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☆ Exclusive: State Department officials told House investigators they created Afghanistan withdrawal plans from scratch
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The State Department has continued to publicly defend its decision making around the NEO as well as the ending of the war. Milley and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who were in charge of the US military during the withdrawal, blamed the State Department for not ordering a NEO sooner. The State Department officials did not weigh in on whether calling a NEO sooner would have had a substantial impact, as this would have preceded their arrival in Afghanistan. Although the State Department has faced sharp criticism from the Defense Department – most recently in a congressional hearing with retired Gens. Coordination with the militaryAnd on the ground, as they grappled with the frenzied and fluid situation, State Department officials and service members at Hamid Karzai International Airport were regularly coordinating.

Persons: John Bass, Jim DeHart, Jayne Howell, Michael McCaul’s, McCaul, Biden, ”, Mark Milley, ” Howell, DeHart, ” Bass, Hamid, Bass, Wendy Sherman, Washington . Howell, I’m, Howell, “, Trump, Anna Moneymaker, Milley, Kenneth McKenzie, McKenzie, Vedant Patel, “ It’s, Defense Department –, Gens, Kenneth McKenzie –, ” DeHart, didn’t Organizations: CNN, State Department, House Foreign Affairs, Republican, Department, Foreign Affairs, Chiefs, House Foreign, ”, DC, State, Department of Defense, Airport, Foreign Service Institute, Pentagon, Biden, Joint Chiefs, Staff, US, US Central Command, ” State Department, Defense Department, Hamid Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghan, Ukraine, Kabul Afghanistan, Washington ., Turkey, Rayburn, Washington , DC, extremis

☆ How ISIS has Europe and the US in sights after deadly Moscow attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack. Maxim Shemetov/ReutersHe regards the Moscow attack as a “breakthrough success” for the group, demonstrating a level of planning not previously seen beyond south Asia. Russia’s support for authoritarian regimes in central Asia – which ISIS-K has described as Russia’s “puppets” – has deepened the animus. The attitude of the Russian government, both pre- and post- the Moscow attack, may not help it confront the threat. For ISIS-K, the Moscow attack is a coup.

Persons: Erik Kurilla, “, Sanaullah Ghafari, Edmund Fitton, Brown, Fitton, Amira Jadoon, ” Jadoon, Hans, Jakob Schindler, Christine Abizaid, ” Fitton, Maxim Shemetov, –, Gabriel Attal, ”, Jadoon, Putin, Abu Bakr al, Sinai, Vladimir Putin, Assad, Shamsidin, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Yulia Morozova, Shamil Hukumatov, ” Putin, ” Schindler, Alexander Bortnikov, they’ll, Rita Katz Organizations: CNN, Analysts, ISIS, Islamic, US Central Command, UN, Taliban, Russian, Clemson University, Counter, ”, K, US National Counterterrorism Center, –, Crocus City, US Defense Department, Paris, Central, Crocus City Hall, St, City, Tajik, Kyiv, SITE Intelligence Locations: State, Ukraine, Gaza, Moscow, Khorasan, Afghanistan, Europe, Asia, Russia, ‘, Islamic State, Pakistan, Iran, Crocus, United States, West, New York, Tajik, Kabul, Afghan, Kandahar, Central Asia, Baujur, Pakistani, Baluchistan, Iranian, Kerman, Germany, al Qaeda, Turkey, France, America, Russian, Sharm el, St . Petersburg, Syria, Kaluga, St Petersburg, Istanbul, Washington

