News & Analysis
Go beyond the headlines for the latest in Afghanistan news.
U.N. seeks record $41 bln for aid to hotspots led by Afghanistan, Ethiopia
Reuters
December 2, 2021
GENEVA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - 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.
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Taliban Curbs on Working Women Could Cut Afghanistan’s GDP by 5%
Bloomberg
December 1, 2021
The Taliban’s move to restrict women from working could immediately cost the Afghan economy up to $1 billion, or 5% of GDP, the United Nations Development Programme said in a new report as the militant group seeks global help to avert a deepening crisis.
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U.N. pushes cash handouts to avert mass poverty in Afghanistan
Reuters
December 1, 2021
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday that a program to pay $300 million a year in cash to Afghan families with children, elderly or people with disabilities is the best way to target increasing poverty.
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UN pushes cash handouts to avert mass poverty in Afghanistan
Jpost
December 1, 2021
The United Nations said on Wednesday that a program to pay $300 million a year in cash to Afghan families with children, the elderly or people with disabilities is the best way to target increasing poverty.
In what the UN Development Program (UNDP) described as an "alarming" socio-economic outlook for Afghanistan for the next 13 months, it also pushed a $100 million "cash for work" project to boost employment and $90 million in small business payments.
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Without women and aid, Afghan economy will collapse, UN warns
France24
December 1, 2021
When Maryam went shopping in Kabul this week after several weeks cooped up at home, the Afghan mother was shocked to discover food prices had doubled -- or even tripled -- at the market's well-stocked vegetable stalls. "It's very expensive, it's clearly visible," the 52-year-old, who lost her job after the Taliban returned to power in August, told AFP.
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US Envoy on Afghanistan to Return to Doha to Meet Taliban
Voanews
November 30, 2021
The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan will visit Doha next week for two days of meetings with leaders of the Taliban, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday.
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World Bank considers releasing humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
Gulftoday
November 30, 2021
The World Bank will consider a compromise plan to release humanitarian aid for Afghanistan by shifting funds intended for rebuilding efforts, a source told AFP Monday.
The bank's management will discuss the proposal at an informal board meeting on Tuesday to re-direct funds from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) "to support humanitarian efforts through UN and other humanitarian agencies with presence and logistic capabilities in the country," the source said, without providing further details.
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Taliban Demand Unfreezing Afghan Assets in 'Positive' Talks with US
Voanews
November 30, 2021
ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and the United States wrapped up two days of meetings in Qatar on Tuesday, with the Islamist group saying its delegates urged U.S. officials to unfreeze Afghan state assets and remove sanctions. The discussions took place amid growing appeals by aid groups to international donors to scale up financial aid to Afghanistan, where the United Nations says more than half the population is suffering from acute hunger this winter.
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Asian leaders at economic summit in Turkmenistan vow to help Afghanistan
Business standard
November 29, 2021
The leaders of several Asian countries called for boosting their economic ties and pledged to provide assistance to Afghanistan during a summit in Turkmenistan on Sunday. The countries, which are part of the 10-member Economic Cooperation Organisation that includes Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and six ex-Soviet nations, called for removing trade barriers and developing new transport corridors across the region. They also voiced concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, which has been taken over by the Taliban, and promised to help stabilize the country.
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World Bank is working to free up $500M in Afghanistan aid: Report
Aljazeera
November 29, 2021
The World Bank is finalising a proposal to deliver up to $500m from a frozen Afghanistan aid fund to humanitarian agencies, people familiar with the plans told Reuters news agency, but it leaves out tens of thousands of public sector workers and remains complicated by United States sanctions.
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MIDDLE EAST: THE ILLICIT POPPY TRADE IN AFGHANISTAN
Asiamedia
November 29, 2021
TESSA MULLER WRITES — Afghanistan’s economy is hugely dependent on the illicit poppy trade. This was true throughout the 20-year war with the US, and it continues to be true in the aftermath of U.S. troop withdrawal. One hundred days after the official withdrawal date, the Taliban now controls the government of Afghanistan, and the economy of the country is more dependent on the illicit poppy trade than ever. According to Gretchen Peters, author of ‘Seeds of Terror: How Heroin Is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda,’ “Afghanistan cannot survive without opium. It is simultaneously killing Afghanistan while also keeping a huge number of people alive.”
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Heads of State at ECO Summit Discuss Afghanistan Crisis
Tolonews
November 29, 2021
The 15th summit of the heads of state in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was held in the absence of Afghanistan on November 29 in Turkmenistan as Afghanistan continues to face a daunting economic crisis. The meeting follows the ECO’s ministerial summit held on November 28 in Ashgabat. Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are members of the ECO.
