Tag: Afghan

Doha: No breakthrough in sight as India joins UN to resolve Afghan issue

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New Delhi: India participated in a two-day closed-door conference on Afghanistan with 20 other countries led by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss the Afghan crisis. The UN was spurred by the deteriorating situation in the landlocked nation to organise the meeting along with the US, Russia, China and other nations.
The UN said that the aim of the meet was to “reinvigorate international engagement around key issues, such as human rights, in particular women’s and girls’ rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking. The meeting is intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues”.
The Doha meeting, however, came under criticism from both – the Taliban and also Afghan women for not inviting them both for the discussions.

Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson for the Taliban said that any meeting without the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) was discriminatory and unjustified as the Taliban government was the main party.
However, it emerged from Doha that Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who has been banned from travel, will be visiting Pakistani capital Islamabad to hold talks with Pakistani and Chinese foreign ministry officials.
Women’s groups have held protests in Doha, for what they claimed were efforts by the UN to legitimise the Taliban regime despite the throttling of women’s rights in the country. The Taliban, contrary to assurances, after storming back to power in 2021 began steadily curtailing the rights of girls and women to education, stepping out of homes, visiting a doctor, marriage and divorce as well as working for UN agencies. The last one, which was imposed recently, galvanised women’s groups across the world against the Taliban rule.
Afghanistan’s Khaama news agency quoted Swiss ambassador to the UN, Pascale Baeriswyl, as saying that the situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban administration has turned into a complicated dilemma. “We do not have a magic solution to the Afghan crisis”, Baeriswyl said, adding that she is hopeful that the Doha meeting would lead to solutions to managing the Afghan crisis. Switzerland is currently the president of the UN Security Council (UNSC).
The people of Afghanistan continue to face hardships due to the unending conflict, droughts and economic problems, though the Taliban has $7 billion worth of sophisticated US weaponry which the American troops left behind in 2021 after 20 years of the war against terror.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 3, 2023
UNSC condemns Taliban’s call to ban Afghan women from working for UN

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United Nations: The UN Security Council has unanimously condemned the decision by the Taliban to ban Afghan women from working for the United Nations in Afghanistan, calling on the de facto authorities to “swiftly reverse” policies and practices that restrict women and girls from exercising their human rights.
The 15-nation Council, under the current Presidency of Russia, unanimously passed the resolution on Thursday that “condemns the decision by the Taliban to ban Afghan women from working for the United Nations in Afghanistan, which undermines human rights and humanitarian principles.”
The resolution also calls for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls in Afghanistan.

It also calls upon the Taliban to “swiftly reverse the policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms including related to their access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in public life.”
It urges all States and organisations to use their influence, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, to promote an urgent reversal of these policies and practices.
Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, delivering a statement on behalf of Japan and her country in their capacity as co-penholders on the Afghanistan file, said the restrictions imposed by the Taliban are unprecedented in the history of the United Nations, and they put the very presence of the UN in Afghanistan in jeopardy.
“By adopting this resolution, the Council would send an unequivocal message of condemnation and a clear call for the swift reversal, not only of this latest ban but of others restricting the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,” she said.
Noting that over 90 states co-sponsored the resolution, not just from the Security Council, but from Afghanistan’s immediate neighbourhood, from the Muslim world, and from all corners of the Earth, Nusseibeh said: “This cross-regional support makes our fundamental message today even more significant: the world will not sit by silently as women in Afghanistan are erased from society.”

