Dying Children and Frozen Flocks in Afghanistan’s Bitter Winter of Crisis

Hundreds have died in plunging temperatures, and malnutrition has been rampant, even as the Taliban government’s ban on female workers has hampered international aid.

#afghanistan, #cold-and-cold-spells, #discrimination, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #famine, #humanitarian-aid, #livestock, #taliban, #vis-photo, #women-and-girls

As Taliban Settle In, Kabul’s Green Zone Comes Back to Life

Walking down its streets a year ago was like wandering into the modern ruins of another empire come and gone from Afghanistan. Now, the Taliban have adopted the former diplomatic enclave as their own.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #diplomatic-service-embassies-and-consulates, #international-relations, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban, #terrorism

Musharraf’s Legacy: A Conflicted Pakistan and a Bristling Military

The former Pakistani general and ruler, a central player in post-9/11 global tensions, ultimately lost his hold on the Pakistani public, and even on his own military establishment.

#al-qaeda, #lashkar-e-taiba, #musharraf-pervez, #pakistan, #september-11-2001, #taliban

Blast at Pakistan Mosque Kills At Least 27

The explosion came in a highly secured part of Peshawar, a provincial capital. It was the worst attack in the country in months.

#attacks-on-police, #deaths-fatalities, #mosques, #pakistan, #peshawar-pakistan, #police, #sharif-shahbaz, #taliban, #terrorism

The World Has Fallen for the Taliban’s Lies Once Again

The world must punish the Afghan regime for its broken promises.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #human-rights-and-human-rights-violations, #muslims-and-islam, #taliban, #united-states-international-relations, #womens-rights

Afghan Women Are Devastated by Suspension of Aid Under New Taliban Law

Since the Taliban administration banned women from aid work, many groups have suspended their operations in the country and warned of permanently shutting down if the ban remains.

#afghanistan, #taliban, #womens-rights

Taliban Bar Women From NGOs, Threatening to Worsen Crisis

A letter from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Economy warned that it would revoke the operating licenses of any organizations that defied the decree.

#afghanistan, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #food-insecurity, #humanitarian-aid, #politics-and-government, #taliban, #united-nations, #women-and-girls

Taliban Release 2 Americans Detained in Afghanistan

One of the Americans being held is an independent filmmaker who had been held since August.

#afghanistan, #committee-to-protect-journalists, #detainees, #international-relations, #political-prisoners, #taliban, #united-states-international-relations

Taliban Bar Women From College Classes, in a Stark Reversal of Rights

The new Afghan government has rolled back to its hard-line stances from the 90s, instituting public beatings and executions as well.

#afghanistan, #colleges-and-universities, #shariah-islamic-law, #taliban, #women-and-girls, #womens-rights

Do Right by Our Afghan Allies. Pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.

Thousands of Afghan refugees in the U.S. are still living with uncertainty as they wait for resolution of their immigration status.

#afghan-adjustment-act, #afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #immigration-and-emigration, #klobuchar-amy, #law-and-legislation, #refugees-and-displaced-persons, #senate, #taliban, #united-states-politics-and-government, #visas

As the World Focuses on Soccer, a Women’s Team in Exile Aches to Play

The Afghan women’s national team fled to Australia when the Taliban took over. FIFA, yielding to Afghanistan’s soccer federation, no longer recognizes the team.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-football-federation, #australia, #discrimination, #human-rights-and-human-rights-violations, #human-rights-watch, #international-federation-of-association-football-fifa, #international-olympic-committee, #politics-and-government, #popal-khalida, #soccer, #taliban, #womens-rights, #womens-world-cup-soccer

The Text Messages From Desperate Afghans Left Behind: ‘Show This to the People of America’

More than a year after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a network of volunteers is still trying to evacuate Afghan allies. But this commitment has come at a great cost.

#afghan-americans, #afghanistan, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #defense-and-military-forces, #immigration-and-emigration, #politics-and-government, #taliban, #terrorism, #united-states-international-relations, #united-states-politics-and-government, #visas, #volunteers-and-community-service

‘The Decision of My Life’: Part 3

An update on N, a teenager in Afghanistan who escaped an arranged marriage to a member of the Taliban and went into hiding in Kabul.

