A German court sentences 2 Afghans to prison for plotting to attack the Swedish parliament
BERLIN — A German court sentenced two Afghan men to several years in prison on Thursday for planning an attack on the Swedish parliament and killing lawmakers in response to the burning of copies of the Quran , German news agency dpa reported.
The Jena Higher Regional Court found the men guilty of, among other things, membership or support of a terrorist organization abroad and conspiracy to commit murder.
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘An attack is imminent': The Afghan ambassador fighting the Taliban's grip from afar
When Kabul fell on August 15, 2021, Afghanistan's ambassador to Italy and the UN agencies stationed in Rome was travelling through Madrid airport. As a vocal critic of the Taliban, Khaled Ahmad Zekriya knew he needed to get back to the embassy in the Italian capital as a matter of urgency, as Western forces withdrew from his home country. 'There was an Afghan woman at the airport and she literally collapsed,' he remembers. 'That's when I first realised what had happened. I made it back to Rome at around 10 o'clock at night and we immediately removed the flag from the front gate.' The career diplomat had been posted to Italy for less than a year when the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani was overthrown – to be replaced by an 'interim' all-male administration of hardline clerics, seasoned fighters and wanted terrorists. Many, including Zekriya, had seen it coming following the signing of the United States-Taliban deal in Doha, Qatar, 18 months earlier, which significantly weakened the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces' resistance to the Taliban insurgency amid false promises of a more 'inclusive' approach. For Afghanistan's diplomats stationed around the world – the last remaining outposts of the now-deposed government, established after the US-led invasion in 2001 – it posed a serious challenge. Should they swear allegiance to the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or face being completely cut off from their homeland – or worse? As someone who has made nurturing democracy in the country his life's work, Zekriya was never going to surrender. 'I'm not going to work with a government that espouses extreme Islamic views,' he says. 'It's not a legitimate government.' Today, almost four years on from the capture of the capital where he was born and raised, the father of one remains an ambassador adrift. While the palatial Afghan embassy in Via Nomentana, dating back to 1914, does carry out limited consular services, its consular paperwork is not officially recognised by the Taliban, leaving Zekriya, 56, his Afghan wife Lina, 47, and the mission's dwindling staff in limbo. How the funding works is, for now, off the record. 'I knew that the Republic would collapse eventually,' he nods, recalling the last election, when both the incumbent Ashraf Ghani and his opponent Abdullah Abdullah claimed to have won, quite preposterously holding concurrent inauguration ceremonies. 'We had two presidents who thought they had both been elected. Imagine! These were elections where voters lost fingers.' Lost fingers? 'They were chopped off by the Taliban if they didn't vote in the right way,' he explains. 'The Doha agreement that was meant to lead to the formation of an inclusive government through intra-Afghan dialogue; that never happened.' As soon as the deal was signed, 8,000 contractors who had been taking care of transportation, logistics and maintenance left Afghanistan. 'We knew that after their departure, the military would collapse. It wasn't that the military was not brave. We fought. We lost close to 72,000 men and women alongside the Americans, the Italians and others. But when you look back on it, the Taliban were regrouping right under the very noses of the US and then hoodwinking them into believing that they were more moderate than their predecessors,' Zekriya continues. 'I've said it from the beginning, that there is no such thing as moderate Taliban. So I knew it was coming and I knew I had to improvise.' As chaotic scenes played out on the world stage, with the Americans orchestrating the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in US military history, and our own foreign secretary Dominic Raab holidaying in Crete, plucky Zekriya was preparing to defend himself from an internal coup attempt. 'The reason I took the flag from downstairs to upstairs was to protect this symbol, which personifies everything; the territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the sovereignty of Afghanistan, the independence of Afghanistan, its historical flag. 'But the most important thing for me was to protect this embassy, this enclave, because I knew sooner or later, there would be dissent, there would be diplomatic mutiny. I knew I had to keep it open, not only to provide consular services but also to be able to represent Afghanistan, in both bilateral and multilateral forums. 'We're providing cultural diplomacy, human rights diplomacy, ecclesiastical diplomacy and we have certain projects that we're working on with various organisations to assist girls in Afghanistan. We're working very hard because we believe the only way we can prevail in Afghanistan is through negotiation; through peace.' Having served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and taught diplomacy to Afghan civil servants, the music-loving University of California San Diego graduate knew he had to remain a voice for moderate Muslims both at home and abroad. But one diplomat at the embassy, which serves about 23,000 Afghans in Italy, had other ideas and attempted to overthrow Zekriya. 'He entered the embassy and physically assaulted me but I was able to protect myself,' says the ambassador, recalling the incident, which happened a few months after Kabul fell in 2021. The Taliban sympathiser was kicked out, along with others pledging allegiance to their new jihadist masters. Others simply fled. 