Afghans flock mosques
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Afghans flocked to mosques Friday, 31 July, to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha as a three-day ceasefire between Taliban and government forces began, with many hoping it will lead to peace talks and the end of nearly two decades of conflict. A car bomb that killed at least 17 […] The post Afghans flock mosques appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Afghanistan: Aid Cutbacks, Taliban Abuses Imperil Health
(New York) - The sharp reduction in foreign assistance for Afghanistan's public health system, alongside the Taliban's serious abuses against women and girls have jeopardized the right to health for millions of Afghans, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The healthcare crisis has made the Afghan population increasingly vulnerable to severe malnutrition.....»»
Pakistan: Widespread Abuses Force Afghans to Leave
(New York) - Pakistani authorities have committed widespread abuses against Afghans living in Pakistan to compel their return to Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today.Police and other officials have carried out mass detentions, seized property and livestock, and destroyed identity documents to expel thousands.....»»
Pakistan opens new border crossings to expedite Afghans’ repatriation
Many Afghans have opted to go home voluntarily to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to be expelled.....»»
Taliban: Evicting Afghan migrants ‘unacceptable’
Pakistan’s plan to evict hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants is “unacceptable,” Taliban authorities said Wednesday, denying allegations by Islamabad its citizens were responsible for a string of suicide attacks there. Around 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan and 880,000 more have legal status to remain, according to the latest United Nations figures. But caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said Tuesday a further 1.7 million Afghans were in Pakistan illegally, giving a 1 November deadline to return home or face deportation. The order comes as Pakistan grapples with a rise in attacks the government blames on militants operating from Afghanistan, a charge Kabul routinely denies. “The behavior of Pakistan against Afghan refugees is unacceptable,” Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on social media site X. “Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them.” Bugti claimed Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of 24 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January. “We deny all these claims because Afghans have migrated to other countries for their safety, their security,” Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, said. “It’s natural when someone migrates to another country for his safety, he would never want insecurity there,” he told Agence France-Presse. Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the United States-led occupation. And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law. The post Taliban: Evicting Afghan migrants ‘unacceptable’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Filipino spikers sweep Afghans for 1st Asian Games win in 4 decades
The Philippines won its first volleyball game in the Asian Games in 49 years after overpowering Afghanistan, 25-23, 25-16, 25-12, Wednesday afternoon in Hangzhou, China......»»
Rontini saves Azkals vs Afghans
The youth brigade saved the day for the Philippine Azkals as they pulled off a 2-1 fightback win over Afghanistan in Tuesday night’s international friendly at the Rizal Memorial Stadium......»»
Azkals meet Afghans in friendly
The in-transition Philippine Azkals continue their buildup for the coming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers by taking on Afghanistan in a friendly tonight at the Rizal Memorial Stadium......»»
France evacuates five Afghan women ‘threatened by Taliban’
Paris, France — France on Monday was due to receive five Afghan women “threatened by the Taliban” after repeated requests it create a humanitarian corridor for women shut out of public life, an official said. Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban authorities have imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid.” Women and girls have been banned from attending high school and university as well as barred from visiting parks, fairs and gymnasiums. They have also mostly been blocked from working for UN agencies or NGOs, with thousands sacked from government jobs or paid to stay at home. French immigration authority chief Didier Leschi told AFP that by presidential order, “special attention is being paid to women who are primarily threatened by the Taliban because they have held important positions in Afghan society... or have close contacts with Westerners.” “This is the case for five women who will arrive today,” Leschi said. The women include a former university director, an ex-NGO consultant, a former television presenter, and a teacher at a secret school in Kabul. One of the women was accompanied by three children. The women had been unable to leave Afghanistan on airlifts to Western countries when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. They fled to neighboring Pakistan where they sought temporary refuge. From there, the French authorities organized their evacuation, Leschi said. Once they arrive in France, they will be registered as asylum seekers and given housing while their applications for refugee status are considered, Leschi said. Leschi said that such evacuations were “likely to be repeated” for other Afghan women with a similar profile. However, Delphine Rouilleault, the head of the France Terre D’Asile NGO working for refugees, said the evacuations were “not the fruit of a political decision” but gained “after a hard fight” to obtain visas for them. The women will be initially housed in a center run by her organization, which has been rallying for months for the evacuation of more Afghan women facing a similar situation. Rouilleault said “hundreds” of Afghan women were “hiding” in Pakistan. In the middle of 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron had pledged that France would “be by the side of Afghans.” French authorities say nearly 16,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since then. An NGO working for Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, Accueillir les Afghanes, in April deplored that Afghan women, especially those who were single, had been largely abandoned and asked Paris to put in place an “emergency” program to take them in. The post France evacuates five Afghan women ‘threatened by Taliban’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lasers, drones vs China
