Taliban morality enforcers arrest men for having the wrong hairstyle or skipping mosque, UN says
The Taliban's morality police have detained men and their barbers over hairstyles, and others for missing prayers at mosques during Ramadan, a U.N. report said Thursday, 6 months after laws regulating people's conduct came into effect.
The Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws last August covering many aspects everyday life in Afghanistan, including public transport, music, shaving and celebrations. Most notably, the ministry issued a ban on women's voices and bare faces in public.
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New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Biden admin evacuated 55 Afghans on terror watchlist to US during botched withdrawal: DOJ watchdog
US officials encountered 55 Afghan evacuees on the terrorist watchlist after the Biden administration's chaotic 2021 withdrawal from the Middle Eastern country, according to a Justice Department inspector general report. The report, released Tuesday, confirmed longstanding suspicions from Republican lawmakers that the Biden administration failed to properly vet US-bound refugees as the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. 'I've sounded the alarm about the need to thoroughly vet Afghan evacuee applicants since August 2021,' Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement, reacting to the DOJ IG report. 'The Biden-Harris administration, my Democrat colleagues in Congress and many in the media were quick to dismiss glaring red flags that a nonpartisan national security analysis now confirms.' 3 Grassley charged that the Biden administration endangered the lives of Americans by allowing improperly vetted Afghan refugees into the US. AP The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) identified 55 Afghans that were either already on the terrorist watchlist and made it to a US port of entry or were added to the database during the evacuation and resettlement process, the report found. Of those, at least 21 were added to the terror list after they had already entered the US. After investigations, the FBI eventually removed 46 evacuees from the watchlist, determining that they posed no threat to the homeland. However, nine remained in the terror database as of July 2024 and eight were in the US. 'As if it wasn't already obvious, the Biden-Harris administration endangered American lives by allowing suspected terrorists to enter the United States and roam free for years,' Grassley argued, noting that his 'oversight of this matter will continue.' Roughly 90,000 Afghans were allowed entry into the US and became eligible for Special immigrant Visas under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) programs, which provided the foreign nationals immigration processing and resettlement support. 'According to the FBI, the need to immediately evacuate Afghans overtook the normal processes required to determine whether individuals attempting to enter the United States pose a threat to national security, which increased the risk that bad actors could try to exploit the expedited evacuation,' the DOJ IG report stated. Despite the 55 individuals flagged, the DOJ inspector general determined that overall 'each of the responsible elements of the FBI effectively communicated and addressed any potential national security risks identified.' 3 The Biden administration hastily evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans as the country fell to the Taliban in 2021. AFP via Getty Images 3 As of July 2024, eight Afghans on the FBI's terror watchlist were still in the United States. AP Last October, the DOJ charged an Afghan national brought into the US during the chaotic withdrawal with plotting an ISIS-inspired Election Day terror attack. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was living in Oklahoma City on a Special Immigrant Visa as he took steps to stockpile AK-47 rifles and ammunition to carry out an attack on US soil 'in the name of ISIS,' according to the Justice Department. Tawhedi entered the US on Sept. 9, 2021, just weeks after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and the last US troops departed from the war-torn nation. Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and is currently awaiting trial.
