Search Results for: taliban

  • World News

    Taliban bans music at weddings, Kabul halls face religious police scrutiny

    Kabul’s wedding halls are set to be monitored by the Taliban’s religious police as they enforce a ban on playing music at such celebrations, claiming it goes against Islamic rulings. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice issued an online statement on Sunday, stating that hall owners were informed that music would no longer be…

  • World News

    UN report slams Taliban’s highly exclusionary rule, group denies rifts

    A United Nations Security Council report has been denounced by the Taliban as “baseless and biased” for describing the Afghan administration as “highly exclusionary” and “repressive.” The report, published earlier in June by the UNSC’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, stated that the Taliban’s governance structures continue to be exclusionary, Pashtun-centred, and repressive towards opposition. The report also highlighted…

  • World News

    Afghanistan mosque explosion kills 11 at Taliban deputy governor’s memorial

    A deadly explosion occurred near Nabawi Mosque in northern Afghanistan, claiming the lives of at least 11 people who were attending a memorial service for the recently deceased Taliban provincial deputy governor, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi. Over 30 individuals were wounded in the blast, and officials fear the death toll may rise. The memorial service took place on Thursday, honouring Ahmadi,…

  • World News

    Afghanistan mosque explosion kills Taliban officials during funeral prayers

    A mosque in north-east Afghanistan was rocked by an explosion, resulting in multiple casualties. Among those injured or killed were several local Taliban officials. The blast took place during a prayer service held for the deputy governor of Badakhshan province, who lost his life in a car bomb attack earlier this week. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for…

  • World News

    Taliban crackdown causes 80% drop in Afghan opium cultivation

    Armed with AK-47 assault rifles and large sticks, a Taliban anti-narcotics unit in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province is on a mission to eradicate poppy farming. In April 2022, Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree prohibiting poppy cultivation, with violators facing crop destruction and penalties under Sharia law. The ban was imposed due to the harmful effects of opium…

  • World News

    Jennifer Lawrence’s film spotlights Afghan women defying Taliban

    A young woman confronts a Taliban fighter, accusing him of oppressing women and closing schools and universities, in a scene from the documentary Bread and Roses. The film, produced by Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, explores the lives of three Afghan women following the Taliban‘s takeover. Lawrence highlights the importance of showcasing women fighting back, a side of the story not…

  • Crime News

    Taliban’s poppy ban hits Afghan farmers amid humanitarian crisis

    In a remote compound in southern Afghanistan, Bibi Hazrato, a distressed 60 year old, watches as a group of men destroy her poppy crop, adhering to a Taliban government order to eradicate the narcotic plant from the country. Hazrato confronts the men, but one of them simply says… “God says crush this.” The profitable trade of poppy tar, which is…

  • World News

    Taliban forces Afghan shopkeepers to cover mannequins’ faces

    The Taliban is forcing Afghan shopkeepers to cover mannequins’ faces. Mannequins in women’s clothing shops across Kabul now have cloth and bags covering their faces, the Associated Press reported on Monday. The Taliban initially wanted the mannequins beheaded. While some shopkeepers obeyed, others weren’t having it. Shopkeepers complained that they would not be able to advertise their clothes, or that…

  • Hot News

    US imposes more sanctions on Taliban over its treatment of women

    The US handed down more sanctions on the Taliban as punishment for its treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. The announcement was made on the UN’s International Day of the Girl Child yesterday. According to The Straits Times, a new visa restriction policy for current or former members of the Taliban and others involved in repressing women’s rights through…

  • World News

    Pakistani Taliban commander reportedly killed in Afghanistan

    Another terrorist leader has reportedly met his maker. A senior commander of the Pakistani Taliban has reportedly been killed in Afghanistan. The commander, Abdul Wali, was killed in an improvised explosive device attack on a car on July 7, according to two sources within the Taliban’s leadership. The sources told CNN that the attack happened in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, which…

