Afghanistan

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Malala 'Shocked' at How Quickly Afghan Women Lost Rights

Activist reflects on the state of Afghanistan in advance of documentary release

(Newser) - Malala Yousafzai, the crusading activist who has been fighting for the rights of women and girls since childhood, says she's been shocked at how quickly those rights have been eroded in Afghanistan since the Taliban retook control in 2021. "I never imagined that the rights of women would...

When the Taliban Returned, Female Cyclists Were Doomed
Return of the Taliban
Doomed Female Cyclists
longform
Nov 10, 2024 3:15 PM CST

Return of the Taliban Doomed Female Cyclists

Bicycling reports on how members of the Afghan National Team had to flee the country

(Newser) - A story by Kim Cross in Bicycling begins with the simple anecdote of a teenager going for bike ride. But this particular teenager—18-year-old Reihana Mohammadi—was riding in Afghanistan in August 2021. "You are crazy!" Reihana recalls people calling out. "The Taliban are very close!"...

Now Afghan Women Can't Pray Loudly or Sing

And they should refrain from reciting the Koran in front of other women: government minister

(Newser) - Afghan women are forbidden from praying loudly or reciting the Koran in front of other women, according to a Taliban government minister. It's the latest restriction on women following morality laws that ban them from raising their voice and baring their faces outside the home. They're already excluded...

Marine in Controversial Afghan Adoption Won't Be Fired

Though the child's fate remains in limbo

(Newser) - A US Marine whose adoption of an Afghan war orphan has spurred a yearslong legal battle and raised alarms at the highest levels of government will remain on active duty, the AP reports. A three-member panel of Marines found Tuesday that while Maj. Joshua Mast acted in a way unbecoming...

4 Countries Are Taking the Taliban to Court

They plan to pursue gender discrimination case in International Court of Justice

(Newser) - The Taliban's oppression of Afghanistan's women is going to be challenged in the International Court of Justice. The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands announced at the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday that they plan to pursue a gender discrimination case against Afghanistan's government...

Streep: 'A Squirrel Has More Rights' Than Afghan Girls

Actor calls attention to the ongoing stripping of women's rights under the Taliban

(Newser) - Birds, squirrels, and cats have more freedom than Afghan women, the actor Meryl Streep said in a powerful speech at United Nations headquarters on Monday, calling attention to the stripping of women's rights under the Taliban. A bird can sing in public, a squirrel can frolic in a park,...

Major Polio Setback: Taliban Stops Vaccinations
Taliban: No More
Polio Vaccinations
Sep 16, 2024 1:43 PM CDT

Taliban: No More Polio Vaccinations

Afghanistan is one of 2 countries that never eradicated the highly infectious virus

(Newser) - The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the UN said Monday. It's a devastating setback for polio eradication, since the virus is one of the world's most infectious, and any unvaccinated groups of children where the virus is spreading could undo years of progress. Afghanistan is...

GOP: Biden Picked 'Optics' Over Safety in Afghan Exit

Democrats and White House fire back and pin the blame on Trump

(Newser) - The blame game over the deadly US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 is heating up before the election. Republican members of Congress issued a new report blaming President Biden and VP Kamala Harris for the chaotic exit, one that left 13 US service members dead , while Democrats say Donald Trump'...

Trump Targets Harris Over Afghanistan 'Humiliation'

13 service members killed in bombing 3 years ago will be honored with Congressional Gold Medal

(Newser) - On Monday, Donald Trump tied Vice President Kamala Harris to the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 US service members, calling the attack a "humiliation." The GOP nominee laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of Sgt. Nicole...

Marine Accused of 'Stealing' Afghan Baby Has Custody Voided

He's been relying on the custody order to raise the child

(Newser) - A Virginia appellate court ruled Tuesday that a US Marine should never have been granted an adoption of an Afghan war orphan and voided the custody order he's relied on to raise the girl for nearly three years. The decision marked a major turning point in a bitter custody...

