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The Taliban is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, and jihadist political movement that presently controls all of Afghanistan. It emerged in September 1994 as one of the prominent factions in the Afghan Civil War and largely consisted of students (talib) who had been educated in traditional Islamic schools. The movement spread nationwide, and ruled around three-quarters of the country from 1996–2001, before being overthrown by a United States-led invasion in the aftermath of the September, 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2021, with the departure of the US military from the country, the Taliban claimed control of the entire country, to which it has applied a hardline interpretation of Islam.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian and security crisis will only deepen, with ever-greater obligations for the outside world, unless the country’s leaders are given the means to govern effectively.
- YouTube channels not only provide income, but also serve as a means for women to communicate their messages, experiences and aspirations, one analyst said
- The Taliban have stopped most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies and closed beauty salons, putting tens of thousands out of work
Friba Rezayee, the first woman to represent Afghanistan at the Olympics, said Afghan women should still be allowed to participate as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.
Using Afghanistan as a homebase, Isis cells have hit targets in Russia, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey this year. Baloch separatists have also stepped up their attacks on Chinese interests in South Asia.
The top two US generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell in 2021 told lawmakers that the Biden administration inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time.
A United Nations report says decrees barring women from most areas of public life are being enforced through arrest, harassment and intimidation.
There are no official laws about male guardianship in Afghanistan, but the Taliban have said women cannot move around or travel a certain distance without a man who is related to her by blood or marriage.
The refugees say it is hard for them to pursue education opportunities for their children in a foreign country, as they lack proper documents and money.
The development is the latest blow to Afghan women and girls, who are already reeling from bans on education, employment and access to public spaces.
The crisis-hit Southeast Asian nation’s legal economy has been gutted by conflict and instability since the military seized power in 2021, driving many farmers to grow opium poppies.
Islamabad has given hundreds of thousands of Afghans it says are living illegally in Pakistan until November 1 to leave voluntarily or face deportation, with the order coming amid a rise in attacks blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan.
‘Herat’s people are panicked and scared … it’s Allah’s blessing that it happened during the day, people were awake’.
Most foreign nations – including India – do not officially recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government, which seized power following the collapse of the Western-backed government more than two years ago.
Beijing is in the unusual position of maintaining an ambassador and embassy in a country ruled by a regime it does not officially recognise.
A report from the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crimes said the country is also a major opium producer and heroin source, even though the Taliban declared a war on narcotics in August 2021.
The Vice and Virtue Ministry says women have not been properly wearing the hijab at the Band-e-Amir park, while Human Rights Watch says ‘step by step the walls are closing in … as every home becomes a prison’.
Supporters celebrated Tuesday, marking the day two years ago when the US-backed government collapsed, but others denounced the increasing restrictions on women’s lives.
Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada barred women from universities last December. A Higher Education Ministry adviser said universities were ready to readmit female students as soon as Akhundzada gives the order for the ban to be lifted.
More professional women are enrolling in nursing and midwifery courses, fed up with being cooped up and unemployed since the Taliban seized power.
In Afghanistan, the floods have killed at least 31 people and left scores more missing. The Taliban government called on aid agencies to provide emergency support. In Pakistan at least 9 people have died.
State media heralded the departure of a cargo from Lanzhou, a key transport hub, but analysts said its main importance is the symbolism.
