Anything but the Taliban: pop star recalls flight from Afghanistan
19 September 2021 |
8:37 am
Afghan pop star Aryana Saeed, an indefatigable women's rights activist, made only one request of her fiance before heading to Kabul airport when the Taliban took over the city: "just shoot me in the head but don't let them take me away alive".
Related
27 Nov
India fears that a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would benefit Pakistan. The government is trying to protect its strategic interests.
27 Nov
Kabul residents on Tuesday said the first 100 days after the Taliban takeover had been difficult, expressing ongoing concerns about security and girls' education.
28 Nov
At least one person has been killed in an explosion in Kabul. The largely Shiite neighborhood has previously been targeted by attacks by the Islamic State-Khorasan group.
29 Nov
The Taliban government leader asked for international aid and access to about $10 billion in funds frozen after the insurgents took over the country in August. The UN is warning half the country could starve this winter.
1 Dec
By imposing new restrictions on the media and female actors, the Taliban have once again reaffirmed their misogynistic ideology, rights advocates have said.
4 Dec
Panjshir Valley became known as the last bastion of the anti-Taliban resistance as the militants swept to power in Afghanistan in August. But it was only a matter of weeks before Panjshir too would fall into Taliban control. Once a bustling hub of activity, Panjshir is now largely deserted. The few residents who have stayed are now under constant surveillance, and are struggling to survive amid a crippling economic crisis. Sonia Ghezali, Shahzaib Wahlah and Solène Chalvon Fioriti report.
6 Dec
The Taliban have promised to end the practice of young girls being sold off to pay debts. However, the Islamist fundamentalists have not clarified how they intend to implement the decree.
11 Dec
Human Rights Watch says that more than 100 former Afghan security personnel have disappeared or been killed by the Taliban since they came to power in August. The actual number could be much higher than that.
12 Dec
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Foreign Affairs Committee that the previous presidency left Joe Biden little choice but to complete the withdrawal. Republicans called it "an unmitigated disaster."
8 Dec
For almost a decade, international forces in Mali have been trying to help fight Islamist groups that threatened to take over the country in 2012. But today, the government still only controls the capital and a small area around it. DW's Fred Muvunyi reports.
18 Dec
Around 5,000 people every day are crossing the border from Afghanistan into Iran. While Tehran is deporting thousands every week, many are still setting out on the perilous journey that often begins in the city of Herat.
Latest
6 hours ago
An Alabama ban on the provision of gender-affirming medication for minors has been blocked by a federal judge. Transgender rights have become a bone of contention for right-wing Republicans.
7 hours ago
The war in Ukraine is having a drastic impact on Africa. Prices for wheat, gas and gasoline are at record highs. Crisis regions could see things get worse than they already are.
7 hours ago
The Ukrainian resistance in Irpin played a key role in holding off the Russian advance on the capital Kyiv during the first few weeks of the war. But the middle-class commuter town paid a heavy price. More than 300 civilians were killed and tens of thousands fled. Now, more than a month after the Russian withdrawal, residents are beginning to return to try to rebuild their lives. Reconstruction is slowly getting under way, but an estimated €800 million is needed to build new homes. FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih, Bastien Renouil and Raïd Abu Zaideh report from Irpin.
9 hours ago
Known as the burial place of Achilles, the barren Black Sea rock has become the site of fierce combat between Ukraine and Russia. Snake Island has strategic and symbolic importance dating to the Soviet era.
9 hours ago
Mali's military junta has announced it will be exiting a multi-national military force tackling an insurgency in West Africa's Sahel region.
9 hours ago
People in Germany consume an average eleven kilos of chocolate each per year. But few think about the conditions under which cocoa beans are farmed. Child labor has been a problem for decades. But why? And what can be done about it?