☆ Who are ISIS-K, the group that claimed it carried out the Moscow terror attack?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It is a branch of ISIS, the terror group that emerged in Syria and Iraq and, at its peak, controlled a huge stretch of territory. By 2018, ISIS-K was ranked the world’s fourth-deadliest terror group, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, which monitors global terrorism. Video Ad Feedback What we know about ISIS group claiming responsibility for Moscow terror attack 04:16 - Source: CNNWhat do they want? Russian state media reported on March 7 that the FSB, Russia’s security service, prevented an ISIS attack on a synagogue in Moscow, according to Reuters. It is the most active terror group in the country, responsible for 73 deaths in 2023, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Persons: Kamala Harris, –, Joe Biden, Putin, ”, Daniel Byman, ” Byman, John Miller, Wakil Kohsar, Washington, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Islamic, ISIS, Sunday, US, Institute for Economics, The United Nations, Sharia, “, RIA Novosti, RIA, Reuters, Kabul University, CSIS, National Legal Training, US Central Command, National Intelligence, UN, Manchester Arena, State Department, Kyiv Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Tajikistan, Khorasan, Asia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Africa, East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Kabul, Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, United States, Britain, Europe, “ Russia, Georgetown, Caucasus, Pakistan –, Mastung, AFP, Germany, Paris, Ariana Grande, England, Orlando , Florida, Russian, Ukraine, Crocus

☆ ISIS-K, Group Tied to Moscow Attack, Has Grown Bolder and More Violent
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Few know better than the Taliban what a relentless foe the Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan can be. Much of the West considers the Taliban, which reclaimed power in the country in 2021, to be an extremist Islamic movement. But the Islamic State Khorasan, the affiliate that took responsibility for a terrorist attack in suburban Moscow on Friday, has slammed the Taliban government, calling the group’s version of Islamic rule insufficiently hard-line. The Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, is one of the last significant antagonists that the Taliban face in Afghanistan. In the months after the Taliban seized power, ISIS-K carried out near daily attacks on their soldiers at roadside checkpoints and in neighborhoods that are home to the country’s Hazara ethnic minority.

Persons: Pakistan’s Organizations: West Locations: Afghanistan, State Khorasan, Moscow, Hazara, Russian, Kabul

The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern. Counterterrorism officials in Europe say that in recent months they have snuffed out several nascent ISIS-K plots to attack targets there. And now the group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow. “ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”

Persons: Biden, Michael E, “, Qassim Suleimani, Vladimir V, Putin, Colin P, Clarke, ” Organizations: Taliban, U.S, Islamic State, ISIS, military’s, Command, Counterterrorism, Soufan, Kremlin Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Moscow, State Khorasan Province, U.S, United States, Persian, Europe, Kerman, Iran, Gen, Iranian, Russia, New York, Chechnya, Syria

☆ What We Know About ISIS-K, the Group That Claimed Responsibility for the Moscow Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The group that claimed credit for the deadly terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday is the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan called Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K.ISIS-K was founded in 2015 by disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban, who then embraced a more violent version of Islam. The group saw its ranks cut roughly in half, to about 1,500 to 2,000 fighters, by 2021 from a combination of American airstrikes and Afghan commando raids that killed many of its leaders. The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. During the U.S. military withdrawal from the country, ISIS-K carried out a suicide bombing at the international airport in Kabul in August 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and as many as 170 civilians. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern.

Organizations: Islamic State, Taliban Locations: Moscow, Afghanistan, State Khorasan Province, Kabul, U.S

☆ Pakistani Airstrikes in Afghanistan Kill at Least 8, Taliban Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Zia Ur-Rehman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan launched two airstrikes into Afghanistan on Monday morning that killed at least eight people, Afghan officials said, escalating simmering tensions between the two countries. The pre-dawn strikes were carried out in the Paktika and Khost provinces in eastern Afghanistan around 3 a.m., Afghan officials said. Three children were among those killed, according to Taliban officials, who condemned the strikes as a violation of Afghan territory. Pakistani officials have blamed militants harbored on Afghan soil and protected by the Taliban administration for the attacks. Taliban officials have denied those claims.

Persons: Zabihullah Mujahid, “ Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Khost

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan women feel scared or unsafe leaving their home alone because of Taliban decrees and enforcement campaigns on clothing and male guardians, according to a report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. The U.N. mission’s report, published Friday, said the decrees are being enforced through arrest, harassment and intimidation. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesOver half of the women interviewed for the report felt unsafe leaving the house without a male guardian, or mahram. Some women said that male relatives were also afraid and reluctant to leave the home with female relatives, as this would expose them to Taliban harassment. It seemed to be a specific goal of the Taliban to frighten women and girls out of leaving their homes, Barr said.