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The 100 Days Of Taliban-Led Government -OpEd
Eurasiareview
November 26, 2021
Afghanistan is on the verge of economic disaster, famine, and starvation, and is becoming a worldwide threat
After a 20-year war against the US-backed government, 15th of August, 2021 The Taliban entered Kabul without resistance from government forces headed by Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the day of history in Afghanistan, only hours after Mr. Ghani departed the presidency and fled Afghanistan. US troops, along with the rest of the US-led forces, fled after a 20-year invasion.
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Taliban may legalize ‘cannabis processing’ to boost Afghanistan’s economy
Khaama
November 25, 2021
The Taliban have signed a deal with Australia’s Cpharm company that is willing to invest $450,000,000.00 in the cannabis processing industry in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesperson tweeted. Qari Saeed Khosty, the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry has said that the deal has been finalized and its work may start within days. The company will use process ca
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Status of Economic Situation Under the Islamic Emirate
Tolonews
November 24, 2021
Afghanistan faced a severe economic crisis following the collapse of the former government when the international aid to Afghanistan ceased and the banking system was disrupted. After the Islamic Emirate rapidly took control of Afghanistan in mid-August, the United States administration blocked over $9 billion of Afghanistan’s central bank assets.
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Coal, an unavoidable pollutant in the harsh Afghan winter
France24
November 24, 2021
Even as prices rise, Afghans have few options but to burn it for heat, creating some of the world's most dangerous air. "Pollution causes serious respiratory diseases ... All Afghans know what coal does," customer Amanullah Daudzai, dressed in a traditional beige shalwar kameez, tells AFP.
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Jobs Lost, Middle Class Afghans Slide Into Poverty, Hunger
Thediplomat
November 23, 2021
Not long ago, Ferishta Salihi and her family had enough for a decent life. Her husband was working and earned a good salary. She could send several of her daughters to private schools.
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U.N. warns of 'colossal' collapse of Afghan banking system
Reuters
November 22, 2021
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday pushed for urgent action to prop up Afghanistan's banks, warning that a spike in people unable to repay loans, lower deposits and a cash liquidity crunch could cause the financial system to collapse within months. In a three-page report on Afghanistan's banking and financial system seen by Reuters, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) said the economic cost of a banking system collapse - and consequent negative social impact - "would be colossal."
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Desperate for cash, Afghan families are selling young daughters into marriage
Nbcnews
November 21, 2021
SHAIDAI, Afghanistan — Bashful, with long locks of rust-colored hair dyed with henna, Benazir fidgets with a handful of gravel when the topic of her marriage comes up. She looks down at the ground and buries her head in her knees when she is asked whether she knows she has been promised to another family to marry one of their sons.
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‘Dark future ahead’: Afghan women suffer amid Taliban's work ban
Dailysabah
November 21, 2021
At 21 years old, Madina had her dream job: She was a journalist, her salary crucial to her family's life in Afghanistan. Then the Taliban came. Now, like so many other Afghan women, Madina cannot work and her family has lost her income – just as Afghanistan's economy collapses and the United Nations predicts half its population could run out of food during the long, cold winter.
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Trump calls Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal 'single most embarrassing moment in the history of our country'
Foxnews
November 21, 2021
Former President Donald Trump called President Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan "the single most embarrassing moment in the history of our country" Sunday on "Life, Liberty & Levin." "I think it’s the most embarrassing and humiliating period in the history of our country," Trump told host Mark Levin.
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The Guardian view on Afghanistan: a fast-developing disaster
Theguardian
November 21, 2021
The global attention has dissipated, but the crisis is intensifying. The bleak year that Afghans have endured is turning to a still bleaker winter. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) predicts that almost 23 million people – more than half the population – will face crisis or emergency levels of acute food insecurity before spring: the highest rate ever recorded. On Thursday, the UN envoy to the country, Deborah Lyons, warned that it is on the brink of catastrophe.
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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/21/the-guardian-view-on-afghanistan-a-fast-developing-disaster
Livemint
November 21, 2021
Drug markets open and farmers plant more poppies with drought and sanctions crippling the economy
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Afghanistan: the international community must act
Thelancet
November 20, 2021
It is going to be hell on Earth.” Afghanistan is set to become the world's worst humanitarian crisis according to David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme. Nearly half of Afghans need humanitarian aid. 22·8 million people could face acute hunger this winter, with 8·7 million at emergency levels of food insecurity. A resulting refugee crisis is likely to affect Afghanistan, the region, and the rest of the world.
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Afghanistan: Taliban to start paying public employees
Dw
November 20, 2021
Amid a mounting economic crisis, the Taliban has pledged to pay three months' worth of lost wages to public employees. The group boasted of new revenue, but did not specify where it came from.
