Taliban Detains More Than 10 In Ghor Over Alleged Opposition Ties, Say Sources

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group and the Humanitarian Access Working Group published the report on Wednesday, examining the impact of Taliban restrictions on women working in aid organisations.

The findings are based on a survey of 122 humanitarian organisations operating across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. The report identifies funding cuts, the dismissal of female staff, tighter operational restrictions and acceptance of Taliban conditions for women’s employment as its main findings.

It shows that the highest levels of restrictions on humanitarian organisations and female staff were reported in a handful of provinces.

Herat reported the highest rate at 36%, followed by Kabul with 31%, Nangarhar with 22%, Kandahar with 20% and Kunar with 17%.

The report presents the findings of the fifteenth round of the Gender in Humanitarian Action and Humanitarian Access Working Group survey.

It found that 56 percent of organisations had dismissed Afghan female employees because of funding cuts, while 46 percent said women could no longer attend offices as they had previously.

The report highlights that the education and health sectors have been most affected by restrictions preventing women from working. It also found that 45 percent of organisations were still trying to continue operations with both female and male staff.

Some 16% of women employed by aid organisations are now working from home following Taliban restrictions, while 61% of organisations said female staff required a male guardian to accompany them on work-related travel.

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group is a humanitarian coordination mechanism bringing together the United Nations, international and national NGOs, and other humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan.

The Humanitarian Access Working Group coordinates issues related to humanitarian access among the UN, NGOs and other humanitarian actors.

According to the survey, 49% of organisations said their female staff had experienced increased anxiety and security concerns because of Taliban restrictions on movement and dress.

Some organisations also reported that women were being stopped by officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice while travelling to work.

Earlier, UN Women warned that cuts in international aid were pushing organisations supporting women in crisis-affected countries, including Afghanistan, to the brink of closure.

Rashid said the law should provide a framework for the right to asylum while taking Islamic and Sharia rights into account.

According to a ministry statement, a special committee at the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees has finalised the draft asylum law, which will soon be submitted to the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice for further legal review.

The contents of the draft have not yet been made public.

The move comes as large numbers of Afghans have fled the country since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

According to United Nations reports, millions of Afghans are living as refugees or migrants in neighbouring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan.

Hundreds of thousands have also moved to Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, marking Afghanistan’s largest wave of migration in recent decades.

Speaking on Tuesday, Neumann said the European Commission claimed its talks with the Taliban were limited to the return of people convicted of terrorism, murder or rape.

She said reports from Germany suggested authorities were preparing to deport Afghans with no criminal convictions.

The MEP also expressed concern that Afghanistan’s consular services in European countries could be handed over to the Taliban.

According to Neumann, the Taliban has made clear that the return of Afghan nationals depends on functioning consular services. She questioned whether the European Commission was paving the way for the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan’s consular services in Europe.

Earlier this month, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said its delegation’s talks with EU officials in Brussels focused on restoring consular services for Afghans living in Europe, expanding ties with European countries and discussing the situation of asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected.

Neumann warned that transferring consular services to the Taliban would go beyond facilitating deportations and could affect the lives of thousands of Afghans living in Europe.

“For Afghans who fled Taliban, this is not an abstract diplomatic question” she wrote.

The MEP urged the European Commission to clarify who would be returned to Afghanistan, how Afghans living in Europe would be protected from what she described as “transnational repression”, and what concessions the Taliban would receive in return for such cooperation.

Abdul Hakim Hemmat Akhundzada, head of public relations at the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, made the remarks at a gathering in Paktia.

Without naming Pakistan directly, he said: “Beside us is an ominous enemy that is close to Paktia.”

Addressing those present, the Taliban official said: “If I ask you what enmity these people and this country have with us, we have no religious enmity, no enmity over land and people, and no linguistic enmity. They simply cannot tolerate a united, prosperous, self-reliant Afghanistan that is free of war and at peace.”

He stressed the need for public awareness and shaping public opinion against the country.

The remarks come as Pakistan also accuses the Taliban of fuelling insecurity and crisis in the country in cooperation with India. Islamabad also accuses the Taliban of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatists.

Pakistani officials say attacks and insecurity in the country have increased severalfold since the Taliban returned to power. Relations between the two sides are currently in deep crisis, talks have produced no results, and the outlook remains bleak.

According to the ministry, Haqqani also visited areas of Samkani district damaged in the Pakistani strikes.

Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan two weeks ago killed dozens of people. The attacks prompted a strong response from the Taliban, although India was the only country to publicly condemn them.

The Taliban described the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. Pakistan said the operation targeted armed groups opposed to the Pakistani government that it alleges operate from Afghan territory.

The Taliban’s Interior Ministry said families affected by the strikes urged Haqqani to ensure that those wounded in the attacks who remain in hospital receive proper care and attention.

On 29 June, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Afghanistan International that at least 36 civilians had been killed and 163 others wounded in Pakistani attacks on three Afghan provinces. He said women and children were among the casualties.

According to Mujahid, the highest number of casualties was recorded in Samkani district of Paktia province.

However, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that 13 civilians were killed and 10 others injured in the attacks. UNAMA said women and children were among the victims.

The Pakistani strikes followed remarks by Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, who said after returning from a security conference in Moscow that Pakistan would “no longer dare” to attack Afghan territory in the near future.

Despite several rounds of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan, mediated by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye and China, the two sides have yet to reach an agreement on reducing tensions and resolving their disputes.