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Taliban Removed My Teeth & Injected Fluids Into My Body, Claims Afghan-French Journalist

Jan 14, 2025, 15:24 GMT+0

Mortaza Behboudi, an Afghan-French journalist who was imprisoned by the Taliban for seven months, told France 2 that the Taliban "pulled out his teeth and tortured him with electric shocks and injected fluids into his body".

He said that he was tortured every day during the first three months of his imprisonment.

In an interview with France 2, Behboudi said that he had not seen the sky for seven months in the Taliban's intelligence prison. He said that the prisoners used to commit suicide in front of his eyes after being tortured by the Taliban.

Afghanistan International's findings show that 31 types of torture methods are inflicted on prisoners in the detention centres of the Taliban's intelligence directorates in Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan.

Behboudi had arrived in Kabul in January 2023 to prepare a report on the situation in Afghanistan, and two days later, the Taliban arrested him.

The journalist was released from Taliban custody on October 18 after 284 days of detention.

Behboudi, who was born in Afghanistan and grew up in Iran, continued his career as a journalist after receiving asylum in France in 2015. He has also received the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy War Correspondents Prize in 2022.

The Afghan-French journalist said that he was arrested by a Taliban intelligence officer while he was preparing a report in front of the Kabul University.

"They handcuffed my hands and feet and covered my face," he said. Then, they took me to the basement of a building and flogged me for half an hour for seven days in a row," he said, adding that the Taliban accused him of spying for the French intelligence service.

In a part of his observations of the Taliban's prison, Behboudi said, "In this local prison, I saw people who were flogged in front of me and tied to the ceiling. A few hours later, they were no longer moving. They were dead. For the first three months, I was tortured every day. They pulled out my teeth, gave me electric shocks, and gave me forced injections. I couldn't have imagined surviving at all."

In his interview, Behboudi said that he was imprisoned in a two-or-three-square-metre cell with 12 other people, including ISIS members. He said that ISIS prisoners also tortured him for being a "Hazara and a Shia".

Behboudi said that after his release, he still spends his nights in fear due to the trauma of torture.

"I see two psychologists every week, I take medication every night to sleep," he said. I have nightmares every night."

Afghanistan International interviewed nine women and 29 men who were detained by the Taliban's central and provincial intelligence agency over the course of three years. Of these detainees, 18 were transferred to Kabul after a month of torture in different provinces, where they were tortured again.

Six of the prisoners said that they had been subjected to 16 forms of torture. Another 19 people have experienced nine types of torture, and 13 others have experienced two to five types of torture.

Of the 38 detainees, some required treatment during torture, but the Taliban took only two to the hospital and treated three others inside intelligence agencies.

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Afghan Women's Protest Movements Call On Islamic Countries To Give Scholarships To Girls

Jan 14, 2025, 14:22 GMT+0

The Afghanistan Women’s Light of Freedom Movement and the Powerful Women’s Movement of Afghanistan welcomed the declaration of the Conference on Girls' Education in Pakistan.

In separate statements, the movements called on Islamic countries and the international community to take practical measures to protect Afghan women and girls.

The Afghanistan Women’s Light of Freedom Movement said that girls' education is undeniable, which is recognised in Islamic teachings, international charters and the laws of countries. The movement has said that any attempt to restrict this right is contrary to religious principles and social justice.

The movement has considered the decrees and policies against girls' education as a continuation of cultural and social prejudices against women. The movement's statement said that the education of girls and women helps build a strong, peaceful and progressive society.

The Powerful Women's Movement of Afghanistan has called on all countries and international institutions to allocate more resources for girls' education. The movement's statement said that the allocation of these resources should become a priority in the educational programmes and public policies of Islamic countries.

The movement has stressed that extremist interpretations of religious teachings that restrict girls' education contradict the principles of Islam and perpetuate social prejudices and discrimination against women and girls.

The Women’s Light of Freedom Movement has urged Islamic countries and the world to offer scholarships to Afghan girls and women who have been deprived of education.

The Powerful Women's Movement of Afghanistan has praised global efforts to support the education of Afghan girls.

The International Conference on Girls' Education in Muslim Communities was held in Islamabad without the presence of the Taliban. The statement of the meeting emphasised that women's education in Islamic countries is supported by religion, the constitution and international law.

The conference's final statement did not mention the ban on women's education in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, but opposed the ban on women's education in Islamic countries.

