In the latest incident, the Taliban beat dozens of female students who staged a rally on October 30 outside their university in the northeastern province of Badakhshan….reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan’s universities have become a hotbed of resistance to the Taliban, with female students staging protests against the militant group’s sweeping restrictions on women.
In response, the Taliban has cracked down on several university campuses across the country, violently breaking up demonstrations and expelling students accused of political activism, RFE/RL reported.
In the latest incident, the Taliban beat dozens of female students who staged a rally on October 30 outside their university in the northeastern province of Badakhshan.
Afghan students attend school in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, March 20, 2022. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua/IANS)
The incident came after a group of women were barred from entering the campus because of their appearance, RFE/RL reported.
Weeks after seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban had imposed a new dress code and gender segregation for women at universities and colleges across the country.
The Taliban’s Education Ministry ordered that all female students, teachers, and staff must wear an all-encompassing burqa or an Islamic abaya robe and niqab that covers the hair, body, and most of the face.
Classes must also be segregated by gender — or at least divided by a curtain. Female students must be taught only by other women.
The order was condemned by activists, who said it would create fear and a culture of discrimination against women and girls.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in mid-August last year, it rolled back women’s rights advances and media freedom revoking the efforts on gender equality…reports Asian Lite News
Taliban arrested women journalists and human rights activists, along with four men from the Hazara neighbourhood in West Kabul and intrusively disrupted a women’s press conference held in the Dasht-e-Barchi area on Thursday as per reports by Khaama Press.
The terrorist outfit disrupted the event and took the women human rights protestors to an undisclosed place, Khaama Press.
“Taliban initially encircled the premises before intrusively disrupting the press conference held by women, forcibly arresting them and taking their mobile phones,” according to a local media source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Fawzia Koofi, the founder of the Movement of Change for Afghanistan political party, and one of the members of the Afghan Peace Negotiation Delegation stated that the “Taliban must be held accountable for the arbitrary arrest of women human rights activists in Afghanistan,” Khaama Press reported.
“This must end; women have the right to exercise their civic and social participation. More pressure will result in more resistance. Don’t push people to make hard choices,” Koofi added.
According to Reporters Without Borders, only 328 of the 547 media outlets that were active in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban’s takeover are still operating, with 219 print, visual, and aural outlets being shut down under the Taliban rule, reported Khaama Press.
The transfer of power from a west-supported government to the Taliban saw many changes in the way institutions were working for the past twenty years.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in mid-August last year, it rolled back women’s rights advances and media freedom revoking the efforts on gender equality and freedom of speech in the country.
According to a report by the South Asian Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) over 45 per cent of journalists have quit since the terrorist outfit assumed power.
The ever-increasing restrictions against media in Afghanistan have also drawn widespread criticism globally with the United Nations (UN) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) decrying the arrests, demanding the Taliban stop harassing local journalists and stifling freedom of speech through continued detentions and threats.
The Taliban had promised women’s rights, media freedom, and amnesty for government officials in the group’s first news conference after the takeover in August. However, activists, former government employees, and journalists among others continue to face retribution.
Moreover, the violent persecution of the Afghan Shia Hazara goes back more than a century but has reached unprecedented levels in the last year under the Taliban.
The targeting of Hazara houses of worship, schools, and other public places has intensified since the Taliban took control last year. In the last year, the Islamic State of Khorasan has claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against Hazaras. Approximately 700 people have been killed or injured in these attacks. (ANI)
Cultivation continued to be concentrated in the southwestern parts of the country, which accounted for 73 per cent of the total area and saw the largest crop increases….reports Asian Lite News
The 2022 opium crop in Afghanistan is the most profitable in years with cultivation up by nearly one-third and prices soaring, according to a new research brief from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan – latest findings and emerging threats is the first report on the illicit opium economy since the Taliban, which assumed power in August 2021, banned cultivation of opium poppy and all narcotics in April 2022.
This year’s harvest was largely exempted from the decree, and farmers in Afghanistan must now decide on planting opium poppy for next year amid continued uncertainty about how the de facto authorities will enforce the ban. Sowing of the main 2023 opium crop must be done by early November 2022.
“Afghan farmers are trapped in the illicit opiate economy, while seizure events around Afghanistan suggest that opiate trafficking continues unabated,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly upon the survey’s launch.
