Beijing Becomes First to Name New Ambassador in Kabul Since Taliban Takeover
China has pledged that it “will play a significant role” in Afghanistan’s economic affairs, though it will not interfere politically, a spokesperson for the Taliban government said (TOLOnews)
UN: Afghanistan’s Human Rights ‘In a State of Collapse’
UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk denounced the Taliban’s “shocking” and “cruel” treatment of women and girls before warning of ongoing extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, and other acts of oppression (UN News)
Pakistan Accuses Taliban of Building ‘Unlawful Structures’ Along Shared Border
Pakistan called the structures a violation of territorial sovereignty; the country’s foreign ministry said yesterday that it closed the Torkham border crossing in northwestern Pakistan last week following “unprovoked and indiscriminate firing” by neighboring Afghan forces (Al Jazeera)
UN: Afghanistan is World’s Faster Growing Meth Producer
The country is also a major producer of opium and heroin despite the Taliban’s war on drugs; the UN said the production threatens regional health and security (AP)
Pakistan Closes Major Border Crossing With Afghanistan
The closure followed an exchange of fire by border guards on either side; elsewhere near the border, four Pakistani soldiers and twelve militants were killed after a group of assailants attacked two Pakistani military posts (AP)
UN: Taliban Committed Executions, Abuses Against Officials of Previous Government
Though the Taliban declared amnesty for officials of the U.S.-backed Afghan government when they took over the country in August 2021, more than eight hundred former officials have faced human rights violations including extrajudicial killings and torture, the United Nations said (WSJ)
Hotel Explosion in Khost Kills Three
The blast in the southeastern city killed at least three people and injured seven, officials said (TOLOnews)
Taliban Mark Two Years in Power Amid Economic Troubles, Womens’ Rights Crackdown
Taliban parades are planned for today in the capital, Kabul, as the group marks the two-year anniversary of its takeover of the country (Reuters)
Their entrenched control of Afghanistan in the time since has left them financially and politically isolated from Western and international funders as they have imposed harsh restrictions on women’s participation in society (AP)
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Afghans who aided the Western coalition over the war’s twenty-year period are waiting for responses to U.S. visa applications (AP)
The Taliban’s second year in power was marked by a series of bans on women’s entrance into parks, universities, and jobs at nongovernmental organizations following a previous ban on girls’ schooling beyond sixth grade (Crisis Group)
The country is also struggling with its third consecutive year of water insecurity and widespread poverty (Relief Web)
Taliban Builds Up Security Presence on Iran Border Over Water Dispute
The Taliban reportedly sent suicide bombers and thousands of troops to the Iranian border after skirmishes over dwindling water resources (Bloomberg)
U.S. Urges Afghan Groups to Refrain from Violence, Engage in Talks
Amid calls for military support from former Afghan government officials including former vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum, the U.S. State Department has denounced armed opposition to the Taliban and encouraged groups to engage (VOA)
U.S. Open to Technical Talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban
During a meeting in Qatar, U.S. envoys told Taliban officials that they were open to technical talks on economic stabilization and anti-narcotics cooperation in Afghanistan; they also vocalized concerns about human rights and called on the Taliban to reverse its ban on girls’ education and women’s employment and to release detained Americans (Reuters)
The Taliban claims musical instruments cause “moral corruption” and lead youth astray; when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, it banned all forms of music at social gatherings and on television and radio (BBC)
Afghans Awaiting U.S. Resettlement Face Deportation
Some Afghans who are eligible for resettlement in the United States have been deported back to Afghanistan from Pakistan when U.S. visa applications were too slow to be processed (CNN)
Ban on Afghan Beauty Salons Takes Effect
The Taliban government began to enforce a ban on beauty salons yesterday, which had been one of the few remaining places where women could work and socialize outside of their homes; the ban leaves tens of thousands of women without employment in a country battling an ailing economy (VOA)
Taliban Envoys Visit Indonesia, Malaysia
The trip was reportedly an attempt to gain international recognition and court foreign investment to bolster Afghanistan’s economy, which has struggled since the Taliban took over in 2021; Indonesia’s foreign ministry said Taliban members visited the capital, Jakarta, but did not meet with the foreign ministry, while Malaysia’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment (Nikkei)
Taliban Rejects Iran’s Claim that Islamic State Leaders Are in Afghanistan
The Iranian Foreign Minister claimed the leaders recently moved to Afghanistan from Iraq, Libya, and Syria, but the Taliban denied the claim and called on Iran to share any intelligence related to the matter (Al Jazeera)
Meanwhile, heavy flooding has killed at least thirty-one people in recent days (AP)
Women Protest Ban on Beauty Parlors in Afghanistan
Around fifty people participated in the Kabul protests, chanting “work, bread, and justice;” Taliban security forces responded with water cannons stun guns (BBC)
Taliban Bans Beauty Shops in Afghanistan
The Taliban government issued a one-month deadline for beauty salons to close, the morality ministry said; restrictions on women in public places have grown since the Taliban took over the country in 2021 (Reuters)
State Department Report Criticizes Trump, Biden Administrations for Afghanistan Withdrawal Challenges
While the White House previously released parts of the report and tried to avert blame from Biden, the full report says the Biden administration’s actions “compounded the difficulties” faced by diplomats in Afghanistan (ABC)
Rural Health System Deteriorating Amid Prolonged Economic Crisis
The Washington Post reported patients are overwhelming hospitals; the surge in patients also comes as Western donors are increasingly hesitant to send aid to Afghanistan (WaPo)
UN: Violence Has Killed Over One Thousand Civilians Since Taliban Takeover
The UN Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that 1,095 Afghan civilians have been killed and 2,679 wounded since August 2021, mostly from Islamic State improvised explosive devices (Reuters)
Taliban Leader Doubles Down on Restrictions on Women
Amid international criticism, Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhunzada made rare public statements denouncing interference in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs and claiming his government’s actions have given women a “comfortable and prosperous life according to Islamic Sharia” after twenty years of “misguidance” (Al Jazeera)
Taliban Seeking United Nations Recognition
The Taliban government told the UN Security Council yesterday that it is seeking United Nations recognition, which the head of the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan said is near “impossible” if the Taliban continues to impose harsh restrictions on womens’ rights (Al Jazeera)
Taliban Conducts Second Public Execution
The man was convicted of murder and sentenced to public execution in the presence of regional officials, in line with the Taliban supreme spiritual leader’s instruction to carry out sharia law (Reuters)
Separately, a UN expert said the Taliban’s treatment of women could qualify as “gender apartheid” (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the United Nations announced a one billion dollar cut to Afghanistan’s aid target (UN)
Officials cited the Taliban’s policy of not allowing women to work for UN agencies and a drop in donor funding, likely due to Taliban policies, as reasons for the reduction; the World Food Programme was already facing a shortage of food supplies and the reduction is expected to worsen a crisis of malnutrition (VOA)
UN: Al-Qaeda and Islamite State Affiliate Gathering Strength in Afghanistan
The UN report says both al-Qaeda and ISIS-K are quickly growing in numbers and capabilities on the back of high-profile attacks; the United States disputes the UN’s numbers, saying they do not match intelligence reports (VOA)