Afghanistan News Highlights: India monitoring developments with 'understandable concerns', says Jaishankar

The UN said that it will need $600 million to avert a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, about a third of which will be spent by the UN World Food Programme. The Taliban are breaking their promises on women's rights and inclusivity in Afghanistan, the UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday. Stay tuned to DH for more updates.

Afghan women should not work alongside men, senior Taliban figure says

Afghan women should not be allowed to work alongside men, a senior figure in the ruling Taliban said, a position which, if formally implemented, would effectively bar them from employment in government offices, banks, media companies and beyond.

Waheedullah Hashimi, a senior figure in the Taliban who is close to the leadership, told Reuters the group would fully implement its version of sharia, or Islamic law, despite pressure from the international community to allow women the right to work where they want.

Since the movement swept to power last month, Taliban officials have said women would be able to work and study within the limits laid down by sharia. (Credit: Reuters)

Vital to engage with Taliban: UN chief Antonio Guterres

UN chief Antonio Guterres called on Monday for the international community to engage with the Taliban to avert a total collapse ofAfghanistan's economy.

"It is impossible to provide humanitarian assistance insideAfghanistanwithout engaging with the de facto authorities," Guterres told journalists on the sidelines of a donor conference, adding it was "very important to engage with the Taliban at the present moment". (AFP)

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

With Afghanistan facing a grave humanitarian crisis, India on Monday said it will stand by Afghans just as it did in the past.

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.

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India's approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by historical friendship with its people; Will continue to be the case: Jaishankar.

India has consistently supported central role for UN in Afghanistan's future: S Jaishankar. (PTI)

As an immediate neighbour, India is monitoring developments in Afghanistan with "understandable concerns" : EAM Jaishankar. (PTI)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the participants in the UN General Assembly to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. He also called on the Taliban to allow aid agencies to help those in need. (TOLOnews)

Taliban breaking promises to women: UN rights chief

The Taliban are breaking their promises on women's rights and inclusivity in Afghanistan, the UN rights chief said on Monday, as she also criticised violence against protesters and alleged reprisal killings.

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Pakistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Qureshi, while speaking at UN meeting in Geneva, called for a "pragmatic" approach to Afghanistan and sustained engagement by the international community, and warned against repeating mistakes of the past. (TOLOnews)

UK's Dominic Raab speaking at UN meeting says he fears collapse in Afghanistan as well as regional instability. "We will not give aid directly to the Taliban, therefore it is crucial that aid organizations can act freely and safely." (TOLOnews)

In Pic | Members of the Taliban patrol along a road as they sit on a military tank in Kabul. Credit: AFP Photo

First foreign commercial flight since Taliban takeover lands in Kabul

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying a handful of passengers touched down at Kabul airport Monday, the first international commercial flight to land since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan on August 15.

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Qatar foreign minister has told in a press conference in Doha that recognition of Taliban govt is not their priority. He said he has asked the Taliban to respect women's rights by giving several examples of Muslim countries where women have an active role in society.

Taliban co-founder releases audio statement after death rumours

The Taliban co-founder and now deputy prime minister of Afghanistan released an audio statement Monday saying he was alive and well after news of his supposed demise went viral on social media.

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UN rights chief rebukes Taliban over treatment of women

The United Nations' human rights chief criticised on Monday the Taliban's human rights record since seizing power inAfghanistan, noting that stated commitments did not match realities on the ground such as the status of women.

"Importantly, and in contradiction to assurances that the Taliban would uphold women's rights, over the past three weeks, women have instead been progressively excluded from the public sphere," Michelle Bachelet told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

She also expressed dismay at the composition of the Taliban's new government, noting the absence of women and its dominance by ethnic Pashtun. (Reuters)

Fleeing Afghans sell their wares at Kabul's busy bazaars

Kabul's flea markets are packed with the belongings that desperate Afghans have sold at rock-bottom prices to fund their escape from Taliban rule, or just to pay for food.

