Afghanistan - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

Russia says four survive charter jet crash in Afghanistan, condition of two others unclear

RUSSIA'S aviation watchdog said that four people survived the crash of a charter plane bound for Moscow in northern Afghanistan, citing the Russian embassy there, and it said the condition of two other passengers on board was not yet clear. Two Taliban provincial officials said four survivors were now with Taliban administration officials who had reached the remote, mountainous site of the crash. They said that two other passengers had died. The Taliban administration's top spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the pilot of the plane was among four who had survived. "The investigative team of the Islamic Emirate continues their efforts…

Oct

2023

By MOHAMMAD YUNUS YAWAR

Afghan earthquakes kill 2,445, Taliban say, as deaths mount

WORLD

MORE than 2,400 people were killed in earthquakes in Afghanistan, the Taliban administration said, in the deadliest tremors to rock the quake-prone mountainous country in years. The Saturday quakes in the west of the country hit 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat, with one of 6.3 magnitude, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. They were among the world's deadliest quakes this year after tremors in Turkey and Syria killed an estimated 50,000 in February. Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters, said in a message to Reuters that the toll had risen to 2,445 dead, but he…

Jun

2023

By ARIBA SHAHID and ASIF SHAHZAD

Pakistan outlines process for barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran, Russia

WORLD

PAKISTAN has passed a special order to allow barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran and Russia for certain goods, including petroleum and natural gas, the Ministry of Commerce said. Left with barely enough foreign exchange reserves to cover one month's imports, Pakistan's government is desperately trying to manage a balance of payments crisis and bring inflation under control after it hit a record of nearly 38% last month. The government order called the Business-to-business (B2B) Barter Trade Mechanism 2023 and dated June 1, lists goods that can be bartered. State and privately owned entities would need approval to participate in the…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Migrant shipwreck in southern Italy kills at least 58, including children

WORLD

GIANNI DANIELE and ALVISE ARMELLINI AT least 58 people died, including several children when a wooden sailing boat carrying migrants from Turkey to Europe crashed against rocks near the southern Italian coast early, authorities said. The deadly incident reopened a debate on migration in Europe and Italy, where a recently-elected right-wing government has introduced tough new laws for migrant rescue charities, which drew criticism from the United Nations and others. The provisional death toll stands at 58, Manuela Curra, a provincial government official, told Reuters. She said 81 people survived, with 20 hospitalised including one person in intensive care. As emergency services…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Afghan female students not allowed to sit university entrance exam

WORLD

THE Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy to restrict women from tertiary education. A letter from the ministry was addressed to institutions in Afghanistan's northern provinces, including Kabul, where exams are due to take place from the end of February. The letter said those institutions that did not observe the rules would face legal action. The Higher Education Ministry in December told universities not to allow female students "until further notice". Days later, the administration stopped most female NGO workers from…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

U.N. seeks record $41 bln for aid to hotspots led by Afghanistan, Ethiopia

NEWS

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY THE United Nations appealed on Thursday for a record $41 billion to provide life-saving assistance next year to 183 million people worldwide caught up in conflict and poverty, led by a tripling of its programme in Afghanistan. Famine remains a "terrifying prospect" for 45 million people living in 43 countries, as extreme weather caused by climate change shrinks food supplies, the U.N. said in the annual appeal, which reflected a 17% rise in annual funding needs. "The drivers of needs are ones which are familiar to all of us. Tragically, it includes protracted conflicts, political instability, failing economies…

Nov

2021

By The African Mirror

Escape from Kabul: a gay man dodges death at the hands of the Taliban

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH THE Taliban seized power in Afghanistan more than 100 days ago, following the fall of the capital Kabul on August 15. The militant Islamist group have promised a softer brand of rule than the radical form of sharia law they enforced from 1996 until 2001 when they were ousted by U.S.-led forces. But concern is growing for LGBT+ Afghans, some of whom are on the run fearing death. Even before the Taliban takeover, LGBT+ people said it was too dangerous to live openly in Afghanistan. But under the Taliban's extreme interpretation of Islam, LGBT+ Afghans say they could be…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Afghan Taliban defence minister orders crackdown on abuses

WORLD

THE Taliban's new defence minister has issued a rebuke over misconduct by some commanders and fighters following the movement's victory over the Western-backed government in Afghanistan last month, saying abuses would not be tolerated. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob said in an audio message that some "miscreants and notorious former soldiers" had been allowed to join Taliban units where they had committed a range of sometimes violent abuses. "We direct you keep them out of your ranks, otherwise strict action will be taken against you," he stated. "We don't want such people in our ranks." The message from one of the Taliban's…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Taliban breaking promises including over women, says U.N.

WORLD

EMMA FARGE AFGHANISTAN’S Taliban rulers have contradicted public promises on rights including by ordering women to stay at home, blocking teenage girls from school and holding house-to-house searches for former foes, according to a senior United Nations official. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Afghanistan was in a "new and perilous phase" since the militant Islamist group seized power last month, with many women and members of ethnic and religious communities deeply worried. "In contradiction to assurances that the Taliban would uphold women's rights, over the past three weeks, women have instead been progressively excluded from the public…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Taliban say women can study at university but classes must be segregated

WORLD

WOMEN in Afghanistan will be allowed to study in universities as the country seeks to rebuild after decades of war but gender segregation and Islamic dress code will be mandatory, the Taliban's new Higher Education minister said on Sunday. The minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said the new Taliban government, named last week, would "start building the country on what exists today" and did not want to turn the clock back 20 years to when the movement was last in power. He said female students would be taught by women wherever possible and classrooms would remain separated, in accordance with the…