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Key aid group says Afghanistan’s most pressing need is cash
Apnews
November 19, 2021
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Afghanistan is facing a looming humanitarian crisis as aid organizations struggle with ways to pay doctors, nurses and others on the ground because there is currently no way to transfer salaries to bank accounts there, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
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Economic crisis could fuel extremism in Afghanistan: UN
France24
November 18, 2021
Afghanistan's deep economic crisis threatens to raise the "risk of extremism" in the region, a senior UN official warned on Wednesday. The war-ravaged country finds itself on the brink of a humanitarian disaster as foreign assets and monetary assistance remain frozen after the Taliban's return to power in August. UN envoy to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons told the UN Security Council that with the local economy in tatters, illicit drugs, arms flows and human trafficking are likely to surge. The United Nations has warned that around 22 million Afghans, or about half the country, will face food shortages this winter.
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Nearly 40 million Afghans may fall into 'extreme poverty' by mid-2022: UN
Newindianexpress
November 18, 2021
NEW YORK: Raising concern over the ongoing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, UN Migration Agency said that Afghanistan may fall into "extreme poverty" by mid-2022 if no action is taken immediately to address the simultaneous humanitarian, economic and political crises.
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Half Of Afghanistan's Population Faces Acute Food Insecurity. Here's Why.
Nprorg
November 17, 2021
Afghanistan is facing its worst drought in decades, but that's not the only reason it is on the verge of a hunger crisis. After the Taliban took over, much of the country's international development aid was suspended, and the United States froze $9.5 billion in Afghan government assets. The economy has plummeted.
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Pakistan allows India to send wheat as hunger grips Afghanistan
Business standard
November 16, 2021
Pakistan will allow India to send 50,000 tons of wheat through its territory to neighbouring Afghanistan, which is reeling from a severe hunger crisis as its economy has stalled since the Taliban took over in August, according to an Afghan government official.
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Da Afghanistan Bank to auction USD 10 million to increase value of afghani
Devdiscourse
November 15, 2021
Post the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, its economy is in shambles. Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) announced on Monday it would auction 10 million dollars tomorrow to boost the value of afghani (afs).
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Afghanistan will compete to be on par with others: Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen
Thenews
November 15, 2021
Public service and finding solutions to people's economic issues is what the Taliban government prioritises after the "restoration of independence and establishment of Islamic government," Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said Monday. Shaheen Tweeted that the Taliban-led Afghanistan will strive to "become on par with" other countries in the field of security, economy, education and development.
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Afghanistan's food crisis a 'legacy' of previous government: Taliban
France24
November 15, 2021
The UN has warned that around 22 million Afghans or half the country will face an "acute" food shortage in the winter months due to the combined effects of drought caused by global warming and an economic crisis aggravated by the Taliban takeover. "There is a very important problem that has been left over as a legacy from the former regime, and that is malnutrition," Deputy Health Minister Abdul Bari Omar said at a press conference in Kabul
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'They Sold Everything': Facing Hunger, Afghans In Ghor Province Give Up Belongings For Food
Gandhara
November 15, 2021
Since the Taliban takeover in August, Afghanistan's economy has been collapsing while a severe drought has worsened the risk of hunger in much of the country. Afghans like Homaira, a young resident of Ghor Province, are making desperate trade-offs to survive the crisis. Shortly after her marriage, Homaira says, her husband left to search for work in Iran and her relatives sold off her possessions to buy food.
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Establishing a Humanitarian Financial Corridor for Afghanistan
Lawfareblog
November 15, 2021
he humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan continues to spiral downward as the harsh winter arrives. A humanitarian financial corridor must be established to bring assistance to the Afghan people and stabilize an Afghan economy that is currently in freefall. After the Taliban’s takeover in August, donors suspended billions of dollars in assistance that had propped up 75 percent of the Afghan government’s budget and accounted for 40 percent of annual gross domestic product.
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Taliban attempt to stabilize local currency amid sanctions
Dailysabah
November 15, 2021
The Taliban administration pledged to auction $10 million on the open market with the goal to slow down the plummeting value of the local currency. In a statement issued by Da Afghanistan Bank, the country's central bank, it was announced that the dollars will be auctioned on Tuesday.
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Afghanistan central bank to auction $10 million to support currency
Geotv
November 15, 2021
KABUL: Afghanistan's central bank said it would put $10 million on sale for banks and foreign exchange dealers at an auction on Tuesday as it seeks to support the Afghani currency from a sharp fall in recent days. With the abrupt withdrawal of foreign support following the Taliban victory in August, Afghanistan's economy has gone into freefall, putting a severe strain on the banking system which has set weekly withdrawal limits to stop a bank run.
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Imran Khan Seeks 'immediate Release' Of Afghanistan's Frozen Assets Amid Economic Turmoil
Republic World
November 14, 2021
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday, Nov. 13 demanded immediate release of Afghanistan's frozen assets so that the country can emerge out of the economic and financial crisis. At a meeting with a Taliban delegation, convened by the acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Islamabad who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan, Imran Khan highlighted the urgency of unfreezing the Afghan assets for facilitating banking transactions and averting an economic meltdown within the conflict-ravaged nation, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.
