Afghanistan

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Taliban Just Banned Afghanistan's Biggest Cash Crop

After decades of financing the leaders, opium, other drugs get the boot

(Newser) - The Taliban was in the restricting mood Sunday, banning opium poppy—which accounts for 80% of the world's supply of opium—along with wine, heroin, and other drugs. The Taliban has had an interesting relationship with opium, having repeatedly tried to ban the narcotic before using the crop to...

Officials: Afghan Women Without Male Companions Booted From Flights

Unaccompanied women reportedly turned away from airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday

(Newser) - Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to allow dozens of women to board several flights, including some overseas, because they were traveling without a male "guardian," two Afghan airline officials said Saturday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said dozens of women who arrived at Kabul's...

From the Taliban, an 'Unexpected Decision'

Afghanistan's de facto rulers break promise, won't open schools to girls above 6th grade

(Newser) - Afghanistan's Taliban rulers decided against opening schools to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a previous promise and opting to appease their hardline base at the expense of further alienating the international community. The unexpected decision, confirmed by a Taliban official Wednesday, came at the start of the...

They Fled Afghanistan for US. Now They Can't Find Homes

Tens of thousands of Afghans who escaped Taliban now face housing problems in America

(Newser) - After fleeing her home in now-Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Mozhgan Entazari did everything she could to find a new one for her family in the sunny, palm tree-lined communities of Southern California. The 34-year-old mother of two scoured options on Zillow with her husband, while the family lived at a hotel in...

Joe Biden's Worst Mistake May Be Unfolding Right Now

Ezra Klein is referring to starving Afghans

(Newser) - The worst mistake of the Biden administration might end up being Afghanistan, writes Ezra Klein in the New York Times . And no, he's not referring to the chaotic withdrawal of US troops. He's talking about what has unfolded since, what's unfolding now, and what will continue to...

Boy Stuck in Well for 3 Days Dies Minutes After Rescue

'With great sorrow, young Haidar is separated from us forever'

(Newser) - Two weeks after a 5-year-old boy died after falling into a well in Morocco, another 5-year-old has died in a very similar tragedy in Afghanistan. Officials say Haidar, who fell down a shaft while trying to "help" adults dig a new borehole in a drought-stricken village Tuesday, was alive...

Afghans Oppose US Order on Frozen Funds
Afghans
Protest
Biden Order
Feb 12, 2022 12:30 PM CST

Afghans Protest Biden Order

Demonstrators oppose decision on frozen funds, demand compensation for war deaths

(Newser) - Demonstrators in Afghanistan's capital Saturday condemned President Joe Biden’s order freeing up $3.5 billion in Afghan assets held in the US for families of America's 9/11 victims—saying the money belongs to Afghans. Protesters who gathered outside Kabul's grand Eid Gah mosque asked America for...

Taliban Object to Biden Plan for Frozen Funds
Biden Divides
Afghan Funds
Feb 11, 2022 4:10 PM CST

Biden Divides Afghan Funds

Taliban object to president's plan to split $7B between humanitarian aid and families of 9/11 victims

(Newser) - President Biden signed an executive order Friday to move toward unfreezing about $7 billion in Afghan reserve funds now held in the US. The administration locked down the money in August to keep it from the Taliban when they overthrew Afghanistan's government. Biden's plan would split the money,...

As Kabul Fell, a Last-Minute Scramble to Evacuate: Report

Critics question whether better planning from the Biden administration could have saved lives

(Newser) - The Biden administration was working out crucial details of the civilian evacuation from Kabul even as the Taliban descended on the Afghan city, according to a document obtained by Axios . The National Security Council's summary notes from the Aug. 14 meeting of the Deputies Small Group—chaired by Homeland...

UN: After Taliban Takeover, a Grim Number

Report says 100-plus ex-Afghan, international forces killed since Taliban took over in August

(Newser) - The United Nations has received "credible allegations" that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces, and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban took over the country Aug. 15, according to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In a report obtained Sunday...

Biden to Taliban: Release US Hostage

On 2nd anniversary of Mark Frerichs' kidnapping, president issues call for his release

(Newser) - President Biden on Sunday called for the release of US Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, reports the AP , who was taken hostage in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Ill., was kidnapped in January 2020 from the capital of Kabul. He is believed to...

It's Tough to Get Out of Kabul, but These Americans Just Did

Charter flight thought to have dozens of US citizens heads to Qatar amid flight groundings by Taliban

(Newser) - Since November, Americans have had a tough time getting out of Kabul after the Taliban grounded most flights. This week, a chartered flight paid for by the US State Department and run by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was finally able to depart the Afghan capital for Qatar with...

Veteran Gets Unexpected Gift From Long-Dead Friend

Edmonton Oilers T-shirt belonged to his best friend and fellow medic, killed in Afghanistan in 2008

(Newser) - A Canadian veteran whose best friend and fellow service member was killed 13 years ago serving in Afghanistan got a surprise Christmas gift this year that drew out a cascade of feelings: his pal's Edmonton Oilers hockey T-shirt. The CBC reports on the emotional story of the friendship between...

In a First, Taliban Delegation Is Heading to Europe

Talks with the US are on the agenda

(Newser) - A Taliban delegation will travel to Norway for talks with the Norwegian government and representatives from several allied countries, including the US, per the AP . The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Friday that it has invited representatives of the Taliban to Oslo from Sunday to Tuesday to hold talks covering humanitarian...

New Video Shows US Drone Strike That Killed 7 Kids

'We deeply regret the loss of life,' says US Central Command rep

(Newser) - The Pentagon has released video footage of last year's botched drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 10 civilians, seven of them children. In two silent videos obtained by the New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, two drones observe a car backing into a walled...

The Strange Fate of the Baby Handed Over Kabul Airport Wall

Little Sohail Ahmadi spent months with a stranger before being reunited with his grandfather

(Newser) - Desperate parents handed their baby handed over a barbed-wire topped wall to a soldier during the fall of Kabul Aug. 19, 2021, and couldn’t find him afterward . Finally, they know where he is. Sohail Ahmadi’s parents handed their 2-month-old infant over out of fear he would be crushed...

Her Father Sold Her. Her Mother Is Fighting to Keep Her

Desperate parents are selling kids to feed their starving families in Afghanistan

(Newser) - In a sprawling settlement of mud brick huts in western Afghanistan housing people displaced by drought and war, a woman is fighting to save her daughter. Aziz Gul’s husband sold the 10-year-old girl into marriage without telling his wife. Arranging marriages for very young girls is a frequent practice...

Taliban: Women Taking Trips Should Bring a Male Relative

Pakistan joins Human Rights Watch in objecting to Afghanistan directive

(Newser) - New travel restrictions have been placed on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban. If they're going more than 45 miles, they should travel with a close male relative, the BBC reports. If they're not wearing Islamic head or face coverings, drivers should refuse to give them a ride....

Pentagon Won't Punish Anyone for Civilian Deaths

10 people were killed in Kabul after US commanders decided aid worker was with ISIS-K

(Newser) - The Pentagon won't discipline any US personnel involved in the mistaken drone strike that killed 10 civilians in Afghanistan in August. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accepted recommendations on the issue that did not include punishment, press secretary John Kirby said Monday. The recommendations from two commanders were mostly procedural,...

Afghanistan's Crises Getting 'Progressively Worse'

Aid official warns that millions are going hungry

(Newser) - Afghanistan is being hit by multiple crises that are "progressively getting worse" with drought, economic collapse, and displacement all pushing the population into catastrophic hunger, a senior international aid official said Thursday. The onset of winter will only increase the pain for Afghans and drive some closer to disaster,...

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