Afghanistan

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'Afghan Girl' From 1984 Photo Has Now Fled to Italy

Sharbat Gulla was on 'National Geographic' cover

(Newser) - National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed "Afghan Girl" has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday. The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organized the evacuation of Sharbat Gulla after she...

Taliban Issues 'Guidelines' for Women on TV

For example, it doesn't want women appearing in TV dramas

(Newser) - The Taliban would like to see no more women appearing in TV dramas or soap operas in Afghanistan. The militant Islamist group, which took control of the country in August, also wants female journalists and TV presenters to wear hijabs when appearing on television, the BBC reports. This is the...

They Handed Their Baby Over the Fence. 2 Months Later, No Word

Afghan mom and dad handed infant to US troops at Kabul airport in August, haven't seen baby since

(Newser) - On Aug. 19, Mirza Ali Ahmadi, his wife, and five children headed to the Kabul airport, hoping to flee the country as the Taliban wrested control of Afghanistan. Of the family of seven, however, just six ended up on an evacuation flight to Qatar, then to Germany and the US,...

2 Minutes Before Deadly Airstrike, a Child Could Be Seen

But watchdog finds no evidence of illegal action on part of US

(Newser) - An independent Pentagon review has concluded that the US drone strike that killed 10 innocent Kabul civilians, seven of them children, in the final days of the Afghanistan war was not caused by misconduct or negligence, and it doesn't recommend any disciplinary action, the AP reports. The review, done...

Taliban Abruptly Bans All Foreign Currency Transactions

Those who fail to use the afghani will be punished, group says

(Newser) - Afghanistan's battered economy took another heavy blow Tuesday when the Taliban abruptly declared a total ban on the use of all foreign currencies. American dollars are widely used in markets and the currencies of neighboring countries are often used in border areas. The Taliban said anybody who failed to...

For 2nd Straight Week, Mosque Attack Kills Dozens

Suicide bombers suspected to be from Islamic State target worshipers in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Suicide bombers assaulted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Imam Barga...

He Made a Plea to Biden. Now, an Interpreter Finds Safety

Aman Khalili, who helped rescue Biden after chopper's 2008 emergency landing, flees Afghanistan

(Newser) - It took a 600-mile trek and weeks of hard work by US, Afghan, and Pakistani allies, but Aman Khalili and his family are finally safely out of Afghanistan. While the name of the ex-Afghan translator may not ring a bell for most, one person in particular knows it well: President...

Taliban Tells US There'll Be No Help With IS

That's how this weekend's negotiations begin

(Newser) - The Taliban on Saturday ruled out cooperation with the US to contain extremist groups in Afghanistan, staking out an uncompromising position on a key issue ahead of the first direct talks between the former foes since America withdrew from the country in August. Senior Taliban officials and US representatives are...

Dozens Killed in Suicide Blast at Afghanistan Mosque

Taliban officials say Shiite minority was targeted

(Newser) - A blast went off Friday at a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan, killing or wounding at least 100 people, a Taliban police official said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which took place in Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz province, but militants...

If Taliban Don't Pay Electric Bill, It'll Be Lights Out

Foreign suppliers could cut off power, leading to blackouts in Kabul

(Newser) - On top of everything else, the people of Afghanistan could soon lose power because the ruling Taliban aren't paying foreign electrical suppliers. "This would be a really dangerous situation," said Daud Noorzai, who quit as head of Afghanistan's power monopoly after the Taliban takeover, the Wall ...

Kabul Has Deadliest Attack Since US Left

Mosque bombed during Taliban service, reportedly killing at least 5 civilians

(Newser) - At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast at the entrance to a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said, describing the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since US forces left at the end of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on...

Afghans Hide Books, Paintings as Crackdown on Culture Looms

Taliban says Islamic law will determine what kinds of art are allowed

(Newser) - The bad old days are back in Afghanistan, where artists have hidden or destroyed paintings, musicians have stopped working, and residents are hiding books ahead of an expected Taliban crackdown on art and culture deemed un-Islamic. The group—which banned movies, television, and music during its rule from 1996 to...

Generals Contradict Biden on Afghanistan Exit
Generals Contradict
Biden on Afghanistan Exit
THE RUNDOWN
Sep 28, 2021 5:30 PM CDT

Generals Contradict Biden on Afghanistan Exit

They say they wanted to keep force of 2.5K in the country to prevent collapse

(Newser) - In an ABC interview last month, President Biden defended the chaotic US exit from Afghanistan, denying that advisers had wanted him to keep 2,500 troops in the country. He was contradicted by top military officials during a heated six-hour Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, the Hill reports. Gen....

Gen. Milley Defends His Calls to China Before Congress

'My job was to de-escalate,' he testifies

(Newser) - The top US military official appeared before Congress on Tuesday and defended controversial calls he made to his Chinese counterparts near the end of the Trump administration. While critics have accused Milley of overstepping his authority, he said the calls were just part of his job:
  • 'De-escalate': Milley said
...

Taliban&#39;s Newest Ban: Beard Trims
Taliban's Newest
Ban: Beard Trims
Sep 27, 2021 3:52 PM CDT

Taliban's Newest Ban: Beard Trims

Extremist group has barred barbers in Helmand province from shaving, trimming facial hair

(Newser) - The Taliban have been busy rolling back women's rights in Afghanistan and ramping up for a return to amputations and executions . Now, some more bad news for locals. Per the BBC , the extremist group has banned barbers in the Helmand province from shaving or otherwise trimming men's beards,...

Afghan Refugees Attacked Female Service Member

New Mexico base says woman attacked by 'small group' of men

(Newser) - Male evacuees at the Doña Ana County Range Complex where Afghan refugees are being housed in New Mexico reportedly assaulted a female US military service member. Per the El Paso Times , Fort Bliss officials said Friday that a small group of "male evacuees” assaulted the woman Sept....

Rallies Seek Support for Afghan Women
Thousands Rally
for Afghan Women
Sep 25, 2021 3:40 PM CDT

Thousands Rally for Afghan Women

Demonstrators in Italy call for international pressure on Taliban

(Newser) - Thousands of people demonstrated in cities across Italy on Saturday to support Afghan women and demand continued international pressure on the country's Taliban leaders to let women participate in the educational and political life of the country. Among the groups organizing the protests were members of the Pangea Foundation,...

In Afghan Public Square, a Gruesome Display

Taliban hang dead body from crane in Herat, signaling return to group's ways of the past

(Newser) - The Taliban hanged a dead body from a crane in the main square of Herat city in western Afghanistan, a witness said Saturday, in a gruesome display that signaled a return to some of the Taliban's methods of the past. Wazir Ahmad Seddiqi, who runs a pharmacy on the...

Taliban to Resume Executions, Amputations

Judges, including women, will decide cases instead of clerics, official says

(Newser) - One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands. In an interview in Kabul, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban'...

Key Lines From Biden's Speech to UN General Assembly

'We are not seeking a new Cold War'

(Newser) - President Biden used his first address before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to declare that the world stands at an "inflection point in history" and must move quickly to address the issues of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and human rights abuses. Some highlights, via the AP and...

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