Taliban Detains Journalist For Supporting Girls’ Education in Kandahar

Noori, in a post on his Facebook account, had written that “whoever is against our children’s education is our main enemy”.

Sources told Afghanistan International that despite efforts and repeated demands of journalists and his family, the Taliban haven’t released Noori.

In his Facebook post, Noori had pointed to the Friday prayer speech of an Imam and had written that “Mullah Saheb with courage and a loud voice said that girls’ education is haram [forbidden]”.

This journalist had emphasised that “no one had the zeal and courage to stand in front of the mosque and throw out the mullah”.

Sources told Afghanistan International that after this Facebook post, Taliban forces detained the journalist and according to this source he had been warned by the Taliban earlier as well.

Two New Gas Deposits Discovered In Badghis Province

Oct 28, 2022, 11:59 GMT+1

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported that a gas deposit has been discovered in Qadis district of Badghis province. Shamsuddin Nizami, the director of mines in Badghis, said that a technical team has been dispatched to the gas deposit for further exploration.

According to the Taliban, this is the second gas deposit that has been discovered in Badghis province.

According to Bakhtar News Agency, the new gas deposit has been discovered after a recent earthquake in the province.

On Wednesday, the Taliban announced the discovery of a gas field in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province.

Although the Taliban has announced the discovery of these gas deposits, local residents said that they had noticed signs of presence of gas deposits in some parts of Badghis earlier.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said that a special technical group will work on the exploration of these gas deposits in the province.

Based on the latest joint assessment of Afghanistan and the United States in 2019, the capacity of Afghanistan's oil field is estimated at 1.6 billion dollars.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is estimated to have nearly 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 500 million barrels of other gaseous liquids.

The financial value of these natural fossil resources is estimated at 107 billion dollars.

Denmark, South Korea Donate 10 Million Dollars to Support Girls Education in Afghanistan

Oct 28, 2022, 10:47 GMT+1

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) announced that Denmark and South Korea have donated 10 million dollars for the education of Afghan children. UNICEF said that the fund will be used to expand Community-Based Learning Spaces across Afghanistan.

UNICEF added that Denmark and South Korea have donated 5 million dollars each to the organisation.

For more than four hundred days, girls’ secondary and high schools have been closed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

During this time, schoolteachers have also complained that they haven’t received their salaries.

Afghan Businesswomen Face More Challenges Than Opportunities, Says US Chargé d'Affaires

Oct 28, 2022, 09:46 GMT+1

Karen Decker, the Chargé d'Affaires of the US embassy for Afghanistan, met several Afghan businesswomen in Istanbul and said that they face more challenges than opportunities. Decker said that Afghan businesswomen have been "inspirational" and urged them not to give up hope.

Earlier, the US embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires had announced that she will visit Turkey to meet Afghan activists to find out how they relate to the situation inside Afghanistan.

The US diplomat met Afghan businesswomen outside Afghanistan at a time when most Afghan women activists have left the country due to the Taliban imposed restrictions or have left their jobs and businesses.

The Taliban have been accused of excluding women from social, political, and educational environments in Afghanistan, and despite the pressure of human rights groups, the Taliban remains restrictive regarding women and girls of Afghanistan.

70 Mining Companies Owe Over 2 Billion Afs to Taliban, Says Delawar

Oct 27, 2022, 15:31 GMT+1

Mawlawi Shahbuddin Delawar, the Taliban’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum, said that 70 mining companies in Helmand province owe 2.83 billion Afghani to the Taliban. Delawar in a visit to Helmand warned the companies that they should pay their debts or face legal consequences.

According to the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency, the Taliban’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum added that a new team will be sent to Helmand to work on the exploration of mining sites.

Delawar considers Helmand a mineral-rich province and said that effective measures should be in place for extraction of the province’s mining sites.

Delawar had earlier said that the Taliban government will start the extraction of 150 new mining sites across Afghanistan.

20 Terrorist Groups, 10000 Fighters Operate in Afghanistan, Says Russia

Oct 27, 2022, 13:23 GMT+1

Oleg Syromolotov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, said that more than 20 terrorist groups with 10,000 fighters operate in Afghanistan. Syromolotov added that the disastrous socio-economic situation of Afghanistan has attracted terrorists and facilitated radicalisation.

He stressed that Russia has been very closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan.

Without naming any country or organisation, the Russian diplomat said that terrorists receive financial support from outside Afghanistan.

However, he accused the United States and its allies of having a hand in de-stabilising Afghanistan and the country’s border regions.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister added that the weapons and ammunition left by the NATO military forces in Afghanistan have been used by terrorist groups.

Syromolotov added that since Afghanistan is a potential source of terrorist activities, Russia will remain in contact with the Taliban.

The Russian diplomat emphasised that the Taliban should fulfill their commitments to forming an inclusive government, fighting terrorism, countering narcotics, and respecting human rights in Afghanistan.

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