If you may remember, the Afghans beat back the superior Russians from Afghanistan by secretly obtaining portable heat-seeking missiles from the US, which eventually changed the tide of the war. The missile device was so portable, it was smuggled by donkey to remote mountains. It was so user-friendly, even ordinary foot soldiers could use it. The missiles destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes, and eventually forced the Russians to withdraw from Afghanistan. We can use the same tactic in the West Philippine Sea against the superior Chinese warships and warplanes. If Marcos Jr. can somehow obtain lasers and drones, not necessarily from the US, not necessarily in secret, for the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese warships may think twice before bullying us with their lasers and water cannons. China is currently harassing Filipinos in the Ayungin Shoal, triggering diplomatic protests. This aggression is virtually an act of war. Responding with legal arguments for China to respect the UNCLOS and The Hague court decision is useless. Social media exposés and campaigns cannot solve the problem. We have to face them in our territory in the West Philippine Sea. If we do not, we might as well concede. If we do, are we ready for the consequences of escalation? Has China secretly discovered oil in Ayungin, so it has to keep Filipinos away? Another strategy is to get a US firm as a partner in oil exploration in the Ayungin Shoal, escorted by US warships. Let’s get to the oil before China does. If there are competing explorations and oil rigs, this will prevent war. There is, however, a risk of a full-blown US-China naval confrontation. If we up the ante, China may back out or resort to an unpredictable escalation. Can we handle the escalation? Are we ready to go into this new stage of war, not just physically in terms of possible collateral damage, but also spiritually in terms of the political will to fight? This remains to be seen. Asymmetrics as a Game Changer “Asymmetric” weapons refer to small cheap high-tech weapons that can take out big expensive weaponry. For example, hypersonic missiles taking out aircraft carriers, killer drones neutralizing an entire naval base, super lasers shooting down satellites in outer space, silent electro-magnetic pulse bombs jamming an enemy assault. This is called the equalizer, the use of asymmetrics against far superior foes. Lasers and drones on our coast guard ships are asymmetrics. Asymmetrics are becoming popular. Ukraine is using them against Russia, and Iran against the US in the Strait of Hormuz. China is now able to jam the electronic signals of US warplanes in the WPS. These new sophisticated asymmetrics have evolved as powerful game changers in modern warfare in favor of the underdog. The Vietnam Model Vietnamese water cannons faced Chinese water cannons, forcing the latter to abandon an oil rig close to the Vietnamese shore. We can learn from the Vietnamese, adopt its warrior ways, its spiritual orientation of defiance and belligerence. But we must be cautious as there may be consequences we are not yet ready for. Vietnam has been fighting China for centuries. China respects Vietnam’s audacity while it looks down on Filipinos whose leaders can easily be offered quid-pro-quo deals (Duterte) and whose tin can coast guard vessels they can easily step on. Can we change China’s attitude through a new type of belligerence using asymmetrics? Vietnam is the epitome of David defying Goliath, two Goliaths, in fact, the French and the Americans. France surrendered its colonization of Vietnam in the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The Americans gave up Vietnam after a 20-year guerrilla war, an embarrassing blow for a superpower falling to its knees to a “lowly” Third World country. Centuries before that, at its birth, Vietnam defied and splintered from the powerful Chinese Empire. Viet means south, nam means kingdom — the kingdom south of the empire. From where does Vietnam draw its strength? Vietnam is monolithic, one solid land mass. The Philippines is granulated, a scattered archipelago. It took more than 10,000 years of slow migration (the so-called Austronesian Dispersal) for Malays in improvised boats (balanghays) to populate the Philippines. While this was happening, Vietnam was growing in strength by defying the Chinese empire. Vietnam is a single neutral gray, the Philippines a rainbow. Vietnam has one central language, the Philippines 125-odd dialects. Except for the Hmong, Vietnam has few ancient ethnic groups. We have 85 ethnic groupings. Anthropologically, Vietnam and the Philippines are complete opposites. The Vietnamese is a natural warrior, the Filipino a natural adventurer. The French and the Americans failed to colonize Vietnam. The Filipino was conquered by the Spaniards, Americans and Japanese. The Vietnamese was defiant, the Filipino subservient. The Filipino absorbed colonization and foreign culture, the Vietnamese kept its culture intact. The post Lasers, drones vs China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Australia Should Prioritize Humanitarian Visas for Afghans
This week marks the two-year anniversary since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Days earlier, the Australian federal government announced an increase of its humanitarian visa intake from 17,875 to 20,000 refugees. The synchronicity of these two occurrences is cause for reflectio.....»»
