Page 13 - Afghanistan

Key trade crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan reopens after 9 days

A key north-western border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened Friday after a nine-day closure due to clashes between border forces, officials from both sides said. Pakistan shut the Torkham border with its neighbour on September 6 after guards from both countries exchanged fire. It accused Taliban authorities of building unlawful structures in the vicinity. Pakistani government official Nasir Khan said the crossing reopened Friday morning. Afghanistan's commissioner in Torkham, Ismatullah Yaqoob, said stranded trucks and pedestrians have started passing through the border. A representative from the Pakistan and Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce welcomed the move. The reopening has ended the nine-day-long trouble faced by traders on both sides of the border, said Ziaul Haq Sarhadi. Traders have faced heavy losses in perishable items, he said. Pakistan's envoy to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani met the Taliban administration's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutt

Afghan drivers criticise fuel price hike, call on Taliban to pay attention

"A lot of northern oil used to be imported to Kabul, now that Salang highway is closed, the imports have decreased," said Shafiq a fuel seller

India sent 50,000 MTs of wheat, 28 tonnes of disaster relief to Afghanistan

Amid worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, India said it delivered 50,000 MTs of wheat, 28 tons of disaster relief and 200 tons of medicines, vaccines and other medical items to the country

'Afghanistan headed to civil war with Taliban splitting into factions'

Two years after the US forces abruptly left Kabul, Afghanistan is headed towards a civil war, the Taliban is now riddled with factionalism, and the country is fast becoming a safe haven for foreign terrorists, a former Afghan commander has said. I believe that the situation in Afghanistan is very critical and dangerous and it's going in a dangerous direction, which could be a civil war again, or which could be a split to Afghanistan because you see that in last two years Afghanistan has been controlled by the terrorists and it has fallen into terrorist hands, Lt. Gen. Haibatullah Alizai, who was chief of staff for the army at the time the capital city of Kabul fell to Taliban in August 2021, told PTI in an interview. Alizai currently lives in the US and has recently launched an initiative to unite Afghans outside the country. Expressing his deep dissatisfaction over the current situation in Afghanistan, the former Afghan commander blames the Biden administration for abruptly leaving

Afghanistan meth trade surges as Taliban clamps down on heroin: UN

The country is also a major opium producer and heroin source, even though the Taliban declared a war on narcotics after they returned to power in August 2021

US military equipment left in Afghanistan now in militant hands: Pak PM

Pakistan's caretaker prime minister claimed on Monday that US military equipment left behind during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan has fallen into militant hands and ultimately made its way to the Pakistani Taliban. The equipment which includes a wide variety of items, from night vision goggles to firearms is now emerging as a new challenge for Islamabad as it has enhanced the fighting capabilities of the Pakistani Taliban, Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, have over the past months intensified attacks on Pakistan's security forces. They are a separate militant group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban. The Taliban overran Afghanistan in mid-August 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the last weeks of their chaotic pullout from the country after 20 years of war. In the face of the Taliban sweep, the US-backed and trained Afghan military crumbled. There is no definite information on how much US equipme

840,000 Afghans who applied for US resettlement programme still waiting

More than 8,40,000 Afghans who applied for a resettlement programme aimed at people who helped the US war effort in Afghanistan are still there waiting, according to a report that lays out the challenges with a programme intended to help America's allies in the two-decade long conflict. The report released Thursday by the State Department's inspector general outlines steps the department took to improve processing of special immigrant visas for Afghans. But two years after the US pullout from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power, challenges remain. The visa programme was started in 2009 to help Afghans who worked side-by-side with Americans and faced significant risks for doing so. A similar programme exists for Iraqis. Both programmes have been plagued by criticism that cases move much too slowly, leaving applicants in dangerous limbo. And since the US left Afghanistan the number of people applying for the visas has skyrocketed. According to the report, there were a .

