Category: Afghanistan

The Taliban militia has invited First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to visit Afghanistan and view for herself the condition of women there. Taliban foreign ministry said in a statement that Ms. Clinton was welcome to visit Afghanistan and “speak to Afghan women about their rights.” The statement issued by the Taliban on Tuesday claims that […]

The Pakistan-based Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan issued a statement Monday urging the U.N. to take action to bring an end to Afghanistan’s decades-long civil war. “If the U.N. really wants to restore peace to Afghanistan, it should first half supply of arms to the combatants,” read the statement. “Later, tangible moves should […]

The Afghan Islamic Press has reported that Osama bin Laden, the terrorist accused of bombing U.S. embassies in both Kenya and Tanzania, is leaving the country that has protected him from extradition to the U.S. or a third country. The AIP stated that “Osama has decided to leave Afghanistan because of fears of expected attacks […]

The Afghanistan Foundation, founded by former Congressman Don Ritter (R-PA) has implored President Clinton to take a stronger stance against the Taliban. Ritter said that while the President’s current economic and trade sanctions towards the regime are a good start, there is much more that needs to be done. Ritter believes that the imposed sanctions […]

After assurances of security protection from the Taliban, the International Red Cross reinstated its operations in the war torn nation. This decision comes after ten Red Cross staff were abducted, robbed, and beaten by members of the Taliban. While waiting for security guarantees from the Taliban, the Red Cross almost fully ceased its operations, which […]

On Tuesday, the Taliban’s leader Mullah Mohammed Omar announced that the publication of any information in opposition to the Taliban is a crime punished by a 5-year jail sentence. This comes in response to reports that the security of foreign aid workers in Afghanistan is not guaranteed. Omar stated that “Incorrect information that the security […]

The United Nations Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution condemning “widespread” human rights violations in Afghanistan Friday. The resolution was adopted by consensus and particularly stressed the abuse of women and girls by the fundamentalist Taliban regime. The commission urged warring Afghan factions to end all human rights violations “without delay” and to repeal all […]

Dr. Komal Hossain, U.N. Special Rapporteur to Afghanistan, presented a report on the status of human rights in Afghanistan to the 55th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission yesterday in Geneva. Hossain reported that Taliban officials have made no significant changes regarding women’s human rights. At a news conference, he characterized the situation for […]

Last August, forty United Nations foreign staff members were withdrawn from Afghanistan after Carmine Calo, a military advisor to the United Nations, was murdered in Kabul. Calo was murdered in retaliation for U.S. missile raids. The U.N. is now preparing to return a limited number of its international staff to Afghanistan. Before all employees return […]

The U.N. has established a Gender Coordinating Unit for Afghanistan which will establish gender policy for the area together with other agencies. A human rights adviser has also been appointed, and a gender advisor will begin work there next month. Diplomats fear that the Taliban will enter into a confrontation with the U.N. if the […]

In a stunning victory for the Feminist Majority’s “Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan!” campaign, Unocal Corporation has withdrawn its support from plans to build an $8 billion dollar oil pipeline through Afghanistan. The New York Times reported Saturday that low oil prices, pressure from feminist groups, and concern over the Taliban’s harboring of suspected terrorist […]

The Taliban militia have come to an agreement to allow an United Nations assessment team access to the Bamiyan province in Afghanistan to determine the need for winter food aid. Deep snows throughout Bamiyan province make access to this central region difficult. Winter conditions last year cut off supplies to the region which led to […]

Bridas, an independent energy company in Argentina, is fully prepared to go ahead with their pipeline project in Afghanistan as soon as Taliban officials sign the agreement. The pipeline will cover 790 miles of land from the Dauletabad gas fields in southern Turkmenistan to Multan in western Pakistan; 464 miles will pass through Afghanistan. Bridas’ […]

Physicians for Human Rights published a recent study on the conditions Afghanistan women have suffered under Taliban rule. Its findings show that women in Afghanistan continually face heinous abuse and are suffering from lack of health care and education. “We are not aware of any place in the world in recent history where women have […]

After most of the aid agencies in Kabul pulled out, the Taliban announced that people should not worry because the UN would fill the void. The UN, however, says that the agency simply does not have the resources to fulfill the need created by the aid pullout. UN aid is actually being reduced to show […]

Two local U.N. aid workers in Jalalabad were killed in a Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan after being kidnapped on July 13. The U.N. began investigating the deaths after the men’s bodies were found this weekend. Mohammed Nazir Habibi, age forty-nine, worked for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Mohammed Hasidim Bahsaryar, age fifty-five, worked for […]