Afghanistan should join a list of the “worst of the worst” violators of religious freedom, a U.S. advisory body is recommending to the State Department. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said in its annual report issued Monday, that religious minorities have “faced harassment, detention and even death due to their faith or beliefs” since the Islamic Emirate of […]
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Beijing-Nangarhar Construction to build industrial park in Kabul
Beijing-Nangarhar Construction and Manufacturing Company on Thursday signed a contract with Afghan authorities to develop an industrial complex on the outskirts of Kabul at a cost of $216 million. The complex is expected to be constructed across 650 acres of land in Perozi Township in Deh Sabz district of Kabul. According to officials, the complex will feature 150 factories, a […]
Read more ›IEA imposes strict dress codes on the few girls schools still open
Despite the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) decision to suspend schooling for teenage girls, Human Rights Watch found that a number of girls’ schools, mostly in Balkh province, are still open but have strict dress codes in place. According to the watchdog, many girls’ secondary schools have remained open in the province since the IEA took power but that they […]
Read more ›Nine killed, 13 wounded in Mazar-e-Sharif blasts
Two explosions went off in Afghanistan’s northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, on Thursday evening, killing at least nine people and wounding 13 others, police said. Asif Waziri, a spokesman for provincial police, said that the explosions happened in PD3 and PD10 of the city. Witnesses of one of the blasts said that a magnetic IED, attached […]
Read more ›US left behind $7 billion of military gear after troops withdrew: Pentagon
A new Pentagon report has revealed that the US left $7 billion of military gear – including 78 aircraft, 12,000 Humvees and thousands of air-to-ground weapons – in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal. The US handed the equipment to the previous Afghan government over the course of 16 years, CNN reported. According to the report, seen by […]
Read more ›The Peculiar Case of Elections Under the Taliban
The election of neighborhood representatives in Kabul suggests that the Taliban are in some aspects pragmatic, but this experiment will likely remain limited. This spring, Afghans living in various neighborhoods in the capital Kabul elected their wakilon guzar, or neighborhood representatives, casting their votes in ballot boxes or by raising their hands in gatherings in mosques. While this might be […]
Read more ›UN chief expresses concern over absence of cash in Afghanistan
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres has again expressed concern over the absence of cash in Afghanistan and urged the international community to create conditions so that cash is injected into the economy. Speaking at a joint press conference with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday, Guterres said that the absence of cash and liquidity in the […]
Read more ›MoI responds to Iran’s concerns; says Daesh eliminated by 98%
Afghanistan’s ministry of interior said Tuesday night that it has largely suppressed Daesh (ISIS-K) in the country and “eliminated the terrorist organization by 98 percent”. The statement came on the heels of claims by Iran that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) was not safeguarding Afghans, especially the Shiite community, from attacks by the group. In response, the IEA said […]
Read more ›Iran says IEA considering holding Loya Jirga
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is considering convening a grand assembly of elders, known as a Loya Jigra, Iran’s special envoy has said. “Loya Jirga is a traditional event where elders gather to resolve a crisis that cannot be resolved through ordinary means,” Hasan Kazemi Qumi, Iranian president’s special representative on Afghanistan, told Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency. “The […]
Read more ›IEA orders ministries to prioritize ‘generation of power through coal’
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) Economic Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Sunday gave orders for various ministries to prioritize projects to generate electricity by using coal. In a statement, the commission said after “extensive discussions on all issues that the private sector is prepared to invest in” it was decided that the generation […]
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