Taliban

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Biden to Taliban: Release US Hostage

On 2nd anniversary of Mark Frerichs' kidnapping, president issues call for his release

(Newser) - President Biden on Sunday called for the release of US Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, reports the AP , who was taken hostage in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Ill., was kidnapped in January 2020 from the capital of Kabul. He is believed to...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

Afghans Hide Books, Paintings as Crackdown on Culture Looms

Taliban says Islamic law will determine what kinds of art are allowed

(Newser) - The bad old days are back in Afghanistan, where artists have hidden or destroyed paintings, musicians have stopped working, and residents are hiding books ahead of an expected Taliban crackdown on art and culture deemed un-Islamic. The group—which banned movies, television, and music during its rule from 1996 to...

Taliban&#39;s Newest Ban: Beard Trims
Taliban's Newest
Ban: Beard Trims
Sep 27, 2021 3:52 PM CDT

Taliban's Newest Ban: Beard Trims

Extremist group has barred barbers in Helmand province from shaving, trimming facial hair

(Newser) - The Taliban have been busy rolling back women's rights in Afghanistan and ramping up for a return to amputations and executions . Now, some more bad news for locals. Per the BBC , the extremist group has banned barbers in the Helmand province from shaving or otherwise trimming men's beards,...

In Afghan Public Square, a Gruesome Display

Taliban hang dead body from crane in Herat, signaling return to group's ways of the past

(Newser) - The Taliban hanged a dead body from a crane in the main square of Herat city in western Afghanistan, a witness said Saturday, in a gruesome display that signaled a return to some of the Taliban's methods of the past. Wazir Ahmad Seddiqi, who runs a pharmacy on the...

Taliban to Resume Executions, Amputations

Judges, including women, will decide cases instead of clerics, official says

(Newser) - One of the founders of the Taliban and the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when they last ruled Afghanistan said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands. In an interview in Kabul, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban'...

Women's National Soccer Team Flees Afghanistan

Players, family members cross into Pakistan after 'commitment' from Americans

(Newser) - Afghanistan's national women's soccer team has joined the throngs of people, especially women, fleeing the country since the Taliban's takeover. The team reached neighboring Pakistan via a major border crossing in the city of Torkham and were received by a representative of the Pakistan Football Federation, Information...

Taliban: Women Can Stay in School, With Conditions

Students will be separated by gender, and women will have a dress code

(Newser) - Girls and women can continue their education in Afghanistan, but they'll face new restrictions under Taliban rule. For one, male and female students will be separated, the education minister said Sunday. "Coeducation is in conflict with the principles of Islam and, on the other hand, it is in...

Taliban: It Is 'Not Necessary' for Women to Play Sports

'They might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered'

(Newser) - Women's sports will not be allowed in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Taliban officials say. Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, tells Australian broadcaster SBS that the country's new rulers see no need for women to play sports including cricket, Afghanistan's most popular...

Graham's Prediction: 'We'll Have to' Return to Afghanistan

He believes country will turn into a 'cauldron for radical Islamic behavior'

(Newser) - It's going to be deja vu all over again in Afghanistan, or so suggests Sen. Lindsey Graham. In a BBC interview Monday, the Republican predicted that "we will be going back into Afghanistan as we went back into Iraq and Syria." The reason in this case? He...

Familiar Faces Helm Taliban's Newly Named Cabinet

Interim PM Mullah Hasan Akhund headed Taliban government in Kabul during last years of former rule

(Newser) - The Taliban on Tuesday announced a caretaker Cabinet that paid homage to the old guard of the group, giving top posts to Taliban personalities who dominated the 20-year battle against the US-led coalition and its Afghan government allies. Interim Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund headed the Taliban government in Kabul...

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