Afghan General's Brutality May Have Backfired on US

'New York Times' reports on the legacy of Gen. Abdul Raziq

(Newser) - When the US was in Afghanistan, an Afghan general by the name of Abdul Raziq was seen as one of America's most valuable allies in the fight against the Taliban. On the upside, Raziq was young, brave, smart, and charismatic, and he kept order in crucial Kandahar, the New ...

After Heavy Rains, 300-Plus Dead Amid 'Extensive Devastation'

Flash floods swept through Afghanistan after unusually heavy deluges

(Newser) - Flash floods from unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed more than 300 people and destroyed upward of 1,000 houses, the UN food agency said Saturday. The World Food Program said it was distributing fortified biscuits to the survivors of one of the many floods that hit Afghanistan...

CNN Pushes Back at Pentagon Account of Kabul Airport Attack

Outlet says new evidence turns over narrative of a lone suicide bomber in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Few claim that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan almost three years ago went smoothly. Now, conflicting accounts of the war's final days are emerging that puts the Pentagon's narrative at odds with others.
  • Bombing: In the late afternoon of Aug. 26, 2021, a blast brought about by an
...

9 Children Killed After Finding Old Land Mine

It exploded as they played with it in Afghanistan, Taliban says

(Newser) - An old land mine found by children in eastern Afghanistan exploded while they were playing with it, killing nine children, a Taliban spokesman said Monday. The mine, which the children found near their village in Gero district in Ghazni province, was from decades ago, said Hamidullah Nisar, director of the...

What We Know About ISIS-K, Group Behind Moscow Attack

Group considers Taliban rule of Afghanistan too soft

(Newser) - The Islamic State affiliate that said it carried out the killings in Moscow's Crocus City concert hall has been escalating its attacks in other countries as part of its campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, analysts say. The idea is to weaken the Taliban's relations with allies and...

Father of Marine Killed in Afghanistan Arrested at SOTU
Charges Dropped
Against SOTU Heckler
UPDATED
Mar 20, 2024 8:49 AM CDT

Charges Dropped Against SOTU Heckler

Steve Nikoui, father of Marine killed in Afghanistan, reportedly 'thrilled and humbled'

(Newser) - The father of a US service member killed in the 2021 bombing at Kabul's airport is no longer facing charges for heckling President Biden during the State of the Union address, per Fox News . As with other protesters, DC attorney general Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, declined to prosecute Steve...

With Signs of Afghan Looting, 'I Feel As If My Soul Is Dying'

Taliban denies looting at ancient sites despite evidence in satellite images

(Newser) - The Taliban's vow to protect the cultural treasures of Afghanistan may have been little more than lip service, according to researchers, who've uncovered evidence of the widespread bulldozing and looting of ancient sites. The Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation at the University of Chicago used satellite images and...

'It Is Hard to Overstate the Severity of the Situation'

Afghans struggle to feed their families amid UN aid cuts and a looming winter

(Newser) - The UN's World Food Program has had to cut 10 million Afghans off emergency food assistance over the past year due to " a massive funding shortfall ," exacerbating a crisis that will continue to worsen into the winter as snow cuts off supply routes and food and fuel...

'In the Very First Shake All the Houses Collapsed'
'100% of Homes Have
Been Completely Destroyed'
UPDATED
Oct 9, 2023 12:12 PM CDT

'100% of Homes Have Been Completely Destroyed'

Taliban says earthquakes have killed nearly 3K in western Afghanistan

(Newser) - A series of earthquakes in Afghanistan on Saturday killed nearly 3,000 people, say Taliban officials, with the Guardian reporting that subsequent quakes as strong as 5.9 magnitude hit the area on Monday. "Vans filled with dead bodies are arriving here each minute," said a medic at...

Two Earthquakes Kill Scores in Afghanistan

WHO, local organizations try to reach the injured

(Newser) - Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country's national disaster authority said. The United Nations gave a preliminary figure of 320 dead but later said the figure was still being verified, the AP reports. Local authorities gave an estimate of 100...

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