falling into the hands of the Taliban, some of the weapons have been seized from militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir in what experts say could be just the start of their global journey. SRINAGAR, India — Weapons left behind by U.S. forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan are surfacing

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 2 Feb 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed foreign minister Wednesday asked Pakistani authorities to look for the reasons behind militant violence in their country instead of blaming Afghanistan. The comments from Amir Khan Muttaqi came two days after Pakistani officials said the attackers who orchestrated Monday’s suicide bombing that

UN News Global perspective Human stories 30 January 2023 Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro (on screen), Secretary General of Care International, briefs reporters on the situation in Afghanistan after a recent visit to the country. A UN-led group of humanitarians are hoping that the Taliban will allow Afghan women to again work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on

Shah Meer Baloch in Waziristan and Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Mumbai The Guardian Tue 31 Jan 2023 05.29 EST Misguided government efforts to rehabilitate militants have helped fuel recent terrorist activity The bomber struck shortly before afternoon prayers, when the mosque in Peshawar’s bustling Police Lines district would be at its busiest. Hundreds of people, including many police

Akmal Dawi Voice of America January 26, 2023 12:00 PM FILE – Taliban fighter talk to recently arrested prisoners in the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2021. Less than two years after releasing all prisoners held by the previous Afghan government, including suspected terrorists, the Taliban are rapidly refilling prisons with new inmates.

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 31 Jan 2023 Griffiths said if the Islamic Emirate does not reconsider its decision on women’s employment and education, it will be “catastrophic.” Speaking at a joint press conference, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, CARE International Secretary-General Sofía Sprechmann Sineiro, and officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 31 Jan 2023 However, the Islamic Emirate considers the current government’s engagement with the international community a crucial step and a means of success. Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said that Islamabad supports the continuous engagement with the current Afghan government, during a meeting with Thomas West, the US

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 30 Jan 2023 AFTF has thirty members which include former government employees, Islamic Emirate officials, representatives of civil society, and academics. The Afghanistan Future Thought Forum (AFTF), which describes itself as a “high-level, independent, non-partisan initiative” and includes “Taliban” participants, said in a statement the group has examined the key challenges

TOLOnews TV Network 30 Jan 2023 Female students meanwhile asked the Islamic Emirate to remove ban on girls’ education and to reopen schools and universities for them. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, said at a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the foreign minister of Qatar, that the banning of women from

By RIAZAT BUTT Asssociated Press January 28, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban on Saturday doubled down on their ban on women’s education, reinforcing in a message to private universities that Afghan women are barred from taking university entry exams, according to a spokesman. The note comes despite weeks of condemnation and lobbying by the

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter 25 Jan 2023 This comes as the spokesman of the US Department of State, Ned Price, said that Washington supports the people of Afghanistan. The Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Amina J. Mohammed spoke to reporters in New York about her recent trip to Afghanistan. “In the case of the

Akmal Dawi Voice of America January 19, 2023 3:05 PM FILE – People demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington, January 1, 2023, against the Afghan Taliban regime’s ban on higher education for women. From Lafayette Park in front of the White House to the streets of London, Toronto and many other cities

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 27 Jan 2023 However, some political analysts believe that Pompeo’s comments are not correct. They hold the US responsible for Afghanistan’s severe problems. Former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discusses the issues of Afghanistan, the former leaders of the country and the Doha Peace Agreement in his recently published

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 27 Jan 2023 In a special interview with TOLOnews, Qomi said his country wants an inclusive government to be established in Afghanistan. Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, believes that beginning a political dialogue is the only way to resolve the current situation in Afghanistan. In a

By Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent BBC News 25 Jan 2023 Taliban ministers have told a senior UN official they plan to draw up new guidelines to allow Afghan women to work in some humanitarian operations. Martin Griffiths told the BBC he had received “encouraging responses” from a wide range of Taliban ministers during talks

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 24 Jan 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that they want good relations in economic and political affairs with regional countries and the world. Participants at the 26th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization’s Council of Ministers stressed the need for engagement with the caretaker government as well as peace and stability in

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews Reporter 25 Jan 2023 Pakistan, with 65 percent, and India with 20 percent, are the two main export destinations. The World Bank released a report on Afghanistan on Wednesday saying that the headline year-on-year inflation in November 2022 decelerated to 9.1 percent from its peak of 18.3 percent in July 2022.

