Women’s Rights Defender Denied Family Visit & Access to Lawyer in Taliban Prison

Additionally, Patel also stated that the US has implemented measures to prevent the Taliban from accessing humanitarian aid.

On Monday, UNAMA reported that the Taliban "detained women and girls, predominately from Hazara-dominated areas in Dashte Barchi in western Kabul, and also some from Khair Khana area of Kabul, where most residents are Tajiks”.

The Taliban says that these girls were detained for non-compliance with the group's mandated hijab, and they accused the UNAMA of labelling Islamic rules as violations of human rights and insulting the beliefs of a nation in their report.

Patel once again emphasised that the Taliban is seeking recognition while their actions are unacceptable for the United States.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, on Sunday to condemn the massacre of Hazaras in Afghanistan. They urged the US and other countries that the aid should be contingent upon an improvement in the human rights situation in the country. They emphasised on their concerns that the Taliban is benefiting from these aid contributions.

However, Patel told Afghanistan International reporter, Marzia Hosseini that US has tried to prevent humanitarian aid and American taxpayers' money from ending up in the hand of the Taliban.

He said, “We work closely with trusted NGOs and other entities who we’ve had long-established relationships with, and there are measures and vetting and other processes in place to ensure that the hard-earned money from the American taxpayer does not end up in the hands of the Taliban.”

The United Nations has also clarified that the funds contributed by the global community to the organization are securely held in its accounts, with no access granted to the Taliban.

However, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has said that the Taliban has access to international aid in various ways, including the establishment of aid agencies.

This office has also accused the Taliban of interfering in aid delivery and misusing projects for their own benefit.

The border was reinstated on Tuesday, facilitating the entry of the first Afghan commercial truck into Pakistan. Local sources have shared images depicting this inaugural crossing.

Previously, Pakistani authorities had implemented a visa requirement for Afghan lorry drivers at the Torkham border. This policy led to many drivers being unable to cross due to the absence of visas and passports, effectively preventing their entry into Pakistan.

In response to Pakistan's visa policy, the Taliban introduced a prohibition on Pakistani commercial lorries entering Afghanistan. This reciprocal action halted commercial activities at this critical border crossing, resulting in significant financial losses for exporters on both sides.

Recent reports indicate ongoing discussions between the Taliban and Pakistani authorities regarding the reopening of the Torkham border, although the details of these negotiations have not been disclosed.

Pakistani news sources have reported a meeting between a delegation from the Taliban, the Afghan Chamber of Commerce, and Pakistani officials at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul. Following these discussions, Pakistan decided to lift the visa requirement for Afghan lorry drivers until 31 March, leading to the reopening of the border.

Taliban officials have recently confirmed the reopening of the Torkham border crossing.

According to their statement, these individuals participated in "terrorist activities" against security forces and civilians.

However, it is unclear which group these individuals had been affiliated with.

Pakistan army says that it has seized weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the terrorists.

Following the takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021, Pakistan has witnessed an unprecedented surge of violence in the country.

In the first week of 2024, the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies reported a 17 percent rise in armed attacks in Pakistan in 2023.

The institute said that 78 percent of the attacks were carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ISIS, and Baloch separatists.

Mujahid, in a social media post on the X network, noted that medical teams had provided the necessary first aid to these individuals.

Mujahid had earlier confirmed finding a downed Russian airplane in the Kuf Ab district of Badakhshan province, affirming that the pilot and three passengers survived the crash.

Furthermore, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, quoting a source within the Russian aviation authority, suggested that strong winds or a fuel shortage could have been factors leading to the crash. The source highlighted the presence of strong headwinds on Saturday, which might have played a role in the incident.

Russia Today (RT) shared details about the passengers on the missing aircraft in Badakhshan. The plane was reportedly carrying a Russian couple returning from a vacation in Thailand. The illness of one of the passengers necessitated their early return to Russia.

UNAMA published a report on Monday about the situation of human rights in Afghanistan covering October to December 2023. In its report, UNAMA also mentioned that a Taliban ombudsman told an unmarried woman at a health centre that she would lose her job if she did not get married.

As per UNAMA, Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice officials said that it is not appropriate for unmarried women to work.

In the report released on Monday, covering the final three months of 2023, UNAMA has reported mass dismissal of women from their jobs by the Taliban in many provinces.

The report states that on October 22, in Nangarhar province, Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice banned nearly 400 women from working in a pine nut processing factory, while the men were allowed to continue their work.

UNAMA wrote that no reason has been provided for the ban.

On November 22, in Balkh province, a power plant under the control of the Taliban fired 200 women for financial reasons, but “none of the male employees faced the same action”.

Violence against Hazaras and Shias

This UN organisation also announced that in the last three months of 2023, an explosion in Baghlan, two explosions in Kabul and three targeted assassinations in Herat targeted the Hazaras and Shia community of Afghanistan.

UNAMA stated that in these attacks, at least 49 people were killed, and 88 others were injured.

On October 13, in Pul-e-Khumri city of Baghlan, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives among Shia worshipers in a mosque, killing 21 people and injuring 30 others.

On October 26, an explosion of an IED inside a sports club in Dashte Barchi area killed eight people and injured 35 others.

On November 7, an explosion targeted a passenger bus again in Dashte Barchi, killing 11 and injuring 21.

ISIS-Khorasan claimed responsibility for all three attacks and stated that members of the Shia community were targeted.

Chain assassinations of Shia clerics in Herat

UNAMA’s report stated that in the last three months of 2023, a series of targeted killings of Shia religious scholars were carried out in Jibreal area of Herat city.

On October 22, a Shiite cleric was shot dead. On November 23, two Shia clerics were shot dead; and on December 1, six people (including two Shia religious scholars) were killed and two others got wounded.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for these attacks in Herat and the perpetrators remain unidentified.