“The international community must work to address the acute needs of the Afghan people, and to step up responses to stop the criminal groups trafficking heroin and harming people in countries around the world.”
According to UNODC findings, opium cultivation in Afghanistan increased by 32 per cent over the previous year to 233,000 hectares – making the 2022 crop the third largest area under cultivation since monitoring began.
Cultivation continued to be concentrated in the southwestern parts of the country, which accounted for 73 per cent of the total area and saw the largest crop increases. In Hilmand province, one-fifth of arable land was dedicated to opium poppy.
“Opium prices have soared following the announcement of the cultivation ban in April. The income made by farmers from opium sales more than tripled from USD 425 million in 2021 to USD 1.4 billion in 2022 – the new figure equivalent to 29 per cent of the 2021 value of the agricultural sector. In 2021, the farm-gate value of opiates was only worth some 9 per cent of the previous year’s agricultural output,” the UNODC report said.
However, the increase in income did not necessarily translate into purchasing power as inflation has soared during the same period, with the price of food increasing on average by 35 percent.
“Following a drought at the start of 2022, opium yields declined from an average of 38.5kg/ha in 2021 to an estimated 26.7 kg/ha this year, resulting in a harvest of 6,200 tons, 10 per cent smaller than in 2021. The 2022 harvest can be converted into 350-380 tons of heroin of export quality, at 50-70 per cent purity,” the report said.
Seizure events collected by UNODC’s Drugs Monitoring Platform suggest that opiate trafficking from Afghanistan has been ongoing without interruption since August 2021. Afghan opiates supply some 80 per cent of all opiate users in the world. (ANI)
Police have cordoned off the area and banned the access of people including journalists to the site of the blast…reports Asian Lite News
Eight people were injured in a blast that rocked Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul on Wednesday, media reports said.
Kabul security department’s spokesperson said eight people were wounded in a blast that targeted a vehicle that was carrying the employees of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, TOLO news reported.
The blast targeted a minibus of Taliban employees in front of a government building in Police District 5 during the morning rush hour.
“I was near the area when a really loud explosion was heard, many people were injured. The explosion happened next to a bus,” a local resident was quoted as saying by TOLO.
Police have cordoned off the area and banned the access of people including journalists to the site of the blast, according to media reports.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Recent blast in mosque
At least seven persons were injured in an explosion that took place at a mosque in Kabul.
The Kabul’s spokesperson of the Taliban police chief office, Khalid Zadran, said that the explosion occurred at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, October 28, in the Sheikh Mohammad Rohani Mosque, reported Khaama Press.
The explosion took place in Kabul city’s 5th police district as worshippers gathered at the mosque for Friday prayer, according to Taliban security official, Zadran.
“Explosive materials were placed inside the mosque, and it exploded after the Friday prayer,” Zadran said.
While the Taliban officials stated that the explosion injured 7 people, local sources in Kabul reported that at least 10 people were injured as a result of the detonation of the explosives at the mosque, reported Khaama Press.
This explosion has not yet been attributed to any specific person or organization.
However, the deadliest attacks in Kabul, Kunduz, Balkh, Kandahar, Herat, and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan, have been claimed by the Khorasan branch of ISIS.
The ISIS attacks in Afghanistan have long targeted worshipping places, schools, and other public places where people congregate, reported Khaama Press.
Even though the Taliban has been in power for more than 14 months, despite their officials’ repeated promises to ensure general security, various regions in Afghanistan have been on the scene of fatal attacks.
Earlier in September, the suicide bombing in Afghanistan’s Herat caused the death of twenty persons, which sparked strong reactions from across the globe.
At least 20 people were killed in a blast that rocked a mosque in northwestern Afghanistan during Friday prayers, Afghan media reported.
Guzargah mosque in the city of Herat was bombed at around 12:40 pm (local time), Khamaa Press reported, citing authorities run by the Taliban.
In October, at least four people were killed and 25 others were wounded in a blast in the Kabul mosque.
The blast reportedly took place at a mosque of the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, Tolo News reported. (ANI)
Taliban’s restriction on women’s freedom of movement, speech, expression, work opportunities, and attire does not just end here…reports Asian Lite News
Taliban crackdown on Afghan women and girls continues as one of the Taliban guards barred female students from entering the campus for not wearing a Burqa on Sunday.
