All posts tagged: Afghan

Dozens of Afghan men protest govt crackdown on women, police accused of ‘firing shots’

Dozens of Afghan men protest govt crackdown on women, police accused of ‘firing shots’

Published by Sam Flores

Afghan men held a rare rally Tuesday in the western city of Herat over new restrictions against women, with police denying witness accounts that protesters were dispersed with live fire. Dozens of men gathered in response to a crackdown three days earlier by the Taliban government’s morality police, who detained women not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa. Read moreAfghan women erased by the Taliban as the international community looks on A 33-year-old protester said the security forces “used sticks, whips and firearms to disperse the crowd. They even fired shots into the air”. Along with other residents, he spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns. The city’s police force denied that any weapons were used, accusing demonstrators of seeking “to disturb public order”. Protests are incredibly unusual in Afghanistan, where the Taliban authorities have ruled according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law since August 2021. The protester said he saw people wounded, but his account could not be independently verified. “People are extremely frightened,” he said. WatchEU Taliban invite ‘the wrong …

After refugee aid cuts, faith groups help Afghan women connect through sewing

After refugee aid cuts, faith groups help Afghan women connect through sewing

Published by Sam Flores

DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — The Refugee Community Partnership, a mutual aid organization that supports immigrants, used to offer a sewing circle for Afghan women whose families had recently been resettled in the Triangle region of North Carolina. But the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to refugee admissions as well as refugee-support organizations meant the partnership no longer had the resources or staff to run the program, which included transportation for the women, many of whom do not drive, and daycare for their young kids. Now, two Durham-based congregations have stepped in to fill the gap. The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Judea Reform Congregation raised money and sought volunteers to offer these new immigrants a place to improve their sewing skills, meet fellow Afghans and pick up some English skills. Volunteers from the congregations drove the women from their homes to the UU fellowship, where the class has been meeting; arranged for an Afghan class instructor and a translator; and looked after the children. The two congregations also arranged for donations of at least a …

Mind-bending photos show the pain and dreams of Afghan women : NPR

Mind-bending photos show the pain and dreams of Afghan women : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

This photo, from a series of pictures by two anonymous cousins, is entitled “The Music of Poverty and Violence.” The subject is playing an automatic weapon as if it were a string instrument. Mahnaz Ebrahimi|January 2026 hide caption toggle caption Mahnaz Ebrahimi|January 2026 Do these photos depict fiction or reality … or both? A bicyclist whose dark, flowing burka enfolds her body from head to ankles sits with hands perched on the handlebar, seemingly undaunted by the meshed veil that covers her eyes and restricts her sight. Her determination is suggested by the photo’s title, “It will not stand in my way.” This photo of a woman wearing a burka while riding a bicycle is titled “It will not stand in my way.” Somayeh Ebrahimi/February 2025 hide caption toggle caption Somayeh Ebrahimi/February 2025 A similarly clad figure swirls so swiftly that the billowing fabric appears to lift her into the air like a bird in flight; scribbled in Farsi across the brick wall in front of her is the phrase, “I dreamed that my homeland …

UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage : NPR

UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

FILE: Zareena, left, and Shakeela, internally displaced Afghan girls play outside a shanty at a refugee camp in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 25, 2011. Dar Yasin/AP hide caption toggle caption Dar Yasin/AP KABUL, Afghanistan — The United Nations expressed “grave concern” on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan’s Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage, saying the code further entrenches discrimination against women and girls. The government rejected the accusations, saying the decree follows Islamic law and insisting the country has already banned the forced marriage of girls. Afghanistan’s justice ministry published Decree No. 18 “on judicial separation of spouses” last week, which sets out rules for separation of a married couple. Among its most controversial provisions, it says that the silence of a girl reaching puberty can be interpreted as consent to marriage. It also includes a section on the separation of girls who reach puberty and are married, which “implies that child marriage is permitted,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) …

Hope in Exile: Afghan Refugee Children Struggle for Education in Pakistan

Hope in Exile: Afghan Refugee Children Struggle for Education in Pakistan

Published by Sam Flores

Exile doesn’t talk, yet even the dreams of Afghan children don’t stay quiet. The noise of factories in Pakistan can supplant the ringing of school bells in refugee settlements. Empty notebooks are sitting around waiting to be used in what is becoming a more distant future. To thousands of Afghan children, education is now a luxury, something they may wish for but won’t have. In August 2021, my family left Kabul when the Taliban came back to power. We had to leave our home and all that was familiar to us. I was then a high school student, and I wanted to follow my dream of becoming a doctor because I thought education would protect me against the world of confusion. However, the act of going across the border into Pakistan froze this goal. We didn’t find any waiting classes, any teachers, any assurance of the future—only the raw situations of displacement and uncertainty. This isn’t only my case, but also the case of thousands of Afghan refugee children in Pakistan. The National Commission on …