Charlotte Greenfield and Michelle Nichols Reuters| Jan. 25, 2023 Top U.N. Officials Seek to ‘Water Down’ Bans on Women in Afghanistan KABUL/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations is pushing the Taliban administration in Afghanistan for more exemptions to its ban on most female aid workers, top U.N. officials said on Wednesday, while also expressing concern

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 25 Jan 2023 However, the Islamic Emirate requests that attendees of such meetings cooperate with the current government of Afghanistan. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is going to hold a meeting about the situation in Afghanistan on Friday, following the trip of Amina Mohammed, the deputy chief of

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 24 Jan 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that the pressure is not a solution and that the Afghans need humanitarian aid. Washington has been reviewing its approach and engagement with the “Taliban in context of many of the human rights violations” and actions that “we have seen from the Taliban in recent

Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 24 Jan 2023 The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs also met with the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths has raised the issue of women’s education and work and how this affects UN operations, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement. Griffiths arrived in Afghanistan

Nadia Fasel DW (Germany) January 21, 2023 In late January 2022, 25-year-old Tamana Zaryab Paryani was arrested and imprisoned in Kabul. She was brutally tortured, abused, and interrogated for three weeks. Here, she tells DW her story. “I was gagged, and my feet and hands were bound. They held my legs while one of the

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press 24 Jan 2023 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief and leaders of two major international aid organizations are in Afghanistan following last week’s visit by a delegation led by the U.N.’s highest-ranking woman with the same aim – reversing the Taliban’s crackdown on women and girls including

By Imran Danish Tolo News 22 Jan 2023 Takal said that Muttaqi assured Qin of ensuring the security of Chinese companies and vowed more efforts for regional security. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in a phone call with the acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed China’s support for the Afghan interim government to build a

By Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews Reporter 23 Jan 2023 Extreme cold amidst harsh winter has created many concerns about the challenging conditions of Afghans. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a report on Monday said that Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with “a very real risk of systemic

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 23 Jan 2023 The United Nations deputy chief, Amina Mohammed, in an interview with TOLOnews said that her organization will continue to support women in Afghanistan. Mohammed said she would put pressure on the Islamic Emirate together with a number of countries to respect Afghan women’s rights. “Before coming to this

Al Jazeera 21 Jan 2023 Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who held talks with Taliban, tells Al Jazeera some progress in the health sector made but much remains to be done. A UN delegation, which held talks with senior Taliban officials in Afghanistan, has made headway on women’s rights, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 20 Jan 2023 The Islamic Emirate called recognition important for economic and political improvement in the region. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that during the visit of its envoy to Afghanistan, the two sides discussed recognition of the Islamic Emirate. The statement said that Russian

 TOLOnews TV Network 19 JANUARY 2023 According to UNESCO, more than 118 million girls across the globe are out of school. The Turkish foreign minister at a conference with his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday emphasized on the need to provide women and girls access to education and work. Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Iranian

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 20 Jan 2023 Islamic Emirate rejected the findings of the report as untrue. A US-based research organization, Freedom House, has released a report on human rights conditions in Afghanistan. The organization says that at least 90 percent of human rights defenders said they have experienced violence and mistreatment. “Afghan human rights

By Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent, Kabul BBC News 20 Jan 2023 A top UN official believes progress is being made towards reversing bans on women taking part in public life in Afghanistan. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has been in Kabul for a four-day visit to urge the Taliban to reconsider. Last month, the country’s