  • World News

    Taliban impose head-to-toe coverings for women in Afghanistan

    On Saturday, the Taliban announced that Afghan women must cover their face, hair and body in public. According to the Taliban, woman should ideally wear a burqa, an all-encompassing garment which leaves only the hands and feet visible with netting over the eyes for vision. The Taliban said the decree is a “recommendation,” rather than a rule, but said the…

  • World NewsAfghanistan opium trade booms since Taliban takeover

    Afghanistan opium trade booms since Taliban takeover

    The cultivation of opium poppy as a medicinal plant has a long tradition in Afghanistan. The milky sap extracted from the seed pods is dried to produce raw opium, an effective remedy for severe pain. Today, opium is used primarily as an intoxicant and as a raw material for the production of stronger drugs like heroin. In the last harvest…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: What Taliban's new media rules mean for female actors

    Afghanistan: What Taliban’s new media rules mean for female actors

    Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers unveiled a new set of restrictions on Afghan media on Sunday, banning television channels from showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors. The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — which replaced the Ministry of Women’s Affairs after the Islamic fundamentalist group seized power in the country in August — also told…

  • World News

    Taliban bans TV shows with female actors, orders female journalists to wear “Islamic hijab”

    The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has released a set of orders targeting female actors and women in the media. According to a Reuters report, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue has confirmed a ban on TV shows that use female actors and a rule that female news presenters must wear Islamic dress. In total, the ministry has issued 9 rules,…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: Can Taliban avert food crisis without foreign aid?

    Afghanistan: Can Taliban avert food crisis without foreign aid?

    More than half the population of Afghanistan will face high levels of “acute food insecurity” from November to March, according to a recent report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP). The report said the acute food insecurity is expected to last through the post-harvest “lean season,” during which harsh winter weather threatens…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: Taliban road construction projects stall without foreign funding

    Afghanistan: Taliban road construction projects stall without foreign funding

    One day after the last US forces left Afghanistan in August, Taliban official Inamullah Samangani said in a speech that the war was over, and the Taliban would now have to focus on rebuilding Afghanistan’s economy. It looks like road construction is where the group has decided to begin. Since then, the Taliban have announced several road construction projects. These…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: Girls' education faces bleak future under Taliban rule

    Afghanistan: Girls’ education faces bleak future under Taliban rule

    Girls in Afghanistan will have to wait longer to resume studies at secondary schools after the Taliban announced this week that first the group must “finalize things.” They will then allow girls to return to the classroom “as soon as possible.” “In the case of schools (for female students), the Ministry of Education is working hard to provide the ground…

  • World NewsOpinion: How real is the threat of Taliban infighting?

    Opinion: How real is the threat of Taliban infighting?

    In recent days, reports have abounded of disputes within the Taliban, purportedly fueled by the formation of a hard-line, noninclusive interim government disdained by the group’s moderate factions because of its lack of non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities. Several accounts have provided striking details of a physical altercation earlier this month between lead representatives of the moderate and hard-line camps…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: Pakistan braces for more 'Islamization' after Taliban victory

    Afghanistan: Pakistan braces for more ‘Islamization’ after Taliban victory

    The Taliban’s capture of Kabul in 1996 gave impetus to Islamist militant groups across the world, but the country that was most affected by the rise of fundamentalism in Afghanistan was its neighbor, Pakistan. Not only did the victory of the “students” (the Taliban in Arabic) embolden extremist and militant groups in Pakistan, some people in the South Asian country…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: The Taliban are trying to silence the voices of journalists

    Afghanistan: The Taliban are trying to silence the voices of journalists

    Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, claiming to have full control of the country, they’re trying to present themselves as more tolerant than 20 years ago. Some even speak of a Taliban 2.0. In their first press conference in late August, the militant Islamists said, journalists would be allowed to continue working in Afghanistan. Three weeks later, this statement…

  • World NewsCan the Taliban govern Afghanistan?

    Can the Taliban govern Afghanistan?

