Friday, March 29, 2024

Afghanistan News

Afghanistan tops list of world’s unhappiest country: Report

Finland remained the world's happiest country for a seventh straight year in an annual UN sponsored World Happiness Report. Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, stayed at the bottom of the 143 countries surveyed.

Former US generals slam Biden admin. for Afghanistan withdrawal

The two top US generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban in August 2021 blamed the administration of President Joe Biden for the chaotic departure, telling American lawmakers that it inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government accuses Pakistan of bombing civilians

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has accused Pakistan of killing eight civilians in an air raid on Monday. The group responded by opening fire on Pakistani targets, allegedly wounding seven people.

Taliban denies US general’s claim over extremist groups

A Taliban spokesman has rejected a US military official's claim that the group's inability or unwillingness to contain extremist groups will destabilize central and southern Asia.

Taliban boycott UN-sponsored meeting in Qatar

The Taliban refused to attend a UN-sponsored conference in Qatar, insisting that their delegation should be recognized as the sole representative of Afghanistan.

UN says Taliban enforcing restrictions on Afghan women

The United Nations has published a quarterly report detailing concerns about the human rights situation in Afghanistan, specifically focusing on the limited rights women are awarded under the Taliban rule.

Russian plane with 6 people on board crashes in Afghanistan

A Russian business jet has disappeared off the radar in a mountainous area of Afghanistan, Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsia, has confirmed.

Afghanistan’s poppy supply on global market plummeted 95% since last year: Report

Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, once the world’s top supplier, has plummeted since the Taliban outlawed cultivation of the crop in 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report shows.

Thousands of Afghan refugees flee Pakistan as deadline looms

Thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants in Pakistan are heading to the border to return home as a Pakistani deadline to leave the country expires.

Blast at Afghanistan Shia mosque causes casualties

An explosion ripped through a mosque in Pul-e-Khumri, the provincial capital of north Afghanistan's Baghlan province, on Friday, inflicting casualties, Provincial Director for Information and Culture Asadullah Mustafa Hashimi says.

Afghanistan quake death toll nears 2,500

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Saturday has risen to 2,445 while more than 9,200 people have been injured, the Xinhua news agency reported. According to the outlet, 13 villages in the Zanda Jan district of Herat have been completely wiped out and many victims remain trapped under the rubble.

Death toll from powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan rises to over 2,000

The death toll from strong earthquakes that jolted western Afghanistan has risen to more than 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman confirmed Sunday. It’s one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades.

Quake in Afghanistan rocks areas in neighboring Iran, no damage or casualties yet

Back-to-back earthquakes have jolted Afghanistan as well as Khorasan Razavi Province in northeastern Iran, but there are no reports of any possible damage in the Iranian province, which borders Afghanistan.

US bent on creating chaos for Afghanistan’s neighbors: Iran envoy

Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan has stated the United States’ main policy on Afghanistan is to create insecurity and instability for the country’s neighbors.

Uzbekistan president urges aid for Afghanistan

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for international aid for Afghanistan during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, saying that the country’s frozen assets should be used to address its “acute” humanitarian issues.

Kyrgyzstan warns Afghanistan humanitarian crisis endangering whole region

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Zhaparov highlighted instability in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in 2021.

UN warns human rights in Afghanistan in ‘state of collapse’

The United Nations rights chief has accused Afghanistan's ruling Taliban of a "shocking level of oppression" of women and girls and cautioned that human rights in the Asian country were in a state of collapse.

Iran, Pakistan vow to help establish peace, stability in Afghanistan

Iran’s foreign minister has highlighted the need to support regional initiatives within the framework of neighboring countries to help resolve challenges facing Afghanistan.

UN cautions Afghanistan meth trade increases as Taliban clamps down on heroin

Methamphetamine trafficking in and around Afghanistan has surged in recent years, even as the Taliban have curbed heroin trafficking since taking power, according to a United Nations report on Sunday.

Rights groups denounce Taliban’s new curbs on women

Human rights groups have condemned the Taliban’s latest restrictions on Afghan women’s education and movements. The ruling Taliban administration has recently barred women from visiting one of Afghanistan’s most popular national parks and stopped them from leaving for the United Arab Emirates to study on academic scholarships.

Taliban ban dozens of Afghan female students from boarding flight to Dubai

Members of the Taliban government have prevented 100 female Afghan students who were given a scholarship to study at the University of Dubai from boarding their flight to the UAE.

UN envoy calls on ICC to prosecute Taliban’s gender discrimination

The United Nations global education envoy urged the International Criminal Court to prosecute gender discrimination in Afghanistan by the Taliban rulers.

UN rights experts denounce idea of ‘reformed’ Taliban

More than 30 independent UN human rights experts have called for the international community to recommit to support the people of Afghanistan. They made the call in a statement issued on Monday marking two years since the Taliban took power.

UN warns 21mn in Afghanistan facing severe cuts in relief due to funding gaps

The United Nations humanitarians warn of critical aid funding gaps for more than 21 million people in Afghanistan, saying that some relief has already been trimmed.

Taliban urge foreign envoys to resume activity in Afghanistan

Acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with ambassadors and special representatives from several countries based in Qatar and called on them to reopen their embassies in Kabul.

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