Latest news with #Pashto
Boston Globe
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Voice of America brings back 75 staffers amid Iran-Israel conflict
'Effective immediately, you are recalled from administrative leave,' Crystal G. Thomas, director of human resources, wrote to staff Friday afternoon in an email, which was obtained by The Washington Post. 'You are expected to report to your duty station immediately.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Voice of America's employees have sued the government to be reinstated at work, restore broadcasting and force the government to uphold the statutory mandate ascribed by Congress. Advertisement Employees told The Post that most of the Persia team was restored to assist with the news out of the Middle East. VOA had already restored 10 Farsi language service journalists previously - along with Dari, Pashto, and Mandarin reporters - to demonstrate to the federal court that it is fulfilling its statutory mandate. The 10 Persian news service reporters have been exclusively publishing on social media and the internet, an employee said, but they are planning to broadcast live on satellite TV into Iran. Related : Advertisement Israel launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities late Thursday and killed top military officers, including Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran launched missile strikes on Israel on Friday in retaliation. The conflict has led to new uncertainty for the Trump administration's plan for a nuclear deal with Iran. 'The biggest purpose of the Persian division is to report America's story for Iranian audiences where there's censorship or filtering of the internet there,' one Voice of America journalist told The Post on the condition of anonymity because they fear retaliation from their employer. 'And when something of this magnitude happens like an outright war with Iran's outright nemesis, Israel, we have to have a presence inside Iran.' 'Are they going to bring back a language every time there is a crisis the administration has interest in?' another VOA journalist told The Post. 'This is why you don't smash first and think later.' Steve Herman, chief national correspondent for VOA, called it a welcome but belated move. 'Will all of our Persian Service staff be put back on leave a few weeks from now when hostilities subside? What other crises would compel USAGM to reactivate our other 48 language services?' he said. 'The imagination runs wild.' David Seide, senior counsel at the Government Accountability Project, who represents some of the VOA journalists suing the government, said it's a step in the right direction for the government: 'It's a step - and it's a positive step - but it's only one of many steps that need to be taken.'
Kuwait Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Taleban hang up Kalashnikovs to pen war memoirs
KABUL: Since trading the battlefield for Afghanistan's halls of power, some Taleban members have also swapped their weapons for pens to tell their version of the 20-year conflict with Western forces, who they accuse of distorting 'reality'. A flood of books has been written, mostly from a Western perspective, about the war between the US-led forces that invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks until the Taleban's return to power in 2021. But in the years since, a proliferation of writings by Taleban figures - praising their exploits and the achievements of the 'Islamic Emirate' - is now the reigning narrative in Afghanistan. 'No matter what foreigners have written... they have largely ignored the reality of what happened to us and why we were forced to fight,' author Khalid Zadran told AFP. A member of the Haqqani network - long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan - he now serves as the spokesman for the capital's police force. In his 600-page tome in Pashto published in April, he recounts US incursions in his home province of Khost, his childhood steeped in stories of soldiers' 'atrocities', and his desire to join the Taleban in the name of his country's 'freedom'. 'I witnessed horrific stories every day - mangled bodies on the roadside,' he writes in '15 Minutes', a title inspired by a US drone strike he narrowly escaped. Muhajer Farahi, now a deputy information and culture minister, penned his 'Memories of Jihad: 20 Years in Occupation' to 'state the facts', he said. 'America, contrary to its claims, has committed cruel and barbaric acts, destroyed our country with bombs, destroyed infrastructure, and has sown discord and cynicism between nations and tribes,' he told AFP from his office in central Kabul. Little attention is paid in either book to the thousands of civilians killed in Taleban attacks - many of them suicide bombings that entrenched fear across the country for nearly two decades. Farahi insists the Taleban 'were cautious in saving civilians and innocent' lives, while criticizing fellow Afghans who collaborated with the pro-Western police as a 'stain' on the country. Rights groups accuse the current Taleban authorities of widespread abuses - particularly against women and girls, who the United Nations say are victims of what amounts to 'gender apartheid'. In his book published in 2023, Farahi claims the Taleban attempted to negotiate - in vain, he insists - with the United States over the fate of Osama bin Laden, whose capture or death Washington demanded after his plane hijackers killed around 3,000 people in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, who had been based in Afghanistan, was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011. American 'bloodthirsty dragon' 'It was clear... that the Americans had already planned the occupation of Afghanistan,' writes Farahi in the English version of his book, which has been translated into five languages. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Afghans thought it would 'have nothing to do with our country', he continues, but soon realized that Afghanistan would face 'punishment'. For 20 years, the war pitted Taleban militants against a US-led coalition of 38 countries supporting the Afghan Republic and its forces. Tens of thousands of Afghans died in the fighting and in Taleban attacks, as did nearly 6,000 foreign soldiers, including 2,400 Americans. For Farahi, the war reflects the West's desire to 'impose its culture and ideology on other nations'. His disjointed journal mixes battlefield memories with polemical chapters railing against the American 'bloodthirsty dragon'. The book 'reveals the truths that were not told before because the media, especially the Western media, presented a different picture of the war,' he said. According to him, the Mujahideen, or holy warriors, despite being far less equipped, were able to rely on their unity and God's aid to achieve victory. New front Only a few of the new wave of Taleban books have been autobiographies, which appeal to an audience seeking to understand the war 'from the inside', according to Zadran. His book, initially 2,000 copies in Pashto, sold out quickly and another 1,000 are in the works - along with a Dari-language version, he said. Many chapters mention Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier held hostage for five years by the Haqqani network. He recounts treks through the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to move him between hideouts, efforts to convert him to Islam and conversations about his girlfriend back in the US. Both accounts end in 2021, before the transformation of the fighters who moved from remote mountain hideouts to the carpeted offices of the capital. There, their battle has turned diplomatic: The Taleban are now fighting for international recognition of their government. 'The war is over now,' Farahi said, 'and we want good relations with everyone' - even with the 'bloodthirsty dragon'. — AFP
Express Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Taliban hang up Kalashnikovs to pen memoirs of Afghan war
Author Khalid Zadran, a member of the Haqqani network, long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan, is the Kabul's police force spokesman. Photo AFP Since trading the battlefield for Afghanistan's halls of power, some Taliban members have also swapped their weapons for pens to tell their version of the 20-year conflict with Western forces, who they accuse of distorting "reality". A flood of books has been written, mostly from a Western perspective, about the war between the US-led forces that invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks until the Taliban's return to power in 2021. But in the years since, a proliferation of writings by Taliban figures — praising their exploits and the achievements of the "Islamic Emirate" — is now the reigning narrative in Afghanistan. "No matter what foreigners have written... they have largely ignored the reality of what happened to us and why we were forced to fight," author Khalid Zadran told AFP. A member of the Haqqani network — long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan — he now serves as the spokesman for the capital's police force. In his 600-page tome in Pashto published in April, he recounts US incursions in his home province of Khost, his childhood steeped in stories of soldiers' "atrocities", and his desire to join the Taliban in the name of his country's "freedom". "I witnessed horrific stories every day — mangled bodies on the roadside," he writes in "15 Minutes", a title inspired by a US drone strike he narrowly escaped. Muhajer Farahi, now a deputy information and culture minister, penned his "Memories of Jihad: 20 Years in Occupation" to "state the facts", he said. "America, contrary to its claims, has committed cruel and barbaric acts, destroyed our country with bombs, destroyed infrastructure, and has sown discord and cynicism between nations and tribes," he told AFP from his office in central Kabul. Little attention is paid in either book to the thousands of civilians killed in Taliban attacks — many of them suicide bombings that entrenched fear across the country for nearly two decades. Farahi insists the Taliban "were cautious in saving civilians and innocent" lives, while criticising fellow Afghans who collaborated with the pro-Western police as a "stain" on the country.
Express Tribune
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Punjab, K-P police boost border security
With growing security concerns in the border regions of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), authorities have ramped up coordination between the two provinces to combat terrorism, smuggling, and cross-border criminal activity. Mianwali, Punjab's last district before the KP border, shares boundaries with districts such as Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Kohat, and Dera Ismail Khan. Its strategic location and mountainous terrain have long posed challenges, enabling outlaws and militants to slip into KP, where they often evade Punjab police jurisdiction. The cultural and linguistic ties between residents of Mianwali — especially in Tehsil Isa Khel — and neighbouring KP districts are deep-rooted. Many families here speak Pashto and have ancestral connections across the provincial border, with a significant portion of the population originally migrating from KP. The recent wave of terrorist incidents in Bannu, Waziristan, and Lakki Marwat has had ripple effects in Mianwali. In response, local police intensified operations, reportedly killing 30 foreign terrorists while tragically losing one police officer in the line of duty. Recognising the critical security situation, Inspector General of KP Police Zulfiqar Hameed visited Mianwali and inspected several key checkpoints along the border, including Dara Tang, Qabulwala, Chachali Patrol Post, and the mountainous regions of Makarwal, Mullakhel, Karandi, and Baba Khassa Shrine. These locations are considered high-risk transit routes for militants and fugitives. The visit included high-level briefings and a security meeting where both provinces discussed strategies to improve cross-border coordination and fortify joint security measures. Also present were senior officials including RPO Kohat Jawad Khan, RPO Bannu Sajjad Khan, DPOs of Karak and Lakki Marwat, and officers from Mianwali's investigation unit. In a bid to restore public