    The Taliban leadership took a long time to announce their interim government — three weeks after taking control of Kabul. Analysts say the fight for Panjshir province kept them busy all this while, and once the last resistance stronghold fell to the group, their spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, unveiled the caretaker government on Tuesday. Even though it is just a caretaker…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: What Taliban rule means for Sikhs and Hindus

    Afghanistan: What Taliban rule means for Sikhs and Hindus

    After taking shelter at the Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita at Karta-E-Parwan near Kabul for weeks, Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have left for their homes in different parts of the country. The collapse of Afghanistan’s civilian government and the takeover of the conflict-stricken country by the Taliban last month have thrown the lives of religious minorities in disarray. Just about 250 Sikhs…

  • World NewsWhy Qatar fosters close contact with the Taliban

    Why Qatar fosters close contact with the Taliban

    Just a few days ago, US President Joe Biden picked up the phone to thank the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for the generous support in the ongoing evacuation from Afghanistan. Biden also thanked Qatar for facilitating intra-Afghan talks — even though they had failed even before the Taliban took power. Germany, meanwhile, criticized Qatar after the…

  • World NewsSaudi Arabia and Taliban unlikely to revive old alliances

    Saudi Arabia and Taliban unlikely to revive old alliances

    In the past, they worked together. But today, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban are separated by political and cultural differences, as well as some problematic history. The last time the Taliban ran Afghanistan, between 1996 and 2001, Saudi Arabia was one of only three countries in the world to officially recognize the Islamist group’s government. Neighboring Pakistan and the United…

  • World NewsHow the Taliban's Afghanistan takeover could hurt US-Pakistan ties

    How the Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover could hurt US-Pakistan ties

    The fall of Kabul to the Taliban has left many people in Pakistan questioning their country’s future relations with the US. Some hard-liners in Pakistan say Washington will blame Islamabad for the Islamic fundamentalist group’s takeover of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari wrote an article on Tuesday asserting that “her country would no longer accept being scapegoated for…

  • World NewsHow the Taliban's Afghanistan takeover could hurt US-Pakistan ties

    Could Afghanistan under Taliban rule become a haven for Islamist militants?

    As the US withdraws its military from Afghanistan, it is clear that Washington’s goal in the country has always been to guarantee American security. President Joe Biden left little doubt to this effect during a speech last week. “Our single most vital interest in Afghanistan remains what it always was, to prevent a terrorist attack on our country.” Biden’s assertion…

  • World NewsFriends, enemies, neighbors? The Taliban and the Middle East

    Friends, enemies, neighbors? The Taliban and the Middle East

    A recent editorial in Al-Alam, an Iranian-owned Arabic-language publication, warned people not to trust the Americans the way the Afghan people did. The people of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya “link the fate of their countries and their people with America and believe this will open a new door, through which they will enter into a bright and brilliant…

  • Sports NewsFemale footballer: 'When I see the Taliban on the street, I feel so scared'

    Female footballer: ‘When I see the Taliban on the street, I feel so scared’

    Speaking to DW from her basement, a female Afghan football player describes her horror at the return of the Taliban and begs for help. While aid efforts continue behind the scenes, here is her story. SOURCE: DW News

  • World NewsRelative of DW journalist killed by the Taliban

    Relative of DW journalist killed by the Taliban

    Taliban fighters hunting a DW journalist have shot dead one member of his family and seriously injured another. The Taliban were conducting a house-to-house search in western Afghanistan to try and find the journalist, who now works in Germany. Other relatives were able to escape at the last moment and are now on the run. DW’s director general, Peter Limbourg,…

  • World NewsAfghanistan: What Taliban takeover means for the region

    Afghanistan: What Taliban takeover means for the region

    The Chinese government has so far appeared to be at ease with the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s takeover of the country. “The Chinese embassy in Afghanistan is continuing to operate as normal, and its ambassador and embassy staff will remain in their posts,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday. Most Chinese citizens in Afghanistan…