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The Taliban plans to buy electricity from Iran after Afghanistan's unpaid bills to other countries left it facing blackouts
Businessinsider
November 13, 2021
Afghanistan's national power company plans to import electricity from Iran in the hope of heading off a looming electricity crisis. Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) announced a deal this week to purchase a 100-megawatt supply, according to the Afghan network TOLO News.
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Afghanistan's hunger crisis is a problem the U.S. can fix
Msnbc
November 10, 2021
As winter approaches, humanitarian watchdogs are sounding the alarm over the increasingly likely possibility of mass starvation across Afghanistan, a deeply impoverished nation whose economy plunged into a tailspin after the United States' withdrawal of troops in August. David Beasley, the executive director of the United Nations' World Food Program, has deemed it “the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth.”
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What can the UN do for Afghanistan now?
Aljazeera
November 10, 2021
As Afghanistan continues to slip into a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis, there is one global actor that can help the country pull through: the United Nations. While its member states continue to debate whether to recognise the Taliban’s government, the UN can still play a significant role in supporting the Afghan people. In fact, as an international institution, it often takes on the responsibilities that no single nation wants to bear.
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Close Sino-Russian coordination on Afghanistan, a surprising development since end of Cold War
Aninews
November 9, 2021
Close Sino-Russian coordination on Afghanistan, a surprising development since end of Cold War: Expert
Read more At: https://www.aninews.in/news/world/us/close-sino-russian-coordination-on-afghanistan-a-surprising-development-since-end-of-cold-war-expert20211109205653/
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World Bank chief says Afghanistan aid resumption unlikely
Khaleejtimes
November 8, 2021
World Bank President David Malpass indicated on Monday that the institution is unlikely to resume direct aid to Afghanistan, after suspending financing at the end of August when the Taliban seized power. “I would not envision us operating inside given the full breakdown” of the economy, he said in a conversation at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
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The Future of India’s Development Cooperation in Afghanistan
Orfonline
November 8, 2021
Afghanistan has been suffering wars and civil strife for decades, and remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Today at least 18 million people, or about half of the country’s population, are on the brink of severe food insecurity.[1] Since the invasion of United States-led forces in 2001, the international community has made immense efforts to rebuild Afghanistan. Significant resources have been spent on military support, infrastructure development, and reviving the economy. Till date, the World Bank has committed more than USD 5.3 billion for development projects in Afghanistan[2] and the Asian Development Bank has pledged almost USD 5.39 million in grants and provided USD 120.4 million in technical assistance to Afghanistan since 1966.
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Afghans deserve to be better off through hard work, not planting opium
Glbaltimes
November 8, 2021
Reuters reported in September that "As the West ponders aid for Afghanistan, China was quick to provide relief." Recently, China has again taken the lead in giving a helping hand to Afghan people.
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A desperate Afghan father said he sold his 9-year-old daughter for $2,200 to buy food for his other kids: report
Business insider
November 6, 2021
An Afghan father said he sold his 9-year-old daughter, Parwana Malik, to a man for $2,200 to be able to afford food for his wife and other kids, CNN reported. The family has lived in a northwest province of Afghanistan for years, struggling to pay for basic needs like food. Together, they earn just a few dollars a day, according to CNN. A few months ago, Parwana's father sold her 12-year-old sister to make ends meet.
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Opinion: Pakistan needs a refugee compact to support Afghans
Devex
November 5, 2021
As the Taliban reasserts control over Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans are crossing into neighboring countries. For years, Pakistan has hosted over 3 million Afghan nationals, including more than 1.4 million registered refugees, and it is now expecting to receive up to 700,000 more. However, the country has asserted that it will not accept them. It has increasingly tightened security around the border and has kept them encamped along the border.
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‘Honest mistake’: US strike that killed Afghan civilians was legal – Pentagon
Theguardian
November 4, 2021
A Pentagon investigation that found a drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 Afghan civilians was an “honest mistake” and recommended no legal or disciplinary action has been met with widespread outrage from Congress and human rights groups. Critics said the report contributed to a culture of impunity and failed to address systemic problems in the US conduct of drone warfare, making future civilian casualties inevitable.
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Germany to give additional $693 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
Economictimes
November 4, 2021
Germany on Thursday announced an additional package of 600 million euros (USD 693 million) to crisis-hit Afghanistan. "Germany has pledged an additional 600 million euro to increase humanitarian assistance & provide funding for international organizations which support Afghans in need," the German Foreign Ministry tweeted.