Corbett, US Citizen In Taliban Custody In Need Of Urgent Medical Care, Says UN Rapporteur

Jan 14, 2025, 13:00 GMT+0

Alice Jill Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other inhuman treatment, has said that Ryan Corbett, a US detainee in Afghanistan, needs urgent medical attention.

Edwards called on the Taliban to provide medical care for Corbett to prevent irreparable damage to his health and even the death of the prisoner.

"The Taliban should immediately transfer Ryan Corbett to a civilian hospital for treatment," Edwards said.

According to the UN expert, Corbett is being held "without charge" in conditions that are "completely inadequate and far below international standards".

"This has had a serious impact on Corbett's physical and mental health, and his condition is deteriorating rapidly," Edwards said.

Edwards emphasised that she had discussed the issue directly with Taliban officials.

The UN special rapporteur said that in the absence of medical care, Ryan Corbett is at risk of irreparable harm and even death.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US mission at the UN headquarters in New York said that the US was in contact with Edwards' office and welcomed her request for more humane conditions for Corbett and others held by the Taliban.

The spokesperson also clarified that the United States considers the detention of Ryan Corbett illegal and is working for his immediate release.

Ryan Corbett and his family moved to Afghanistan in 2010. He initially worked with NGOs and later founded his own organisation called "Bloom Afghanistan" with the aim of strengthening the private sector in Afghanistan.

Corbett left Afghanistan with his family after the fall of the previous government and the Taliban's takeover, but returned to Afghanistan in January 2022 to renew his work visa.

Corbett's lawyers said that he was arrested by the Taliban in August 2022, when he went to Afghanistan to pay the salaries of his employees.

The Taliban government has denied detaining the American citizen.

The UN special rapporteur said that Ryan Corbett has suffered from numerous health problems in the Taliban's prison and has repeatedly spoken of his desire to "commit suicide".

Earlier, Corbett's wife said that after repeated attempts, she finally managed to speak to the US president on the phone on January 12. However, Anna Corbett called her conversation with Biden "disappointing". She said that Biden "won't bring Ryan home, and that's extremely painful for me".

NATO's Residual Weapons In Afghanistan Fueled Growth Of Terrorism, Says Pakistan's Ex-PM

Jan 14, 2025, 12:13 GMT+0

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar has said that NATO's remaining weapons in Afghanistan have led to an increase in terrorism.

The equipment is now in the hands of militants who pose a serious security threat to the area, he added.

There are reports that American weapons have fallen into the hands of the Pakistani Taliban and that these equipment are being bought and sold in the open market.

“In 2014, terrorism wasn’t defeated — it merely relocated to Afghanistan. When the environment became conducive, militants struck back. We must discourage the phenomenon of rationalising terrorism under any pretext,” Kakar said at a meeting in Islamabad.

The former Pakistani prime minister said, "We cannot leave this region like the Americans who left Afghanistan. If the fight against terrorism takes a century, Pakistan will do it."

Anwar ul Haq Kakar said that this is not just a fight against militants, but a struggle for regional stability.

Kakar spoke at the unveiling of the "Comprehensive National Security Charter" prepared by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies in Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by diplomats, experts and representatives of research centres.

United Nations Forms Second Doha Working Group

Jan 14, 2025, 11:36 GMT+0

The United Nations has formed an economic working group based on the decision of the Doha meeting, which aims to coordinate economic aid to Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.

The first meeting of the economic group is scheduled to be held in Kabul on Tuesday, which is mainly at the level of ambassadors of regional countries and heads of Taliban ministries.

Representatives of 25 countries and 11 international organisations are members of the working group, which includes representatives of five ministries of the Taliban administration and four representatives of Afghanistan's commercial sector.

The meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, January 14.

Last month, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) held the first meeting of the Counter Narcotics Working Group.

These working groups were formed based on the decisions of the third meeting in Doha. UNAMA has previously said that this task force will provide the ground for coordinated interaction with the Taliban.

According to information provided to Afghanistan International, representatives of Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Navarre, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uzbekistan are attending the second meeting of the Doha Working Group.

Representatives of the Taliban's Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Industry and Commerce, Economy and the Central Bank, are attending the meeting.

Eleven international organisations, including several UN agencies, are participating in the meeting.

The third Doha meeting was held in the presence of special representatives of countries for Afghanistan last year. At the time, the United Nations stated that the purpose of the meeting was to "increase international engagement with Afghanistan in a coherent and structured manner".