Taliban mark second year in power
The Taliban were to lead the celebration Tuesday of the second year of their ouster of the United States-led foreign forces despite the lack of international recognition of their so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. A military parade in the Taliban movement’s birthplace, Kandahar, also marks their return to power after the fall of the US-backed government and exile of its former leaders in 2021. The parade includes scores of military vehicles and weapons left behind by international forces after a weeks-long chaotic withdrawal two years ago. Elsewhere, convoys of Taliban members are due to drive through the streets of Herat in the west, while in the capital Kabul, the education ministry will host a celebration at a school. But while some Afghans celebrate the end of fighting and Taliban rule, others see it as a grim anniversary. “All the girls and women of Afghanistan want their freedom back,” former student Hamasah Bawar said. In the two years since Taliban authorities have reimposed their strict interpretation of Islam on the country, women were banned from working and attending school. Afghan women ahead of the anniversary have expressed fear and despair over the loss of rights — a handful holding small demonstrations, many of their faces covered with masks. “Despite reassurances by the Taliban de facto authorities that any restrictions, particularly in terms of access to education would be temporary, the facts on the ground have demonstrated an accelerated, systematic, and all engulfing system of segregation, marginalization and persecution,” a group of United Nations experts said on Monday. The international community continues to grapple with how, and if, to engage with the Taliban authorities, with restrictions on women’s rights a key obstacle in negotiations over aid and recognition. Afghans also pointed to worry over an economic and humanitarian crisis in motion since the Taliban takeover, as aid dried up and sanctions were imposed. WITH AFP The post Taliban mark second year in power appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Afghan women protest against beauty parlor ban
Security officials shot into the air and used firehoses to disperse dozens of Afghan women protesting in Kabul Wednesday against an order by Taliban authorities to shut down beauty parlors, the latest curb to squeeze them out of public life. Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban government has barred girls and women from high schools and universities, banned them from parks, funfairs and gyms, and ordered them to cover up in public. The order issued last month forces the closure of thousands of beauty parlors nationwide run by women -- often the only source of income for households -- and outlaws one of the few remaining opportunities for them to socialize away from home. "Don't take my bread and water," read a sign carried by one of the protesters on Butcher Street, which boasts a concentration of the capital's salons. Public protests are rare in Afghanistan -- and frequently dispersed by force -- but AFP saw around 50 women taking part in Wednesday's gathering, quickly attracting the attention of security personnel. Protesters later shared videos and photos with journalists that showed authorities using a firehose to disperse them as shots could be heard in the background. "Today we arranged this protest to talk and negotiate," said a salon worker, whose name has not been published by AFP for security reasons. "But today, no one came to talk to us, to listen to us. They didn't pay any attention to us and after a while, they dispersed us by aerial firing and water cannon." The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the protest breakup. "Reports of the forceful suppression of a peaceful protest by women against the ban on beauty salons – the latest denial of women's rights in #Afghanistan – are deeply concerning," it said in a tweet. "Afghans have the right to express views free from violence. De facto authorities must uphold this." In late June the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice gave salons a month to close down, saying the grace period would allow them to use up stock. It said it made the order because extravagant sums spent on makeovers caused hardship for poor families, and that some treatments at the salons were un-Islamic. Too much make-up prevented women from proper ablutions for prayer, the ministry said, while eyelash extensions and hair weaving were also forbidden. A copy of the order seen by AFP said it was "based on verbal instruction from the supreme leader" Hibatullah Akhundzada. - Safe place - Beauty parlors mushroomed across Kabul and other Afghan cities in the 20 years that United States-led forces occupied the country. They were seen as a safe place to gather and socialize away from men and provided vital business opportunities for women. A report to the UN's Human Rights Council last month by Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur