Afghanistan

[…] Facing domestic and international reactions to the recent travel restrictions announced by the Islamic Emirate on Sunday, on Tuesday Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghans who have legal documents and invitations can travel abroad and return to the country without any problem.

The Taliban are creating a “grand army” for Afghanistan that will include officers and troops who served the old regime, the official tasked with overseeing the military’s transformation said Monday.

Afghanistan’s hardline Islamic rulers say they plan to “reconsider” their policy towards the United States if the administration of President Joe Biden refuses to return the full $7 billion in assets that have been frozen in the United States. President Biden issued an executive order last Friday calling on banks to set aside $3.5 billion of the frozen assets in a trust fund slated for humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

Six months after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, humanitarians fear a growing hunger crisis could kill more Afghans than the preceding 20 years of war. … Nearly two-thirds of the population – about 23 million people – need humanitarian assistance. That’s up 30% from just one year ago.

A number of women who participated in protests demanding women’s rights in Afghanistan are missing. The Taliban deny they are holding them and also say they have granted a general amnesty to all those who worked with the previous regime. But the UN has raised alarm about a pattern of reprisals against activists, journalists, former government officials and security forces.

Qatar has reached an agreement with the Taliban to resume chartered evacuation flights from Afghanistan, ending a dispute that resulted in a months-long pause, according to a report.

The UN human rights office OHCHR, has said it is very alarmed over the continued disappearance of six people who were abducted in the Afghan capital Kabul, in connection with recent women’s rights protests.

The United Nations has received “credible allegations” that more than 100 former members of the Afghan government, its security forces and those who worked with international troops have been killed since the Taliban took over the country Aug. 15, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says.

Talks with Western officials in Oslo show the Taliban desperately need recognition for their government. They have launched a diplomatic offensive to achieve this goal, and, from their point of view, they are succeeding.