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Ordinary Afghans ‘broke and broken’, warns UN migration agency chief
NewsUN
November 4, 2021
“We are indeed in a race against time, as emphasized by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, to help these people prepare for winter,” said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director-General. People are “broke and broken”, he insisted, after returning from a two-day visit to the country. “More than half the population is struggling to eat, malnutrition is reaching dramatic levels, especially for many children, and over 80 per cent of the people we have surveyed say they have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Millions are living in inadequate shelters with limited access to basic services, including sanitation and health care.
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Taliban back TAPI gas pipeline project
Geo
November 1, 2021
KABUL: Afghanistan acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said that work on Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project will resume soon in his country, The News reported. Addressing a joint press conference along with Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, the Taliban’s foreign minister said that during the two-day visit, both sides discussed issues around strengthening political relations and economic ties.
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In Afghan hospital, unpaid doctors and rigid Taliban clash
Ctpost
November 1, 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban-appointed supervisor of a small district hospital outside the Afghan capital has big plans for the place — to the dismay of the doctors who work there. Mohammed Javid Ahmadi, 22, was asked by his superiors, fresh off the fields of battle from a war that has spanned most of his life, what kind of jobs he could do. On offer were positions in an array of ministries and institutions now under the Taliban’s power following their August takeover and the collapse of the former government.
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Tajikistan, China Deny Military Base Construction
Tolonews
October 31, 2021
Days after reports about the construction of a military base in Tajikistan near the Afghan-Tajik border by China, both Tajikistan and China have rejected the reports and the construction of such a military base. Tajikistan’s internal affairs ministry in a statement said the construction of a military base is not on the agenda.
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T20 World Cup: Afghanistan crush Namibia by 62 runs
Economictimes.indiatimes
October 31, 2021
Playing the last match of his international career, former skipper Asghar Afghan made a 23-ball 31, while Mohammad Nabi (32) was the other contributor for Afghanistan. In reply, Namibia were restricted to 98 for 9 in 20 overs.
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Afghanistan is Going from Bad to Worse
Intpolicydigest
October 31, 2021
A displaced Afghan mother sold her one-and-a-half-year-old to pay for her other child’s medical treatment. Another Afghan man attempted to sell his daughter to feed his family. People in Afghanistan are selling their children to escape poverty. The UNICEF’s Henrietta Fore writes, “Almost 10 million [children] in Afghanistan depend on humanitarian assistance to survive and one million [children] could die from malnutrition this year.” A UN study finds that “As much as 97% of the population is at risk of sinking below the poverty line unless a response to the country’s political and economic crises is urgently launched.”
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LGBTQ Afghans land in Britain as Taliban official says no space for gay rights
Washingtonpost
October 30, 2021
LONDON — A group of LGBTQ Afghans who fled their home country have arrived in Britain, the first in a wave that London says it will evacuate, as advocates warn they have received calls from hundreds more people who fear Taliban persecution.
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UN asks countries to reprogram development money to humanitarian in Afghanistan
Khaama
October 30, 2021
UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths has called on the international community to reprogram their allocated money for development to humanitarian in Afghanistan as people in the country is facing one of the biggest humanitarian crises on earth. Martin Griffiths in his interview with AP on Friday, October 31 asked the Group of 20 to worry about the situation in Afghanistan because its economy is collapsing and half of the population is starvin
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First group of LGBT+ Afghans fleeing Taliban arrive in the UK
Theguardian
October 30, 2021
A group of LGBT+ Afghans has arrived in Britain, the first since the Taliban’s return to power in August caused panic among gay and transgender Afghans, who feared persecution and even death under the Islamists’ rule. The evacuation of the 29 Afghans is “hoped to be the first of many” in the coming months, Britain’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday, hours after a Taliban spokesman said LGBT+ rights would not be respected.
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Afghans have Cop26 delegate applications rejected days before event
Theguardian
October 30, 2021
Six environmental experts from Afghanistan who were due to attend Cop26 as their country’s delegates to the global conference have had their applications rejected just days before the event begins. The six – five men and one woman who cannot be named because it could jeopardise their safety – were looking forward to travelling to the event to help make the concerns of Afghans about the climate emergency heard at the summit.
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BRI could help in improving Afghanistan’s economy: Iranian Ambassador
Globaltimes
October 29, 2021
Both Iran and China have the same view about rooting out terrorism in Afghanistan and its spillover to neighboring countries as well as honoring a non-interference policy and territorial integrity in the country, Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
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The US-Taliban deal on Afghanistan is not a ‘model’
orfonline
October 27, 2021
The US-Taliban deal must be subjected to consistent academic scrutiny as an agreement that was designed for a safe exit passage from a theatre of war for the US, not stability for Afghanistan or the Afghan people
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UNDP Launches Program to Help Prevent Collapse of Afghan Economy
Tolonews
October 22, 2021
The United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) new assessment shows that 97% of Afghan households could be below the poverty line before mid—2022 if Afghanistan’s economic crisis is not addressed.
