US Special Representative Discusses Afghanistan with EU, Asian Officials

Sep 22, 2022, 09:17 GMT+1

Tom West, US special representative for Afghanistan, met with Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of European Union's External Action Service, and discussed intra-Afghan dialogue. He added that in the meeting, they also discussed joint efforts of US and EU to support Afghans.

West said on Twitter that the meeting took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Meanwhile, West also met with Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace Affairs, and discussed the importance of the UN’s role in protecting the rights of Afghans, and establishing an inclusive government.

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3 Dead, 13 Injured in Kabul Explosion, Says Taliban

Sep 21, 2022, 14:31 GMT+1

Khaled Zadran, the spokesperson of the Taliban police command in Kabul, said that at least three people have been killed and 13 others have been injured in an explosion in the Dehmzang area of district 3 of Kabul. Zadran added that the explosion took place in a restaurant.

However, according to other sources, at least seven people have been killed and 14 people have been injured in this explosion. According to these sources, three dead and 11 injured were transferred to Esteqlal hospital and four dead and 11 other injured were transferred to Aliabad hospital.

The Taliban has not provided more details about the explosion.

The spokesperson of the Taliban police said that the security teams of have reached the area and investigation has started.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet.

Repair, Reconstruction Work of Bagram Airfield Starts, Announces Taliban

Sep 21, 2022, 13:13 GMT+1

The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that the reconstruction and repair work of the Bagram airfield has started. The ministry said on Twitter that a technical team of the Taliban forces will work on the repair and use of the Bagram airfield.

Bagram airfield, which is located in Parwan province, was the main military base of the US-led forces for the past 20 years.

The Taliban's Ministry of Defense said that before leaving Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, American forces had destroyed all the facilities of the Bagram airfield.

Bagram airfield has three large hangars, a control tower, several support buildings, and 130,000 square meters of flight space.

George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump were the three US presidents, who have visited Bagram airfield in the last two decades.

Pak Foreign Minister, US Special Representative Discuss Engagement with Taliban

Sep 21, 2022, 11:04 GMT+1

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a meeting with Tom West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, has called for continued international interaction with the Taliban.

In the meeting, West, however, has expressed "grave concerns" about the violation of the fundamental freedom of Afghans by the Taliban.

According to a statement released by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, Zardari told West in New York that "a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan is a priority for Pakistan”.

The statement said that Pakistan's Foreign Minister emphasised on Pakistan's efforts to facilitate a regional consensus on Afghanistan.

Both sides have also stressed on providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan said in this meeting that failure to address humanitarian issues and poverty in Afghanistan can lead to a mass migration of refugees from Afghanistan.

The US special representative for Afghanistan Tom West on Twitter said that during the meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister, he discussed joint efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

West added that during this meeting, he expressed his deep concern about the violation of the basic rights and freedoms of Afghan citizens by the Taliban.

The US Special Representative has also stressed on the fact that the Taliban must fulfil its commitments to not harbour terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Taliban’s New Minister of Education is Illiterate, Says Group’s Senior Official

Sep 21, 2022, 10:06 GMT+1

Taliban’s newly-appointed Minister of Education, Mawlawi Habibullah Agha has not received a formal education, said a senior Taliban official. The official said that Agha's appointment is a "setback" to the efforts of some Taliban leaders to reopen girls' schools in Afghanistan.

A senior Taliban official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Afghanistan International that the group's new education minister has not even received basic education. The high-ranking Taliban official added, "The appointment [of Habibullah Agha] is a setback for some Taliban leaders who have made little efforts to reopen girls' secondary schools."

The Taliban on Wednesday announced a list of Cabinet and senior government appointments by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of this group.

According to the decree, Mawlawi Habibullah Agha, the head of the provincial ulema council of Kandahar, has been appointed as the acting minister of education of the Taliban.

Nurullah Monib, who was the Taliban's Minister of Education, has now been appointed as the head of the Taliban's Dar al-Afta.

After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban on August 15, 2021, the group ordered closure of secondary schools for girls across Afghanistan.

Don’t Let Afghanistan Be Graveyard of Our Dreams, Says Afghan Girls Robotics Team Leader

Sep 20, 2022, 12:14 GMT+1

Somaya Faruqi, head of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, urged world leaders to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a graveyard for girls’ dreams. Faruqi, who addressed the UN General Assembly on Sunday, added that the Taliban have closed schools for millions of Afghan girls.

The head of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team stressed that there is no prospect for reopening of schools for girls in Afghanistan.

She said that girls in Afghanistan are facing an uncertain future and added, "The Taliban will completely remove our existence from society. Thousands of more girls may never be able to go back to school. Many of them are already married."

Addressing world leaders, she said that if these leaders think that Afghan girls deserve education, they should not let her and other girls become "victims of international policies".

In late 2021, when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they prevented Afghan girls from returning to high schools across Afghanistan.

Noorullah Munir, the Acting Minister of Education of the group, however, recently claimed that Afghans don’t want to educate their girls when they turn 16.