#AFG Over the last 20 years, I travelled across Afghanistan to every corner of it, and I shared photos under caption of #AFGHANISTANYOUNEVERSEE
A colorful spice shop in Bamian city.
Bagram district, Parwan province two Kuchi sisters in the early years.
Nuristani girls with beautiful smiles - but many are also brides at a very young age.
Tending sheep in Khost, 2003.
Kids on a journey - seen in Jegdalak in Kabul’s Sarobi district on my way to do a story on the ruby mine.
Flying into Kundoz over Baghlan - the view through the cockpit of our Afghan pilots.
A truck full of onions on its way to Pakistan
Shegal in Kunar - stopping at a grave early morning
At the BBC bureau in Kabul in Wazir Akbar Khan covering a complex attack in 2011, when US helicopters would fly over the bureau - sometimes they made it impossible to hear or speak to the camera.
Young shepherds in Helmand.
Covering the Presidential elections in 2004 with the BBC - at the end of a long day with my South Asia bureau chief @pdanahar and colleagues as we realized the indelible ink started to come off. @DhariwalNavdip
Gillan district in Ghazni covering parliamentary elections in 2009, found these guys laughing and lended them my glasses.
2009, On my way from Farkhar in Takhar to Kabul, I was caught in an avalanche and this truck overturned in front of my eyes - but these boys from Northern Salang started to laugh.
An outdoor classroom in Toto, Shirzad district Ningarhar province , 2007.
In Turkmen Dara, way up between Ghorband river valley and Kabul’s Istalif - two sisters
In Ningarhar in a district with the Afghan border forces during an embed.
Catch of the day, Naghlu, Kabul- Jalalabad highway.
Road to Khawak in Panjshir province.
PAGHMAN cherries
Paroon, the capital of Nuristan province deep in eastern Afghanistan. #AFGHANISTANYOUNEVERSEE
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A thread on the complexities of conflict that continue in Afghanistan villages and networks long after Foreign involvement. This story starts years ago with a US special forces commander and his unorthodox connections with tribes and villages in rural Kunar, Khas KUNAR district.
US Senators with Green Beret Major Jim Gant in Khas KUNAR - years ago during the height of his campaign to integrate with tribes to bring about reductions in violence.
#AFG Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani - still on the FBIs most wanted list - is introduced in his new role in a room purpose built for the Afghanistan Police by the US.
His remarks echo the current Taliban messaging with regards to amnesty for former security officials and respect for the rights of the people, who are encouraged to cooperate and work with the new regime for security and development.
He even adds comments about leaders and police being the servants of the people which would have been in line with the US/ NATO’s and the Islamic Republic’s earlier visions for Afghan civilian community policing.
1/4- The Taliban's finance ministry has ordered all MALE employees to return to work tomorrow. If they do not, they will be registered as absent and may be fired. Women employees are ordered to stay at home “until proper work environment is provided.”
2/4: When the Taliban first took Kabul in Sept 1996, they issued a similar edict ordering female employees to stay home until “safe work environment” was provided. But during their 5 year rule, women remained banned from working except in some instances in the health sector.
3/4- According to official govt stats, there are around 400,000 govt employees out of which there are 120,000 women, working mostly in education sector. There were also around 5000 Afghan women working in the security sector.
#AFG Am hearing the new Taliban spy chief has ordered Telecoms to stop internet services in the following areas of Kabul. Khawaja Bughra, Taymani, Khairkhana, Dashte Barche and Qasaba. Seem internet will be switched off in these areas until tomorrow 2PM.
Taliban have told telecoms the request for turning off internet in these areas are because of “security concerns” but it could be because the Taliban don’t want any coverage of protests in these areas.
These areas are predominantly hazaras and Tajiks , people of shamali, especially in Khairkhana and Dashti Barche.
The Taliban’s “new” cabinet with the appointment of ruthless assassins like Seraj Haqqani, Waseeq, Taj Mir and others in key security & intelligence positions is a warning sign. Despite some proclamations to the contrary, the appointments provide the most clear indication the
the group’s Modus Operandi hasn’t changed and will not change. The Taliban’s past, present and future are one and the same. Meanwhile, the absence of Qayum Zakir, Sadar Ibrahim and Daud Mozamil show the Haqqanis have for now emerged victorious
in the struggle for power between Loy Kandahar and Loy Paktya. What do they owe their wealthy and/or well-placed patrons in return?
“Taliban Plan for resumption of higher education” Subject: declaration of restarting of higher education courses according to Islamic condition.
It is to inform all the private universities and higher education institutions to restart the university lectures according to
the following rules. To be mentioned this is the plan through which male and female students will be separated.
1: all female students, teachers and staff have to put on Islamic hijab (the color of this hijab should be black and the staff should prepare that from the market for them, the sample is attached here).