The incident occurred at the Badakhshan University in northeastern Afghanistan. The Afghan girls were forced to remain outside the entry gate as the students were not following the norms of the Taliban’s preferred attires, Khaama Press reported.
Taliban’s restriction on women’s freedom of movement, speech, expression, work opportunities, and attire does not just end here. The group has also barred girls from attending school from sixth grade since taking control of war-torn Afghanistan.
Afghan students attend school in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, March 20, 2022. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua/IANS)
Khaama Press reported quoting the president of Badakhshan University, Naqibullah Qazizada who said that the terror outfit’s violence and unlawful conduct toward the students will be taken care of and the student’s request would be realized.
After the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, they immediately began rolling back the rights of women and girls. Women began to protest on the streets since Taliban’s first week in power, despite the grave risks they faced in doing so.
By early September, women-led protests were taking place in Herat province in western Afghanistan and quickly spread across multiple provinces.
According to Human Rights Watch, the Taliban response was brutal from the beginning, beating protesters, disrupting protests, and detaining and torturing journalists covering the demonstrations. The Taliban also banned unauthorized protests. Over time, the Taliban’s abusive responses escalated, with a particularly brutal response to a protest on January 16 in Kabul, when Taliban members threatened, intimidated, and physically assaulted protesters, using pepper spray and electric shock devices.
Notably, the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power in August last year. Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated, especially against women and minorities.
Besides this, the continuously soaring prices of food products in the country have emerged as a new challenge for Afghans. In a short span of fewer than three months, food prices have almost doubled, reported Khaama Press. (ANI)
According to a report from the International Federation of Journalists on Wednesday, October 19, Glinski has been banned from entering Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News
In a recent crackdown on the media, the Taliban banned a foreign journalist Stefanie Glinski from entering Afghanistan for her critical reporting on the war-torn country.
Glinski, who is also a photographer has been barred by the terror outfit for reporting in Afghanistan. The incident has sparked rage among various organizations as it is the most recent incident of a crackdown on international media in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.
The International Federation of Journalists on Wednesday, in a report, denounced the travel restriction placed on media personnel visiting Kabul.
According to a report from the International Federation of Journalists on Wednesday, October 19, Glinski has been banned from entering Afghanistan.
The International Federation of Journalists denounced the travel restriction placed on journalists visiting Kabul and described them as a barrier to free speech and the “persecution” of journalists, according to Khaama Press.
Stefanie Glinski, who is now banned by the Taliban to enter Kabul has also claimed previously that the terror outfit harassed her via WhatsApp and claimed the organization searched for her news sources. The journalist has spent four years in Afghanistan reporting for various news organizations, including The Guardian and Foreign Policy.
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, restrictions on media have escalated, and hundreds of media outlets have closed.
Under the current Taliban regime, Afghan journalists suffer from various problems including censorship, restrictions, and access to information. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Taliban have intensified attacks on the media as journalists in the country said that it’s hard to report from Afghanistan anymore.
According to the journalists, Taliban intelligence officials hold regular meetings with the media to inform them of any new rules. In some cases, journalists have reported that they have been harassed, beaten, and arbitrarily detained without explanation. (ANI)
The World Food Programme has also raised concerns about the economic crisis in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News
There is no end to the crisis in Afghanistan as more as more people are compelled to live on the streets and struggle to find food, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated, highlighting increasing need for humanitarian aid in the country.
Millions of people have reportedly been forced to scavenge for food on the streets in the war-torn nation which is also why the Red Cross International has appealed to the international community to ramp up assistance to the people of Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.
In the wake of an excessive surge in food insecurity in Afghanistan, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has provided aid to 38 per cent of Afghans to help them avoid the impact of the ongoing crisis.
The Japanese Embassy in Kabul announced on Sunday that Japan has pledged to donate 5.5 million dollars in aid to Afghanistan’s health sector, Khaama Press reported.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the country has been facing a severe decline in human rights, women’s rights and religious freedom. Earlier in July, the UN mission in Afghanistan released a report and outlined the human rights situation prevailing in the country.
The UN mission further stated that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) also have a significant role to play in ensuring that people in the war-ravaged nation get easy access to food and basic amenities on a daily basis.
