Taliban fighters 'brought to the UK on secret airlift flights'
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Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
‘This isn't living': Afghan girls beaten in Taliban hijab crackdown
Nafiseh's only mistake was showing her wrist. The 17-year-old was shopping for clothes with her friends in Kabul when Taliban officers grabbed her, pulling her hair as they threw her into the back of a waiting van. The men with long beards and American rifles slung across their shoulders beat her all the way to the police station west of Afghanistan's capital, her uncle said. By the time they reached the police station, Nafiseh's complete black hijab – the covering that should have protected her according to the Taliban's laws – was stained with her own blood. 'She did nothing wrong,' her uncle said, his voice carrying the weight of a generation's helplessness. 'She was wearing a complete black hijab from the Arabs. They arrested her anyway.' When Nafiseh's father arrived at the police station, the Taliban officers turned their rage toward him, their fists finding a new target in his desperate flesh. 'As soon as he arrived, they started beating and insulting him,' the uncle explained. 'They told him why first he let his daughter go out without a man, then why her wrist was visible.' To secure Nafiseh's release, her father was forced to sign a pledge – a document promising to restrict her movements even further than before. Dozens of women and girls, aged 16 to 27, were arrested across at least six neighbourhoods this week alone, with the Taliban claiming they were not wearing the hijab properly. But witnesses told The Telegraph that girls were being arrested even when they did follow the strict dress code – like Nafiseh. The systematic round-up of women in Kabul represents an escalation in the Taliban's crackdown, with the victims' families threatened into silence. It's also a far cry from the image Taliban officials are trying to present to the West when encouraging tourists to visit the nation. In the labyrinthine alleys of Kabul, terror now wears the uniform of virtue police – an equivalent of the notorious morality police across the border in Iran. Witnesses describe scenes of armed jihadists chasing girls through narrow streets, with their victims running terrified and crying, seeking refuge in doorways that offer no protection. 'It was Saturday, and a group of women were walking,' one witness told The Telegraph. 'Of course, their male guardians were not always around to accompany them, but they needed to go and buy groceries. 'Then I saw girls running through the alleys, terrified and in tears, with Taliban fighters chasing after them. 'I asked what was happening, and people said the Taliban were arresting any girl they found on the street. 'The girls were scrambling in all directions. I watched as the Taliban beat them and forced them into a van. It was heartbreaking. 'One of my relatives was even wearing a mask, but they arrested her too. Because Afghanistan is such a traditional society, my uncle's family refuses to talk about her detention. She was held for two days. Now she's deeply depressed.' Some of the girls were also arrested simply for being outside after dark. In western Kabul, authorities have begun issuing public warnings via loudspeakers, instructing residents to comply with hijab regulations. At checkpoints near busy commercial areas, officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have been seen monitoring women's clothing and detaining those they deem non-compliant. The Orwellian body has employed women to monitor Instagram pages and report instances where other women dare show their faces online. 'They are needed to handle other women,' an official from the ministry said. Girls wearing hijabs with decorations, bright colours – banned by the Taliban – or with strands of their hair showing are frequently targeted Vehicles with tinted windows have been stationed near alleyways and shops and restaurants, ready to bundle women and girls away to be questioned. Many are taken to the Intelligence Directorate, where they can be held for up to three months – regardless of whether any formal charges are brought. One woman, beaten and detained for hours, returned home to a family too scared to speak of her arrest. 'She doesn't speak and stays in bed all the time. We're really worried about her,' her brother said. 'We're afraid she might harm herself – there's so much pressure on women here.' He added: 'They arrested her just for wearing a small plastic flower on her headscarf. The Taliban called us in. She wanted to become a doctor, then they closed universities and when she hung out with her friend, they arrested her. 'They humiliated me and my father, filmed us, and forced us to say on camera that we wouldn't let my sister go out alone again.' In Afghanistan's traditional society, a woman's violation becomes the family's 'dishonour', creating a conspiracy of quiet that serves the Taliban's purposes. 'We are like caged birds' A former university student described life for women in Afghanistan as being 'like a caged bird, just waiting for men to decide when to feed us'. She said one of her friends took her own life a few months ago but her family refused to call it suicide as they saw it as a humiliation. 'This isn't living – we're just breathing inside our homes, with no access to anything. 'The Taliban want us all dead. Their problem is with our gender. The entire government is focused on controlling women – so men don't go to hell by looking at us.' Women have been ordered not to speak loudly inside their homes, lest their voices escape and 'tempt' men outside. Zahra Haqparast, a dentist and women's rights activist who was imprisoned by the Taliban in 2022 and now speaks from exile in Germany, said: 'No woman goes out in Afghanistan without a hijab. 'The Taliban's problem is women themselves. As a woman, you do not need to commit a crime. In the Taliban's view, you're a criminal by being a woman.' The temperature in Kabul can reach 45C in summer. But the Taliban requires women to wear long black coverings in this heat, turning the simple act of existing outdoors into physical torture.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Councillor ‘reported to cops for racial hatred' after asking if homeless vets will get same support as migrants in hotel
