196 Terrorists Killed & Arrested In 8 Months In Iran, Says Islamic Republic Intel Agency

It urged the international community to unite with WHO to help tackle the ongoing humanitarian health crisis in Afghanistan.

The new Alert issued by WHO on Friday underscores the crucial importance of ramping up investment in healthcare services provision in Afghanistan, particularly in the underserved areas where the healthcare infrastructure is severely under-resourced and remain vulnerable due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The global healthcare body added that the revised Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 reveals an alarming increase in the number of people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

As per the plan, at least 28.8 million people in Afghanistan require immediate assistance, up from 18.4 million prior to August 2021.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said, "The situation in Afghanistan is grave, and the lack of resources and funding to support health workers and facilities is putting countless lives at risk. Women and children are suffering the most. I call on donors to give generously so that we can continue our life-saving work”.

Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative to Afghanistan, also expressed concern about the underfunding of the health system and emphasised the need for immediate action, while also taking the opportunity to extend his appreciation to partners.

WHO added that without sufficient funding, eight million people in Afghanistan will lose access to essential and potentially lifesaving health assistance, and 450,000 patients will have little to no access to life-saving trauma care services, including blood transfusions and referrals.

AFF added that this attack took place on Thursday night in the "Sar-e Joy Rabat" area of the Bagram district.

Afghanistan Freedom Front has said that armed clashes with the Taliban continued for about an hour and its fighters used "light and heavy weapons".

The front has published a video clip of this operation on its X account too.

AFF stressed that its fighters ambushed Taliban forces dispatched from the Bagram airfield too, but there are no details about the casualties inflicted on the Taliban.

The front said that its forces were not harmed in this attack.

The Taliban have not yet commented on this attack of the Afghanistan Freedom Front.

AFF has increased its attacks on Taliban targets in recent weeks in northern provinces and the capital, Kabul.

Sources told Afghanistan International that Haq had been detained for broadcasting an advertisement related to cricket matches which featured a woman.

Ziaul Haq had been the head of evaluation of RTA and had continued working for the TV Station after the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Local sources said that the Taliban officials detained him on Thursday at the entrance of RTA which is located in Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul. According to a source, Ziaul Haq was beaten up by the Taliban officials when he was detained.

Sources added that the Taliban officials also threatened the staff at the RTA news department for broadcasting women’s comments during a live televised news conference. It has been said that the broadcast of images of a woman who did not cover her face during the press conference provoked the anger of the Taliban’s intelligence agency.

Officials of RTA, which is under the control of the Taliban, did not respond to Afghanistan International on the issue of the detention of the TV station’s employee.

RTA is a state broadcaster which is now controlled by the Taliban after the group’s takeover of Afghanistan.

Earlier, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had also announced the detention of nine journalists by the Taliban in the last 10 days.

On Thursday, UNAMA added that the organisation seeks to remind the Taliban of their “obligations under international law to respect, uphold and promote rights to freedom of opinion and expression”.

The UN agency also mentioned the rights of all those in custody, including the right to meet with their families, access to a lawyer, and be informed of the charges against them.

Without providing the details about media workers’ detention, UNAMA stressed that Mortaza Behboudi, an Afghan French journalist, and Matiullah Wesa, an activist for girls' education, are being held by the Taliban too.

During the last two years, the Taliban has widely suppressed the media and arrested and tortured journalists.

According to the recent report by "Afghan Witness", a UK-based group, at least 98 journalists and media workers have been detained by the Taliban in the last two years.

Nai, an organisation supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, on Friday, announced that the Taliban have detained five journalists in the past week.

On August 14, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the Taliban to end the "relentless campaign" of suppression and intimidation of the media in Afghanistan.

According to CPJ, the Taliban has continued "censorship, beatings, and arbitrary detentions of journalists" in the last two years in Afghanistan.

Zohrevand said that Afghanistan is turning into a dangerous black hole in the region.

In an interview with the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) on Thursday, the former Iranian ambassador to Kabul, said that any regional group with access to weapons and radical ideology has representatives in Afghanistan.

Zohrevand stressed that the recent statements of the former US special envoy for Afghanistan about the Taliban must be taken seriously.

On the eve of the second year of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, Khalilzad in an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International, asked the opposition leaders of the Taliban to return to Kabul and talk with the group.

Referring to these statements Zohrevand said, “Zalmay Khalilzad clearly declares the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan as a political reality and even asks the country's politicians to return and continue their lives [under the group]. He has made these statements while the US has not recognised the Taliban, and has put new scenarios on its agenda.”

The former Iranian ambassador to Kabul believes that the US is even looking to shift the conflict and crisis into Pakistan in any possible way.

According to him, even the Chinese in Pakistan's Gwadar port had been singled out and it was a targeted attack.

Referring to the Taliban’s lack of legitimacy in Afghanistan, Zohrevand said that with the current situation, a popular uprising might emerge in Afghanistan, which according to him will undoubtedly plunge the Taliban into a deeper crisis.