Imprisonment of Civilians Against Principles of Human Rights, Says Faiq

He has urged for an investigation into the civilian detentions in Panjshir.

A video clip has been circulating on social media depicting Taliban officials arresting a number of people with handcuffs.

Taliban forces claim that the detained people were members of the National Resistance Front (NRF).

Many have criticised the Taliban’s behaviour after the release of the video clip. Several social media users have stated that the Taliban arrest and imprison civilians under the pretext of fostering relationship with the National Resistance Front.

After the National Resistance Front increased its attacks against the Taliban members in Panjshir, this group has appointed one of its most radical commanders as the commander of Panjshir and Andrab.

According to reports, the Taliban have also sent hundreds of additional troops to Panjshir province on Monday.

Speculation Rife of Taliban Expelling Pauwels as EU Delegation Head Leaves Afghanistan

Aug 23, 2022, 10:59 GMT+1

Arnout Pauwels, head of the European Union’s (EU) delegation in Kabul, announced the end of his tenure. Pauwels, who seems to have been expelled by the Taliban, wrote on Twitter, “You can take the diplomat out of Afghanistan, but you can’t take Afghanistan out of the diplomat.”

Pauwels stressed that he will be leaving Afghanistan on Tuesday and stated that it is a turbulent time.

According to Pauwels, Raffaella Iodice will soon replace him as the head of the EU delegation in Afghanistan.

The appointment of a female diplomat as the head of the EU delegation in Kabul is symbolically interpreted as the strict stance of the European Union regarding its support of women's rights in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Pauwels in his interview with TOLOnews had emphasised that the reopening of girls' schools is the priority for the European Union in Afghanistan. He listed women's right to work, human rights, media freedom, and the formation of an effective and inclusive political system as other priorities of the EU delegation.

NRF Confirms Presence of Unidentified Drones in Northern, Central Afghanistan Skies

Aug 23, 2022, 10:14 GMT+1

The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) said that over the past two days, unidentified drones entered the airspace of Afghanistan and could be seen in flight above the northern and central provinces.

Sibghatullah Ahmadi, the NRF spokesperson, wrote on Twitter that with the Taliban's control over Afghanistan, this country has become a house without doors and windows.

On Sunday, Afghanistan International sources from Panjshir province sent video clips which had recorded drones flying over Panjshir.

The Taliban have not yet commented on the reports of drones flying over northern Afghanistan.

Female University Student, Wearing Colored Veil, Barred From Taking Exam in Afghanistan

Aug 22, 2022, 14:02 GMT+1

Taliban officials from the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice barred a female student from participating in the university exam in Kabul. In a social media post, the student alleged that due to the colour of her scarf, she was not allowed to take her tests.

According to her, "We live in a country where the colour of a girl's veil is more important than her fate and future."

However, there is a difference which has emerged between the behavior of the moral police officials and the stance of the Taliban’s Ministry of Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue.

Mohammad Sadiq Akef, the spokesman of the Ministry of Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue said, "A veil or a burqa is a hijab. It does not matter whether the color of the hijab is black or some other colour.”

In a press conference in Kabul, he said on Monday that the hijab should not be tight, narrow, thin, ornate, and fragrant.

At the same time, officials of the Ministry of Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue on Monday presented a one-year report describing the ministry's functions.

At the press conference, Mawlawi Abdur Rahman Munir, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Vice and Virtue said that over a thousand complaints have been filed in the ministry in the past year.

Munir did not give details about these complaints, but before this, the Taliban had established strict rules and asked the people to inform this ministry if they see any wrongdoing in the society.

Human rights organisations say that the Taliban's Ministry of Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue has been practicing gender apartheid against Afghan women in the past year.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the ministry has imposed extensive restrictions on women's right to education, work, and freedom of movement and social activities.

Taliban Establishes New Sharia Faculties in Afghan Universities in 17 Provinces

Aug 22, 2022, 12:31 GMT+1

Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has established new Sharia faculties across all universities in 17 provinces of Afghanistan, as per the group’s officials who confirmed the reports to Afghanistan International.

Mawlawi Ahmad Taqi, Taliban’s MoHE spokesperson, stated that teaching of Islamic culture has also been increased to 24 credits in every university.

Taliban officials stressed that these changes have been implemented based on the approval of the Taliban leadership.

Afghanistan International had learned earlier that the Taliban was implementing broad changes in the curriculum of Afghan universities.

Sources of Afghanistan International had reported at that time that the Taliban planned to reduce the teaching hours of the main subjects at the colleges and instead, increase the teaching hours of Islamic culture by three times.

14 Killed Due to Deadly Floods in Paktia Province

Aug 22, 2022, 10:23 GMT+1

At least 14 people have died and 12 others have been injured because of floods in the capital center and some districts of Paktia province, as per Bakhtar, the Taliban-controlled News Agency. The floods have destroyed over 1,000 houses, and 20 acres of agricultural land.

Bakhtar confirmed that 1,435 livestock too had been lost due to these floods.

According to the Taliban officials in Logar province, on Saturday, rain and floods in Khushi district of the province killed at least 14 people, including children and women, and four others were reported as missing.

Over the past few days, heavy rains and floods have continued to batter at least 20 other provinces, including Nangarhar, Laghman, Maidan Wardak and Ghazni.

The Taliban police command in Logar province said on Sunday that most of the victims of the flood in this province have been children. He added that there are nine children and two women among the dead.

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