Free Republic

A female Afghan journalist denounced Thursday that, despite assurances to the international community that they would allow women to work, Taliban jihadists are banning women from leaving their homes in Kabul and personally banned her from doing her job. Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) anchor Shabnam Khan Dawran denounced the jihadist regime, in power since its takeover of Kabul on Sunday, for denying her access to the RTA headquarters on the grounds that she is a woman. “I wanted to return to work, but unfortunately they did not allow me to work. They told me that the regime has changed and...

I've never been a soldier myself. But I understand why my country has been successful like no other on the battlefields of Europe (and even outside of our continent) throughout the centuries. A strong, well organized country will always enjoy a major advantage against an instable nation where many locals are willing to aid the invading forces. We've beaten the Russians with an army 1/10 their size (at Narva). Afterwards, Charles XII of Sweden said that it was "great fun fighting fleeing Russians, because you could actually sit comfortably mounted on your horse and shoot them like they were little...

Taliban fighters will be handed jobs and free homes under plans to crush the insurgency in Afghanistan. Even Mullah Omar, their fugitive leader, could be rewarded with property if he renounces violence and severs links with Al Qaeda. But senior Government officials said it was unlikely the insurgents would be paid cash to give up their weapons, for fear it would be used to buy arms to target British troops.

Human rights group Amnesty International has argued that Sweden is taking part in torture after the country handed over its first prisoner in Afghanistan to local authorities, according to a report by Sveriges Radio news programme Ekot. "There is an absolute ban on torture and thus also a ban on handing over prisoners to countries in which there is a risk of torture," Lisa Bergh, Amnesty Sweden's Secretary-General, told Ekot. "It is patently clear that prisoners risk torture if they are handed over to the authorities in Afghanistan," Bergh explained. The prisoner was captured by Swedish forces in July after...

Swedish military forces were involved in a battle in Aqchah in northern Afghanistan on Thursday night. No Swedish soldiers have been reported injured. The battle began around 6.30pm on Thursday night when opposition groups ambushed the Swedish troops. The Swedes were in armoured wheeled vehicles and later received reinforcements from several soldiers in a Combat Vehicle 90. “The firefights were intermittant during the evening and night,” Veronica Sandström, press officer for the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), told the TT news agency. The Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reported Friday that three members of the attacking troops were killed and an additional...

At least 13 militants were killed in a clash with security forces following arrest of five burqa-clad Arabs, one Afghan national and a local man in Mohmand Agency on Tuesday. Four of the five Arabs are Saudi nationals — Ahmed, Ali, Mohammad and Obaidullah — and one Libyan national, Abdullah. The Afghan national has been identified as Habibullah and the local man as Shad Ali. They were detained at the Khapakh checkpost. The Afghan was living in Chakdara area of Lower Dir. When troops were taking the detained men to Ghalanai, about 60 militants attacked them in an area between...

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2008 – The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines are disrupting the Taliban’s freedom of movement in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Farah provinces, the battalion’s commander said today. “We expected that we were going to experience a lot of friction by the enemy,” Marine Corps Lt. Col. Richard D. Hall told online journalists and bloggers in a teleconference, noting that until the 1st Marine Division unit arrived, Taliban operatives and other militants could operate as they pleased. “We’re disrupting that, and they don’t like it,” Hall said, “so they’ve been trying to come after us because of that.” He praised...

The Taleban have agreed to face-to-face talks with South Korean officials to discuss the fate of 21 Koreans, held by the militant group for two weeks. A location is yet to be agreed after the Taleban refused to meet at a venue under the control of Nato-led forces. Two of the Christian workers have already been killed. Their bodies were found in Ghazni province. The Taleban are threatening more deaths unless demands are met for the release of eight government-held prisoners. A group of senior South Korean lawmakers have travelled to Washington in a bid to urge the US to...

Almost two years after they were defeated, thousands join the Taliban's new jihad (Filed: 07/09/2003) Massoud Ansari travels with militia fighters around the Kandahar region of Afghanistan They are known as the Sarbaz - those who care nothing for their own lives - and they represent one of the greatest threats to the government of Mohammed Karzai and the international forces seeking to bring stability to the shattered country of Afghanistan. The Taliban, supposedly vanquished in December 2001 when American and Northern Alliance forces drove them from power, are reviving and fighting back across southern Afghanistan. Siddiqullah is one of...

Afghanistan: Pakistani talibans freed by Yann Laurent (English Translation by DrKnows) They do not represent a threat any more for Afghanistan. It is basically the opinion of the Afghan government, that sent back home last week several dozens talibans prisoners native of Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities knew how to benefit from the visit to Islamabad, at the end of August, of Afghan Foreign Secretary, Abdullah Abdullah. They declare henceforth loud and clear that they wait for the liberation of all 800 held nationals. Put in position of weakness by the discovery of a mass grave of talibans died suffocated in...