#afghanistan, #audio-negative-tragedy, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban

White House Tightens Rules on Counterterrorism Drone Strikes

A classified new policy requires President Biden’s approval to add suspected terrorists to a kill list. The Trump administration had decentralized control over targeting decisions.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #central-intelligence-agency, #civilian-casualties, #defense-department, #drones-pilotless-planes, #iraq, #shabab, #somalia, #syria, #taliban, #targeted-killings, #terrorism, #trump-donald-j, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #war-and-armed-conflicts

Blast at Education Center in Kabul Kills at Least 19

The violence was the latest to target the country’s Hazara ethnic minority and increased fears about the Taliban’s ability to provide security for all of their citizens.

#afghanistan, #civilian-casualties, #education-k-12, #hazaras-ethnic-group, #islamic-state-khorasan, #taliban, #terrorism, #women-and-girls

A Year Under the Taliban

A single year of extremist rule has turned life upside down for Afghans, especially women. A photographer who has long called the country home captured the jarring changes.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #demonstrations-protests-and-riots, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban, #women-and-girls

U.S. Hostage Exchanged for Afghan Drug Lord in Prisoner Swap

The Taliban said they had freed an American engineer, Mark R. Frerichs, in exchange for the release of a prominent Afghan tribal leader convicted of drug trafficking.

#afghanistan, #al-qaeda, #drug-abuse-and-traffic, #frerichs-mark-1962, #kidnapping-and-hostages, #noorzai-haji-bashir, #omar-muhammad-taliban-leader, #prisons-and-prisoners, #taliban, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #united-states-international-relations, #zawahri-ayman-al

U.S. Establishes Trust With $3.5 Billion in Frozen Afghan Central Bank Funds

The Afghan Fund, which will be based in Switzerland, is meant to help stabilize Afghanistan’s economy and pay for imports like electricity — without benefiting the Taliban.

#afghanistan, #banking-and-financial-institutions, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #da-afghanistan-bank, #federal-reserve-system, #september-11-2001, #taliban, #terrorism, #united-states-international-relations, #united-states-politics-and-government

How an Afghan Soccer Player Escaped the Taliban and Began a New Life

How an Afghan soccer player and her teammates fled their homes, outran a murderous regime and forged the uncertain beginnings of a new life.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-football-federation, #australia, #dodd-moya-1965, #international-federation-of-association-football-fifa, #kabul-afghanistan, #kabul-international-airport, #politics-and-government, #popal-khalida, #soccer, #taliban, #women-and-girls, #womens-rights

The Sunday Read: ‘She’s at Brown. Her Heart’s Still in Kabul.’

In their first year at U.S. universities, women who escaped the Taliban are struggling to adjust — and to reckon with what they left behind.

#afghanistan, #brown-university, #colleges-and-universities, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban, #the-daily-radio-program, #united-states

Judge Recommends Rejecting Bid by Sept. 11 Families to Seize Frozen Afghan Funds

A federal judge said the Afghan central bank’s assets could not legally be used to pay off judgment debts owed by the Taliban to relatives of victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #banking-and-financial-institutions, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #compensation-for-damages-law, #da-afghanistan-bank, #daniels-george-b, #decisions-and-verdicts, #federal-reserve-bank-of-new-york, #humanitarian-aid, #september-11-2001, #suits-and-litigation-civil, #taliban, #terrorism, #united-states-international-relations, #united-states-politics-and-government

‘I Have Nothing Left’: Flooding Adds to Afghanistan’s Crises

Widespread flash floods have left more than 40 dead and 100 others injured in recent days, battering a country already reeling from an economic crisis, terrorist attacks and other natural disasters.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-earthquake-june-22-2022, #agriculture-and-farming, #deaths-fatalities, #disasters-and-emergencies, #floods, #humanitarian-aid, #international-relations, #malnutrition, #rain, #taliban, #terrorism, #united-nations, #women-and-girls

The Bloody Uprising Against the Taliban Led by One of Their Own

In northern Afghanistan, hundreds of Shiite Muslims joined an uprising led by a former Taliban commander. Times journalists spent time with the rebels massed to defend themselves.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #hazaras-ethnic-group, #internal-sub-only, #sar-i-pul-province-afghanistan, #shiite-muslims, #taliban

Afghan Girls Education: Living Under the Taliban

What insights does the battle over women’s education offer into the way the group rules Afghanistan?

#afghanistan, #audio-neutral-informative, #taliban, #women-and-girls, #womens-rights

Surviving Relatives of U.S. Drone Strike Victims Remain Stranded in Afghanistan

Nearly a year after the strike that killed 10 civilians, more than 30 people the Biden administration pledged to help resettle in the U.S. are still trying to leave the country.