Moreover, amid the Ukraine war, the World Food Programme has called for USD 1.1 billion to continue delivering monthly food and nutritional assistance for the next six months to 15 million acutely food-insecure people in Afghanistan.
The World Food Programme has also raised concerns about the economic crisis in Afghanistan.
“The economic crisis wiped out jobs, salaries & livelihoods across Afghanistan, helping families & communities support themselves is more important than ever,” wrote WFP on Twitter. (ANI)
Afghanistan, Balkh Province, Khulm district,
November 2011
To prevent flooding in the future, the villages in Khulm and neighboring Deh Dahdi district joined together in April 2011 to create an integrated watershed management system. It is integrated, because it tackles the water problem in multiple ways: by building terraces and check dams to slow the force of water, prevent run-off and conserve soil; by creating reservoirs to harvest rain water; and by planting pistachio trees, to increase water infiltration, prevent soil erosion and provide livelihood opportunities. Over 5,800 skilled and unskilled workers are involved in building the infrastructure for the system, which will ultimately benefit some 50,000 people in 25 villages. The project is part of WFPs Food-for-Assets initiative, a mechanism that uses food as a means to support peoples initiatives to create assets that build their resilience against shocks and improve livelihoods. In Afghanistan, WFP implements over 100 of these projects around the country in food insecure areas, creating assets such as dams, irrigation systems, and road networks that link villages to larger markets.
WFP partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and assessed project proposals that came directly from villages in the two districts. After selecting the project with the communities and agreeing on the way forward, the organizations worked closely with the implementing partner, a local NGO, and the district government, to make sure that each party knew the role they had to play.
The participating communities provided some basic tools and the manpower; the government provided land; FAO provided technical assistance; and WFP provided food to compensate the participating communities for their labour. As of 30 November, WFP had provided more than 500 MT of wheat, pulses, vegetable oil and salt commodities which WFP was able to provide thanks to generous contributions from the Governm
The World Food Programme in Afghanistan said that a survey conducted in February and March indicated that nearly 19 million people are facing food insecurity…reports Asian Lite News
The World Food Program estimated that nearly 19 million Afghans are facing food insecurity on the occasion of World Food Day.
On World Food Day, which was observed on Sunday, residents of Kabul said that the lack of jobs and economic challenges is threatening them with severe food insecurity, reported Tolo News.
The World Food Programme in Afghanistan said that a survey conducted in February and March indicated that nearly 19 million people are facing food insecurity.
“The results of the (survey) show that nearly 19 million or 18.9 million people are facing food insecurity and they need food assistance and humanitarian assistance,” said Wahidullah Amani, a spokesman for WFP Afghanistan, reported Tolo News.
“We plan to attract international humanitarian aid, support the small and average industries, and to launch major economic projects to support the infrastructure in Afghanistan,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.
“I have seven children. My husband is jobless. When I eat breakfast, we are worried about our lunch, when we eat lunch, we are worried about our dinner,” said Suraya, a breadwinner for her family of seven members.
The high rate of poverty has compelled dozens of students into hard labour, reported Tolo News.
“I work from 6:00 am in the morning to the end of the day. I make between 20 to 50 Afs. And I am confused about what to buy with that money,” said Beheshta, a child labourer.
According to the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), the daily income of Afghans is 102 Afs, reported Tolo News.
Some other citizens of the country expressed frustration over the rise in food prices in the country.
“There are no jobs and businesses now. For many of those who are working, their salaries are low. Those who are working outside as vendors and other jobs make from 100 to 200 Afs which is not even sufficient for dinner,” said Arash Sultani, a resident of Kabul.
World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to highlight the millions of people worldwide who cannot afford a healthy diet and the need for regular access to nutritious food. The theme for 2022 is Leave NO ONE behind.
World Food Day 2022 is being marked in a year with multiple global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, rising prices and international tensions. All of this is affecting global food security. The Day is led by The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (ANI)
Several residents in Farah have stressed over the fact that if their children are not provided with the opportunity to learn they will face a dim future…reports Asian Lite News
The residents of Farah province of Afghanistan fear that nearly 70,000 children have their future lying in uncertainty due to a lack of teachers in the province.
Several tribal elders of the province demanded education for their children by calling on the Taliban as their atrocities have only added to the miseries of Afghan people amid the looming economic and political crisis since the organization seized power.