'I had to block certain bank accounts to make sure they wouldn't have access and then I also had to look to the future. How are we going to be able to maintain this embassy with the little money we had? How were we going to pay people's wages?' Last year, the Taliban announced that the consular paperwork of 14 of Afghanistan's missions abroad – including in Italy – was null and void. 'We used to issue 20 to 30 visas a month – but now we can't issue any,' Zekriya explains. 'Documentation for Afghans, power of attorney, inheritance papers and so on, that is no longer accepted either. But we can certify paperwork and that is where we are still able to maintain the embassy. We've had to use our ingenuity to keep the place open.' In common with the rest of the world, Giorgia Meloni's government does not formally recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. And unlike the UK, which closed its Afghan embassy when the Taliban sacked all staff, Italy has been supportive of this embassy's quest in continuing to provide consular services to Afghans. 'We have a lot of history with the Italians,' Zekriya says, as he proudly gives me the grand tour of the building, which boasts gilt-edged furniture, elaborate works of art and even classic cars in the garden, which have been there since the 1970s. The suited and booted ambassador is quite a character: modern in his outlook, animated in conversation and boasting an admirable sense of humour considering the adversity he is facing. Italy was one of the first nations to recognise Afghanistan's sovereignty in 1919. In 1921, the countries signed an agreement for the exchange of permanent diplomatic missions, and the embassy in Rome was bought by the modernising King Amānullāh Khan in 1928. After he was deposed the following year, he and his family – including Queen Soraya Tarzi – settled in exile in Rome, having been invited by Queen Elena of Italy. Many of their children and other descendants, including Princess India of Afghanistan, were raised in Italy; some still call the country home. When King Mohammad Zahir Shah was deposed in 1973, he was also exiled to Italy, living in Rome until his return to Afghanistan 29 years later. He was flown to Kabul on 18 April 2002, on an Italian military plane. The only church in Afghanistan, the chapel in Kabul, was at the Italian embassy and was maintained by an Italian until it had to be closed in 2021. As the Taliban regained control over Afghanistan, Italy withdrew its military contingent and moved its embassy to Qatar. Although Zekriya suggests that there are a 'very small number of pragmatic Taliban', he cautions, 'as far as moderation is concerned – no, because this runs contrary to their Islamist or jihadist ethos. It's very difficult to change a terrorist organisation and their perception of the world. They do not believe in international conventions. They do not believe in universal values. They do not believe in a what I would call a principled, value-driven world order. Bureaucratic hierarchy doesn't exist.' Zekriya is surprisingly calm and measured as he speaks – but you can tell his heart is aching for his homeland and his people. 'The Taliban have taken all the jobs. And right now corruption has become institutionalised in Afghanistan, along with the institutionalisation of certain terror tactics. Everyone's involved. Al-Qaeda is there, Isis is there, you know, the martyr brigade – you name it.' Some people naively believed that the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011 – a decade after 9/11, one of many terror attacks he masterminded – would signal the end of the pan-Islamist militant organisation. Yet al-Qaeda remains active in Afghanistan, even following the death of its subsequent leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in Kabul in 2022. Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), also known as Isis-K, has experienced a resurgence since 2021 and is viewed by international observers as posing 'the greatest threat' within Afghanistan and beyond. US Central Command's general Michael Erik Kurilla suggested in 2023 that ISKP was capable of conducting 'an external operation against US or Western interests abroad in under six months', a warning he repeated in March 2024 testimony. The Haqqani network, led by deputy Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, is a semi-autonomous component of the Taliban and a long-time ally of al-Qaeda. It has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks against US troops, and al-Zawahiri was reportedly killed in a Haqqani-linked safe house. Since September 2021, Sirajuddin has been the acting Interior Minister in the Taliban government, the highest ranking of several Haqqani-network-aligned individuals to hold cabinet posts. UN sanctions monitors reported in June 2023 that the Haqqanis were 'increasingly involved in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine and synthetic drugs'. Another group, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, draws support from both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. 'Don't forget intermarriages have occurred,' Zekriya says. 'That has brought the Taliban and al-Qaeda together. They are all regrouping. Al-Qaeda are mainly located in the southern and eastern part of Afghanistan. Isis-K is divided into two divisions in the north and the south. The Taliban is now using the TTP against Pakistan, the authorities claim. Then we also have smaller groups like Tehrik-e Taliban Tajikistan [TTT] and Boko Haram. There are about 26, 27 terrorist groups in Afghanistan.' What threat do they pose to the Western world order? 'So-called Islamisation should be the least of our concerns,' Zekriya warns. 'I think it's more than that. An attack is imminent, either on Europe or the US: a 9/11-scale attack, probably larger.' Why larger? 'They have the capability of having an attack simultaneously in two or three parts of the world. 9/11 was very different – it was one group. But this time, with the synergy and unification that has occurred amongst these groups, I think an attack by one of these terrorist organisations is imminent. They also have a lot of supporters abroad, let's not forget.' Can we really be under greater threat now, after 20 years of Western forces in Afghanistan, than we were in 2001? 