Taliban

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Video Is First Sign of Life of Abducted American

Mark Frerichs, held by a Taliban faction since 2020, is seen in clip obtained by 'New Yorker'

(Newser) - Friday brings significant developments on the fate of three Americans held in captivity by the Taliban in Afghanistan—two have been freed and the third was seen in a video, the first sign of life in two years. Details:
  • New video: The New Yorker obtained a video (you can watch
...

Officials: Afghan Women Without Male Companions Booted From Flights

Unaccompanied women reportedly turned away from airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday

(Newser) - Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to allow dozens of women to board several flights, including some overseas, because they were traveling without a male "guardian," two Afghan airline officials said Saturday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said dozens of women who arrived at Kabul's...

From the Taliban, an 'Unexpected Decision'

Afghanistan's de facto rulers break promise, won't open schools to girls above 6th grade

(Newser) - Afghanistan's Taliban rulers decided against opening schools to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a previous promise and opting to appease their hardline base at the expense of further alienating the international community. The unexpected decision, confirmed by a Taliban official Wednesday, came at the start of the...

Taliban Object to Biden Plan for Frozen Funds
Biden Divides
Afghan Funds
Feb 11, 2022 4:10 PM CST

Biden Divides Afghan Funds

Taliban object to president's plan to split $7B between humanitarian aid and families of 9/11 victims

(Newser) - President Biden signed an executive order Friday to move toward unfreezing about $7 billion in Afghan reserve funds now held in the US. The administration locked down the money in August to keep it from the Taliban when they overthrew Afghanistan's government. Biden's plan would split the money,...

UN: After Taliban Takeover, a Grim Number

Report says 100-plus ex-Afghan, international forces killed since Taliban took over in August

(Newser) - The United Nations has received "credible allegations" that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces, and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban took over the country Aug. 15, according to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In a report obtained Sunday...

Biden to Taliban: Release US Hostage

On 2nd anniversary of Mark Frerichs' kidnapping, president issues call for his release

(Newser) - President Biden on Sunday called for the release of US Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, reports the AP , who was taken hostage in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Ill., was kidnapped in January 2020 from the capital of Kabul. He is believed to...

It's Tough to Get Out of Kabul, but These Americans Just Did

Charter flight thought to have dozens of US citizens heads to Qatar amid flight groundings by Taliban

(Newser) - Since November, Americans have had a tough time getting out of Kabul after the Taliban grounded most flights. This week, a chartered flight paid for by the US State Department and run by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was finally able to depart the Afghan capital for Qatar with...

In a First, Taliban Delegation Is Heading to Europe

Talks with the US are on the agenda

(Newser) - A Taliban delegation will travel to Norway for talks with the Norwegian government and representatives from several allied countries, including the US, per the AP . The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Friday that it has invited representatives of the Taliban to Oslo from Sunday to Tuesday to hold talks covering humanitarian...

Taliban: Women Taking Trips Should Bring a Male Relative

Pakistan joins Human Rights Watch in objecting to Afghanistan directive

(Newser) - New travel restrictions have been placed on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban. If they're going more than 45 miles, they should travel with a close male relative, the BBC reports. If they're not wearing Islamic head or face coverings, drivers should refuse to give them a ride....

Taliban Issues 'Guidelines' for Women on TV

For example, it doesn't want women appearing in TV dramas

(Newser) - The Taliban would like to see no more women appearing in TV dramas or soap operas in Afghanistan. The militant Islamist group, which took control of the country in August, also wants female journalists and TV presenters to wear hijabs when appearing on television, the BBC reports. This is the...

Taliban Abruptly Bans All Foreign Currency Transactions

Those who fail to use the afghani will be punished, group says

(Newser) - Afghanistan's battered economy took another heavy blow Tuesday when the Taliban abruptly declared a total ban on the use of all foreign currencies. American dollars are widely used in markets and the currencies of neighboring countries are often used in border areas. The Taliban said anybody who failed to...

For 2nd Straight Week, Mosque Attack Kills Dozens

Suicide bombers suspected to be from Islamic State target worshipers in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Suicide bombers assaulted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Imam Barga...

He Made a Plea to Biden. Now, an Interpreter Finds Safety

Aman Khalili, who helped rescue Biden after chopper's 2008 emergency landing, flees Afghanistan

(Newser) - It took a 600-mile trek and weeks of hard work by US, Afghan, and Pakistani allies, but Aman Khalili and his family are finally safely out of Afghanistan. While the name of the ex-Afghan translator may not ring a bell for most, one person in particular knows it well: President...

Taliban Tells US There'll Be No Help With IS

That's how this weekend's negotiations begin

(Newser) - The Taliban on Saturday ruled out cooperation with the US to contain extremist groups in Afghanistan, staking out an uncompromising position on a key issue ahead of the first direct talks between the former foes since America withdrew from the country in August. Senior Taliban officials and US representatives are...

If Taliban Don't Pay Electric Bill, It'll Be Lights Out

Foreign suppliers could cut off power, leading to blackouts in Kabul

(Newser) - On top of everything else, the people of Afghanistan could soon lose power because the ruling Taliban aren't paying foreign electrical suppliers. "This would be a really dangerous situation," said Daud Noorzai, who quit as head of Afghanistan's power monopoly after the Taliban takeover, the Wall ...

Kabul Has Deadliest Attack Since US Left

Mosque bombed during Taliban service, reportedly killing at least 5 civilians

(Newser) - At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast at the entrance to a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said, describing the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since US forces left at the end of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on...

Afghans Hide Books, Paintings as Crackdown on Culture Looms

Taliban says Islamic law will determine what kinds of art are allowed

(Newser) - The bad old days are back in Afghanistan, where artists have hidden or destroyed paintings, musicians have stopped working, and residents are hiding books ahead of an expected Taliban crackdown on art and culture deemed un-Islamic. The group—which banned movies, television, and music during its rule from 1996 to...

Taliban&#39;s Newest Ban: Beard Trims
Taliban's Newest
Ban: Beard Trims
Sep 27, 2021 3:52 PM CDT

Taliban's Newest Ban: Beard Trims

Extremist group has barred barbers in Helmand province from shaving, trimming facial hair

(Newser) - The Taliban have been busy rolling back women's rights in Afghanistan and ramping up for a return to amputations and executions . Now, some more bad news for locals. Per the BBC , the extremist group has banned barbers in the Helmand province from shaving or otherwise trimming men's beards,...

In Afghan Public Square, a Gruesome Display

Taliban hang dead body from crane in Herat, signaling return to group's ways of the past

(Newser) - The Taliban hanged a dead body from a crane in the main square of Herat city in western Afghanistan, a witness said Saturday, in a gruesome display that signaled a return to some of the Taliban's methods of the past. Wazir Ahmad Seddiqi, who runs a pharmacy on the...

Taliban to Resume Executions, Amputations

Judges, including women, will decide cases instead of clerics, official says

(Newser) - One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands. In an interview in Kabul, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban'...

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