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press 20 Jan 2023 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A delegation led by the highest-ranking woman at the United Nations urged the Taliban during a four-day visit to Afghanistan that ended Friday to reverse their crackdown on women and girls. Some Taliban officials were more open to restoring women’s rights but

 Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 19 Jan 2023 Mullah Hassan Akhund’s spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf Ahmadi, said the UN top official assured of the continuation of aid to Afghanistan.  A spokesman for the prime minister’s office said on Thursday that the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, who met with officials in Kabul this week,

 Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 18 Jan 2023 Kabul praised the remarks by Qatar’s foreign minister and said that all problems should be resolved through dialogue. Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani emphasized the need for continued engagement with the Islamic Emirate as he addressed a panel discussion on the sidelines of the World

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 18 Jan 2023 At a news conference on Wednesday, a UN spokesman provided details about the delegation’s visit to Afghanistan. Former president Hamid Karzai said he sees “national dialogue” as essential for Afghanistan as he met with United Nations deputy chief Amina Mohammed in Kabul on Wednesday. “At the meeting, the

Diane Taylor The Guardian Tue 17 Jan 2023 More than 100 charities and activists are calling on the prime minister to facilitate the resettlement of family members of thousands of Afghans who came to the UK under a government scheme. The government pledged to resettle family members in the UK but at the moment there is no

By Christina Goldbaum and Najim Rahim The New York Times Jan. 17, 2023 A female former legislator in Afghanistan was killed at her home in the capital, Kabul, the police and her family said — a high-profile murder of one of the few women parliamentarians who remained in the country after the Western-backed government collapsed and the

 Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 17 Jan 2023 A spokesman for the ministry, Abdul Rahman Habib, said they are ready to cooperate with organizations based on Islamic values. The Ministry of Economy said on Monday that the resumption of activities of Save the Children is important for improving children’s education, health and nutrition.  A spokesman for

Fatema Adeeb Tolo News 17 Jan 2023 Analysts said that the caretaker government should cancel its decision on banning women from working in NGOs and education. CARE, an international aid agency, in a statement on Jan. 16 said it will be resuming its health and nutrition operations in Afghanistan after obtaining the necessary assurances from

Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 17 Jan 2023 Analysts said that the announcement of parties overseas doesn’t impact the situation in Afghanistan.  In reaction to the formation of a new political party by former intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil, the Islamic Emirate said that the appearance of parties outside the country is not a solution for the

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press 16 January 2023 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The highest-ranking woman in the United Nations arrived in Kabul on Tuesday at the head of a delegation promoting the rights of women and girls, a response to the recent crackdown by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian

 Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 15 Jan 2023 The commission said that in total, 471 political and former government figures have returned from abroad since May 2022. More than 100 former Afghan officials and politicians have returned to the country in the past three months, the Return and Communications Commission for Former Afghan Officials and Political

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press 16 Jan 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Tributes poured in on Monday for a former Afghan female lawmaker who was shot and killed by gunmen in her home in the capital of Kabul the previous day. The slaying was the first time a lawmaker from the previous administration was killed in

TOLOnews TV Network 14 Jan 2023  Pompeo added that Ghani was never asked to step down from power. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Mohammad Ashraf Ghani stole the election just more effective than his competitor at stealing votes. Pompeo added that Ghani was never asked to step down from power. “He

Associated Press 15 Jan 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.N. criticized Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled central bank for making “misleading and unhelpful” remarks about cash destined for humanitarian work. It comes amid growing tension between the global body and the country’s rulers over bans on female education and employment. The U.N. uses the money mostly to

Associated Press 15 Jan 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A former Afghan female lawmaker and her bodyguard have been shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in the capital, Kabul, police said Sunday. Mursal Nabizada was among the few female parliamentarians who stayed in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. It

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press 14 January 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — For an idled worker at a Kabul-based aid group, Abaad, that helps abused Afghan women, frightened and often tearful calls are coming in, not only from her clients but also from her female colleagues. A Dec. 24 order from the Taliban barring aid groups from employing