Former Australian Soldier Speaks Out Against Allegations of Afghan War Crimes

Former Australian Soldier Speaks Out Against Allegations of Afghan War Crimes

Published by Sam Flores

(Corrects day to Sunday in first ⁠paragraph) SYDNEY, ⁠April 19 (Reuters) – Australia’s most ⁠decorated soldier, charged with war crimes related to Afghanistan ​deployments more than a decade ago, on Sunday publicly denied the allegations ‌against him and said he ‌was proud of his service. Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, freed this week ⁠on bail, ⁠is charged with five counts of war crimes over the ​alleged murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum jail term of life. The former Special Air Service (SAS) ​corporal has consistently denied the accusations of wrongdoing, many first reported ⁠by Nine ⁠Entertainment newspapers in a ⁠series ​of articles starting in 2018. Speaking to the media on Queensland’s Gold Coast, ​Roberts-Smith said he ⁠always acted within the rules of engagement in Afghanistan. “I categorically deny all of these allegations, and while I would have preferred these charges not be brought, I will be taking this opportunity to finally ⁠clear my name,” he said. “I’m proud of my service in Afghanistan.” After ⁠more than a week …

Afghan Man Arrested For Series Of Rapes Of Goats And Sheep In France

Afghan Man Arrested For Series Of Rapes Of Goats And Sheep In France

Published by Jenni Sidey

Via Remix News, A 19-year-old Afghan national has been arrested and charged following a series of brutal sexual attacks on goats and sheep in Pennes-Mirabeau, a municipality in Bouches-du-Rhône, near Marseille. The suspect was taken into custody by the anti-crime brigade (BAC) on the night of April 9-10, 2026, after local sheep and goat owners alerted police. Since early 2026, several owners had discovered their animals injured, with incidents reported in both February and March. The animals had their legs tied and showed clear signs of rape, according to French newspaper La Provence. After multiple similar episodes, the owners installed motion-sensor cameras on their properties in an attempt to identify the perpetrator. The footage revealed the silhouette of a young man visiting their livestock at night, and the images were handed over to police, who were eventually able to identify a matching suspect. The man appeared before a judge on Saturday, April 11, who ordered his placement in pre-trial detention. He was set to appear in court on Monday, April 13. He faces up to three …

Afghan mother seeks justice after Pakistani bombing kills hundreds

Afghan mother seeks justice after Pakistani bombing kills hundreds

Published by Sam Flores

LITTLE CHANCE OF PROSECUTIONS Seventeen international humanitarian NGOs, including War Child UK, condemned the bombing, noting that hospitals must not be attacked. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have called for an independent investigation. The latter said those responsible should be “held to account in line with international standards”. The Taliban government told AFP that it has given media, diplomats and NGOs access to the site and has “shared the evidence”. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan, told AFP: “The initial responsibility actually falls on the alleged perpetrator of human rights violations, which is Pakistan.” Kenneth Roth, a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States, said he “would hope that Pakistan would want to know what went wrong” after “many innocent people died”.  States are generally reluctant to question themselves, but “even the Pentagon investigates why it struck and killed so many children in a school in Iran”, said Roth, a longtime former Human Rights Watch executive director. Several victims’ relatives said they would …

Afghan asylum seeker jailed for abducting and raping 12-year-old | News UK Video News

Afghan asylum seeker jailed for abducting and raping 12-year-old | News UK Video News

Published by Sam Flores

An Afghan asylum seeker has been jailed for 15 years after abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. Ahmad Mulakhil was found guilty of rape and two counts of sexual assault following a trial last month, having already admitted a further rape charge. He was also convicted of child abduction and taking an indecent video of the girl by the jury at Warwick Crown Court. The court heard that Mulakhil arrived in the UK four months before committing the offences. Image: Ahmad Mulakhil. Pic: Warwickshire Police He had made an immigration application linked to “problems” he had experienced in Afghanistan. The 23-year-old told the court he believed his victim to be 19 years old, and said she initiated a sexual encounter on 22 July last year. But prosecutor Daniel Oscroft said Mulakhil’s attempts to blame his victim were “stomach-churning” and “pretty revolting”. The victim, who cannot be named, said she was approached in a Nuneaton park by Mulakhil after playing on the swings. She said she had told her attacker to stop and that …

Afghan man kidnaps teenager off UK street and rapes her days after sex attack on woman | UK | News

Afghan man kidnaps teenager off UK street and rapes her days after sex attack on woman | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Najeebullah Arab (Image: Thames Valley Police) A 39-year-old Afghan man has admitted kidnapping a teenager off a UK street and raping her just days after sexually assaulting a woman in her twenties. Najeebullah Arab pleaded guilty to rape, kidnapping and two counts of sexual assault at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday. The vile attacks happened in separate incidents in the Oxfordshire towns of Wantage and Grove in January. The first assault took place at around 9.30pm on January 21 when a woman in her late 20s was approached by Arab on Cane Lane, Grove. Read more: Labour torn to shreds as bombshell number of new homes ‘to be given to migrants’ Read more: The little UK town where women are followed by groups of migrants at night After a brief interaction, she continued walking along Main Street towards Grove Garage. Arab followed her and sexually assaulted her. Just six days later, a second horrific attack took place. The victim, a woman in her late teens, was walking alone at around 11.15pm on January 27 along …