Several rockets hit residential areas of the Afghan capital in the early rush hour on Saturday, killing at least three civilians and wounding a dozen more, police officials said. The explosions, close to the diplomatic quarter, set embassies' warning sirens blaring two days before a major donor conference for Afghanistan in Geneva
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In Afghanistan, fears of assassination overshadow hopes of peace
Human rights workers, moderate religious scholars and civil society activists are being killed in wave of targeted attacks
When he wasn’t chasing stories, Elyas Dayee loved tending to his flowers, cooking with his wife and playing with his toddler daughter, the only survivor of triplets, now bereft that her father has stopped coming home, and too young to understand why.
Last week, the 34-year-old became the latest Afghan killed in a nationwide campaign of targeted killings, when a bomb twisted his car into a lethal pile of metal and glass as he drove to work in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
Continue reading...The inquiry into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan is done: what now?
From further investigation to potential prosecutions and compensation, the explosive Brereton report will reverberate for a long time
As the dust begins to settle on the explosive findings of Maj Gen Paul Brereton, a critical question looms.
What comes next?
Continue reading...Australian special forces involved in murder of 39 Afghan civilians, war crimes report alleges
Brereton report finds prisoners were executed to ‘blood’ junior soldiers and unlawful killings were deliberately covered up
- Follow live reaction to the release of the report
- Warning: this article contains disturbing content
Australian special forces were allegedly involved in the murder of 39 Afghan civilians, in some cases executing prisoners to “blood” junior soldiers before inventing cover stories and planting weapons on corpses, a major report has found.
For more than four years, the Maj Gen Justice Paul Brereton has investigated allegations that a small group within the elite Special Air Services and commandos regiments killed and brutalised Afghan civilians, in some cases allegedly slitting throats, gloating about their actions, keeping kill counts, and photographing bodies with planted phones and weapons to justify their actions.
Continue reading...UN issues $100m emergency funding and calls for global effort to avert famine
Organisation says money pledged is ‘not enough’ and warns of potential for huge number of child deaths
The UN has earmarked $100m (£75m) in emergency funding for seven countries deemed at risk of famine, warning that without immediate action the world could see “huge numbers of children dying on TV screens”.
The climate crisis, Covid-19, conflict and economic decline have created an “acute and grave crisis” in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, where millions of people are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told the Guardian.
Continue reading...Trump withdrawal plan could tip Afghanistan towards more violence
Attacks up since September amid fears Taliban biding their time until US forces leave
Donald Trump’s plan for a swift withdrawal of over half the US troops in Afghanistan comes at a dangerous time for a country officially in peace talks, but grappling with escalating bloodshed and shrinking financial support from foreign donors.
Attacks are up by 50% since negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in September, a recent US government report found, above average levels for this time of year.
Continue reading...Father faces criminal charge over son’s death in migrant boat tragedy
Afghan asylum seeker accused of endangering six-year-old’s life after family tried to reach Greek island of Samos from Turkey
The father of a six-year-old who died trying to reach the Greek island of Samos from the Turkish coast has been charged by Greek authorities with endangering his son’s life.
Abdul*, 25, from Afghanistan, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. The cause of his son’s death has not been confirmed.
Continue reading...US poll chaos is a boon for the enemies of democracy the whole world over
While Democrats and Republicans squabble in Washington, injustice and violence reigns from Palestine to Mozambique
Believe it or not, the world did not stop turning on its axis because of the US election and ensuing, self-indulgent disputes in the land of the free-for-all. In the age of Donald Trump, narcissism spreads like the plague.
But the longer the wrangling in Washington continues, the greater the collateral damage to America’s global reputation – and to less fortunate states and peoples who rely on the US and the western allies to fly the flag for democracy and freedom.
Continue reading...Afghanistan vehicle bomb kills former TV presenter
Kabul police investigate death of Yama Siawash after explosion
A bomb attached to the vehicle of a former presenter on Afghanistan’s Tolo TV has exploded, killing the journalist and two other civilians, Kabul police have said.
The death of Yama Siawash is being investigated after the explosion on Saturday, said police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz. No one has immediately claimed responsibility.
Continue reading...Inquiry into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan delivers final report
Defence chief Angus Campbell will consider the findings and decide how much detail will be released publicly
The inquiry into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan has delivered its final report to the chief of the defence force, who is now considering how many of the “uncomfortable” findings to make public.
Defence chief Angus Campbell confirmed on Friday evening he had received the Afghanistan inquiry report from the inspector general of the Australian defence force, who has been examining the conduct of elite Australian forces in more than 55 incidents of alleged unlawful killings between 2005 and 2016.
Continue reading...‘We live in constant fear’: Kabul buries its dead after Isis attack on university
The brutal killing of at least 35 people on Monday has left Afghanistan’s younger generation fearful of the future
At a mountainside graveyard, surrounded by dusty brown hills specked with colourfully painted houses, 20 year-old Marziah Tahery was laid to rest on Tuesday; a light breeze in the warm autumn air, echoes of children’s play in the distance.
