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400,000 Afghans have been internally displaced by conflict, EU says
10 Aug, 2021 14:57
FILE PHOTO. Burqa-clad Afghan refugees arrive at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees repatriation center in Torkham. © AFP / NOORULLAH SHIRZADA
About 400,000 Afghans have been internally displaced by the ongoing conflict with the Taliban, and many are seeking asylum in Iran, the EU has warned.
A senior EU official has told Brussels media on Tuesday that it is estimated about 400,000 Afghans have been displaced as a result of a surge in conflict within the war-torn country. The official also said that over the last 10 days, there has been an influx of Afghan immigrants fleeing to Iran.
It has been increasingly difficult for foreign states and institutions to deliver humanitarian aid to people suffering in Afghanistan due to the unstable security situation, the official said.
The grim figure comes only one day after a letter was signed by six EU member states asking the Commission to proceed with deporting Afghan asylum seekers (2nd story on link) back to their country, which is ranked the most dangerous in the world on the Institute of Economics and Peace’s Global Terrorism Index.
Belgium’s state secretary for asylum and migration, Sammy Mahdi, was joined by Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece in the letter, which asked the Commission to “continue to guarantee the forced return of certain Afghans.”
Madhi, a Belgium-born Iraqi descendent, argued that “just because regions of a country are not safe, it does not mean that each national of that country automatically is entitled to protection.”
The UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has stressed that it is “extremely concerned by the rapid escalation of conflict in Afghanistan this week.”
International concern for the amplifying violence in Afghanistan follows the US withdrawal of troops that started earlier this year and is set to conclude in September. Since troops began to leave, the Taliban appear emboldened and have seized control of more Afghan territory. On Monday, the militants captured their sixth provincial capital.
Iranian goes on trial in Sweden accused of involvement in
prison massacres during 1988 purges
10 Aug, 2021 14:37
Supporters of People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran protest outside Stockholm District Court on the first day of the trial of Hamid Noury, 60, accused of involvement in the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in 1988, Stockholm, Sweden August 10, 2021. © Reuters / Stefan Jerrevang
The trial of an Iranian citizen suspected of playing a role in the execution of thousands of political prisoners during a 1988 purge in Iran has opened in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.
The court case began in Stockholm District Court on Tuesday, with the 60-year-old standing trial for his alleged involvement in “intentionally taking the life of a very large number of prisoners”. The Iranian national is suspected of playing a role in the 1988 government-sanctioned massacre of an estimated 5,000 dissidents who were sympathetic towards the Mujahedin during the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran.
While Swedish prosecutors declined to disclose the name of the individual publicly, the suspect has been identified by news agencies as Hamid Nouri, reportedly a former assistant to the deputy governor of Gohardasht prison in Karaj, not far from the Iranian capital of Tehran. The man has insisted he is innocent, refuting all allegations of his suspect involvement.
Handfuls of Iranians flocked around the court on August 10, demanding justice for the crimes of the massacre, as per footage uploaded to Twitter.
A number of witnesses are set to take the stand to deliver their testimonies over the next three days of the court’s sittings, according to AFP, and the trial is expected to run until April 2022. Swedish law stipulates that the state can try both Swedish citizens and nationals from other countries for violations against international law carried out abroad, such as war crimes and murder.
Nouri arrived in the Scandinavian country in 2019 and was arrested after dozens of people filed complaints with authorities in Sweden, including a former political prisoner, Iraj Mesdaghi, who gathered swathes of information on the suspect and his alleged crimes.
The hearing comes as tensions continue to escalate between the Islamic Republic and some Western countries. Tehran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, has been accused of crimes against humanity by Amnesty International for his role as a judge during the 1988 execution. Raisi told reporters in June that he is “proud” of his work in “defending human rights in every position” he has held, as well as national security.
Taliban seizes 8th provincial capital amid massive offensive
as Biden calls on Afghans to ‘fight for themselves’
11 Aug, 2021 00:13
© AFP / Farshad Usyan
The Taliban has seized two more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, taking control of eight major cities in just four days amid a relentless wave of attacks as US President Joe Biden urges Afghans to fight for their country.
After a series of attacks on Tuesday, the militant group captured Farah city in the southwest – capital of the province of the same name – as well as the capital of Baghlan province, Pul-e-Khumri, located just 125 miles (200km) from the national capital of Kabul. Local officials confirmed that both cities had fallen to reporters with Al Jazeera and AFP.
“The Taliban are now in the city,” Baghlan MP Mamoor Ahmadzai told AFP, adding that the group “raised their flag in the main square and on the governor's office building.”
The Taliban announced the successful operations in a series of tweets, also sharing a video of victorious fighters in Pul-e-Khumri.
The Taliban has captured a total of eight provincial capitals in the space of four days as it intensifies attacks across Afghanistan. The group took Zaranj in Nimroz province on Friday, followed by Sheberghan in Jowzjan province the next day. Sunday saw the cities of Sar-e-Pol and Taloqan fall, as well as Kunduz – one of the largest cities in the northeast – while Taliban fighters overran Aibak in Samangan province on Monday.
Responding to the latest Taliban gains, President Joe Biden insisted that he did not regret his decision to withdraw American forces from the country after a 20-year campaign, telling reporters the plan “will not change.” He also urged Afghan officials to unite to defend their country, arguing they were well-equipped to do so.
“We spent over $1 trillion over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 Afghan forces,” Biden said during a press conference, adding that “Afghan leaders have to come together.”
We lost thousands, we lost to death and injury, thousands of American personnel. They’ve got to fight for themselves. Fight for their nation.
Afghan forces have largely folded under the Taliban onslaught, and the group is likely to expand its gains in the coming days as it begins to threaten other provincial centers. Taliban fighters are now besieging the capitals of Helmand and Kandahar in the south, while the group announced on Tuesday that it is “on the verge of entering Feyzabad city,” capital of the Badakhshan region, saying local government forces had “suffered heavy casualties” there. The major city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province is also under attack, though the Afghan government said it repelled an incursion there on Tuesday.
Perhaps most alarming for Afghan officials – and their American counterparts – are Taliban strikes in Kabul itself, the seat of the central government. Over the last week, the group has set off several car bombs in the city and carried out a number of targeted assassinations, stoking fears it could soon threaten the nation’s capital.
While the Pentagon said the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was more than 90% complete last month, American airstrikes on the Taliban have seen a major uptick, with the New York Times reporting “dozens” in recent weeks. US officials also told the Times that the Pentagon is “likely” to seek authorization for another air campaign in the coming months should insurgents seriously threaten Kabul or Kandahar city, raising questions about whether Washington truly intends to leave the country by Biden’s September 11 deadline.
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