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 14 Jan 2023 The Islamic Emirate said that it wants to have good relations with all its neighbors and urged them to refrain from interfering in Afghan internal affairs. The formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic groups in the country is the solution to Afghanistan’s issues,

Al Jazeera Published On 14 Jan 202314 Jan 2023 About 2,500 US soldiers died in Afghanistan, a conflict that became the longest war the United States fought. Republican legislators have launched an investigation into the chaotic United States military withdrawal from Afghanistan, which allowed an immediate takeover by the Taliban and led to scenes of thousands

Al Jazeera Published On 14 Jan 2023 Eleven members of the UNSC call on the group to reverse restrictive policies on women’s and girls’ education and work. Several members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have urged the Taliban to end its repressive treatment of women in Afghanistan, as the group continued to impose

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 13 Jan 2023 But Hasibullah Ahmadi, the head of the counter-narcotics department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that there is drug trafficking in some provinces.  The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that drug trafficking from Afghanistan to abroad has significantly dropped.  But Hasibullah Ahmadi, the head of the counter-narcotics

By Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 13 Jan 2023 Analysts said women should be provided the opportunity to work and get an education if the orders are temporary. Referring to recent bans on female aid workers and women’s education, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that “the Taliban’s actions are inconsistent with what they have pledged”

By Christina Goldbaum and Najim Rahim The New York Times Jan. 13, 2023 Since the Taliban administration banned women from aid work, many groups have suspended their operations in the country and warned of permanently shutting down if the ban remains. For years before the Taliban seized power and the economy collapsed, Jamila and her four children

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News ReporterTolo News 13 Jan 2023 Chargé d’Affaires of the Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, said that the meeting is due to be held on 13 January New York time.  The UN Security Council is holding a closed-door meeting on Friday about Afghanistan’s situation including the recent bans

Associated Press January 12, 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Thursday for a deadly bombing that killed at least five people near the Foreign Ministry in the Afghan capital the previous day. The bombing was the second major attack in Kabul in 2023 and drew condemnation from the international community.

TOLOnews TV Network 09 JANUARY 2023 TOLOnews reached out to some of the deportees, who complained about mistreatment of Turkish forces with them. Turkish media reported that at least 500 Afghan refugees have been deported by Ankara and that more than 5,000 others are in detention, who will also be deported soon. TOLOnews reached out

Al Jazeera Published On 11 Jan 2023 The Taliban-run information ministry official says 20 killed in blast in Kabul but no comments from foreign and interior ministry. At least 20 people have been killed after a suspected suicide bomber detonated himself outside the foreign ministry in Kabul in the second major attack in the Afghan

Zofeen T Ebrahim in Karachi The Guardian Tue 10 Jan 2023 About 250,000 Afghan asylum seekers have arrived in Pakistan since August 2021, but a migrant crackdown has left many of them in fear of being jailed or deported More than 600 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan in the past three days, and hundreds more face

By Susannah George The Washington Post January 11, 2023 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Taliban hard-liners are consolidating their control over Afghanistan with the recent bans on women’s education and work, overriding the wishes of some Taliban officials in the capital, Kabul, and at the provincial level, according to government and aid officials. The Taliban’s supreme leader,

Imran Danish TOLOnews’ Reporter 10 Jan 2023 The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is due to hold a conference on Afghanistan on Thursday. A delegation of Muslim clerics, which has visited Afghanistan, on Tuesday called for ensuring the right to education for every Muslim and emphasized the need for girls’ access to education in Afghanistan. The

By Amu TV JANUARY 7, 2023 Pakistan on Saturday released another batch of Afghan nationals who were thrown into Pakistani prisons in recent months. The Taliban-run embassy in Islamabad said that 524 people, including 54 women and 97 children, have been released from Pakistani prisons. The embassy added that the body of a Faryab resident, who