Plates, glasses, and kitchen appliances are piled high on makeshift tables at the outdoor bazaars, alongside 1990s television sets and old Singer sewing machines, while rolled-up carpets are propped up on second-hand sofas and beds.

Since the Taliban stormed to power in mid-August, Afghans say job opportunities have dried up and they are only allowed to withdraw $200 per week from their bank accounts, meaning cash is in short supply. (AFP)

Russia planning to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

Russia is planning to send food and medicine to Afghanistan soon as humanitarian aid, the RIA news agency cited Russia's foreign ministry as saying on Monday.

Foreign countries greeted the make-up of the new government in Afghanistan with caution and dismay last week after the Taliban appointed hardline veteran figures to top positions, including several with a USbounty on their head. (Reuters)

A UNHAS flight (UN Humanitarian Air Service) from Islamabad landed in Kabul on Monday, the first since the Taliban takeover, and brought aid workers to Kabul. UN said that the plan is to have flights in for 5 days per week from Islamabad.

The body of a Marine who was among 13 US service members killed in a suicide bombing during the US-run evacuation at Afghanistan's Kabul airport was returned Sunday to his northern Indiana hometown.

A military procession marked the beginning of memorial services for Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, of Logansport.

Sanchez's body arrived Sunday morning at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) north of Indianapolis. The procession then headed about 20 miles (30 kilometers) to Logansport. (AFP)

Qatar Foreign Minister visits Kabul for talks with Taliban

Qatar's foreign minister held talks in Afghanistan on Sunday, becoming the most senior official to visit the country since the Taliban's takeover on August 15.

A Taliban official tweeted that Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met senior officials of the new Afghan regime, although details were not disclosed.

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Taliban: Women can study in gender-segregated universities

Women in Afghanistan can continue to study in universities, including at post-graduate levels, but classrooms will be gender-segregated and Islamic dress is compulsory, the Taliban government's new higher education minister said Sunday.

The minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, laid out the new policies at a news conference, several days after Afghanistan's new rulers formed an all-male government. On Saturday, the Taliban had raised their flag over the presidential palace, signaling the start of the work of the new government.

The world has been watching closely to see to what extent the Taliban might act differently from their first time in power, in the late 1990s. During that era, girls and women were denied an education, and were excluded from public life. (AP)

Afghan pilots start leaving Uzbekistan for UAE, despite Taliban pressure-source

US-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel held in an Uzbek camp for about a month began leaving the country on Sunday, one of the pilots told Reuters, under a USdeal that came despite Taliban demands for the return of the Afghans and their aircraft.

The first group is at least initially heading to the United Arab Emirates, the pilot said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The transfer was expected to take place in several waves, starting on Sunday and ending in the next day or so.

Reuters was first to report that the pilots have started departing Uzbekistan. The USState Department and Uzbekistan's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)

The health care system in Afghanistan is teetering on the edge of collapse, endangering the lives of millions and compounding a deepening humanitarian crisis, public health experts warn.

The country’s health care has been propped up by aid from international donors. But after the Taliban seized power, the World Bank and other organizations froze $600 million in health care aid. The Biden administration, too, is struggling with how to dispense donor money to a country now being run by several senior Taliban leaders whom the United States has designated to be terrorists. (NYT)

Afghan pilots start leaving Uzbekistan for UAE, despite Taliban pressure

US-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel held in an Uzbek camp for about a month began leaving the country on Sunday, one of the pilots told Reuters, under a U.S. deal that came despite Taliban demands for the return of the Afghans and their aircraft.

The first group is at least initially heading to the United Arab Emirates, the pilot said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The transfer was expected to take place in several waves, starting on Sunday and ending in the next day or so. (Reuters)

Qatar Foreign Minister visits Kabul for talks with Taliban

Qatar's foreign minister held talks in Afghanistan on Sunday, becoming the most senior official to visit the country since the Taliban's takeover on August 15.

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UN seeks $600 million to avert Afghanistan humanitarian crisis

The United Nations is convening an aid conference in Geneva on Monday in an effort to raise more than $600 million for Afghanistan, warning of a humanitarian crisis there following the Taliban takeover.

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