After the formation of these two working groups, the fourth meeting in Doha is scheduled to be held.

Taliban Signed Cooperation Agreement With Al-Qaeda, Other Militants Before Coming To Power

Jan 14, 2025, 10:40 GMT+0

Before returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban signed an agreement with the Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters.

According to the agreement, the Taliban pledged to support foreign fighters in "jihad" and the establishment of a Sharia system in Pakistan after their victory.

A source close to the Pakistani Taliban told Afghanistan International that Sirajuddin Haqqani signed the agreement with leaders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al-Qaeda commanders, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, leader of the Ittehadul Mujahideen Shura of North Waziristan, Maulvi Sadiq Noor Dawar and some other Taliban leaders in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.

Haqqani was the deputy of Mullah Hibatullah, the leader of the Taliban at the time. The Taliban's agreement with foreign groups and fighters is known as the "Mir Ali Agreement".

The source added that after Pakistan's airstrikes on its militants in April 2022 in Spera District, Khost Province, Taliban Defence Minister Yaqoob Mujahid summoned Pakistani Taliban leaders, including Hafiz Gul Bahadur, and asked them to stop their attacks in Pakistan.

However, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who has supported the Haqqani Network and al-Qaeda in North Waziristan for years, showed Mullah Yaqoob the Mir Ali Accord document, which emphasised on the Afghan Taliban's support for these foreign militants.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of supporting Pakistani militants over the past three years. However, the Afghan Taliban has denied these accusations and said that Afghan soil is not used against neighbouring and foreign countries. However, the Mir Ali Agreement shows that the Afghan Taliban actively supports the Pakistani Taliban.

The agreement was signed because foreign militants, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), fought alongside the Afghan Taliban against the former Afghan government, NATO, and US forces to revive the Taliban regime. In the agreement, the Taliban pledged to reciprocate cooperation with foreign fighters and jihadi militants from other countries.

‘Transporting Militants From Kabul’

Another source told Afghanistan International that after the death of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Sirajuddin Haqqani and Yaqoob Mujahid asked foreign fighters to move to remote areas, where they are away from domestic and international surveillance.

They no longer considered Kabul safe for foreign fighters, al-Qaeda leaders and TTP commanders.

"Hafiz Gul Bahadur went from Shakardara in Kabul province to the border areas of Barmal district in Paktika and Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, who lived in an area in Khairkhana in Kabul until recently, went to Kunar province," the source added.

In June 2023, the United Nations Security Council announced in a report that the killing of al-Zawahiri in Kabul has caused mistrust among some members of the Taliban.

Some of them believed that al-Zawahiri's whereabouts had been reported to the United States by the group's internal forces. The presence of the al-Qaeda leader in Kabul worried some Taliban leaders, especially the Doha negotiators, because they had pledged in the Doha agreement not to turn Afghanistan into a haven for global terrorists again.

Sources in Afghanistan International say that Mullah Baradar told Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, in a meeting, "By sheltering Ayman al-Zawahiri, you proved me a liar to the international community. But Sirajuddin Haqqani replied that al-Zawahiri's residence in Kabul was provided with the consent of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada."

‘Uyghur Fighters Transferred To Herat’

According to Afghanistan International's investigation, al-Qaeda has transferred some of its members to the provinces of Logar, Helmand, Nuristan, Kunar, Zabul, Herat and Farah. Uyghur fighters of the East Turkestan Movement have also been sent to Shindand district of Herat province due to China's sensitivities.

In May 2022, the Taliban government proposed at Pakistan's request that TTP members be transferred from Afghanistan's border areas to the north, Logar and Ghazni, but the TTP did not consider these areas suitable for its activities.

Another source told Afghanistan International that the Taliban's interior minister promised foreign fighters that roads and houses would be built for them, and that these areas would be connected to centres. Based on this commitment, roads were built between the border areas of Pasa Mila Paktika and Dowa Manda district of Khost province, Spera district of Khost province and the Madakhil area of Paktika.

Sources close to the TTP said that the Taliban government had asked TTP leader Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud to refrain from appearing in public, but he replied, "The sun cannot be hidden with two fingers."

According to sources, the Taliban government has banned leaders and commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups from giving interviews to the media and appearing in cities.

Mir Ali's agreement has become a major problem for the Taliban government after coming to power, as it has now become difficult for them to control internal and external fighters.