Persons: Heather Barr, Barr Organizations: Qatari, Doha, Virtue Ministry, Human Rights, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Doha

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Almost 100,000 children in Afghanistan are in dire need of support, three months after earthquakes devastated the country's west, the U.N. children’s agency said Monday. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement. “The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything," said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely,” he added. Daniel Timme, head of communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan, said schools, homes, health facilities and water systems were destroyed.

Persons: Fran Equiza, Equiza, ” Equiza, Daniel Timme, It’s, Timme, Riazat Butt Organizations: UNICEF, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Herat, Islamabad

☆ ‘There is no school for girls’: Afghans who fled to Pakistan sent back to a homeland that is foreign to many
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I was born in Pakistan, I’ve lived here for 42 years, I went to school in Pakistan,” said Nasim, who had traveled to the Torkham border crossing from the northern city Peshawar. Nasim, who was born and raised in Pakistan, and is now preparing to return to Afghanistan. International bodies and human rights groups have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster as they return. He hoped the Taliban would greet those forced out of Pakistan and help them find new jobs. The steady deterioration of human rights under the Taliban since its return to power have only confirmed the worst fears of many Afghans.

Persons: I’ve, ”, Nasim, “ I’ve, –, “, ” Nasim, Abdul Basit, Sarfraz Bugti, Ravina Shamdasani, Wakil Kohsar, Ghulam Sakhi, we’ve, Raza Muhammad, ” Muhammad, Akhtar Muhammad, Zahid Bahand, can’t, I’m Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, ”, Getty, Security, Authorities, United Nations, Human Rights, Rights Watch, ” CNN, Interior Ministry, “ Police, UN, International Organization for Migration, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taliban Locations: Chaman, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Peshawar, Afghanistan, ”, Quetta, “, Soviet, States, AFP, Afghan, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Balochistan’s, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The watchdog for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan has warned that the Taliban are benefiting from international aid through the establishment of fraudulent nongovernmental organizations. The Taliban have exerted greater control over national and international NGOs since seizing power in August 2021. They have barred Afghan women from NGO work and sought to push out foreign organizations from the education sector. In May, a SIGAR report highlighted the Taliban’s interference with NGO work in Afghanistan. In another example, NGO officials told the watchdog that the Taliban coerce NGOs into hiring supporters or purchase goods from Taliban-owned companies.

Persons: weren't, SIGAR Organizations: U.S Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, U.S, American

Standing on top of a mound of sand, he locates his home – or rather, what little is left of it. “Obviously our current situation is visible.”He reveals that the deadly earthquake which struck Afghanistan on October 7 had taken more than his family home away from him. “The situation in Afghanistan was already extremely dire,” said Mawlawi Mutiul Haq Khales of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. Her seven children were killed in the earthquake. “I was sitting at home when the earthquake struck… and I dragged my children out of the house,” Rana said.

Persons: CNN — Zaher, ”, Ebrahim Noroozi, Mawlawi Mutiul Haq, Stephanie Sinclair, “, Fatima, …, Rana, ” Rana, ” Siddig Ibrahim, ” Ibrahim, Shah Bibi’s Organizations: CNN, “ Boys, Global, Red Crescent Society, “, UN, International, UNICEF Afghanistan’s, Field Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, It’s, Herat province, “ Afghanistan

☆ Herat, Afghanistan earthquake: Aid group warns devastation 'worse than we imagined'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province – the third largest in Afghanistan. The world must not look away now.”A badly destroyed house, one of thousands across Herat province in western Afghanistan. UNICEF teams on the ground are calling for more urgent action and aid for families devastated by the latest earthquake. UNICEF“We will make every effort to bring quick relief to those affected,” said Fran Equiza, its representative in Afghanistan. International aid groups have said their ability to respond to calls during major disasters was heavily hampered by the Taliban’s takeover and called for more urgent global aid but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support.