for Afghanistan, said the plight of women and girls in the country "was among the worst in the world". "Grave, systematic and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule, which also gives rise to concerns that they may be responsible for gender apartheid," Bennett said. Akhundzada, who rarely appears in public and rules by decree from the Taliban's birthplace in Kandahar, said last month Afghan women were being saved from "traditional oppressions" by the adoption of Islamic governance and their status as "free and dignified human beings" restored. He said in a statement marking the Eid al-Adha holiday that steps had been taken to provide women with a "comfortable and prosperous life according to Islamic Sharia". Women have also mostly been barred from working for the UN or NGOs, and thousands have been sacked from government jobs or are being paid to stay at home. bur-fox/ecl/dva © Agence France-Presse The post Afghan women protest against beauty parlor ban appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Marcos non-committal to hosting Afghans
President Marcos raised yesterday the possibility of rejecting the United States government’s request for the Philippines to host its 50,000 former Afghan employees, citing security, legal and logistical concerns......»»
Marcos: No deal yet on hosting of Afghans
Marcos said there is no deal yet between the Philippines and the US on the request as the two countries need to hammer out the legal, logistical and security issues of the plan......»»
Marcos says ‘no deal’ yet with US on Phl hosting Afghan refugees
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday dispelled the circulating reports that the Philippines has already made a deal with the United States to house Afghan nationals in the Philippines as studies are ongoing regarding its impact on the country’s national security. During the sidelines of an event in Parañaque, Marcos underscored that the Philippine government is “conscious” of the security issues if the US request will be granted. “There are many issues involved… That’s why I was a little surprised when I saw some of the news reports that there’s a deal between the US… there’s no deal, we’re still looking exactly how to make it work if we can,” Marcos said. “We will continue to study it. Let’s see if there’s a way we can do it without endangering the security,” he added. Marcos acknowledged that making the Philippines a transition zone could present security concerns, as well as legal and logistical challenges. “They are Afghans who are being resettled primarily in the United States, and we are going to be the third country, that is the proposal of the United States. We will continue to study. Let’s see if there is a way we can do it without endangering the security of the Philippines,” said Marcos. Marcos added that the Philippines has a long history of taking in refugees. However, the Chief Executive said the Philippines has never faced a situation like the United States request to temporarily accommodate Afghan nationals. “This is something different; this is something we have not encountered before,” said Marcos. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo recently mentioned that US President Joe Biden briefly mentioned the request to Marcos during the Philippine President’s state visit to Washington in May. "The secretary of state directly raised this to me on a few occasions verbally and also in a letter…and in fact, President Biden also briefly raised the issue with President Marcos during the visit last May," Manalo told senators during an inquiry on the matter on 16 June. According to the Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Palace has a deadline of 15 July to decide on whether to provide accommodation for these Afghan nationals or not. The post Marcos says ‘no deal’ yet with US on Phl hosting Afghan refugees appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Mystery’ plane unlinked to Afghan issue — DFA
The Department of Foreign Affairs has dispelled speculations a US Air Force plane that landed in Manila without an advisory had something to do with Washington’s request to temporarily house Afghans in the country. DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza confirmed, however, that a diplomatic clearance was issued to an inbound American military aircraft. “We understand that a diplomatic clearance was issued to an aircraft of this type in relation to a bilateral defense cooperation activity,” Daza said. “It is not related to the request for temporary housing of Afghan SIV applicants, which is still under discussion,” she added. Daza issued the statement in response to a vlogger’s post that purportedly showed a US Air Force C-17 plane at an undisclosed airport in the Philippines. To recall, Senator Imee Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, led an investigation into a US request for Afghans to be allowed to stay temporarily in the country while Washington processes their special immigration visas to the US — not as refugees but as former US government employees during America’s occupation of their country. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez had said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may decide to grant the US request to allow the temporary housing of Afghans in the country next month. Romualdez noted that if the request was granted, not all the Afghans applying for SIV status would be transported to the country at once, saying they may arrive in batches of 1,000 to 1,500. The post ‘Mystery’ plane unlinked to Afghan issue — DFA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DND: No decision yet on Afghan refugees issue
Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro on Monday said they are still awaiting the legal opinion of the Department of Justice regarding the United States' request to grant some Afghan refugees special immigrant status in the Philippines. In a chance interview, Teodoro said the government is still “carefully” assessing the legality of the request. “Hinihintay pa namin ang opinyon ng DOJ kung ito ay legal at pwedeng pagbigyan o hindi kung hindi maari sa batas ng Republika, ano pa ang pag-uusapan natin? (We’re still waiting opinion from the DOJ if it is legal and can granted or not. If it is not allowed in our law, what we should talk about?),” Teodoro told reporters. Teodoro said the Philippines has yet to craft a formal response to the US’ request, but it has no timeframe. “Lahat ng gawain natin kailangan may legal basis tayo. Hindi puwedeng wala (In everything we do, we must have legal basis),” he said. Teodoro said the matter is yet to reach President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for discussion, as they still need to evaluate if the country has sufficient resources to house the US-backed Afghan nationals. “Bagamat gusto nating tumulong, ay may mga kababayan din tayo dito na nangangailangan din ng tulong, pabahay at pangangalaga (While we want to help, our fellow Filipinos also need help, housing and care),” he said. In a separate television interview, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez earlier said the country's response to the request may become available on 15 July. “I would think that before the middle of July, we should be able to make a decision. The memorandum for the President’s approval or disapproval, whichever the case may be, will be sent to Malacañang as probably as late as July 15… That is more or less what we are tracking right now from here, from Washington DC,” Romualdez said. Last Friday, Senator Imee Marcos urged Teodoro and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año to explain the US’ request to grant some Afghan refugees special immigrant status in the country. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations launched an investigation after Marcos filed Senate Resolution 651, seeking an inquiry into the request. Marcos noticed that no data have been made public on the said Afghans' status as legitimate refugees, employees of the US government, or American companies. There's a lack of transparency in the present case," Marcos said, comparing the previous administration's policy of accepting Afghan refugees when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, following the withdrawal of American troops. "We need to know the real nature of the agreement between the Philippines and the United States and the course of action the executive branch plans to take," she stressed. The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 stated that the admission of refugees for religious, political, or racial reasons should serve a humanitarian purpose and not be opposed to the public interest. Meantime, Teodoro noted that the US did not cite humanitarian considerations in its request. "Ito, hindi humanitarian ang hinihingi eh. SIV (special immigrant visa) ito so ibang kaso ito at kahit na humanitarian ang rason, inaaral pa rin ng ating gobyerno ang lahat ng implikasyon (The reason for their request is not humanitarian. This is about SIVs, so it is a different case. And even if it is for humanitarian reasons, the government needs to study all the implications),” he said. The post DND: No decision yet on Afghan refugees issue appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Afghans and the US request to the Phl
Even former president Rodrigo Duterte has weighed in on the issue by making a bold prediction that it would cause “a warp” and urged President Marcos to think twice......»»
Afghans and the US request to the Phl
A few days ago, the committee on foreign relations at the Senate, chaired by Sena Imee Marcos, discussed the proposed temporary housing in the Philippines of special immigrant visa applicants from Afghanistan......»»
Closed doors
For a nation that prides itself in its hospitality, it says a lot that there’s spirited opposition to hosting 50,000 Afghans who helped the US and its allies in evicting the Taliban from Afghanistan......»»