The Long Road to Justice for Afghan Women
For Afghan women, who feel deserted by the international community as their lives have been crushed under the brutal rule of the Taliban, there may finally be a potential avenue for justice.
We should welcome International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan's decision to apply for arrest warrants for the Taliban's Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, who he says bear criminal responsibility for the persecution of Afghan women and girls. The list of violations is extensive, and includes murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence and enforced disappearances.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
AP PHOTOS: Afghans mark Eid al-Adha on its fourth year since the return of the Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghans in Kabul have marked Eid al-Adha over the past two days with traditional prayers, animal sacrifices and family gatherings as the city observed the fourth such celebration since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Early in the morning, there were some open-air prayer grounds across the capital. Taliban police patrolled the streets and stood guard near prayer sites as crowds moved through the city. At animal markets around Kabul, residents haggled over sheep and goats to be sacrificed in accordance with Eid customs. Vendors did brisk business as families prepared for the holiday feast. For many, it was a rare chance to celebrate amid ongoing economic hardship. Inside a city security office, Taliban officials monitored surveillance screens showing various parts of Kabul, to maintain control and stability during public events. For families in Kabul, Eid remains a time of faith, gathering, and reflection, even as daily life continues to adjust under the current administration. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. —— This story has been corrected to note that this is the fourth Eid under the Taliban, not the third.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
'We were friends of the US': Fearful Afghans face Trump travel ban
Ahmad has been hiding in Afghanistan for years. The former Afghan military employee is living in fear of being found by the Taliban, which seized power in 2021 as US forces withdrew from the Central Asian nation. As a result, Ahmad is unable to get a job or access medical care, relying on donations from friends outside the country to survive. His son, 12, is unable to go to school. If they are found, Ahmad says, the Taliban "will remove" him. His hope had been refugee resettlement in the US, but - with just a medical check to complete - the process was put on pause by the Trump administration. Still, he hoped. Then, on Thursday he woke to the news that US President Donald Trump had issued a new order banning the entry of Afghan passport holders to the US, citing national security threats. "I am not a threat to the United States," Ahmad told the BBC. The BBC is not using his real name because of concerns about his safety. "We were friends of the United States," he added. Why are these 12 countries on the list? How nations have responded Everything else we know about the ban - so far Trump's new ban dodges pitfalls from last time, experts say Chad halts US visas in revenge for Trump travel ban Trump's sweeping travel ban came into force on Monday, blocking people from Afghanistan and 11 other countries, including seven from Africa, as well as countries like Haiti and Yemen, from entering the US. There are partial bans on seven other countries. According to the ban, Afghanistan was included because the Taliban are considered by the US government to be a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, and the country does not have "a competent or co-operative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents", or "appropriate screening and vetting measures". It also notes a relatively high rate of people overstaying their visas. The Trump administration has, however, recently dropped temporary protected status for more than 9,000 Afghans living in the US, arguing its assessments showed the security and economic situation in Afghanistan had improved. But those living in Afghanistan are faced with a series of restrictions brought in by the Taliban government in line with its strict interpretation of Sharia law. The ones affecting women - including the enforcement of head coverings, restrictions on travel and education over the age of 12 - amount to a "gender apartheid", according to the United Nations. The Taliban says it respects the rights of women in line with Sharia and Afghan culture. A different UN report from 2023 found there were credible reports that hundreds of former government officials and armed forces members had been killed since the group returned to power in 2021, despite a general amnesty. The Taliban has previously said all Afghans could "live in the country without any fear" - and those abroad should come back and help rebuild the country. "There is a general amnesty," Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, Taliban ambassador to Qatar, told the BBC earlier this year. "Countrywide security is prevalent in Afghanistan. Every citizen and traveller can travel to any corner of the country without any obstacles or any difficulties." There are exceptions to Trump's ban - including for Afghans who worked directly with the US military before the Taliban back took control of the country in 2021. But Ahmad, whose application for resettlement was backed by a former US service member, does not qualify for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) because he did not work directly for the US. And he is far from the only one. Trump to end protected status for Afghans Some 200,000 Afghans have been resettled since the US military's chaotic withdrawal, but there are still tens of thousands more waiting for a decision. Many have fled across the border to neighbouring Pakistan to wait for a decision to be made on their application. Samira, who spoke to the BBC's Afghan Service, is currently in Pakistan - which has been expelling tens of thousands of Afghans in recent months. If the path to the US is closed to her, she is not sure what to do next. "Returning to Afghanistan is not an option for us - it would be incredibly challenging," she said. "Our children have already lost years of education, and we have no hope of safely going back." More than 8,300 family members of US citizens are ready for an interview in Afghanistan, with more than 11,400 others awaiting family reunification, according to US Department of State data shared by AfghanEvac. Mojo, who asked to be identified by his nickname, is one of the 200,000 Afghans who have already reached the US, because he worked directly for the US military. He is now a US citizen. His sister, however, remains in Afghanistan where she and her husband are "living in a hide and seek game", he says. They change their address and city every couple months in order to stay safe. They passed the background and medical checks for refugee resettlement, but like the others who spoke to the BBC, they became trapped when the process was paused in January. This latest order has made Mojo, who lives in Houston, Texas, and the rest of his family lose "all our hope completely" . "I wish that he would change his mind, make some exception, change the rules or take his order back and let people have a peaceful life," he said. Pakistan expels tens of thousands of Afghans Afghans hiding in Pakistan live