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Top GOP senators want joint review of Afghan visa process
Thehill
October 22, 2021
The top GOP lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services, Foreign Relations and Homeland Security committees want four government watchdogs to conduct a joint inquiry into how the Biden administration handled the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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From Exile, Female Former Afghan Leader Keeps Fighting
Usnews
October 22, 2021
NEW YORK (AP) — Two months after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, one of the country’s once-prominent female leaders — a former parliament member, candidate for president and a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize — is visiting the United Nations, not as a representative of her government but as a woman in exile.
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Taliban to reward suicide bombers' families with cash, land
Foxnews
October 21, 2021
The Taliban have promised plots of land to the family members of suicide bombers who targeted U.S. and Afghan forces, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry tweeted Tuesday. The tweet, posted in English, echoed an announcement made the previous day by acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who offered clothes and roughly $112 to dozens of male family members of "martyred" bombers who died for Islamic "jihad and sacrifices."
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Women Activists to World Bank: 'Unfreeze' Funds to Pay Afghan Teachers, Health Workers
Commondreams
October 21, 2021
As the World Bank held its annual meeting on Wednesday, women's rights advocates gathered outside the powerful institution's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to demand the release of frozen Afghan funds so that teachers and healthcare workers trying to rebuild war-torn Afghanistan can be paid.
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Rashid Khan eyes World Cup glory not wedding bells
Sportsyahoo
October 21, 2021
Rashid Khan insists his mind is occupied by the World Cup and not wedding bells as the leg-spin wizard looks to inspire Afghanistan at the Twenty20 global showpiece. Still only 23, Rashid is key to his nation's hopes of a first world title and a potential triumph which would deliver a rare bout of good news for his home country. However, Rashid told AFP that speculation over his private life in the run-up to the tournament, currently underway in Oman and the UAE, will not derail his ambitions.
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U.N. sets up trust fund for 'people's economy' in Afghanistan
Reuters
October 21, 2021
GENEVA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Thursday it had set up a special trust fund to provide urgently needed cash directly to Afghans through a system tapping into donor funds frozen since the Taliban takeover in August. With the local economy "imploding", the aim is to inject liquidity into Afghan households to permit them to survive this winter and remain in their homeland, it said.
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Taliban vows to work with Russia, regional players over IS threats
bangkokpost
October 21, 2021
MOSCOW - The Taliban agreed Wednesday to work with Russia, China and Iran on regional security after the Kremlin warned of emerging Islamic State and drug-trafficking threats in the wake of the hardline group's takeover in Afghanistan.
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Russia hosts Afghan talks, calls for an inclusive government
miamiherald
October 21, 2021
Russia hosted talks on Afghanistan on Wednesday involving senior representatives of the Taliban and neighboring nations, a round of diplomacy that underlined Moscow's clout in Central Asia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the talks and emphasized that “forming a really inclusive government fully reflecting the interests of not only all ethnic groups but all political forces of the country” is necessary to achieve a stable peace in Afghanistan, a nation of 39 million Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article255163752.html#storylink=cpy
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Afghanistan faces 30% economic slump under Taliban rule: IMF
Asia Nikkei
October 20, 2021
NEW YORK -- Afghanistan's economic output could shrink by 30% this year as the Taliban government finds itself isolated from the global community, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday, a shock that "threatens to push millions into poverty."
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Taliban Beheads Junior Volleyball Player From Afghanistan Women's National Team: Report
Republicworld
October 20, 2021
Mahjabin Hakimi, who played in the youth age group, was assassinated by the Taliban in Kabul earlier this month. The incident remained unnoticed as the victim's family was warned to remain silent or to face dire consequences.
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Beauty salon a women's haven in the Taliban's Kabul
Yahoonews
October 20, 2021
It is one of the last places in Kabul where women can meet outside their households, a bubble of freedom and even frivolity away from the gaze of men. Mohadessa has kept her beauty salon open despite threats from Afghanistan's new rulers. Since the Taliban seized Kabul in mid-August, many women have disappeared from public spaces, driven into private areas out of fear and sometimes very real threats.
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Taliban blames U.S. as 1 million Afghan kids face death by starvation
cbsnews
October 20, 2021
Kabul, Afghanistan — There are few greater agonies for a parent than a sick child. Six-month-old Sofia is suffering from severe anemia caused by acute malnutrition. Her mother Arezo told CBS News' Imtiaz Tyab that the family simply didn't have money to keep the tiny girl fed. As CBS News watched Sofia get treatment at the Indira Ghandi Children's Hospital in Kabul, her father told Tyab he was desperate.