US Ambassador Robert Wood, Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, told the Council that Muslim-majority countries have spoken out against the Taliban’s rationale for these decisions.
In January, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation emphasised that Islamic law calls for women’s education, work, and participation in public life.
The UN and its Member States will not remain on the sidelines when women and girls are deprived of exercising their human rights.
“The Taliban’s edicts are causing irreparable damage to Afghanistan they erase women and girls from society. They also move the Taliban further from its desire to normalize relations with the international community.
“The United States continues to urge an inclusive political process among Afghans that leads to a representative government a government that is accountable to its people and fully reflects Afghanistan’s rich diversity, including the meaningful participation of women and members of minority communities,” he said.
The resolution also reiterated its demand that all parties allow full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access for the personnel of United Nations humanitarian agencies, their partners, and other humanitarian actors and providers of basic services, regardless of gender.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that Moscow notes the efforts of UAE and Japan who searched for “compromise solutions” while taking into account a wide range of positions and wanted to draft a document that should account for the whole set of challenges that Afghanistan is faced with today.
“In this regard, it causes sincere regret and disappointment that steps towards a more prominent reflection of all these problems were actually blocked by a number of Western colleagues led by the United States,” he said.
Nebenzia added that Moscow does not welcome the decision of the Taliban to restrict the rights of women and girls and that these bans must be lifted.
“However, the real reasons for the unresolved issue of unfreezing Afghan assets that belong to the Afghan people; calls for increasing humanitarian assistance and restoring the country’s economy; and the negative consequences of unilateral sanctions did not make it to the resolution.
“This approach of Western colleagues no longer surprises us though. This is just another example of the double standards of the US and its allies when discussing various conflicts in the Council,” he said.
A record 28.3 million people in Afghanistan are in need of assistance this year, making Afghanistan the world’s largest aid operation, with the UN asking for USD 4.6 billion to fully fund relief efforts this year.
The decision by the Taliban earlier this month to prohibit Afghan women from working for the UN in Afghanistan was strongly condemned by leaders of the World organisation.
The UN was notified by the de facto authorities that no Afghan woman was permitted to work for the UN in Afghanistan and that this measure will be actively enforced.
The decision extended the directive previously announced in December last year, banning Afghan women from working for national and international non-governmental organisations.
The UN had approximately 3,900 staff in Afghanistan, approximately 3,300 are nationals and 600 internationals.
Of those, there are about 400 women nationals and 200 women internationals. The UN instructed all national staff men and women not to report to the office until further notice.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 28, 2023
‘Looking at it positively, says Jaishankar in Afghan meeting to be hosted by UN

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United Nations: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that India is looking “positively” at the meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan to be hosted by UN chief Antonio Guterres in Doha next month.
UN Secretary-General Guterres will be hosting the meeting in Doha on May 1 and 2.
“We’re looking at it. We’re looking at it positively, but I guess we’ll take a call closer to the time but we are looking at it,” Jaishankar said here in response to a question on whether India will be participating in the meeting.

St phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said the purpose of the small group meeting is to reinvigorate the international engagement around the common objectives for a durable way forward on the situation in Afghanistan.
“The Secretary-General has said and continues to believe that it’s an urgent priority to advance an approach based on pragmatism and principles, combined with strategic patience, and to identify parameters for creative, flexible, principled, and constructive engagement.
“It is his aim that the discussions, which will be held behind closed doors, can contribute to a more unified consensus regarding the challenges ahead,” Dujarric said.
Jaishankar is on his way to South America, beginning a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic on Friday.
Before his visit, he arrived in New York and met Guterres, discussing the situation in Sudan with the UN chief.

(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Amid cross-border tension, acting Afghan FM to visit Pakistan

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Islamabad: Tension is growing between Pakistan and the interim Afghanistan government with Islamabad pointing fingers at Kabul for being the facilitator and supporter of militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose continued attacks in different parts of Pakistan have spread a wave of terror, posing serious security threat to the armed forces.
Against this backdrop, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, is expected to visit Islamabad and hold talks with the senior officials of the Pakistan government and its security forces.
The visit holds critical and crucial relevance in view of the persisting tensions between the two countries, which share a large porous border.

As per sources in the know of things, Islamabad and Kabul are currently in touch with each other to finalise the date for the visit of the Afghan Taliban chief’s acting Foreign Minister.
“The visit is expected to take place in the coming weeks,” said a source.
This will be Mutaqqi’s second visit to Islamabad. He had previously come in November 2021, months after the Taliban took over the control in Afghanistan, ousting the Ashraf Ghani government, which fell in a span of 20 days after the withdrawal of NATO forces.
“Pakistan had hoped that the Taliban takeover would improve border security and more importantly, the issue of terrorist sanctuaries would be sorted out. But contrary to our expectations, the TTP-sponsored attacks have only increased, causing friction in bilateral ties,” said the source.
This happened after months long peace talks between the former Pakistan government of Imran Khan, the security agencies of the country and the TTP, which were facilitated by the Afghan Taliban in Kabul, but failed in the end.