#afghanistan-war-2001, #ahmadi-zemari-d-2021, #civilian-casualties, #defense-department, #drones-pilotless-planes, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #united-states-international-relations, #united-states-politics-and-government

U.S. Says Al Qaeda Has Not Regrouped in Afghanistan

A new intelligence assessment of the Al Qaeda threat was prepared after a drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, the group’s leader. But some outside counterterrorism specialists said it was overly optimistic.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban, #terrorism, #united-states-international-relations, #united-states-politics-and-government, #zawahri-ayman-al

How the Taliban Has Rolled Back the Clock Since Seizing Power

Nearly a year since the Taliban seized power, new restrictions have reshaped the social fabric. Schools and jobs are again off-limits for women, music has been banned, and beards are mandatory for men — just like in the 1990s.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban

The Tumultuous Summer That Changed the World

Over the span of just a few weeks in 2021, the Taliban’s offensive shifted from rural threat to urban conquest before they walked into Kabul on Aug. 15. Times photographers were there to document that fateful summer in Afghanistan.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #ghani-ashraf, #kabul-afghanistan, #taliban

The Taliban’s Dangerous Collision Course With the West

After barring girls from high school — and harboring an Al-Qaeda leader — the regime now risks jeopardizing the billions of dollars of global aid that still keeps Afghans alive.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-earthquake-june-22-2022, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #american-red-cross, #humanitarian-aid, #international-relations, #islamic-state-in-iraq-and-syria-isis, #taliban, #terrorism, #war-and-armed-conflicts

How the C.I.A. Tracked Ayman al-Zawahri, the Leader of Al Qaeda

The U.S. search for Ayman al-Zawahri had spanned decades. His presence on a balcony at a safe house in Kabul presented an opportunity to strike.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #bin-laden-osama, #central-intelligence-agency, #defense-department, #drones-pilotless-planes, #haqqani-network, #pakistan, #september-11-2001, #taliban, #terrorism, #zawahri-ayman-al

Killing of al-Zawahri Stirs Debate Over Biden’s Afghan Strategy

President Biden now confronts the question of what, if anything, he will do in response to the revelation that the Taliban were again sheltering a leader of Al Qaeda.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #espionage-and-intelligence-services, #september-11-2001, #taliban, #terrorism, #zawahri-ayman-al

Ayman al-Zawahri Is Gone, but Al Qaeda Is Resilient

The administration clearly misjudged Al Qaeda’s trajectory in Afghanistan and U.S. influence over the Taliban.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #taliban, #targeted-killings, #terrorism, #united-states

Killing of Top Qaeda Leader Offers Lessons on U.S. Afghanistan Involvement

The American drone strike is a symbol of success but also of failures in nation building.

#afghanistan-war-2001, #biden-joseph-r-jr, #bin-laden-osama, #kabul-afghanistan, #obama-barack, #taliban, #zawahri-ayman-al

U.S. Drone Strike Said to Have Killed Ayman al-Zawahri, Top Qaeda Leader

The strike, carried out over the weekend, was the first attack since American forces left Afghanistan last year.

#afghanistan, #al-qaeda, #central-intelligence-agency, #defense-department, #drones-pilotless-planes, #taliban, #targeted-killings, #terrorism, #united-states-international-relations, #united-states-politics-and-government

Brittney Griner and the Limits of American Power

For Griner, and other Americans held prisoner overseas, the road home may be long, and slow.

#griner-brittney, #politics-and-government, #russia, #taliban

‘We Have Nothing’: Afghan Quake Survivors Despair Over Recovery

With the economy in ruins and aid in short supply, survivors of the earthquake in this remote stretch of eastern Afghanistan wonder what their next move could be.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-earthquake-june-22-2022, #earthquakes, #food-aid, #humanitarian-aid, #rescues, #taliban, #world-food-program

In Afghan Quake: ‘I Did Not Expect to Survive’

As aid workers and volunteers rushed to help, survivors told harrowing tales of death and destruction.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-earthquake-june-22-2022, #earthquakes, #paktika-province-afghanistan, #taliban

Devastating Earthquake in Afghanistan Leaves More Than 1,000 Dead

The quake — the deadliest in the country in two decades — was the latest in a string of tragedies to affect the country since the Taliban seized power from the U.S.-backed government last summer.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-earthquake-june-22-2022, #khost-afghanistan, #pakistan, #paktika-province-afghanistan, #taliban, #united-nations, #united-states-geological-survey

Afghanistan Tries to Stamp Out Opium Again

The multibillion-dollar trade has survived previous bans. Now, the Taliban are going after solar-powered water pumps to try to dry up poppy crops in the middle of a national economic crisis.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #agriculture-and-farming, #deserts, #drug-abuse-and-traffic, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #irrigation, #opium, #politics-and-government, #poppies, #rural-areas, #solar-energy, #taliban, #united-nations, #united-nations-office-on-drugs-and-crime, #water, #wells

The Taliban Pressure Women in Afghanistan to Cover Up

The militant group in charge of the country is aggressively enforcing a decree requiring coverings from head to toe and crushing rare public protests against the order.

