Afghanistan News Highlights: Thousands protest against Taliban in Kandahar over evictions

The United Nations, soon after asking for the international community to continue helping Afghans in need, said that it has pledged $1.2 billion for the same. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the country's pullout from Afghanistan, telling a Congress committee that there was no evidence to suggest that staying longer would have made a difference. Stay tuned to DH for more updates...

US eyes bases in India to launch drones on terror infrastructure in Afghanistan-Pakistan region

The United States has subtly hinted that it has been in talks with New Delhi for using airfields in India as “staging areas” for carrying out aerial surveillance and launching attacks on terrorists in and around Afghanistan.

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Taliban thank world for promised aid, urge US to show 'heart'

The Taliban on Tuesday thanked the world for pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid to Afghanistan and urged the United States to show "heart" to the impoverished country.

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FM Molavi Amir Khan Muttaqi says Taliban gov't won't allow militant attacks on others

The foreign minister inAfghanistan's new Taliban-run Cabinet said the government remains committed to its promises not to allow militants to use its territory to attack others.

In his first press conference since the Taliban formed an interim government a week ago, Molavi Amir Khan Muttaqi would not give a timeframe for how long the government would be in place or whether it would eventually be opened up to other factions, minorities or women.

When asked about the possibility of elections, Muttaqi demanded other countries not interfere inAfghanistan's internal issues.

Under a deal reached last year with the United States, the Taliban promised to break ties with al-Qaida and other militant groups and ensure they don't threaten other countries from its territory.

Asked about the deal, Mottaqi replied, “We will not allow anyone or any groups to use our soil against any other countries” — the first time a member of the government has confirmed its commitment to the promise. (AP)

Fallen Afghan government's envoy urges UN to probe Taliban rights abuses

An Afghan ambassador appointed by the Kabul government that collapsed last month called Tuesday for the UN to immediately launch an investigation into alleged abuses by the new Taliban authorities.

Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Nasir Ahmad Andisha stressed the need for international scrutiny of alleged violations since the Taliban takeover on August 15, particularly those concerning the rights of women and girls.

"Today, the world cannot and should not be silent as millions fear for their life and human rights, and humanitarian crises are unfolding in the country," Andisha said.

He urged the UN's top rights body to "immediately dispatch a fact-finding mission to investigate and document abuse of human rights," including in Panjshir Valley, the last pocket of resistance to the Taliban's rapid takeover as US troops withdrew.

Andisha, who was appointed by former president Ashraf Ghani's administration, remains the country's representative to the UN in Geneva since the new authorities have not yet requested a change. (AFP)

Qatar won't take 'responsibility' for Kabul airport without Taliban agreement

Qatar warned Tuesday it would not take responsibility for Kabul airport without "clear" agreements with all involved, including the Taliban, about its operations.

Doha has become a key broker inAfghanistanfollowing last month's withdrawal of US forces, helping evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghans, engaging the new Taliban rulers and supporting operations at Kabul airport.

"We need to make sure that everything is addressed very clearly otherwise... we are not able to take any responsibility of the airport (if) all these things are not addressed," Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said at a press briefing.

"Right now the status is still (under) negotiation because we need to have an agreement that's clear for everyone for all the parties and who is going to take care of the technical (side), who's going to take care of the security aspects.

"There is a possibility for collaboration with other countries if needed, but until now the discussion is only among us and Turkey and the Taliban." (AFP)

Taliban probing bank accounts linked to Afghan ex-officials

The Taliban are investigating the accounts of former high-ranking Afghan government members to check for ill-gotten gains, officials said Tuesday.The investigation may lead to the freezing of assets and accounts of former civil servants, ministers and lawmakers, an official at Da Afghanistan Bank told AFP, asking not to be named.

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Thousands protest against Taliban in Kandahar over evictions

Thousands of Afghans protested against the Taliban in the southern city of Kandahar on Tuesday, according to a former government official and local television footage, after residents were asked to vacate a residential army colony.

Protesters gathered in front of the governor's house in Kandahar after around 3,000 families were asked to leave the colony, according to the former government official who witnessed the crowds.

Footage from local media showed crowds of people blocking a road in the city.(Reuters)

Afghan Hazaras studying in Iraq fear return home to Taliban rule

Many Afghans from the Hazara ethnic minority studying in Iraq's city of Najaf watched in terror as their homeland fell back into Taliban hands.

And while they feel safe for now, they fear for their families back home -- and for their own safety should they ever return.(AFP)

US will look at Pakistan's role in last 20 years, Blinken tells lawmakers

The US will look at the role Pakistan played in the last 20 years, Secretary of State Tony Blinken told angry lawmakers who expressed outrage over Pakistan’s "duplicitous" part in Afghanistan post 9/11 and demanded that Washington reassess its relationship with Islamabad. (PTI)

Who are the Hazara of Afghanistan? An expert on Islam explains

The land we now call Afghanistan has been a place of constant migration through its mountainous passes. Its linguistic, cultural and religious diversity is a result of millennia of trade along the Silk Road. More than a dozen ethnic groups are mentioned in the country’s constitution.

Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban means that some minorities are again at heightened risk of persecution.

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Who benefited from the ‘forever war'?

The US spent $2.26 trillion on the war in Afghanistan, or $300 million a day, over the 20 years since 2001. About $800 billion was spent on direct war-fighting costs and $88 billion for training the now-trounced Afghan army. Read more

Once inmates, Taliban now in charge in a Kabul prison

Once, Kabul's main prison was crowded with thousands of Taliban captured and arrested by the government. On Monday, a Taliban commander strolled through its empty halls and cell blocks, showing his friends where he had once been imprisoned.

It was a sign of the sudden and startling new order in Afghanistan after the militant group swept into the capital nearly a month ago and threw out the crumbling, US-backed government it had fought for 20 years.Read more

A million Afghan children could die in ‘most perilous hour,’ UN warns

The plight of the Afghan people came into stark relief Monday when top United Nations officials warned that millions of people could run out of food before the arrival of winter and 1 million children could die if their immediate needs are not met.

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Blinken asks Pakistan to 'line up' in pressuring Taliban

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday on Pakistan to deny legitimacy to the Taliban unless they meet international demands, acknowledging concerns that Islamabad has supported militants from Afghanistan.

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Mullah Baradar issues audio message to say he is alive

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, confirmed in an audio message on Monday that he is alive and not injured.

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India will stand by Afghans as it did in past: EAM Jaishankar

Noting that Afghanistan is passing through a "critical and challenging" phase, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also said the international community must come forward to help it. Read more

Blinken asks Pakistan to 'line up' in pressuring Taliban

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday on Pakistan to deny legitimacy to the Taliban unless they meet international demands, acknowledging concerns that Islamabad has supported militants from Afghanistan.

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UN says $1.2 billion pledged to help Afghans in need

The UN humanitarian chief says $1.2 billion has been promised to help Afghans facing a growing humanitarian crisis in the country and millions in the region, calling the pledges “an important step” toward helping the needy.

Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths announced the total in pledges at the closing of a high-level ministerial meeting in Geneva on Monday that was seeking $606 million until the end of the year to help 11 million people. (AP)

No evidence that staying longer would have made any difference in Afghanistan: Blinken

US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Monday vigorously defended the decision of the Biden administration to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, which has resulted in the Taliban recapturing power in the war-torn country and the collapse of the US-backed democratically elected regime.

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