Persons: ”, Thamindri de Silva, de Silva, ” “, ” de Silva, Mark Calder, “, MUHAMMAD BALABULUKI, Stéphane Dujarric, ” Dujarric, António Guterres, UNICEF “, Fran Equiza, Zabihullah Mujahid Organizations: CNN — International, World, CNN, Getty Images UN, UN, UNICEF, Sunday, Bank Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, Herat province –, Kabul, ”, AFP, Washington, Khost, Pakistan, Neighboring China

This was a secret school, set up to teach girls despite the bans on female education imposed by the Taliban since they retook control of Afghanistan two years ago. Girls, faces partially covered, attend class at a hidden school in Afghanistan. CNN‘I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t’Inspired, in part, by a 1996 Christiane Amanpour documentary titled “Battle for Afghanistan,” Hakim decided to create secret schools for a new generation of Afghan girls. After the militant group imposed the bans on girls’ education, Maryam says she was trapped at home and felt like a “zombie,” with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Hope stronger than fearBack at the secret school, Maryam learns the Taliban are checking neighborhoods for illegal activities and fears they risk being caught.

Persons: CNN — Parasto Hakim, Hakim, “, ” Hakim, –, CNN Hakim, ”, CNN ‘, Christiane Amanpour, Maryam, ” Maryam, Fatima, ” Fatima, Yalda, ” Yalda, Koofi, Hakim –, ” Koofi, ” Fawzia, Justin Tallis Organizations: CNN, Girls, United Nations, UN, ” CNN, ”, Taliban, Getty Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, States, United, London

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan is the world’s fastest-growing maker of methamphetamine, a report from the United Nations drug agency said Sunday. The report called Afghanistan’s meth manufacturing a growing threat to national and regional health and security because it could disrupt the synthetic drug market and fuel addiction. It said seizures of meth suspected to have come from Afghanistan have been reported from the European Union and east Africa. Afghanistan also has the ephedra plant, which is not found in the biggest meth-producing countries: Myanmar and Mexico. But you need a lot of it.”Me said it was too early to assess what impact the Taliban’s drug crackdown has had on meth supplies.

Persons: Angela Me, ”, Abdul Mateen Qani, “ Organizations: United, Taliban, United Nations ’ Office, Drugs, European Union, Associated Press, Interior Ministry, AP, Farmers Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, United Nations, Africa, Myanmar, Mexico, Afghan

☆ Afghan women once worked in this popular national park. Now they’re not even allowed to visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Afghanistan’s Band-e-Amir National Park was known for having employed the country’s first-ever female park rangers. Now, women won’t even be allowed to visit, let alone work there, as the Taliban deepens its repressive rule over the country. Heather Barr, associate director of the women’s rights at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement Monday that the ban shows how “the walls are closing in on women” within Afghanistan. Since re-taking control of the country in August 2021, amid the United States’ chaotic, controversial withdrawal, the Taliban has rolled back decades of progress on human rights. In Afghanistan, “there is no such thing as women’s freedom anymore,” Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan women’s rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, said earlier this month.

Persons: CNN —, won’t, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Heather Barr, ”, Mahbouba, they’re, Richard Bennett, Dorothy Estrada, Tanck Organizations: CNN, Amir, USAID, United Nations Development, Human Rights, UN Locations: Bamiyan, ”, Afghanistan, States, “, Afghan

☆ UN says Taliban carried out hundreds of extrajudicial killings after seizing power
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Taliban fighters have committed hundreds of extrajudicial killings since taking power in Afghanistan in 2021, despite a “general amnesty” meant to protect the previous government, according to the United Nations. International rights groups and bodies like the UN have accused the Taliban of unwinding progress in protecting human rights since seizing power. In interviews conducted with UN officials, individuals recounted beatings with pipes, cables, verbal threats and abuse at the hands of Taliban security force members. “Former government and security officials are entitled to the same human rights protections as all Afghans.”Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the Taliban to punish offenders. “Afghans were able to regain their country, freedom, government and will,” Taliban deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi previously told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Volker Turk, Abdul Khaliq, ’, Alia Azizi, hasn’t, UNAMA, ” Turk, Amir al, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Bilal Karimi, Roza Otunbayeva, ” Otunbayeva Organizations: CNN, Taliban, United Nations, United Nations Assistance, Afghan National Army, police, National Directorate of Security, UN, Human Rights, NATO, Taliban’s Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Herat, Emirate