#afghanistan, #demonstrations-protests-and-riots, #muslim-veiling, #muslims-and-islam, #shariah-islamic-law, #taliban, #womens-rights

In Afghanistan, Collecting Scrap Metal Is a Risky Pursuit

Discarded metal left by decades of conflict has become a livelihood for impoverished Afghans. But many have been killed by unexploded munitions.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #deaths-fatalities, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #explosions-accidental, #military-bases-and-installations, #mines-explosive, #poverty, #salvage, #steel-and-iron, #taliban, #wardak-afghanistan

Eid Under the Taliban Shows a Changed Afghanistan

For many Afghans the holiday this week served as a reminder of the dissonance between the promise of peace many had imagined and the realities of the end of the war.

#afghanistan-war-2001, #herat-afghanistan, #kabul-afghanistan, #kunduz-afghanistan, #taliban

Taliban Impose Head-to-Toe Coverings for Women

A new decree recommends, but doesn’t require that women wear burqas, and says male relatives of those who don’t cover themselves would be punished.

#afghanistan, #muslim-veiling, #taliban, #women-and-girls

‘I Lost Everything’: Pakistani Airstrikes Escalate Conflict on Afghan Border

The airstrikes killed at least 45 people, stoking fears of a violent resurgence of the conflict in eastern Afghanistan, which has become a base for Pakistani militants.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #civilian-casualties, #islamic-state-in-iraq-and-syria-isis, #khost-afghanistan, #mehsud-hakimullah, #pakistan, #taliban, #tehrik-e-taliban

The Casualties at the Other End of the Remote-Controlled Kill

Capt. Kevin Larson was one of the best drone pilots in the U.S. Air Force. Yet as the job weighed on him and untold others, the military failed to recognize its full impact. He fled into the California wilderness.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #al-qaeda, #central-intelligence-agency, #civilian-casualties, #defense-department, #drones-pilotless-planes, #drug-abuse-and-traffic, #indian-springs-nev, #islamic-state-in-iraq-and-syria-isis, #mental-health-and-disorders, #military-aircraft, #pilots, #post-traumatic-stress-disorder, #shaw-air-force-base-sc, #syria, #taliban, #terrorism, #united-states, #united-states-air-force, #united-states-defense-and-military-forces, #united-states-special-operations-command, #veterans, #war-and-armed-conflicts

Taliban Take On a Treacherous, Avalanche-Prone Pass

After overthrowing the government, the Taliban are now trying to save what’s left of the roads they spent years blowing up, with none more critical than a two-mile-high pass through the Hindu Kush.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #bridges-and-tunnels, #roads-and-traffic, #salang-pass, #taliban, #traffic-accidents-and-safety

Taliban Outlaw Opium Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan

The move will have far-reaching consequences for the many farmers who turned to the illicit crop as a brutal drought and economic crisis have gripped the country.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #agriculture-and-farming, #drug-abuse-and-traffic, #opium, #poppies, #taliban

Desperate for Cash, Afghans Toil in Mines That Are Deadlier Than Ever

Faced with life-threatening hunger, thousands labor in the coal mines of Baghlan. But safety measures that the former government once provided are gone.

#accidents-and-safety, #afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #coal, #deaths-fatalities, #economic-conditions-and-trends, #labor-and-jobs, #mines-and-mining, #taliban

‘The Dreams We Had Are Like a Dream’

Conversations with Afghan girls about how life has changed under Taliban rule.

#afghanistan, #taliban, #women-and-girls, #womens-rights

A Bomb Crater as Business Partner for a Pit Stop on an Afghan Highway

Along a lonely stretch of what was once the most dangerous road in Afghanistan, everyone slows down when they reach Hafiz Qadim’s mud brick shop. It’s not the food. Or the gas. It’s the big hole.

#afghanistan, #afghanistan-war-2001, #bombs-and-explosives, #kandahar-afghanistan, #roads-and-traffic, #taliban, #zabul-province-afghanistan