The morning before – as on most other days – she had gone enthusiastically into Kabul University where she had been studying public administration and policy.
Continue reading...Attack on Kabul University by Isis gunmen leaves 22 dead
Afghan government declares day of mourning after incident in which attackers shot dead
At least 22 people were killed and 22 wounded after Islamic State-affiliated gunmen stormed Kabul University as it was hosting a book fair attended by Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan, taking hostages and fighting gun battles with security forces for more than five hours.
The Afghan government has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning following the attack. Three attackers shot at fleeing students and gunned down others in their classrooms in what was the second assault on an educational facility in the country in recent weeks. The gunmen were shot dead by Afghan security forces, authorities said.
Continue reading...Anti-France protests draw tens of thousands across Muslim world
Demonstrations held in Pakistan, Lebanon, Palestinian territories and Afghanistan
Tens of thousands of Muslims in Pakistan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and elsewhere joined protests on Friday over the French president Emmanuel Macron’s vow to protect the right to caricature the prophet Muhammad.
Demonstrations in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, turned violent as 2,000 people who tried to march towards the French embassy were pushed back by police firing teargas and using batons. Crowds of Islamist activists hanged an effigy of Macron from an overpass after pounding it with their shoes.
Continue reading...Afghan security forces kill senior al-Qaida leader
Abu Muhsin al-Masri was on FBI’s most-wanted list and had been charged with terrorism offences in US
Afghan security forces have killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, a senior al-Qaida leader who was on the FBI’s most-wanted list, Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a tweet late on Saturday.
Al-Masri has been charged in the United States with having provided material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organisation, and conspiracy to kill US nationals.
Continue reading...Trump’s Afghanistan withdrawal announcement takes US officials by surprise
Tweet calling for troops’ return by Christmas puts peace negotiations in jeopardy and was greeted enthusiastically by the Taliban
Donald Trump has announced on Twitter that he wants to bring all US troops home from Afghanistan by Christmas – a plan that came as a surprise to administration officials and which puts complicated peace negotiations in jeopardy.
Multiple officials told the Associated Press they had not been informed of any such deadline and military experts said it would be impossible to withdraw all 5,000 US troops in Afghanistan and dismantle the US military headquarters by the end of the year.
Continue reading...‘It breaks my heart’: Uighurs wrongfully held at Guantánamo plead to be with families
Salahidin Abdulahad, Khalil Mamut and Ayoub Mohammed are desperate to be reunited with their children in Canada
They were captured by bounty hunters, shipped across the world by American soldiers and held for years in Guantánamo Bay.
Salahidin Abdulahad, Khalil Mamut and Ayoub Mohammed were eventually cleared by US courts and released. Their time in the notorious prison, however, continues to haunt them.
Continue reading...Coalminer’s daughter comes out top in Afghanistan’s university entrance exam
- Shamsia Alizada, 18, first out of more than 170,000 students
- Government in talks with Taliban, which barred girls in schools
The daughter of an Afghan coalminer has come top in the country’s university entrance exam and is setting her sights on becoming a doctor.
Shamsia Alizada, 18, came first out of more than 170,000 students, the education ministry said, prompting congratulations from former president Hamid Karzai and foreign envoys including the US charge d’affaires.
Continue reading...More Afghan interpreters eligible to move to UK under new rules
Government expands scheme for linguists who risked lives for British troops
Dozens more Afghan interpreters who risked their lives for British troops will be able to apply to settle in the UK following the government decision to expand a relocation scheme.
Former interpreters and servicemen have welcomed the move, which could mean about 100 linguists and their families will be made eligible to apply for resettlement – but said more must be done for the hundreds still at risk of reprisals in Afghanistan.
Continue reading...US warns Afghan women of increased risk of extremist attack
Message from the US embassy comes during long-postponed direct talks between the government and the Taliban
The United States has warned women in Afghanistan that they are at increased risk of attack by extremist groups.
The US embassy in Kabul warned on Thursday that “extremist organisations continue to plan attacks against a variety of targets […], including a heightened risk of attacks targeting female government and civilian workers, including teachers, human rights activists, office workers, and government employees.”
Continue reading...Afghan peace talks with Taliban begin in Doha with rocky path ahead
Securing a ceasefire and safeguarding rights of women and minorities are key challenges
The Taliban and Afghan government negotiators launched historic peace talks on Saturday, aiming to end decades of war through a political settlement that would be unprecedented in the country’s recent history.
Negotiations will be long and complicated; there is a yawning gulf between the Taliban’s vision of an austerely Islamic state and the government’s commitment to the constitution that guarantees democracy and women’s rights, even if its implementation is mixed.
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