'Of course, because the Taliban are occupying a political space in Afghanistan as the holder of authority. They have pseudo legitimacy and have given greater aspirations for other groups. Normalised engagement has emboldened the Taliban,' Zekriya explains, clearly somewhat exasperated by Western complacency. 'Last year, the third UN gathering in Doha was indicative of the fact that Afghanistan was actually calling the shots. They said [Afghan] women cannot be there and shifted the attention from the issue of terrorism to the issue of counter-narcotics, and other technical issues like national disasters. 'They have become very sophisticated. Though they've not gained diplomatic recognition, in terms of optics and being able to bring delegations to Afghanistan – it's very impressive. As of now, they have control of 39 of Afghanistan's missions abroad.' Zekriya understandably finds it hard to comprehend why some European and world nations continue to accommodate Taliban-run embassies when the regime is responsible for what he describes as 'gender apartheid' in Afghanistan, where almost a third of the population face crisis-level food insecurity. 'The current humanitarian crisis is unprecedented. It's persistent, it is complex, it is severe. State services are non-existent. There's no healthcare. They've brought in the clergy to assume those positions. There's a brain drain. At least 87 per cent of academics and civil servants have left Afghanistan.' And when it comes to the treatment of the female population, Zekriya claims, 'You've never seen anything like it. The Taliban, they really are intimidated by women. Everything's banned, secondary schools, colleges, beauty salons. They closed all the beauty salons. You know, 60,000 people lost their jobs. Women cannot go to parks. Women cannot even raise their voices in public. They cannot seek medical assistance. They have to have a male relative with them.' A recent decree banned windows looking into spaces used by women, which one spokesman suggested could lead to 'obscene acts'. 'Congregation is prohibited,' the ambassador explains, gesticulating a sense of disbelief that it has come to this. 'Early forced marriages are on the rise. Domestic violence has gone up. Child mortality is another thing, because their mothers aren't being educated.' Education, even for boys, has been 'Talibanised', he says. 'They want to have control over education, higher education, for the purpose of indoctrination.' Thousands of madrasas have been created across the country, he continues, to teach 'their misinterpretation of Islam'. 'The Taliban do not actually represent any ethnic group in Afghanistan,' he adds. 'They only represent an ideology born out of madrasa extremist preaching. It is a perversion of the Qur'an, of course. And just hatred of Judeo-Christianity.' He points out that recently, one Taliban minister likened non-believers to 'four-legged animals'. And yet no one marches through the streets of London in protest. The ambassador replies, 'Right now, the news is dominated by Gaza and Israel, also the Ukraine-Russia issue. We're trying very hard to bring Afghanistan back to the forefront of international politics. We need to bring the Afghan diaspora under one umbrella, maybe a national coalition or council of some sort in exile, because at the end of the day, I support negotiation with the Taliban, not war. Because we have built something in the last 21 years we don't want to destroy, at least the infrastructure. The institutions are still there, maybe not fully functional, but it's there. 'We don't want to go back to the 1990s, when Kabul was destroyed and all of our cosmopolitan, metropolitan cities were destroyed. Any negotiated settlement has to be inclusive. It has to be Afghan-owned, Afghan-driven. It should not be imposed. And the Taliban could be a factor, but not the only factor. 'If it's not a government that is based on a constitution, if it's not a representative, elected government, then it doesn't mean anything.' According to Zekriya, more than half of Afghanistan's 41 million population want to leave the country. 'Why do I support democracy? Afghanistan has had a legacy of constitutional monarchy and democracy. If you would look at Afghanistan in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, we were far more advanced than the countries in the region, but the former Soviets' invasion of Afghanistan really destroyed everything.' Do Afghans want democracy, though, or are they beholden to the Taliban? That the majority of people wish to leave their homeland, Zekriya replies, is 'indicative of the fact that they do not agree with the current regime'. 'Most Afghans, let's say the intelligentsia, the technocrats, the educated elite and even the general populace – they've seen different forms of government. We've had empires and a confederation. We've had centralised government and unitary governments. We've had Islamic emirates. But the people always go back to the democratic era of Afghanistan. That's why I believe any form of negotiated political settlement with the Taliban, it has to be principled out of that, and a new constitution should come out of it.' Could Afghanistan witness its own version of the Arab Spring? I point out that the Iranian resistance movement is gaining pace – with young people mobilised by social media to take on the mullahs. 'In Afghanistan, the illiteracy rate is way higher than Iran. And also, Iran in the last 50 years has been very successful. In Afghanistan, everyone's tired, but I will continue. The people of Afghanistan are trapped – it's like a concentration camp. It's hell to live under the current regime but I truly believe Afghanistan can have a proud and prosperous future, because we are a very proud and resilient nation. I look forward to the day when I can go home.' As Zekriya bids me farewell from the steps of the embassy, the scent of star jasmine filling the Roman air, I'm left with the distinct impression that if democracy is ever restored to Afghanistan, I could well have just met the country's next prime minister. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
I'm a Palm Beach County pastor. Here's what I learned by welcoming refugees.