Since then, TTP has amplified its attacks in Pakistan and has targeted security installations with suicide bombings, targeted attacks and killings, claiming lives of many security personnel.
Pakistan, during its recent high-level meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), admitted that the peace talks with the TTP had only resulted in rise in terrorist activities.
“The government has now decided that it would not have any further talks with the Taliban and would counter their terror attacks with military level offensive,” said the source.
Pakistan has also repeatedly maintained that the Afghan Taliban have failed to take any action against TTP militants, who are moving freely in Afghanistan and using its soil to plan, coordinate and carry out terror attacks.
On the other hand, the Afghan Taliban have denied Islamabad’s claims, stating that they stand by their promise to not allow its soil to be used against any other country.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023
Banned TTP still using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan: Defence Minister Asif

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Islamabad: Amid a surge in attacks by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the banned militant group was still using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside the country, a media report said on Tuesday.
Asif expressed his concern at the TTP using neighbouring Afghanistan for terrorism in an interview with the Voice of America on Monday, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“TTP is using (the) Afghan soil even today for attacks in our country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan enjoys good ties with the interim Taliban government.

Asif’s remarks come as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since peace talks between the militant group and the government began to falter in the latter half of last year.
The TTP formally ended the ceasefire on November 28 and has executed more than 100 attacks since then.
Many of these attacks were planned and directed by the militant group’s leadership based in Afghanistan.
During the interview, Asif recalled that the issue of increased attacks by the TTP was brought to the notice of the Afghan Taliban rulers during his recent visit to Kabul.
Earlier this year, a Pakistani delegation comprising of Asif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan, Charge d’Affaires to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq visited the Afghan capital for talks on security-related matters, including counter-terrorism measures.

“(In the meeting) The (Afghan) Taliban had expressed their determination to deal with this problem and said that they won’t allow their land to be used for terrorism as per the Doha Agreement,” the minister said in the interview.
According to the report, Asif said the Afghan Taliban and TTP shared a “camaraderie” because they have been fighting against NATO for the past 20 years.
“According to my information on TTP militants, between 7,000 to 8,000 of them have been involved in the war against Nato with the Afghan Taliban,” the defence minister was quoted as saying.
“In this context, there is a camaraderie between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban which was also seen in their (Afghan Taliban’s) words during our meetings that they are not in a position to oppose them (TTP), but they also want to help Pakistan,” he added.
Asif also said that the banned militant group was equipped with advanced weapons, such as night vision goggles left behind by the American forces when they withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Talking about the recent protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against rising militancy, the minister said the province’s residents were not ready to “co-exist” with the TTP.
“It is remarkable that people are protesting unarmed against the return of the Taliban (in Pakistan). These people have been poisoned by the Taliban in the past as well, Asif said.
“What is encouraging is that people protested of their own will. They did not protest in the past. They have realised that they don’t want to live with the TTP, considering the peaceful life they have lived in the last eight to 10 years,” he added.
The minister also admitted that due to the political situation in Pakistan, protests against militancy in several areas of the country were often overlooked by the media.
In response to a question, the minister said there was no difference between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban.
“But according to our talks with the Afghan Taliban it seems that they want to distance themselves from the TTP,” Asif pointed out, adding that the Afghan Taliban were “politically astute” people.
Asif’s remarks came days after the National Security Committee (NSC) – the principal decision-making body on national security matters – agreed to launch an “all-out comprehensive operation” to rid the country of the menace of terrorism, the report said. PTI SH
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Suspicious Afghan man sneaks into Pak PM’s house

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Islamabad: A suspicious man sneaked inside the house of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif despite tight security arrangements at the residence of the chief executive of the country, which is a highly sensitive site, media reports said on Saturday citing sources.
The sources said that the security personnel deputed at the PM’s house reportedly didn’t know from where did the suspect enter, Geo News reported.
The suspect was immediately taken into custody by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Islamabad Police and has been shifted to an unknown place.

The sources revealed that the suspect claims to be a resident of Afghanistan, and had made his way to the PM’s house by passing through three different paths, Geo News reported.
They said that the CTD, police and other security agencies are interrogating the suspect.
The security agencies have acquired the CCTV footage of the suspect and are trying to find out how he had entered the PM’s house, they added.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 8, 2023
Biden admin defends Afghan troop pullout, blames ex-Prez Trump for chaos

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Washington: Joe Biden’s administration has defended its decision to pull American troops out of Afghanistan and blamed former US President Donald Trump for the chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country.
The White House on Thursday released a 12-page document on the conditions that led to US’ exit from Afghanistan in 2021 and sent related classified documents to various Congressional committees.
The report places much of the blame on the previous Trump administration, saying President Biden was “severely constrained” by former president Trump’s decisions.