The day is “full of honor and pride for Afghans,” Taliban deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi told CNN. “Afghanistan was freed from occupation, Afghans were able to regain their country, freedom, government and will. “There is no such thing as women’s freedom anymore,” said Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan women’s rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. “The women in Afghanistan are being slowly erased from society, from life, from everything – their opinions, their voices, what they think, where they are.”Video Ad Feedback 'They can't go to school? “The only reason why I’m in Afghanistan and I’m staying here is to be next to my sisters and try to help them,” said Seraj, the women’s rights activists.

Persons: Zahra, ”, “, ” Zahra, Bilal Karimi, Zahra –, Mahbouba Seraj, CNN “, I’m, who’ve, ” Zabiullah Mujahid, haven’t, Heather Barr, Seraj, Mahbouba, “ They’re, they’re, Barr, what’s Organizations: CNN, “, Nations, United Nations, CNN “ I’m, UN, Taliban, Human Rights Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, States, “ Afghanistan, Zahra, Afghan, United

☆ Opinion: The shattering aftermath in Maui
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The Polynesian demigod Maui was so powerful he could raise islands up from the ocean floor and capture the sun to slow it down. We know Lahaina will be rebuilt, and the government response — city, state and federal — will be a huge part of that. “You can beat the drum of ‘women’s rights’ and defend tooth-and-nail women’s sports, so long as you only do so to denigrate trans women.”For more on the World Cup:Shaista Aziz: This Women’s World Cup has been unlike any other. That’s a great thingAmy Bass: The US loss at the Women’s World Cup sends a clear messageBill Bramhall/Tribune Content AgencyLet’s make a deal? In a country where federal prosecutors overwhelmingly win their cases, Trump’s odds of going to trial and winning both federal cases are slim — and he may face similarly daunting odds in the other cases.

Persons: Bill Weir, Jeff Melichar, ” Clay Jones, Melichar, “, Shaw, Naka Nathaniel, Kaua’i “, ”, ALICE, Lawrence Downes, ” Drew Sheneman, Peter Bergen, Laura Tillman, ” “, David Petraeus, ” Bergen, Tillman, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, ” Mary Ziegler, ” Ziegler, Roe, Patrick T, Brown, Wade, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, “ Biden, Julian Zelizer, ” Dana Summers, Donald Trump, Podcaster Megyn Kelly, “ I’m, Nicole Hemmer, Megan “ Rapinoe, Kelly, Shaista Aziz, Amy Bass, Bill Bramhall, Will Handelsman, it’s, Trump, William D, Cohan, Puck, David Rubenstein, Scott Galloway, Jill Filipovic, “ Trump, Galloway, pardoning, ” Filipovic, …, Jesus, Kelli Rhee, Rhee, ” Don’t, Drew Sheneman, Agency Brian Elmore, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Adam Kinzinger, Ukraine Aanchal Saraf, Rebecca H, Oppenheimer’s, Joseph, I’ll, Neil J, Holly Thomas, Sara Stewart, “ Oppenheimer, Christopher, “ Barbie, “ Barbie ”, ” Stewart Organizations: CNN, Coast Guard, Honolulu Civil, ‘, Aloha, New York Times, …, Agency, UN, Republican, GOP, ”, Republicans, Democratic, Federal, FIFA, US, National Soccer Team, New York University, Trump, Arnold Ventures, Ukraine Aanchal, Warner Bros . Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Naka, Hilo, Kaua’i, Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s, Kabul, Ohio, California , Vermont, Michigan, Georgia, Trump, Ukraine

