AT News KABUL: The United Nations on Thursday said it was extremely concerned about the Taliban’s plan to ban international organizations from providing education in the country. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the plan “another horrendous step backward for the people of Afghanistan and especially for women and girls”. “Our …
Read More »Taliban sharply reduce opium cultivation
AT News KABUL: The Taliban administration has sharply reduced opium cultivation in Afghanistan as annual opium cultivation has dropped by a whopping 80 percent compared to last year, according to new research. In April 2022 almost a year after taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban banned the cultivation, production, and …
Read More »India keen to help Afghanistan: Jaishankar
AT News KABUL: India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that his country is focusing on helping the Afghan people and would stay away from politics. Addressing a press conference in India, Jaishankar said an Indian technical team was sent to its Embassy in Afghanistan to monitor the situation and to see …
Read More »15 million Afghans on verge of famine amid US sanctions
AT News KABUL: In a harrowing report last week, the United Nations in a report listed Afghanistan among the nine hotspots of highest concern, revealing that at least 15.3 million people (35% of population) are estimated to face high acute food insecurity. UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World …
Read More »Aid agency resumes work with female staff after Taliban nod
AT News KABUL: Norwegian Refugee Council aid agency has resumed operations in southern Kandahar after the Taliban allowed its Afghan female staff to return to work. This is as Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Secretary General Jan Egeland said last month that key Taliban leaders in Kandahar had signaled a willingness to …
Read More »Bomb kills former Taliban chief during memorial ceremony
AT News KABUL: A car bombing killed a former Taliban police official Thursday in Badakhshan province during a memorial ceremony for a deputy governor who was killed in bombing two days earlier, officials said. Some local sources have said the bomb happened inside Nabawi mosque where Taliban officials and local …
Read More »Biden allowed Afghanistan to collapse: says US congressman
AT News KABUL: U.S. Republican Senator Darrell Issa is slamming the Afghanistan dissent cable to which Secretary of State Antony Blinken allowed congressional access saying Biden administration knowingly allowed Afghanistan to collapse. Calling the cable “embarrassing”, Senator Issa said it debunks Biden administration’s narrative that it was caught off guard by the …
Read More »World Bank, U.N. reaffirm economic aid to Afghanistan
AT News KABUL: Representatives of World Bank and UNAMA have met with Taliban officials and discussed economic challenges in Afghanistan and the need for continued economic and humanitarian aid. Scott Smith, a top UNAMA official and representatives of the World Bank for Afghanistan stressed on a durable solution to the …
Read More »Talks begin to revive crucial pipeline project
AT News KABUL: Pakistan and Turkmenistan have begun talks to revive the crucial Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project which has been stalled over the past years. Reports suggest that a bilateral meeting will be convened in Islamabad in late June 2023 to discuss the technicalities. For its part, Ashgabat is …
Read More »Calls intensify for Franco-Afghan journalist’s release
AT News KABUL: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for immediate and unconditional release of French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi who was arrested in Kabul and held since January. “Five months of arbitrary detention and failure to respect criminal justice procedures… The Taliban authorities have produced absolutely no evidence to explain …
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