'Help us play again': Afghanistan's female cricketers plead with ICC

Just over two years ago, Firooza Amiri was an 18-year-old batter for the Afghanistan women's cricket team, ready to take on the world if given the chance. But just like that, her world and that of millions of others in her country changed forever. Forced to flee with her family when the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, Amiri and her family first traveled to Pakistan and then were evacuated to Australia, She still lives in Australia, along with most of her 25 teammates. Now, looking for their place in international competition, they are pleading with the International Cricket Council and the Afghanistan cricket authorities to give them a place to play, despite the Taliban's ban on women in sport and education. Yeah, unfortunately two weeks ago was the two-year anniversary of the Taliban and our BLACK DAY, Amiri said in a message to The Associated Press, accentuating two words in capital letters. Amiri and her family were from the oasis city of Herat, then the .

Will continue to support allies, proud to have welcomed 115,000 Afghans: US

Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, marking the conclusion of two years since the end of the war in Afghanistan, has said that the US will "continue to push to help resettle our Afghan allies".

Taliban say they have signed mining contracts worth $6.5 bn in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban government said it signed seven mining contracts Thursday amounting to USD 6.5 billion in investment, in the biggest such round of deals since seizing power two years ago. The seven contracts are with locally based companies, many of whom have foreign partners in countries including China, Iran, and Turkiye. They include the extraction and processing of iron ore, lead, zinc and gold in four provinces: Herat, Ghor, Logar and Takhar. A statement on the contracts from Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund gave few details, but said they would create thousands of jobs and significantly improve the economic situation of the country. Any figures given for the deals could be misleading unless they lead to fully realized mining operations on the ground, which could take years, said Javed Noorani, an expert in Afghanistan's mining sector. The Taliban know Afghanistan has minerals and this is cash, but it's not easy cash, Noorani t

WHO appeals for budget of $125 mn for funding of Afghanistan's hospitals

The organisation also noticed a decrease in the size of its local health teams, which went from 513 to 453 people

Over 200 fmr officials, security forces killed since Taliban takeover: UN

More than 200 extrajudicial killings of former Afghan government officials and security forces have taken place since the Taliban took over the country two years ago, according to a UN report released on Tuesday. The groups most targeted by the Taliban have been former army, police and intelligence forces, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. UNAMA documented at least 800 human rights violations against former Afghan government officials and security forces between August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power, and the end of June 2023. The Taliban swept across Afghanistan as US and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after two decades of war. The US-trained and backed Afghan forces crumbled in the face of the Taliban advance and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Individuals were detained by the de facto (Taliban) security forces, often briefly, before being killed. Some were taken to detention

India supplied 47,500 MT of wheat to Afghanistan since Taliban's takeover

Besides sending wheat, India has also been consistently providing medical and food assistance using land routes bordering Pakistan and the Chabahar Port in Iran

Hamid Karzai urges Taliban to reopen schools, universities for girls

Karzai urged all to educate their children, including girls. He called on the Taliban to open schools for girls and promote nationwide education for true independence

Will return soon: Afghan envoy to India after 'missing' reports

He further stated that the embassy continues to function its routine work normally and has diligently addressed various matters

Over 15 million people suffer from food insecurity in Afghanistan: Report

It further stated that 2.7 million people in Afghanistan are facing famine, reported TOLO News

Taliban believe their rule open-ended, ban on female education to continue

The Taliban view their rule of Afghanistan as open-ended, drawing legitimacy from Islamic law and facing no significant threat, their chief spokesman said in an interview marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country. He also indicated a ban on female education will remain in place. Zabihullah Mujahid brushed aside any questions from The Associated Press about restrictions on girls and women, saying the status quo will remain. The ban on girls attending school beyond sixth grade was the first of what became a flurry of restrictions that now keep Afghan women from classrooms, most jobs and much of public life. The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, as US and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war. To mark the anniversary, Tuesday was declared a public holiday. Women, largely barred from public life, didn't take part in the festivities. In the southern city of Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, military personnel

Water Wars: Conflict Between Iran and Afghanistan

30% booksellers in Afghanistan shut shop due to lack of good market: Report

Abdul Wodod Mukhtarzada, member of commission, said that the booksellers have also complained about high taxes which are difficult to pay as their business has witnessed a decline

Afghanistan sees 70% fall in manufacturing activities due to power shortage

The decline in manufacturing activities occurred due to severe power shortages, which led to the loss of thousands of jobs for the local people