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Afghanistan: US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad steps down after chaotic troop withdrawal
EuroNews
October 19, 2021
The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan is stepping down following the chaotic American withdrawal from the country, the State Department said Monday. Zalmay Khalilzad will leave the post this week after more than three years on the job under both the Trump and Biden administrations. He had been criticized for not pressing the Taliban hard enough in peace talks begun while Trump was president but Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked him for his work.
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As women flee Afghanistan, brain drain hits economy and girls' hopes
Dawn
October 19, 2021
Marzia has dedicated the past decade to treating some of Kabul's poorest women, but the midwife has now packed up her stethoscope along with a few precious photos, ahead of leaving Afghanistan with her husband and son. The health worker is part of a major brain drain of professional women — entrepreneurs, lawyers, scientists, journalists and more — that many predict will set the country back decades.
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Taliban get aid promise but not recognition on eve of Moscow talks
Reuters
October 19, 2021
MOSCOW, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russia, China and Pakistan are willing to provide aid to Afghanistan, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday, but Moscow said it was not yet ready to recognise the Taliban government.
The promise of humanitarian aid and economic support came after talks between Russian, Chinese and Pakistani officials, who will be joined by representatives of Afghanistan's Islamist rulers at a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
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Afghan Women Judges Live In Fear, Hide Under Taliban Rule: Report
NDTV
October 19, 2021
Kabul: Hundreds of female judges in Afghanistan live in fear and anonymity after the Taliban took control of the country in August, a media report said.
Naima (name changed), who served as a judge in Afghanistan for nearly a decade, said that she regrets those 10 years she spent as a judge as the Taliban has taken control of the country for over two months, reported Al Jazeera.
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Afghanistan's economy could shrink by 30% following Taliban takeover, IMF says
Cnbc
October 19, 2021
Afghanistan’s gross domestic product could see a contraction of up to 30% following the Taliban takeover, the IMF said in its latest regional economic report. Jihad Azour, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia department, said the country’s situation was deteriorating, even before Kabul fell.
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IMF Warns Of Impact Refugee Crisis Could Have On Afghanistan’s Economy, Neighbors
Gandhara
October 19, 2021
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Afghanistan's economy could contract up to 30 percent this year, threatening to push millions of Afghans into poverty and trigger “important economic and security spillover” into neighboring countries, Turkey, and Europe.
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US: Taliban will have no access to Afghan central bank reserves
Aljazeera
October 19, 2021
Deputy United States Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said he sees no situation where the Taliban, who regained power in Afghanistan in August, would be allowed access to Afghan central bank reserves, which are largely held in the United States.
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Afghanistan’s female judges forced into hiding under Taliban rule
Aljazeera
October 18, 2021
For five years, Naima* presided over cases of violence against women in Afghanistan. She heard harrowing accounts of unspeakable violence from battered women and their families. She even saw a man kill his wife before her own eyes during a court hearing
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Afghan Taliban’s victory boosts Pakistan’s radicals
Apnews
October 18, 2021
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — In Pakistan’s rugged tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, a quiet and persistent warning is circulating: The Taliban are returning. Pakistan’s own Taliban movement, which had in years past waged a violent campaign against the Islamabad government, has been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan
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Despite Afghanistan, The US Will Come To Taiwan’s Defense If China Invaded, Experts Say
Dailycaller
October 18, 2021
The U.S. would almost certainly get involved in the conflict between China and Taiwan if the former invaded, due to the strategic necessity of a democratic, independent Taiwan, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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Milton Keynes 'bridging hotels' supported around 700 Afghan refugees
MKFM
October 18, 2021
In an exclusive interview with Darren from the MKFM breakfast show, Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Peter Marland, discussed MK's 'brilliant' response to looking after Afghan refugees. In September, the government outlined plans to allow thousands of refugees from Afghanistan to resettle in the UK, following the Taliban's take over of the country.
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'Why can't we study?' - Afghan girls still barred from school
Tribune
October 17, 2021
KABUL: Afghan teenager Amena saw dozens of classmates killed when her girls' school was targeted by an Islamic State bomb attack in May, but she was determined to continue her education.
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US vows to pay relatives of Afghans killed in drone strike
ABCNews
October 16, 2021
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Defense Department said Friday that it is committed to offering condolence payments to relatives of the 10 people who were killed in an errant U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August. Pentagon spo
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How women in Australia's football community helped Afghan female footballers get out of Kabul
ABCNet
October 16, 2021
Three words were all it took. Three simple words – "are you OK?" – that, like a stone dropped in a lake, created ripple effects that would change the lives of some in Afghanistan's women's football community, perhaps forever.
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Life in limbo: This family fled the Taliban but still aren’t free
TheAge
October 16, 2021
“We are living in limbo.” The voice on the phone comes from a house behind the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney. It belongs to Narges Alizadeh. The NSW lockdown has been lifted, but there are still restrictions in place for one family – restrictions enforced for years and with no apparent end in sight.
