Afghanistan

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It's Tough to Get Out of Kabul, but These Americans Just Did

Charter flight thought to have dozens of US citizens heads to Qatar amid flight groundings by Taliban

(Newser) - Since November, Americans have had a tough time getting out of Kabul after the Taliban grounded most flights. This week, a chartered flight paid for by the US State Department and run by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was finally able to depart the Afghan capital for Qatar with...

Veteran Gets Unexpected Gift From Long-Dead Friend

Edmonton Oilers T-shirt belonged to his best friend and fellow medic, killed in Afghanistan in 2008

(Newser) - A Canadian veteran whose best friend and fellow service member was killed 13 years ago serving in Afghanistan got a surprise Christmas gift this year that drew out a cascade of feelings: his pal's Edmonton Oilers hockey T-shirt. The CBC reports on the emotional story of the friendship between...

In a First, Taliban Delegation Is Heading to Europe

Talks with the US are on the agenda

(Newser) - A Taliban delegation will travel to Norway for talks with the Norwegian government and representatives from several allied countries, including the US, per the AP . The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Friday that it has invited representatives of the Taliban to Oslo from Sunday to Tuesday to hold talks covering humanitarian...

New Video Shows US Drone Strike That Killed 7 Kids

'We deeply regret the loss of life,' says US Central Command rep

(Newser) - The Pentagon has released video footage of last year's botched drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 10 civilians, seven of them children. In two silent videos obtained by the New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, two drones observe a car backing into a walled...

The Strange Fate of the Baby Handed Over Kabul Airport Wall

Little Sohail Ahmadi spent months with a stranger before being reunited with his grandfather

(Newser) - Desperate parents handed their baby handed over a barbed-wire topped wall to a soldier during the fall of Kabul Aug. 19, 2021, and couldn’t find him afterward . Finally, they know where he is. Sohail Ahmadi’s parents handed their 2-month-old infant over out of fear he would be crushed...

Her Father Sold Her. Her Mother Is Fighting to Keep Her

Desperate parents are selling kids to feed their starving families in Afghanistan

(Newser) - In a sprawling settlement of mud brick huts in western Afghanistan housing people displaced by drought and war, a woman is fighting to save her daughter. Aziz Gul’s husband sold the 10-year-old girl into marriage without telling his wife. Arranging marriages for very young girls is a frequent practice...

Taliban: Women Taking Trips Should Bring a Male Relative

Pakistan joins Human Rights Watch in objecting to Afghanistan directive

(Newser) - New travel restrictions have been placed on women in Afghanistan by the Taliban. If they're going more than 45 miles, they should travel with a close male relative, the BBC reports. If they're not wearing Islamic head or face coverings, drivers should refuse to give them a ride....

Pentagon Won't Punish Anyone for Civilian Deaths

10 people were killed in Kabul after US commanders decided aid worker was with ISIS-K

(Newser) - The Pentagon won't discipline any US personnel involved in the mistaken drone strike that killed 10 civilians in Afghanistan in August. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accepted recommendations on the issue that did not include punishment, press secretary John Kirby said Monday. The recommendations from two commanders were mostly procedural,...

Afghanistan's Crises Getting 'Progressively Worse'

Aid official warns that millions are going hungry

(Newser) - Afghanistan is being hit by multiple crises that are "progressively getting worse" with drought, economic collapse, and displacement all pushing the population into catastrophic hunger, a senior international aid official said Thursday. The onset of winter will only increase the pain for Afghans and drive some closer to disaster,...

'Afghan Girl' From 1984 Photo Has Now Fled to Italy

Sharbat Gulla was on 'National Geographic' cover

(Newser) - National Geographic magazine’s famed green-eyed "Afghan Girl" has arrived in Italy as part of the West’s evacuation of Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country, the Italian government said Thursday. The office of Premier Mario Draghi said Italy organized the evacuation of Sharbat Gulla after she...

Taliban Issues 'Guidelines' for Women on TV

For example, it doesn't want women appearing in TV dramas

(Newser) - The Taliban would like to see no more women appearing in TV dramas or soap operas in Afghanistan. The militant Islamist group, which took control of the country in August, also wants female journalists and TV presenters to wear hijabs when appearing on television, the BBC reports. This is the...

They Handed Their Baby Over the Fence. 2 Months Later, No Word

Afghan mom and dad handed infant to US troops at Kabul airport in August, haven't seen baby since

(Newser) - On Aug. 19, Mirza Ali Ahmadi, his wife, and five children headed to the Kabul airport, hoping to flee the country as the Taliban wrested control of Afghanistan. Of the family of seven, however, just six ended up on an evacuation flight to Qatar, then to Germany and the US,...

2 Minutes Before Deadly Airstrike, a Child Could Be Seen

But watchdog finds no evidence of illegal action on part of US

(Newser) - An independent Pentagon review has concluded that the US drone strike that killed 10 innocent Kabul civilians, seven of them children, in the final days of the Afghanistan war was not caused by misconduct or negligence, and it doesn't recommend any disciplinary action, the AP reports. The review, done...

Taliban Abruptly Bans All Foreign Currency Transactions

Those who fail to use the afghani will be punished, group says

(Newser) - Afghanistan's battered economy took another heavy blow Tuesday when the Taliban abruptly declared a total ban on the use of all foreign currencies. American dollars are widely used in markets and the currencies of neighboring countries are often used in border areas. The Taliban said anybody who failed to...

For 2nd Straight Week, Mosque Attack Kills Dozens

Suicide bombers suspected to be from Islamic State target worshipers in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Suicide bombers assaulted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Imam Barga...

He Made a Plea to Biden. Now, an Interpreter Finds Safety

Aman Khalili, who helped rescue Biden after chopper's 2008 emergency landing, flees Afghanistan

(Newser) - It took a 600-mile trek and weeks of hard work by US, Afghan, and Pakistani allies, but Aman Khalili and his family are finally safely out of Afghanistan. While the name of the ex-Afghan translator may not ring a bell for most, one person in particular knows it well: President...

Taliban Tells US There'll Be No Help With IS

That's how this weekend's negotiations begin

(Newser) - The Taliban on Saturday ruled out cooperation with the US to contain extremist groups in Afghanistan, staking out an uncompromising position on a key issue ahead of the first direct talks between the former foes since America withdrew from the country in August. Senior Taliban officials and US representatives are...

Dozens Killed in Suicide Blast at Afghanistan Mosque

Taliban officials say Shiite minority was targeted

(Newser) - A blast went off Friday at a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan, killing or wounding at least 100 people, a Taliban police official said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which took place in Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz province, but militants...

If Taliban Don't Pay Electric Bill, It'll Be Lights Out

Foreign suppliers could cut off power, leading to blackouts in Kabul

(Newser) - On top of everything else, the people of Afghanistan could soon lose power because the ruling Taliban aren't paying foreign electrical suppliers. "This would be a really dangerous situation," said Daud Noorzai, who quit as head of Afghanistan's power monopoly after the Taliban takeover, the Wall ...

Kabul Has Deadliest Attack Since US Left

Mosque bombed during Taliban service, reportedly killing at least 5 civilians

(Newser) - At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast at the entrance to a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said, describing the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since US forces left at the end of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on...

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