confidence, police have increased visibility in high-risk areas. RPO Sargodha now visits border regions twice weekly, while DPO Mianwali makes frequent trips to police stations and outposts. Local tribal elders and community leaders have also been engaged through jirgas, strengthening community-police ties. A robust patrolling system is now in place, and under the leadership of DPO Capt (retd) Rai Ajmal, flag marches have been conducted to assert police presence and deter criminal activity. These efforts have not only reassured local residents but also helped create a strong social resistance against foreign militants. Many retired military personnel and peace-loving Pashto-speaking residents in these border areas are reportedly acting as the first line of defence, rejecting the presence of any external threats. In a telling anecdote, a police reader once remarked that despite Mianwali's highly sensitive geographic position, it has remained relatively secure even when terrorism was rampant in places like Peshawar and Islamabad.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Taliban hang up Kalashnikovs to pen memoirs of Afghan war
Since trading the battlefield for Afghanistan's halls of power, some Taliban members have also swapped their weapons for pens to tell their version of the 20-year conflict with Western forces, who they accuse of distorting "reality". A flood of books has been written, mostly from a Western perspective, about the war between the US-led forces that invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks until the Taliban's return to power in 2021. But in the years since, a proliferation of writings by Taliban figures -- praising their exploits and the achievements of the "Islamic Emirate" -- is now the reigning narrative in Afghanistan. "No matter what foreigners have written... they have largely ignored the reality of what happened to us and why we were forced to fight," author Khalid Zadran told AFP. A member of the Haqqani network -- long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan -- he now serves as the spokesman for the capital's police force. In his 600-page tome in Pashto published in April, he recounts US incursions in his home province of Khost, his childhood steeped in stories of soldiers' "atrocities", and his desire to join the Taliban in the name of his country's "freedom". "I witnessed horrific stories every day -- mangled bodies on the roadside," he writes in "15 Minutes", a title inspired by a US drone strike he narrowly escaped. Muhajer Farahi, now a deputy information and culture minister, penned his "Memories of Jihad: 20 Years in Occupation" to "state the facts", he said. "America, contrary to its claims, has committed cruel and barbaric acts, destroyed our country with bombs, destroyed infrastructure, and has sown discord and cynicism between nations and tribes," he told AFP from his office in central Kabul. Little attention is paid in either book to the thousands of civilians killed in Taliban attacks -- many of them suicide bombings that entrenched fear across the country for nearly two decades. Farahi insists the Taliban "were cautious in saving civilians and innocent" lives, while criticising fellow Afghans who collaborated with the pro-Western police as a "stain" on the country. Rights groups accuse the current Taliban authorities of widespread abuses -- particularly against women and girls, who the United Nations say are victims of what amounts to "gender apartheid". In his book published in 2023, Farahi claims the Taliban attempted to negotiate -- in vain, he insists -- with the United States over the fate of Osama bin Laden, whose capture or death Washington demanded after his plane hijackers killed around 3,000 people in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, who had been based in Afghanistan, was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011. - American 'bloodthirsty dragon' - "It was clear... that the Americans had already planned the occupation of Afghanistan," writes Farahi in the English version of his book, which has been translated into five languages. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Afghans thought it would "have nothing to do with our country", he continues, but soon realised that Afghanistan would face "punishment". For 20 years, the war pitted Taliban militants against a US-led coalition of 38 countries supporting the Afghan Republic and its forces. Tens of thousands of Afghans died in the fighting and in Taliban attacks, as did nearly 6,000 foreign soldiers, including 2,400 Americans. For Farahi, the war reflects the West's desire to "impose its culture and ideology on other nations". His disjointed journal mixes battlefield memories with polemical chapters railing against the American "bloodthirsty dragon". The book "reveals the truths that were not told before because the media, especially the Western media, presented a different picture of the war", he said. According to him, the "mujahideen", or holy warriors, despite being far less equipped, were able to rely on their unity and God's aid to achieve victory. - New front - Only a few of the new wave of Taliban books have been autobiographies, which appeal to an audience seeking to understand the war "from the inside", according to Zadran. His book, initially 2,000 copies in Pashto, sold out quickly and another 1,000 are in the works -- along with a Dari-language version, he said. Many chapters mention Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier held hostage for five years by the Haqqani network. He recounts treks through the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to move him between hideouts, efforts to convert him to Islam and conversations about his girlfriend back in the United States. Both accounts end in 2021, before the transformation of the fighters who moved from remote mountain hideouts to the carpeted offices of the capital. There, their battle has turned diplomatic: the Taliban are now fighting for international recognition of their government. "The war is over now," Farahi said, "and we want good relations with everyone" -- even with the "bloodthirsty dragon". cgo/sbh/sw/fox/sco