Politico
6 hours ago
- Politico
Why the U.S. government is touting tourism in Afghanistan
Presented by Housing For US HAPPY TRAILS — If you haven't made summer plans yet, here's an idea: Have you considered Afghanistan? The State Department strongly advises against travel for Americans but the Department of Homeland Security has determined that conditions are on the upswing in the perennially war-torn country — and that even tourism is starting to come back. 'Tourists are sharing their experiences on social media, highlighting the peaceful countryside, welcoming locals, and the cultural heritage, according to some reports,' DHS said. The rosy observation appears in a recent DHS notification in the Federal Register, announcing the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for about 12,000 Afghans who have taken refuge in the U.S., part of the Trump administration's larger effort to dismantle refugee programs and remove non-citizens from the country. In a finding that has confounded experts and advocates, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem determined that there have been 'notable improvements' in the security and economy of Afghanistan such that refugees would not be in imminent danger upon their return. Afghanistan used to be a popular draw for foreign backpackers, part of the famed 'Hippy Trail.' That ended with the Soviet invasion in 1979, which ushered in nearly 40 years of conflict. By some measures, the country is indeed experiencing a period of relative calm compared to more recent years. That's because the U.S. is no longer at war with the Taliban thanks to a peace deal signed during President Donald Trump's first term and a chaotic American withdrawal completed under President Joe Biden. The White House still has a hostile view of the Taliban government, including Afghanistan on a list of 19 countries whose citizens are now banned or restricted from entering the U.S. under an executive order that took effect Monday. But in the federal register, DHS notes that attacks involving improvised explosive devices have declined by 72 percent over the past year; the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has fallen to 23.7 million, down from 29 million a year earlier; and GDP rose 2.7 percent. DHS notes approvingly that tourism has increased a whopping 913 percent, reportedly with the encouragement of the ultraconservative Taliban, since the U.S. withdrawal – with about 7,000 people, primarily from China, visiting Afghanistan in 2023. DHS, however, seems to have been selective with its statistics. In the footnotes of its Federal Register notice, the agency three times cites a report from last year by the United States Institute of Peace – an independent organization that the Trump administration and DOGE moved to shut down (a judge has halted the effort but the organization still faces an uncertain future). USIP's report on the state of the country three years into Taliban rule is much less sanguine, concluding that Afghanistan has 'only a façade of domestic stability' and that humanitarian and human rights conditions are 'dire.' Since taking power, the Taliban has issued over 100 decrees restricting the rights of women and girls to education, employment, healthcare and mobility — even declaring that female voices cannot be heard outside the home, according to USIP. Hundreds of men and women have been subjected to public floggings. Authorities have carried out disappearances and extrajudicial killings. In any case, the report was not produced to make a case, one way or the other, for Afghan TPS, said Scott Worden, USIP's director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs. 'It's validating to see the US government crediting the quality of USIP's research enough to cite it in an important administrative determination,' Worden said. 'However, the information that is cited in the USIP report does not speak to the specific risks that Afghans who have received TPS face if they go back to a Taliban-run Afghanistan.' The fact that Chinese tourists find the country safe, he said, is not really relevant since their government supported the Taliban. 'That is a totally different circumstance from an Afghan who helped America, who worked closely with Americans will face if they return to Taliban rule and will be subject to persecution or even worse.' As for American tourists, it may be best to stick with the State Department advisory, which flatly recommends 'do not travel.' Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at bfox@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @ben_foxed. What'd I Miss? — California asks judge to 'immediately' block military from joining ICE raids: Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking a federal judge for a restraining order that blocks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from ordering National Guard troops and Marines to support immigration raids in Los Angeles. 'They must be stopped, immediately,' attorneys for the state wrote in a filing today. The request, submitted around 11 a.m. local time today, urged U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer to act within two hours. The urgent plea came as Newsom and other California officials continued to assail Trump's order to 'federalize' 4,000 members of the state's National Guard for a mission to protect federal immigration facilities and personnel amid street protests. The state sued Monday to block that effort as well as Hegseth's subsequent deployment of 700 Marines to assist the National Guard effort. The restraining order request, however, is focused explicitly on a growing expectation among California officials that those troops will soon be sent on arrest missions alongside agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement — raising the likelihood of