Gunmen Shoot 11 People At “Shrine” In Nahrin, Baghlan Province
Local sources reported that unknown gunmen "shot" at least 11 people at a shrine in Nahrin district of Baghlan province on Thursday night, November 21.
Local sources reported that unknown gunmen "shot" at least 11 people at a shrine in Nahrin district of Baghlan province on Thursday night, November 21.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the gunmen in this attack shot at a "circle of Sufis" who had gathered at night.
According to sources, the majority of those killed in this attack are young people.
Afghanistan International has also received pictures that show the bodies of the dead people inside what is called a shrine.
So far, it is not known which person or group carried out this attack.
The official sources of the Taliban have not yet commented on this incident.
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to support efforts to transfer Washington's Afghan colleagues to the United States.
The bill calls for the appointment of a coordinator at the US State Department to handle efforts to relocate Washington's Afghan allies.
According to the text of the "Bill Designating the Coordinator of Efforts to Relocate Afghans 2024" which was published on the website of the Congress, "the relocation and resettlement of eligible Afghan allies, facilitating the exit from Afghanistan for US citizens and people who have permanent residence in the US", are among the responsibilities of this coordinator.
In addition, according to the bill, the coordinator of the US State Department will support the efforts of this ministry and the US government for the resettlement and relocation of Afghans.
The draft of this bill was presented to the US House of Representatives by Dina Titus, a representative of the state of Nevada.
This bill was approved two days ago with 334 votes in favour, 63 votes against and 36 abstentions.
"I am proud to have spearheaded this bill to ensure that we can protect eligible Afghan allies who have helped the United States and are facing threats from the Taliban," Titus wrote on her X account after the law was passed.
The US House of Representatives approves this bill while thousands of Afghan immigrants eligible to be transferred to the US are waiting to be transferred to the United States in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar and Albania. These immigrants, some of whom have been expelled from Afghanistan for more than three years, are worried about canceling the process of transferring immigrants when Donald Trump takes office.
Currently, the process of transferring Afghan immigrants to America continues slowly.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesman of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said that terrorist groups have a sanctuary in Afghanistan and attack Pakistan from there.
Baloch expressed hope that the Taliban would consider these groups not only a threat to others but also a serious threat to their own security.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan asked the Taliban to fulfil their commitments in the Doha Peace Agreement and stop the activities of this group in Afghanistan. Without naming a specific group, she demanded that the Taliban take action against terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
In the last three years, Pakistani Taliban attacks on Pakistani security forces have increased. According to analysts, Pakistani militants are allies of the Afghan Taliban and this group is not ready to expel them from Afghanistan.
In response to the requests of the regional countries, the Taliban has said that it will not allow any group to attack the neighbouring countries, but Pakistan insists that the leadership and a large number of Pakistani Taliban forces are present in Afghanistan.
According to the announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Zahra Baloch said in her press conference on Thursday that the concerns of the international community have been expressed in the reports of the United Nations and in the meetings of the neighbouring countries and the region regarding the situation in Afghanistan.
Zahra Baloch expressed hope that the Taliban "consider these groups as a serious threat not only to the region, but also to their own security and fulfil their obligations in various international agreements, including the Doha Agreement”.
She also said that Islamabad has shared its concern with Washington about the large amount of weapons that terrorist groups have acquired in Afghanistan and are using to attack Pakistan. Baloch added that Islamabad and Washington are trying to force the Taliban to fulfil their commitments in the fight against terrorism.
Zahra Baloch once again emphasised that terrorist groups have shelter in Afghanistan and from there they conduct operations inside Pakistan.
She said, "We believe that terrorism is a threat not only to Afghanistan, but also to Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, as well as to the whole world."
After the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Islamabad hoped that this group would prevent the Pakistani Taliban from attacking security forces and government targets in Pakistan. Islamabad says that with the passage of three years, the Taliban not only did not prevent the activities of this group in Afghanistan, but also provided shelter in the border areas to this group.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan announced that during the visit of China's special representative for Afghanistan affairs to Islamabad, the officials of this ministry shared with him "definitive evidence" about the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other opposition groups in this country.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said that currently, this country does not have a special representative for Afghanistan and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan for the West Asian region and Afghanistan is responsible for Pakistan's interaction with the Taliban government.
Earlier, Pakistan had appointed two special representatives for Afghanistan. The last representative of this country was Asif Ali Durrani, who was removed recently.
The Taliban's Supreme Court announced that the group's primary court in Nadir Shah Kot district of Khost province had flogged a woman and a man on charges of "moral corruption".
According to the Law of Promotion of Virtue, the Taliban also considers it "immoral" for men and women to speak to each other.
According to the court, each of the defendants was sentenced to 39 lashes in public.
The Taliban's Supreme Court wrote in a statement on Thursday, November 21, that the flogging sentences were carried out by local authorities in the courtyard of the primary court of Nadir Shah Kot district in the presence of clients, local officials, and the general public.
Despite the objections of international human rights organisations, the Taliban has continued to torture and give out corporal punishment in Afghanistan. This comes as many humanitarian organisations have expressed concern about the lack of access to a fair trial for the accused in Afghanistan.
The Taliban's Supreme Court announced on November 21 that the group had flogged three people 39 times for alleged extramarital affairs at a stadium in Khulm district of Samangan province.
According to the court's statement, the three men were flogged in public in the presence of local Taliban officials.
According to a statement issued by the Taliban's Supreme Court, the flogging sentence was carried out based on the decision of the Taliban's primary court in Khulm district of Samangan province.
Despite international condemnation, the Taliban's Supreme Court announces implementation of corporal punishment almost daily.
The international community and human rights defenders have repeatedly called for an end to the Taliban's corporal punishment of defendants, but the group has continued to implement "Islamic law" at will.
The United Nations has repeatedly stated that the Taliban violates the laws and human dignity by punishing flogging.
The Afghanistan Journalists' Support Organisation (AJSO) said that without support for Afghan media, the future of freedom of expression in the country is in serious danger.
On the occasion of World Television Day, the organisation said that a serious crisis threatens media and television in Afghanistan.
A statement issued by the AJSO on Thursday (November 21) read that in the past three years, Afghanistan's visual media have faced widespread restrictions and severe pressures.
The organisation said that the Taliban has severely restricted freedom of expression and the free flow of information by imposing censorship, shutting down the media, and creating an atmosphere of fear and threats against journalists.
The statement also noted that many TV channels have been forced to stop operating or broadcasting content in accordance with the Taliban's ideology. The pressures have had a particularly significant impact on female journalists. Since the Taliban came to power, many female journalists have been deprived of their jobs and some have been forced to leave the country.
The Afghanistan Journalists’ Support Organisation has emphasised that these conditions have endangered not only the freedom of the media, but also the right of the Afghan people to access information.
The organisation called on the international community, human rights organisations, and media organisations to take immediate and practical action to support Afghan media and journalists.
World Television Day, which is celebrated annually on November 21, honours the role of television in promoting culture, information and education. This day reminds us of the impact of television as one of the main communication tools in spreading public awareness and promoting freedom of expression in democratic societies.
This day was introduced by the United Nations in 1996 as an opportunity to inform people about the vital role of television in modern societies.