It comes after details of a billion-pound Government cover-up were revealed ASYLUM HOTEL FURY Councillor 'reported to cops for racial hatred' after asking if homeless vets will get same support as migrants in hotel Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A COUNCILLOR who asked if homeless veterans could also be housed in migrant hotels was allegedly reported to cops for "stirring up hate". Cllr John Edwards claims he was "smeared" after he questioned Bracknell Forest Council's decision to house more than 300 Afghan migrants in four-star hotels in favour of hard-hit locals. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Cllr Edwards said his reputation had been harmed, despite his claims of a cover-up turning out to be true Credit: Conservatives 5 The Government was forced to cover up the relocation of thousands of Afghans after a major MOD email blunder Credit: AP 5 Cllr Edwards called for migrants to be treated with 'respect and dignity', but admitted he was worried for residents Credit: PA The independent councillor, who serves on Sandhurst Town Council, was reportedly put under investigation after he called for more clarity when hundreds of Afghans were placed in local hotels. He was allegedly reported by Labour councillor Cherise Welch, who accused him of "stirring up hate" after he suggested that key information was being withheld from Berkshire residents. But it has since been revealed that the Government secretly relocated thousands of Afghans to the UK following a major Ministry of Defence email blunder. Writing on his Facebook in April, Cllr Edwards called for the migrants to be treated with "respect and dignity", but admitted he was worried for the knock-on effect for desperate residents. He said: "Bracknell is resettling over 300 Afghans in a local hotel—and I don't believe residents are being told the full story. "I'm increasingly concerned that key information is either being withheld or presented in a way that makes it difficult to see how unfair this scheme is. "I want to make it clear that everyone arriving on this scheme must be treated with respect and dignity. But I also believe it's completely reasonable to ask what impact this scheme will have on our area. "If the money is there to house Afghans in a four-star hotel, why aren't any of the Labour, Lib Dem or Conservative councillors asking why this hasn't been provided for Bracknell's veterans or residents first? "As a Town Councillor, I felt compelled to look into this and speak up, because no other elected representative was." In response, Cllr Welch suggested the post was "complete nonsense", adding she had reported him to "the MOD, Council and local police". Others accused the concerned councillor of "spreading far-right propaganda" and targeting "specific ethnic groups". Speaking to the MailOnline, Cllr Edwards explained he had not been contacted by the police, but said his reputation had been harmed, despite his claims of a cover-up turning out to be true. Defence chiefs braced for £1BILLION compensation bill over Afghan data leak scandal He added: "The council has fuelled a narrative that I'm spreading hate and misinformation, despite my claims being true. "Another councillor has said publicly they have reported me to the police for stirring racial hatred. "It's stressful and potentially very harmful to my reputation. 'It's a way to smear and silence me, and it has a chilling effect which amounts to, 'disagree with the council and you will be call a racist'." He posted pictures of the interior and exterior facilities in the hotel, blurring out the background to conceal the location. But he was also accused of identifying the hotel by posting the images, which he strongly denies. Earlier this month, it emerged that almost 20,000 Afghans had been secretly relocated to the UK after a major Ministry of Defence error. The February 2022 leak was caused by a Special Forces soldier who accidentally shared a list of 18,714 people who had applied to flee to Britain in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The list also included names of their individual UK sponsors including SAS and MI6 spies and at least one Royal Marine Major General. The clumsy click has potential to be the most expensive data breach in history. A total of 18,714 Afghans were included on the secret list, many of whom arrived via unmarked planes which landed at Stansted airport. Although Defence Secretary John Healey has said that the cost of relocating the Afghans and their families will total £400 million, the final cost could be even higher. The information was kept a secret for 18 months through a superinjunction used by the MoD – the first time one had been used by the Government against the press. Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones were revealed in 2022 — with the blunder then 'covered up' by the gagging order. Almost 900 Afghans on the 'kill list' email leak are ready to sue — with lawyers saying thousands more are poised to join them. Legal sources claimed victims whose lives were endangered could be entitled 'to five-figure payouts'. Councillor Welch has been approached for comment. 5 Cllr John Edwards was reported to the police for questioning the decision to house Afghans over locals Credit: Facebook / Cllr John Edwards
Evening Standard
2 days ago
- Evening Standard
Taliban fighters 'brought to the UK on secret airlift flights'
One man, who arrived before the fall of Kabul, is believed to have applied for his Taliban-connected relatives to follow him. The MoD confirmed he is now in Britain but did not disclose the whereabouts of his Taliban sympathiser family.
