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Young Afghan women defiant as Taliban bring back moral police

Young Afghan women defiant as Taliban bring back moral police

ANNIE BANERJI AS the Taliban reintroduce a moral policing ministry in Afghanistan that once controlled women's lives, female activists and students say a young generation of educated and working women will not accept oppression by the Islamist militant group. Three weeks after storming to power, the Taliban announced an all-male interim government on Tuesday that included the Ministry of Guidance and Call, formerly known as the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Punishment of Vice or the moral police. During the Taliban's prior 1996-2001 rule, girls could not attend school and women were banned from working or studying. Women had…
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World wary of Taliban government, Afghans urge action on rights and economy

World wary of Taliban government, Afghans urge action on rights and economy

FOREIGN countries greeted the makeup of the new government in Afghanistan with caution and dismay after the Taliban appointed hardline veteran figures to top positions, including several with a U.S. bounty on their head. Small protests persisted in Afghanistan, with dozens of women taking to the streets of Kabul to demand representation in the new administration and for their rights to be protected. More broadly, people urged the new leaders to revive the Afghan economy, which is facing steep inflation, food shortages exacerbated by drought and the prospect of overseas investment disappearing as the outside world eyes the Taliban warily.…
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Sergeant Bee, immortalized in Afghanistan photo, reflects on war’s legacy

Sergeant Bee, immortalized in Afghanistan photo, reflects on war’s legacy

MAURICE TAMMAN TODAY, on a leafy cul-de-sac in North Carolina, his hair is streaked with grey, and he wears his beard long. But on that day 13 years ago, as he sat tucked behind a mud wall in Afghanistan, his head was close-cropped, bare and vulnerable. Retired U.S. Marine Sgt. Billy Bee is sharing a smoke with Reuters photographer Goran Tomasevic on the deck of Bee's home. The smoke hangs in the humid, still air, just as it did on May 18, 2008, when their lives were stitched together in a single moment of explosive violence and unlikely survival. They…
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Kabul diary: A gay Afghan tries to flee the Taliban

Kabul diary: A gay Afghan tries to flee the Taliban

THE Taliban are expected to announce a new government in Afghanistan on Friday, two weeks after the Islamist militia seized control of Kabul. The militants 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 punished with death,…
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After messy pullout, Blinken to intensify Afghanistan diplomacy in Qatar, Germany

After messy pullout, Blinken to intensify Afghanistan diplomacy in Qatar, Germany

HUMEYA PAMUK A week after declaring America's "new chapter" of engagement with Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will aim to form a united front with allies this week on how to tackle the Taliban and ensure continued support for U.S. bid to help evacuate Americans and at-risk Afghans who remained behind. In a trip to Qatar and Germany, Blinken will be overlapping with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who is also departing for a wider Gulf visit covering Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The visit by the top two U.S. national security officials comes as the Biden administration…
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Taliban, opposition battle for Panjshir Valley, Pakistan spy chief flies to Kabul

Taliban, opposition battle for Panjshir Valley, Pakistan spy chief flies to Kabul

TALIBAN and opposition forces were fighting on Saturday for control of the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, the last province in Afghanistan holding out against the Islamist group, according to reports. Taliban sources said its fighters had taken the valley, although the resistance denied it had fallen. The Taliban have so far issued no public declaration that they had taken the valley, which resisted their rule when they were last in power in Kabul from 1996 to 2001. The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, which groups opposition forces loyal to local leader Ahmad Massoud, said Taliban forces reached the Darband…
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Rebels hold out in Afghan valley as Taliban set up government in Kabul

Rebels hold out in Afghan valley as Taliban set up government in Kabul

TALIBAN forces and fighters loyal to local leader Ahmad Massoud fought in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, more than two weeks after the Islamist militia seized power, as Taliban leaders in the capital Kabul worked on forming a government. Panjshir is the last Afghan province resisting rule by the Taliban, whose overthrow of the Western-backed government as U.S. and other foreign troops withdrew after 20 years has left the country in chaos. Each side said it had inflicted heavy casualties. "We started operations after negotiation with the local armed group failed," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Taliban fighters had entered Panjshir and…
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Taliban hail victory with gunfire after last U.S. troops leave Afghanistan

Taliban hail victory with gunfire after last U.S. troops leave Afghanistan

CELEBRATORY gunfire resounded across the Afghan capital as the Taliban took control of the airport following the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, marking the end of a 20-year war that left the Islamist group stronger than it was in 2001. Shaky video footage distributed by the Taliban showed fighters entering the airport after the last U.S. troops flew out on a C-17 aircraft a minute before midnight, ending a hasty and humiliating exit for Washington and its NATO allies. "It is a historical day and a historical moment," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference at the airport…
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Russia says Afghan Taliban offensive running out of steam – report

Russia says Afghan Taliban offensive running out of steam – report

THE Taliban offensive in Afghanistan is "gradually running out of steam" as the group lacks resources to take over major cities, Interfax news agency quoted a senior official at Russia's foreign ministry as saying on Thursday. Alexander Vikantov, deputy head of information and press at the ministry, cited examples where Afghan government forces were able to retake some districts captured by the Taliban last month, although he added that insurgent activity was notable this month near big provincial centres. "The Taliban lack the resources to take over and hold major cities including the capital, Kabul. Their offensive is gradually running…
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Foreign missions in Afghanistan call for Taliban ceasefire

Foreign missions in Afghanistan call for Taliban ceasefire

FIFTEEN diplomatic missions and the NATO representative in Afghanistan have urged the Taliban to halt their military offensives, just hours after the insurgents and the Afghan government failed to agree on a ceasefire at talks in Doha. A delegation of Afghan leaders met the Taliban's political leadership in the Qatari capital over the weekend. But in a statement late on Sunday, the Taliban made no mention of a halt to Afghanistan's escalating violence. "This Eid al-Adha, the Taliban should lay down their weapons for good and show the world their commitment to the peace process," the 15 missions and the…
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