Ariana News Anchor Assaulted by Alleged Taliban Members
Abdul Aziz Sakhizada, an Ariana News anchor, reported on Thursday that he was beaten up by individuals who identified themselves as members of the Taliban.
Abdul Aziz Sakhizada, an Ariana News anchor, reported on Thursday that he was beaten up by individuals who identified themselves as members of the Taliban.
Sakhizada wrote in a note on Facebook that there were two attackers. The Taliban is yet to comment on the incident.
Mujeeb Bahir, the head of Ariana News, responded to a question from Afghanistan International by stating that he was unaware of the incident.
Ariana News is a private news network based in Kabul that has continued to operate under Taliban conditions and restrictions since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
Two sources within the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence informed Afghanistan International that some employees of this department have not received their salaries for three months.
According to the sources, on Thursday, the payment of the third month’s salary for these employees has also been delayed.
The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, said that for the third consecutive month, the Taliban have told some of their intelligence employees that their salaries will be paid "soon”.
The sources stated that the Taliban had promised their intelligence employees that the salaries would be paid today, Tuesday, on the eve of Eid al-Adha, however, the promise was not fulfilled.
It is unclear whether the Taliban's inability to pay its employees is limited to the intelligence department or if it extends to other security and defence agencies.
Over the past two and a half years, the salaries of some government civilian departments, including the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education, have been covered by international organisations such as the Red Cross and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
However, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced last August that it would likely end funding for 25 hospitals in Afghanistan by the end of August.
Medical staff at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar told Afghanistan International in April this year that their salaries had been reduced by 30 percent over the past two months for unknown reasons.
Similarly, as of Thursday, June 13, the Taliban have reduced the salaries of female government employees to five thousand Afghanis.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that with a thousand days having passed since the closure of girls' schools above the sixth grade, Afghan girls have lost three billion hours of learning.
UNICEF has described the Taliban's ban on girls' education as a blatant violation of their right to education.
In a statement released on Thursday, it said that the systematic deprivation of girls from education leads to reduced opportunities and deteriorating mental health.
UNICEF emphasised that children's rights, especially those of girls, should not be "held hostage" to political issues.
According to the organisation, the consequences of the ban on girls' education extend beyond the girls themselves; it exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and has serious impacts on development and the economy.
According to UNICEF's report, the Taliban have deprived nearly one and a half million Afghan girls of education in the past 1,000 days.
The Taliban's decision to close girls' schools has faced widespread domestic and international condemnation, but the group remains unwilling to reverse this decision.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that on Wednesday, 11 individuals were publicly flogged in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar.
The Taliban stated that these individuals were punished with 25 to 30 lashes on charges of theft and extramarital relations.
According to a statement from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, the corporal punishment was carried out in public based on the decision of the criminal court in Spin Boldak district.
According to the statement, the Taliban sentenced two individuals to one year of imprisonment and 25 lashes, three individuals to one year of imprisonment and 30 lashes, four individuals to two years of imprisonment and 25 lashes, and two others to three years of imprisonment and 30 lashes.
Recently, the group flogged 63 individuals, including 49 men and 14 women, on charges of various offences at the central stadium in Sar-e Pul province.
Since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, corporal punishments such as flogging, amputation, and execution have resumed.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly called for an end to public punishments of citizens and have expressed concern about the lack of access to defence lawyers and legal services for the accused.
Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, responded to a question regarding US involvement in the recent Pakistani military attacks against TTP around the Durand Line in Afghanistan, stating that Washington continues to pursue ISIS leaders and militants in the region.
Singh refrained from providing further details or specifically commenting on the Pakistani military attacks in Afghanistan during the press conference.
US officials have consistently expressed their support for what they call Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations.
Last February, at the same time as the Pakistani military's attack on targets in Khost and Paktika, Pakistani media reported that Donald Blome, the US Ambassador to Islamabad, told Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting that Washington supports Islamabad in its fight against terrorism.
At that time, the Pakistani military stated that it had attacked the positions of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in these two provinces of Afghanistan, killing several militants.
Late last month, the Pakistani military also attacked TTP positions in Paktika.
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP in Afghanistan. The Taliban government officials have consistently denied this claim.
Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that it is still unclear what the Biden administration plans to do for the release of Ryan Corbett, a US citizen held by the Taliban.
He urged Biden to assert his authority as the President of the United States and ensure Corbett's immediate release.
The Taliban arrested Corbett on August 10, 2022.
The Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee said on Wednesday that Corbett is being held in solitary confinement under very poor conditions and has developed physical health issues.
McCaul stated that Corbett has been involved in humanitarian aid and providing opportunities to people in Afghanistan for over a decade. He should not be treated as a criminal.
He again called on the President to act decisively and prioritise Ryan's immediate release.
Corbett’s wife has said that his mental and physical health has significantly deteriorated in recent months.
The Taliban have not disclosed the reasons for this US citizen's arrest. However, earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior US official, that the Taliban demanded the release of Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, who has been imprisoned in Guantanamo since 2008, in exchange for Corbett's freedom.