Women Rights Activist Released from Taliban Detention

Atmar emphasised that the celebration of Nowroz among the people of present-day Afghanistan "has a history of more than two thousand five hundred years”.

The former foreign minister of Afghanistan said on Wednesday that considering the ancient civilisation of Afghanistan and the customs of other Islamic countries in the region, the Taliban cannot provide convincing reasons for their ban on Nowroz.

The Taliban's Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice banned the celebration of Nowroz in Afghanistan.

Muslim countries such as Iran and Tajikistan also celebrate Nowroz as an ancient festival.

The Taliban spokesman said that the group has seized "weapons, and explosives" from these ISIS members.

While the Taliban regularly reports about operations against ISIS members inside Afghanistan, the group's foreign minister recently claimed that ISIS does not exist in Afghanistan.

In a conversation with the Taliban-controlled national television, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that those ISIS members who are fighting with the Taliban are "foreigners" who entered Afghanistan from outside the country.

At least two deaths and 20 injuries have been confirmed so far in Afghanistan.

Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesperson of the Taliban, confirmed that so far two dead and 20 wounded have been admitted into healthcare centers in Afghanistan. However, he has not specified the locations where these casualties have been reported from.

Pakistani media reported that nine people have been killed and more than 100 people were injured in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Due to media restrictions and censorship in Afghanistan, there are no accurate figures of casualties and damages in Afghanistan due to Tuesday’s earthquake.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 jolted northern Afghanistan on Tuesday evening and caused a strong tremor throughout the country and parts of northern Pakistan.

This earthquake was located at a depth of 194 km and its center was in the Hindu Kush mountains near Badakhshan province of Afghanistan.

After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in mid-August 2021, Badri had been appointed as the Acting Minister of Finance of the Taliban.

Earlier, there were rumours about Badri's resignation from the Ministry of Finance. He is said to have resigned due to a dispute over revenue with Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Before Badri, Abdul Qahir, was in-charge of the Taliban-controlled Central Bank of Afghanistan.

In a message, on the occasion of Nowroz, Massoud added that the women's stance is a base for resistance against the Taliban's ideology.

The NRF leader stressed on the continuation of resistance against the Taliban. He said that the Taliban’s acceptance of democracy and civil liberties is the pre-condition to negotiating with the group.

Even though the NRF’s armed resistance against the Taliban has slowed down, Massoud emphasised his political achievements during the Nowroz message. He referred to his efforts to increase international pressure on the Taliban.

Massoud considered the domestic protests and the gathering of political forces outside the country as part of the general resistance of the Afghan people against the Taliban.

Ahmad Massoud asked his critics to put aside differences without referring to a specific person or group.