By Pamela Constable The Washington Post January 9, 2023 KABUL — Taliban authorities have embarked on an ambitious project to change the face of the Afghan capital, a crowded metropolis of 5 million that still displays the scars, monuments and fads of periods of civil conflict, foreign invasion and new-money opulence. The Kabul municipal government,

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews’ Reporter 8 Jan 2023 In a statement, the Da Afghanistan Bank denied the suspension of humanitarian aid packages to Afghanistan. A former member of the Afghan Central Bank’s supreme council, Shah Mehrabi, said on Sunday that since mid-December 2022, United Nations flights have stopped transferring cash aid to Afghanistan as part

By RIAZAT BUTT Associated Press 7 Jan 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban’s “internal debates and extreme decrees” are paralyzing humanitarian work in Afghanistan, the head of a major aid agency told The Associated Press on Sunday, after he arrived on a week-long trip to talk to Taliban leaders about reversing a ban on

Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 7 Jan 2023 But the caretaker government in Afghanistan has repeatedly stressed that its government was inclusive. The foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan in a telephonic conversation emphasized the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.  Iran’s Foreign

Associated Press 7 Jan 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A top U.N. envoy met with the Taliban-led Afghan government’s higher education minister Saturday to discuss the ban on women attending universities. Markus Potzel is the first international official to meet with him since the ban was introduced last month. Taliban authorities on Dec. 20 ordered

TOLOnews TV Network 6 Jan 2023 The religious leaders arrived in Afghanistan at a time when women’s employment and education had recently been suspended. The acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, stressed the need for unity among Muslim nations as he met with religious scholars from Egypt, Sudan, and Palestine in Kabul on Friday. Abdul Nafay

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor The Guardian Fri 6 Jan 2023 Standoff between UN and Taliban may lead loss of billions in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan The UN’s lead humanitarian coordinator has said UN-supplied aid cannot continue if the Taliban do not lift their ban on women working for humanitarian aid agencies in Afghanistan. Martin Griffiths, the

By Azmat Khan The New York Times Jan. 6, 2023 Documents obtained through a lawsuit reveal how biases led to the deadly August 2021 blunder, and that officials made misleading statements concealing their assessment of civilian casualties. WASHINGTON — In the chaotic final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, U.S. military

 Nazir Shinwari Tolo News 6 Jan 2023 Hamad added that a decision would also be made in the coming week on the cancellation of those media outlets whose licenses have not been renewed. The Ministry of Information and Culture on Friday said the court’s decision regarding the activities of some media outlets would be announced

Bibi Amina Hakimi TOLOnews Reporter 6 Jan 2023 The IRC said that the ability to reach Afghans in need relies on at its all level of organization. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Thursday expressed its concerns over the impacts of the Islamic Emirate’s ban on women from working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), saying it

By Missy Ryan The Washington Post January 6, 2023 The administration is struggling to exert U.S. influence over the Taliban more than a year after America’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan The Biden administration is contemplating actions to punish the Taliban for its treatment of women and girls, potentially including cuts to American aid, even as officials acknowledge

By NAHAL TOOSI Politico 01/05/2023  The administration has limited leverage and restricted contact with the Islamist rulers of Afghanistan. The Biden administration is grappling with how to respond to new Taliban restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan, knowing that punishing the ruling Islamists risks rupturing the limited relationship the United States has with them. The

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar Reuters January 5, 2023 KABUL, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration is to sign a contract with a Chinese company to extract oil from the Amu Darya basin in the country’s north, the acting mining minister said on Thursday. The contract would be signed with Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas

Hikmat Noori The Guardian Wed 4 Jan 2023 A Taliban decree against higher education for women – called a ‘betrayal of the nation’ – has led to male lecturers and student walkouts in solidarity Baktash Amini loved his job as an assistant professor in the physics faculty at Kabul University. As well as having a

Imran Danish TOLOnews 5 Jan 2023 A number of analysts said that the ban on women’s jobs in NGOs will have a negative impact on the country’s situation. Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Kabir in a meeting with UNAMA envoy Markus Potzel discussed women’s access to work and education as well as humanitarian aid to