direct confrontations with L.A. residents. — Troops deployed to LA will cost $134M, Pentagon official says: President Donald Trump's decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amid mass deportation protests will likely cost $134 million, the Pentagon's budget chief told lawmakers. Acting Pentagon comptroller Bryn MacDonnell, testifying at a House budget hearing today alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said the estimate covers costs such as travel, housing and food. — Trump administration weighs pulling education grants for California: The Trump administration is considering cutting federal education funds to California, according to people familiar with the administration's thinking. The discussion comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump feud over the president's deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to stop immigration protests. A Trump administration employee, who was not permitted to speak publicly about the administration's plans, told POLITICO the Education Department may stop the disbursement of 'formula funds,' which are awards based on a predetermined formula created by Congress. The administration has not yet reached a final decision, according to a separate person familiar with the discussions. But there is some uncertainty over the department's ability to pull funding that is not directly connected to California's state department of education. — Trump: Protests in DC will be met with 'very heavy force': President Donald Trump warned that any protests during this weekend's major military parade in Washington will be met with 'very heavy force.' 'If there's any protester who wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,' the president said today during an impromptu Oval Office press conference. 'I haven't even heard about a protest, but [there are] people that hate our country.' The comments come as the White House and Washington law enforcement officials are preparing for a military parade on Saturday, which coincides with the Army's 250th — and Trump's 79th — birthday. — Former Biden aides agree to testify on his mental acuity to House Oversight: Four senior Biden White House aides agreed to testify to the House Oversight Committee as part of its probe into former President Joe Biden's ailing health while in office, according to a committee aide. Chair James Comer had requested the aides' cooperation with his investigation in May, amid renewed scrutiny in Washington of the former president's mental acuity. Last week, the Kentucky Republican sent a subpoena to Biden's physician Kevin O'Connor, calling him to appear on June 27 after O'Connor rejected Comer's invitation to testify. Even after Biden largely retreated from public view, congressional Republicans have focused extensively on concerns around the octogenarian former president's health. The Senate will hold a hearing on the matter next week. AROUND THE WORLD BRITISH SANCTIONS — Britain will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers for their comments over Gaza, the U.K. confirmed today. The assets of Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be frozen and the pair will also face travel bans, the Times first reported. No financial institutions will be allowed to deal with them. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the ministers had 'incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.' He added: 'These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now — to hold those responsible to account.' In response, Israel said: 'It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures.' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the Cabinet would meet next week to respond to what he called the 'unacceptable decision.' While the U.S. has continued to stand resolutely behind Israel as it wages war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, other longtime allies — including the EU, Britain and Canada — have grown increasingly critical of Israel and its military tactics. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have consistently been the most hard-line ministers in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and are crucial allies keeping him in power. 'A DANGER TO US ALL' — The European Commission announced today its latest salvo of sanctions on Russia, taking aim at the Kremlin's energy exports, infrastructure and financial institutions. The measures, which are intended to pile pressure on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine, include proposals to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel and ban the use of the Nord Stream pipelines to funnel gas between Russia and Germany. A further 22 Russian banks will also be cut off from the SWIFT international banking system, with the current, partial prohibition on Russian financial institutions broadened to a 'full transaction ban,' Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. Calling the sanctions 'robust' and 'hard-biting,' von der Leyen said the Russian economy was already buckling under the pressure of the EU's past measures and the new package would pummel it further. 'Russia continues to bring death and destruction to Ukraine,' she said at a joint press conference with the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas. 'Our message is clear: This war must end.' Kallas said it was 'clear that Russia does not want peace' and needed to pay the price for its 'outright illegal' war. 'Russia is cruel, aggressive and a danger to us all,' she added. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP SPEED WINS — New research suggests that the speed at which you walk can reveal how your brain is functioning. And a precipitous decline in walking speed can predict other underlying health problems. It's normal to slow down your walking pace as you age. But people who can keep up a quick pace into their later years are more likely to have a brain that's functioning like that of a younger person than those whose average gait is much slower. The research can even predict survival — a study showed that men with the slowest walking speeds at age 75 had a 19% chance of living for 10 years, compared to men with the fastest walking speeds who had an 87% chance of survival. Jasmin Fox-Skelly reports for the BBC. Parting Image Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Afghan refugee office is a corrupt failure — Trump is right to shut it down