These words may confuse you: immigrants, migrants, illegal aliens, foreigners, newcomers. But here is a word I hope you know well: refugees. A refugee is seeking 'refuge' because he or she is fleeing political or religious persecution, and is forced to leave home and relocate to a shelter. The U.S. Refugees Admissions Program is on pause by President Donald Trump, who wants to determine if it's in the interest of our country. Trump closed the door on many already approved to come here, including former Afghan allies who once aided the United States, and refugee family members waiting to be reunited. Faith-based U.S. resettlement organizations are no longer able to provide housing, job placement or language courses. Shutting down congressionally mandated programs harms thousands of vulnerable refugee families that we have pledged to support. Among the agencies affected are Church World Services, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and Catholic Relief. Under this order by President Trump the following refugees would not have been allowed to enter our country: Henry Kissinger, Madeline Albright, Albert Einstein, Gloria Estefan, Sigmund Freud, Marlene Dietrich, Anne Frank, Billy Wilder and Elie Wiesel. Refugees usually remain in United Nations-sponsored camps for 10-15 years. They are approved (vetted) on many different security levels, have thorough physical check-ups, take job training courses, English language classes and classes on adjusting on a new life elsewhere. Letters: Wake up, Floridians: Our politicians don't respect or represent us They must all have 'a sponsor' who will meet them at the airport, assist in finding a job, and secure housing. No refugee can come to the U.S. without a sponsor who agrees to walk beside them until they are independent, and able to care for themselves. Government-approved resettlement agencies pair a sponsor with a corresponding family. A sponsor receives no compensation, but funds are available by the sponsoring agency if there is an emergency. Opinion: Trump's mass deportations hurt Floridians like these. It's a shame to US values. Refugees agree to begin repaying the U.S. government for transportation costs within two years of their arrival in the U.S. As a Lutheran pastor, I led our congregation to welcome more than 200 refugees to Palm Beach County. All were successful and have given back more than they received. For more information about the history of refugees, I recommend an outstanding book, "They Are Us," available through Fortress Press. This book reminds us that the only natives here are the American Native Indians, and that we all came from beyond our borders and have a duty to be hospitable and welcoming to all who desire to make our country even greater. Rev. John Frerking, 35 year senior pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in North Palm Beach. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: What is a refugee? I'm a pastor and I'll tell you | Opinion
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
3 killed and scores injured as Russia targets Ukraine with new attacks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have pummeled Ukraine with drones and other weapons, killing three people and injuring scores of others despite international pressure to accept a ceasefire, officials said Thursday. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched a barrage of 63 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight. It said that air defenses destroyed 28 drones while another 21 were jammed. Ukraine's police said two people were killed and six were injured over the past 24 hours in the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive. One person was killed and 14 others were also injured in the southern Kherson region, which is partly occupied by Russian forces, police said. The head of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said that 15 people, including four children, were injured by Russian drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian drones targeted residential districts, educational facilities, kindergartens and other civilian infrastructure. 'Kharkiv is holding on. People are alive. And that is the most important thing,' Terekhov said. The Russian military has launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. The recent escalation in aerial attacks has come alongside a renewed Russian battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line. While Russian missile and drone barrage have struck regions all across Ukraine, regions along the front line have faced daily Russian attacks with short-range exploding drones and glide bombs. Ukraine hit back with drone raids. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 52 Ukrainian drones early Thursday, including 41 over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were injured by Ukrainian attacks Thursday. The attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During their June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making any quick deal unlikely. Speaking at a meeting of leaders of southeast European countries in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions against Russia. He argued that lowering the cap on the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45 as the bloc has proposed isn't enough. 'Real peace comes with a $30 cap -– that's the level that will truly change thinking in Moscow,' Zelenskyy said. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv Thursday on an unannounced visit, noting that the stepped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine send a message from Moscow that it has 'no interest in a peaceful solution at present,' according to German news agency dpa. 'Of course this will also be about how the support of Germany and other Europeans will look in future – what we can do, for example, in the area of industrial cooperation, but also other support,' he said.