Mohammad Farshad Daryosh News Reporter Tolo News 5 Jan 2023 The UAE announced on Twitter that the closed-door meeting was requested by it and Japan for Jan. 13. The UN Security Council is set to meet privately next week to discuss a decision by Islamic Emirate’s administration to ban female humanitarian aid workers. The UAE

BBC News  4 Jan 2023 An Afghan businesswoman and women’s rights activist intends to return to the country less than two years after she fled on a British military plane. Hassina Syed left Afghanistan in August 2021, when the Taliban took control of the country, and has since been living in Lincolnshire with her family.

Al Jazeera Published On 5 Jan 2023 The raids follow a series of attacks conducted by ISIL, including a deadly bombing near a checkpoint in Kabul. Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban has killed eight ISIL (ISIS) fighters and arrested several others in a series of raids targeting key figures in a spate of attacks in Kabul, a

By Abid Hussain Al Jazeera Published On 3 Jan 2023 Pakistan says no country will be allowed to shelter armed groups staging attacks against it as Kabul reject the charges. Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s defence minister has alleged that Afghanistan’s soil is being used by armed groups to launch attacks on his country, prompting a sharp

Asma Saayin Tolo News 2 Jan 2023 “We have served this country with honesty. We are all facing economic challenges and all of us have families,” said Mohammad Omar, a retiree. Dozens of retired officials held a protest in Kabul on Monday to criticize unpaid pensions, saying they have not been paid over the past

Fatema Adeebo Tolo News 1 Jan 2023 A prison official in Karachi, Pakistan, said they would start deporting Afghan women who had been sentenced for living in the country without legal documents from the first week of January. Pakistani police in multiple raids detained at least 1,200 Afghan nationals, including women and children, who had

Associated Press 1 Jan 2023 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A senior U.N. official in Afghanistan met on Sunday the deputy prime minister of the Taliban-led government to discuss a ban on women working for non-governmental groups that Afghan authorities have announced in a series of measures rolling back women’s rights. The decision by the Taliban

Al Jazeera 1 Jan 2023 No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion that caused multiple casualties, according to the Taliban. An explosion outside the military airport in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, has caused multiple casualties, according to a Taliban official. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said the blast on Sunday left several people dead

Ayaz Gul Voice of America December 30, 2022 Afghan women stand outside Kabul University in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 21, 2022. The Taliban has increased restrictions on women in 2022 — including barring females from attending universities and banning women humanitarian workers — saying Islamic law mandates it. ISLAMABAD — The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan remained

By Juliet Macur The New York Times Dec. 31, 2022 The New York Times Sports department is revisiting the subjects of some compelling articles from the last year or so. In August, we reported on a soccer player who fled her home in Afghanistan to begin a new life. Here is an update. When her new life in Australia

By Noor Gul Shafaq BBC World Service 30 Dec 2022 “I did not feel any fear because I believed that my demand is just,” said a defiant 18-year-old Afghan woman whose ambition to get a university degree has been frustrated by the Taliban’s ban on women in higher education. Angered at the prospect of seeing

Hadia Ziaei Tolo News 30 Dec 2022 But the Islamic Emirate said they are looking for a solution for women’s jobs at NGOs. Following the reactions of Islamic countries to banning women and girls from education, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in a statement on Thursday called on the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA)

Banafsha Binesh Tolo News 30 Dec 2022 Alakbarov added that women made up roughly 30% of aid workers and that they would not be replaced with men.  Following the Islamic Emirate’s ban on female aid workers, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths will travel to Afghanistan in the coming weeks and will seek to meet with

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press 30 Dec 2022 WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has failed so far to create a path to residency for Afghans who worked alongside U.S. soldiers in America’s longest war, pushing into limbo tens of thousands of refugees who fled Taliban control more than two years ago and now live in the United States. Some