After three years and more than $5 billion, the State Department is finally closing down a program that ushered thousands of poorly vetted Afghans into the United States — from a nation known to harbor deadly terrorist operatives. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently informed Congress he will close the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts office, which brought to America more than 200,000 Afghan nationals who qualified for Special Immigrant Visas and the United States Refugee Program. But the American public, and especially our veterans of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, deserve to know the truth: CARE and the whole enterprise known as 'Enduring Welcome' failed in its basic mission — to ensure that only those Afghans who served honorably alongside Americans were welcomed into this country. Under former President Joe Biden, CARE became another dangerous and irresponsible open-border migration project, dramatically failing to make America safer, stronger or more prosperous. After his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Biden created the CARE office to assist Afghans who cooperated with the US mission in that country. The intent was to grant safe haven to Afghans who had put their lives in danger by working or partnering with the US military or American diplomats. Yet, as Americans well know from the disaster at the nation's southern border, senior Biden officials never cared about seriously screening any US-bound migrants, no matter their origin. Over four years, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken pursued one overriding migration priority: thwarting the law to admit millions of foreigners. Thus, the CARE office became just another pathway for Biden's open-border extremism. Multiple State Department whistleblowers have documented how CARE authorized the admission of countless Afghans who neither worked for the United States nor demonstrated a legitimate fear of the Taliban. These unqualified Afghans were allowed to bypass vetting rules and perpetrate identity fraud to gain a place in line with deserving applicants. They systematically fabricated recommendation letters, identity cards, employment records and other documents — while unscrupulous CARE contractors, many of Afghan heritage themselves, handed out special favors to extended-family members and other undeserving applicants who only wanted a free ticket from a clueless Uncle Sam. On paper, all applicants claimed fear of Taliban reprisals. Yet some who were approved later traveled back to Afghanistan — belying their claims, and in some cases hinting at active Taliban connections. Others departed Afghanistan with apparent ease, flying out of Taliban-controlled airports and crossing Taliban-guarded land borders. Like the rest of Biden's government, CARE made a mishmash of authenticating applicants' entry claims. Biden officials disregarded normal security name-checking procedures to speed up processing, whistleblowers have told Congress. For example, CARE directed case managers to push along files in which an applicant's name appeared to match a suspect in official terrorist and criminal databases. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Because the Taliban does not cooperate with US authorities, these cases are almost impossible to resolve. Normal vetting procedures require such applicants to be rejected — but under Biden they were admitted into the country. Worse, Afghan nationals who recently entered the United States have attempted acts of terrorism. Last year, two Afghans were stopped before they could execute plans to kill Americans at polling stations in Oklahoma City on Election Day. In April another Afghan, stopped by police officers in Virginia, drew a handgun — and would have killed those officers had they not fired first. Mainstream media outlets have mostly ignored the fraud, corruption and vulnerabilities that infected CARE. When they report on it at all, they do so with the naïve assumption that every Afghan is who he or she claims to be. Shawn VanDiver of the group Afghan Evac and some other US military veterans want President Donald Trump to accept half a million or more Afghan immigrants — continuing, in effect, Biden's open-border mania. Activists claim that deserving Afghans are still languishing in their home country, and accuse Trump of abandoning America's allies. Certainly, some Afghans bravely assisted our military and diplomats over years of fighting. Many of them, no doubt, were in genuine fear of the Taliban. But that small number of Afghans was admitted months, and in some cases years, ago. The original mission of the CARE office and Enduring Welcome was a noble cause that all Americans could rally behind. Three years later, that effort has been revealed to be replete with fraud, waste and pervasive corruption. Most importantly, the CARE enterprise has imported threats to the United States and imperiled American lives. Trump is protecting America by shutting down CARE and halting any further arrivals of unvetted Afghans into our country. Phillip Linderman is a board member of the Center for Immigration Studies and chairman of the Ben Franklin Fellowship.
