Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) A security guard was wounded Friday by shots fired at Pakistan’s embassy in the Afghan capital in what Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called “an assassination attempt” on the head of the mission. “I demand immediate investigation & action against perpetrators of this heinous act,” Sharif tweeted. Although Pakistan does not officially recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government, it kept its embassy open even as the hardline Islamists took over in August last year, […]
Tag: Afghanistan
Taliban fire into air to disperse women’s rally backing Iran protests
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Taliban forces fired shots into the air on Thursday to disperse a women’s rally supporting protests in Iran over the death of a woman in the custody of morality police. Deadly protests have erupted in neighboring Iran for the past two weeks, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while detained by the Islamic republic’s morality police. Chanting the same “Women, life, freedom!” mantra used in demonstrations in Iran, about 25 […]
‘We are erased’: Afghan women demand action at UN
by Nina LARSON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Afghan women made an impassioned plea at the UN Monday for solid international action to address the “gender apartheid” in their country since the Taliban swept to power last year. “Today, human rights in Afghanistan do not exist,” Afghan Mahbouba Seraj told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The outspoken journalist and rights activist said she was “sick and tired” of sounding the alarm […]
Black Hawk helicopter crashes during Taliban training, 3 killed
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A Black Hawk helicopter commandeered by the Taliban after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan crashed during a training session at the weekend, killing two pilots and a crew member, the defense ministry said. The incident occurred Saturday on the campus of the country’s defense university in the capital Kabul. The Black Hawk crashed due to “a technical problem during a training exercise”, the ministry said, adding five crew members were […]
At least six killed in Afghanistan earthquake
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — At least six people were killed and nine others injured after an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan overnight, an official said on Monday. The 5.3-magnitude temblor that hit districts along the eastern border with Pakistan comes less than three months after a powerful quake killed more than 1,000 people, also along the same frontier. The latest quake was felt in the provinces of Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar, and in the capital […]
Taliban fighters swap arms for books as hundreds return to school
by By Emmanuel Peuchot and Abdullah Hasrat Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Gul Agha Jalali used to spend his nights planting bombs — hoping to target an Afghan government soldier or, better still, a foreign serviceman. These days, the 23-year-old Taliban member is studying English and has enrolled in a computer science course in the capital, Kabul. “When our country was occupied by infidels, we needed bombs, mortars and guns,” says Jalali, an employee […]
Zawahiri killing boosts Biden on Afghan exit anniversary
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse Weeks before the first anniversary of a retreat from Afghanistan that critics said exposed President Joe Biden’s weakness, he shrugged off both Covid and detractors to announce the killing in Kabul of Al-Qaeda’s leader — an operation the Democrat says shows the US remains as strong as ever. “When I ended our military mission in Afghanistan almost a year ago, I made the decision that after 20 years of […]
US travelers warned of increased violence risk after Zawahiri killing
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US State Department Tuesday warned Americans traveling abroad they face an increased risk of violence after US forces killed Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. His death in a drone strike in Kabul over the weekend dealt the biggest blow to Al-Qaeda since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, prompting US President Joe Biden to declare that “justice had been delivered.” Following the strike, the State Department Tuesday urged […]
Saudi Arabia welcomes announcement on Zawahiri killing
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia welcomed the US announcement that Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the announcement by US President Joe Biden of the targeting and killing of the terrorist leader of Al-Qaeda Ayman Al-Zawahiri,” it said. The statement came shortly after Biden announced that the United States had killed Zawahiri, one of the world’s most-wanted terrorists and a mastermind […]
Afghan quake survivors without food and shelter as floods hamper relief effort
by Emmanuel PEUCHOT and Abdullah HASRAT Agence France Presse Many survivors of Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in more than two decades were on Friday without food, shelter and water as they waited in devastated villages for relief workers to reach them, with rain compounding their misery. Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east along the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands homeless. Entire villages have been levelled in some of […]
At least 1,000 killed in Afghan quake as rescuers scramble for survivors
KABUL, June 22, 2022 (AFP) – A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said Wednesday, with the toll expected to rise as desperate rescuers dig through collapsed dwellings. The 5.9 magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, where people already lead hardscrabble lives in a country in the grip of a humanitarian disaster made worse by the Taliban takeover in […]
URGENT: Death toll from Afghanistan earthquake at least 920: disaster minister
KABUL, June 22, 2022 (AFP) A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 920 people and injuring hundreds more, officials said Wednesday, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers dig through collapsed dwellings. The 5.9 magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged terrain of the east, where people already live hardscrabble lives in a country in the grip of a humanitarian disaster made worse by the Taliban […]