“We call on the Islamic Emirate to make schools and clinics for us and to pay attention to this issue,” said Ahmad Shah, a tribal elder reported to Tolo News.
“We have schools and buildings for schools, but there are no teachers and education,” Abdul Samad, another tribal elder said.
“We have 70,000 students and they want to be educated and for the lack of teachers they are deprived of education,” said Akhter Mohammad Zayeem, the Head of the Education Department in Farah reported to Tolo News.
Several residents in Farah have stressed over the fact that if their children are not provided with the opportunity to learn they will face a dim future.
“They have to study to progress and to reach the heights of success,” TOLOnews reported quoting Shaikh Ahmad, a Farah resident as saying.
Earlier, the Educational Department in Farah said there is a shortage of one thousand teachers in the province.
Earlier in April, the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns over the closure of secondary schools for girls.
It imposed several restrictions on women after the Taliban decided to close all secondary schools for girls. The female students above grade six were banned from going to school, according to Khaama Press.
Last year, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, in its report, raised concerns over the security of children in Afghanistan saying that high levels of violence endured by children in Afghanistan are rising.
“Afghanistan continues to be one of the most dangerous places for a child to live and grow. I am appalled by the continuing and rising high levels of violence endured by children in Afghanistan, including those caught up in combat,” the International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) said in its report.
An interim Afghan government led by the Taliban came to power last fall after the withdrawal of US troops from the country and the collapse of the US-backed government.
The Taliban takeover triggered economic disarray and food shortages that have pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of Afghans have fled the country fearful of the Taliban, widespread violation of human rights, and the deprivation of women and girls of their freedoms. (ANI)
The Taliban-run administration has termed the Islamic State as a serious threat, saying security forces would continue to crack down on the militant outfit…reports Asian Lite News
Afghan security forces have killed three militants affiliated with the hardliner Daesh or the Islamic State (IS) outfit in the eastern Kunar province.
“Personnel of GDI during operations in Shigal district of Kunar province have killed three members of Khawarej (a reference to Islamic State group) including infamous member Maawia who was involved in subversive activities to create law and order problems,” the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) said in a statement on Wednesday, without giving the exact date of the operations, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a separate statement, the intelligence entity said that its personnel had arrested the financial in-charge of Khawarej Abdul Malik, who collected funds and recruited fighters for the hardliner group in Kunar province.
The Taliban-run administration has termed the Islamic State as a serious threat, saying security forces would continue to crack down on the militant outfit, which has claimed responsibility for some deadly blasts in the country.
US citizen allegedly in Taliban custody
An Afghan-American national, who had travelled to Afghanistan for working purpose, has been missing for the past eight weeks, media reports said citing his family member.
Mahmood Shah Habibi, the former Afghan Aviation Authority Chief had recently travelled to Afghanistan is missing since August 10, Khaama Press reported.
“He has been working as an advisor with a telecom company in Shash-Darak of Kabul for the last 3 years and he did not have any issues being in Afghanistan after the fall of the country in the hands of Taliban”, Ahmad Shah said, Habibi’s brother told Khaama Press.
“Not only Habibi, but 29 other employees of the same company were also arrested on the same day, many of whom were later released”, Ahmad Shah said.
According to the media outlet, the US side confirmed that they are aware of its citizens being detained in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan continues to face an increase in bomb attacks.
At least four people were killed and 25 others were wounded in a blast in the Kabul mosque, the latest in the series of targeted explosions in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The blast reportedly took place at a mosque of the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, TOLOnews reported. A Taliban spokesperson said that an investigation is underway and further details will be shared soon, the agency added.
“After a bomb attack in a mosque at the Interior Ministry, EMERGENCY NGO Surgical Centre has received 20 patients – 2 were already dead on arrival,” Kabul’s Emergency Hospital tweeted.
The hospital said this is the 2nd mass casualty the hospital has handled in recent days, and the 23rd of the year so far.
On Saturday, dozens of women from the minority Hazara community protested in Kabul against the terror attack at the Kaaj Educational Centre. The women protestors dressed in black chanted slogans against the genocide of minorities and demanded their rights, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.
This series of blasts come as the Taliban completed one year of its rule in Afghanistan following the ouster of the US-backed civilian government last year. Rights groups said the Taliban had broken multiple pledges to respect human and women’s rights. (IANS/ANI)