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EU, fearful of refugee crisis, delays response on Afghan asylum
Aljazeera
October 15, 2021
Brussels, Belgium – It has been two months since Kabul fell to the Taliban and thousands are still trying to flee Afghanistan, in search of refuge. The United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, recently warned that by the end of 2021, the humanitarian crisis could displace half a million more Afghans as it called on countries to keep their borders open.
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Afghan women and girls could die because gender rules block UK aid, charity warns
Independent
October 15, 2021
Many Afghan women and girls could die because the country’s strict gender separation rules prevent medical help from getting to them, an aid charity has warned. Not-for-profit organisations have to get permission from provincial leaders before their female humanitarian staff can work in the area, Save the Children campaigns director Athena Rayburn said.
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The Taliban’s Forced Marriages
TheDiplomat
October 12, 2021
In early August, Sooma was carrying on with her work as an assistant in the crimes division of the Herat City Police Department. She still had little reason to believe that fighting on the outskirts of town would arrive at her doorstep. She reported to work every day and her earnings went to support her five children, whom she had been forced to raise on her own after the death of her husband, a policeman, in the conflict three years earlier.
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Taliban Meet EU-US Delegation, Brussels Pledges 1 Bn Euros Aid
Ibtimes
October 12, 2021
The Taliban held their first face-to-face talks with a joint US-EU delegation Tuesday in Qatar, as Brussels pledged one billion euros ($1.2 billion) in aid for Afghanistan.
At the Doha meeting and a conference of the world's major economies, the G20, the message for the Taliban was the same: the world is committed to humanitarian aid for Afghanistan's suffering people, and the country must not become a base for militants.
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Why Afghanistan Fell
Foreign Affairs
October 11, 2021
The current conditions in Afghanistan do not lend themselves well to the consolidation of democracy.” That’s what I wrote in 2007, when I was a young student at the Harvard Kennedy School. Even then, it was clear that the forces threatening to undermine the new democratic Afghan state would likely prove too powerful for it to withstand.
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100 Afghan Musicians, Music Students, and Teachers Successfully Escaped the Taliban
MyModernMet
October 11, 2021
As the Taliban has fully consolidated their control of Afghanistan, people are desperate to flee the country. We’ve recently covered the saga of the Afghan Dreamers, an all-girls robotics team, and their quest to find safety. (Many have made it to Qatar and Mexico.) Now, more creative thinkers have been able to escape fundamentalist rule. More than 100 young artists, teachers, and musicians from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) and Zohra Orchestra were airlifted to Qatar. The groups were a target for the Taliban as they promoted education for girls and are a vehicle for self-expression; in the Taliban's previous rule of Afghanistan (from 1996 to 2001) they restricted nonreligious music.
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US to give humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Taliban say
TheGuardian
October 11, 2021
The United States has agreed to provide humanitarian aid to a desperately poor Afghanistan on the brink of an economic disaster, but refused to give political recognition to the country’s new rulers, the Taliban said on Sunday.
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UN chief: Afghanistan faces `make-or-break moment'
ABCnews
October 11, 2021
UNITED NATIONS -- Warning that Afghanistan is facing “a make-or-break moment,” the United Nations chief on Monday urged the world to prevent the country’s economy from collapsing.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also appealed to the Taliban to stop breaking its promises to allow women to work and girls to have access to all levels of education.
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Faltering Afghan Economy Needs to ‘Breathe Again,’ UN Chief Says
Bloomberg
October 11, 2021
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on countries to unfreeze assets and allow development aid to flow into the Afghanistan economy or risk watching it collapse. Bolstering Afghanistan’s economy can be done without recognizing the Taliban, the militant group that took over in August after two decades of war with the U.S., Guterres told reporters at the UN on Monday. Without an infusion of cash to bolster the economy, banks will continue to close while essential services, such as health care, will be interrupted, he said.
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UN Agency Launches Program to Restore Livelihoods of Afghan People
Voanews
October 11, 2021
GENEVA — The U.N. Development Program is launching a plan to help millions of Afghans who have lost their livelihoods in the midst of the recent political turmoil regain the ability to earn a living and feed their families. The speed and degree to which Afghanistan’s economy has imploded since the Taliban gained control of the country in mid-August is breathtaking. Most affected are the country’s 38 million people, many of whom are unable to support themselves.
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Afghan women have a long history of taking leadership and fighting for their rights
Religionnews
October 11, 2021
(The Conversation) — Ever since the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan, the question in much of the Western media has been, “What will happen to the women of Afghanistan?” Indeed, this is an important concern that merits international attention. The Taliban has already imposed many restrictions on women.
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