in fear of forced deportation Ex-US generals describe chaos of Afghanistan withdrawal The ban also affects Afghans who are not trying to reach the US for resettlement. Zarifa Ghafari is studying at Cornell University in New York state, but is currently in Germany for the summer with her young child. She said she began a "frantic" race back to the US on Thursday in order to continue her studies, before the start of the travel ban on Monday. The ban has put her under "immense pressure" and has made her feel "very vulnerable", the the 30-year-old former politician told the BBC. What makes it worse, she said, was that she regularly had to return to Germany every few months to maintain her residency status there too. Describing her situation as "precarious", she said she worried about how she could make her regular trips to Germany when the travel ban began. Shawn VanDiver, of AfghanEvac, said the ban broke a promise Americans had made to Afghans over the 20 years they were in the country. "This policy punishes people who escaped the Taliban, risked everything to support democracy, are already vetted, were told by the US government to wait," he wrote on social media platform X. "They're not threats. They're our allies - and they're being left behind." Meanwhile, many of those still in Afghanistan have other problems to contend with. As one Afghan man in Kabul told AFP news agency: "We don't even have bread, why are you asking me about travelling to America?" Additional reporting by Azadeh Moshiri and Gabriela Pomeroy
7 hours ago
Trump banned citizens of 12 countries from entering the US. Here's what to know
President Donald Trump has banned travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access for those from seven others, citing national security concerns in resurrecting and expanding a hallmark policy from his first term that will mostly affect people from Africa and the Middle East. The ban announced applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The heightened restrictions apply to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and don't hold a valid visa. The policy took effect Monday and does not have an end date. Here's what to know about the new rules: Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. The travel ban stems from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on 'hostile attitudes' toward the U.S. The aim is to 'protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes,' the administration said. In a video posted on social media, Trump tied the new ban to a terrorist attack Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The man charged in the attack is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. U.S. officials say he overstayed a tourist visa. 1. Green card holders 2. Dual citizens, including U.S. citizens who also have citizenship of one of the banned countries 3. Some athletes: athletes and their coaches traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting event as determined by the U.S. secretary of state 4. Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or its allies in Afghanistan and are holders of Afghan special immigrant visas 5. Iranians belonging to an ethnic or religious minority who are fleeing prosecution 6. Certain foreign national employees of the U.S. government who have served abroad for at least 15 years, and their spouses and children 7. People who were granted asylum or admitted to the U.S. as refugees before the ban took effect 8. People with U.S. family members who apply for visas in connection to their spouses, children or parents 9. Diplomats and foreign government officials on official visits 10. Those traveling to U.N. headquarters in New York solely on official U.N. business 11. Representatives of international organizations and NATO on official visits in the U.S. 12. Children adopted by U.S. citizens Trump said nationals of countries included in the ban pose 'terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also said some of these countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their citizens. His findings rely extensively on an annual Homeland Security report about tourists, businesspeople and students who overstay U.S. visas and arrive by air or sea, singling out countries with high percentages of nationals who remain after their visas expired. 'We don't want them,' Trump said. The inclusion of Afghanistan angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban makes exceptions for Afghans on special immigrant visas, who were generally the people who worked most closely with the U.S. government during the two-decade war there. The list can be changed, the administration said in a document, if authorities in the designated countries make 'material improvements' to their own rules and procedures. New countries can be added "as threats emerge around the world.' The State Department instructed U.S. embassies and consulates on Friday not to revoke visas previously issued to people from the 12 countries listed in the ban. In a cable sent to all U.S. diplomatic missions, the department said 'no action should be taken for issued visas which have already left the consular section' and that 'no visas issued prior to the effective date should be revoked pursuant to this proclamation.' However, visa applicants from affected countries whose applications have been approved but have not yet received their visas will be denied, according to the cable, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting on Monday. Early in Trump's first term, he issued an executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travelers from those nations were either barred from getting on flights to the U.S. or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty, as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family. The order, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban' or the 'travel ban,' was retooled amid legal challenges until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. That ban affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro's government condemned the travel ban, characterizing it in a statement as a 'stigmatization and criminalization campaign' against Venezuelans. Chad President Mahamat Deby Itno said his country would suspend visas for U.S. citizens in response to the ban. Aid and refugee resettlement groups also denounced it. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America. But reactions to the ban ran the gamut from anger to guarded relief and support. In Haiti, radio stations received a flurry of calls Thursday from angry listeners, including many who said they were Haitians living in the U.S. and who accused Trump of being racist, noting that the people of many of the targeted countries are Black. Haitian-American Elvanise Louis-Juste, who was at the airport Sunday in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting a flight to her home state of Florida, said many Haitians wanting to come to the U.S. are simply seeking to escape violence and unrest in their country. 'I have family in Haiti, so it's pretty upsetting to see and hear,' Louis-Juste, 23, said of the travel ban. 'I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's very upsetting.' William Lopez, a 75-year-old property investor who arrived from Cuba in 1967, supports the travel ban. 'These are people that come but don't want to work, they support the Cuban government, they support communism,' Lopez said at a restaurant near Little Havana in Miami. 'What the Trump administration is doing is perfectly good.'