☆ Fact Check-Video of Kabul airport dates to 2021, not Mali and Niger forces in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video filmed at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport that dates to August 2021 is being shared in 2023 with a caption that falsely says it shows soldiers from Mali and Niger preparing to fight Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS). The claim is being shared after President Mohamed Bazoum was removed by Niger's military leaders on July 26, 2023. Reuters could not independently verify the source of the video, however, it predates the 2023 coup in Niger. It can be traced to August 2021 (here) when it was shared in relation to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Video of Kabul airport dates to August 2021, does not show Mali and Niger forces in 2023.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, ”, Bola Tinubu, Read Organizations: Economic, West, Reuters, Watch, Force, Kabul Airport Locations: Kabul, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, States, West, Central Africa, Afghanistan, U.S

CNN —At least 31 people have been killed in devastating flash floods that hit parts of Afghanistan over the weekend, authorities said Sunday. In a press conference from Kabul, Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesman for Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, added that 74 people are injured and at least 41 remain missing. An excavator removes mud and rocks from a damaged house after heavy flooding in Maidan Wardak province. APA damaged house is seen after heavy flooding in the Maidan Wardak province in central Afghanistan on Sunday, July 23, 2023. APAfghan boys look at a truck that was damaged in flash floods in Maidan Wardak province on July 23, 2023.

Persons: Shafiullah Rahimi, Rahimi, ” Organizations: CNN, Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, AP, Getty, Ministry of State for Disaster Management Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Red Crescent, Maidan Wardak, AFP

☆ The Taliban Government Runs on WhatsApp. There’s Just One Problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Safiullah Padshah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Late one night two months ago, a team of Taliban security officers assembled on the outskirts of Afghanistan’s capital to prepare for a raid on an Islamic State hide-out. He grabbed his colleagues’ phones and called their superiors, who insisted they had sent him the location pin of the target to his WhatsApp. There was just one problem: WhatsApp had blocked his account to comply with American sanctions. “The only way we communicate is WhatsApp — and I didn’t have access,” said Mr. Inqayad, 25, whom The New York Times has followed since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Those interruptions also underscore the far-reaching consequences of international sanctions on a government that has become among the most isolated in the world.

Persons: Habib Rahman Inqayad, WhatsApp, —, ”, Inqayad Organizations: New York Times Locations: Afghanistan’s, State

☆ Opinion: A blistering indictment of the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The withdrawal agreement was supposed to be predicated on the Taliban negotiating with the elected Afghan government about some kind of power-sharing arrangement and cutting their ties to terrorist groups like al Qaeda. Zawahiri was living in Kabul with the “awareness” of Taliban officials, according to a Biden senior administration official. Worrisomely, al Qaeda is “covertly rebuilding its external operations capability,” according to the UN, i.e., its ability to launch attacks outside of Afghanistan. Of these, an astonishing 35 hold cabinet-level positions in the de facto Afghan government, according to the report. In sum, “debacle” seems almost too kind a word to describe the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Zalmay Khalilzad, “, al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, Zawahiri, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Edmund Fitton, Brown, ”, Fitton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, United, US, Afghan, Biden, Trump, US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Taliban, UN, ISIS, Pakistan, Twitter, “, NATO Locations: New America, United Nations, Afghanistan, al Qaeda, United States, Qaeda, Kabul, Pakistani, Afghan, Kandahar, America

☆ Taliban’s Opium Crackdown Piles Pressure on Spiraling Afghan Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/talibans-opium-crackdown-piles-pressure-on-spiraling-afghan-economy-b9a4dfcb

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Podcast: Drone warfare in Moscow and the Taliban’s secret talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The first attack on civilian areas of Moscow since the start of the Ukraine war marks a new and dangerous shift. We have an exclusive on secret talks held in Qatar. Plus, we’re on the ground in northern Kosovo as NATO sends in more troops to help curb ethnic violence. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. Further ReadingUkraine war comes to Moscow as drones strike both capitalsExclusive: Qatar prime minister, Taliban chief hold secret Afghan talksNATO to deploy more troops to Kosovo to curb violenceOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, NATO, Thomson, Reading Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Qatar, Kosovo, Reading Ukraine

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