The Trump administration had negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that Biden pledged to honour. But Thursday’s report criticised the former Republican president for a lack of planning to carry out the deal.
According to the report, when Biden took office on January 20, 2021, “the Taliban were in the strongest military position that they had been in since 2001, controlling or contesting nearly half of the country.”
At the same time, the US had only 2,500 troops on the ground, the lowest since 2001, and President Biden was facing Trump’s near-term deadline to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by May 2021, or the Taliban would resume its attacks on US and allied troops, it said.
It said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testified on September 28, 2021, “The intelligence was clear that if we did not leave in accordance with that agreement, the Taliban would recommence attacks on our forces.”
John Kirby, White House National Security Coordinator for Strategic Communications, told reporters here that the Biden administration was “proud” of its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The president’s very proud of the manner in which the men and women of the military, the Foreign Service, and the intelligence community conducted this withdrawal,” he said.
“I’ve been around operations my entire life, and there’s not a single one that ever goes perfectly according to plan,” he said.
Kirby said Biden’s choice was stark, either to withdraw all US forces or resume fighting with the Taliban.
“He chose the former, but even in doing so, secured extra time to conduct that withdrawal, stretching it out to August. Despite having his options curtailed, President Biden led a deliberate, rigorous and inclusive decision-making process that was responsive to facts on the ground,” he said.
Noting that the administration focused keenly on the need for proper planning, he said Biden directed his top national security leaders to begin planning for a withdrawal even before he had made the final decision to leave Afghanistan.
He ordered troop reduction plans, plans to turn over bases and equipment to the Afghan government as the previous administration had negotiated, plans to draw down the diplomatic presence and plans to evacuate both American citizens and Afghan allies alike, Kirby said.
The White House official said the evacuation planning started in the spring of 2021 and the president ordered additional military forces pre-positioned in the region by mid-summer in case they were ever needed.
Throughout, President Biden insisted that his team plan for worst-case scenarios such as the fall of Kabul, even though the intelligence community’s assessment when he was making the decision in early 2021, was that Taliban advances would accelerate only after the withdrawal of US forces, Kirby said.
The president repeatedly requested assessments of the trajectory of the conflict from his military and his intelligence professionals, he said.
The long-awaited report also cites intelligence failure in not predicting rapid Taliban victory.
Responding to a question on inaccurate intelligence assessment, Kirby said no agency predicted a Taliban takeover in nine days.
“No agency predicted the rapid fleeing of President Ghani who had indicated to us his intent to remain in Afghanistan up until he departed on the 15th of August,” he said.
The internationally backed Afghan government collapsed and then-President Ashraf Ghani fled the country in August 2021 as the Taliban took over the capital, Kabul, amid the withdrawal of US forces.
During the evacuation, a suicide bombing by the Afghanistan branch of ISIS killed at least 175 people, including 13 US service members.
“No agency predicted that the more than 300,000 trained and equipped Afghan National Security and Defense Forces would fail to fight for the country, especially after 20 years of American support,” Kirby said.
The mission that was originally sent into Afghanistan was accomplished a long, long time ago, he said.
“Remember, they were ordered under President Bush to avenge the 9/11 attacks and to go specifically after Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. And decimating and degrading al-Qaida’s capability in Afghanistan was a mission that we accomplished a long, long time ago,” he said.
“Over time, the president has talked about this, the mission in Afghanistan morphed into something it wasn’t intended to originally be,” Kirby said.
The Biden administration has faced mounting criticism, especially from Republicans, over its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 7, 2023
UN Women chief blasts Taliban ban on female Afghan UN staff

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United Nations: Sima Bahous, UN Undersecretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, has condemned the Taliban’s decision to ban Afghan women from working with the United Nations in Afghanistan.
“We stand in full solidarity with our colleagues, and all women who every day put their lives at risk to serve their country and we salute their dedication, professionalism, and bravery. We re-assert their inalienable, fundamental human rights as enshrined in the UN Charter,” said Bahous in a statement on Wednesday.
“We will not replace our female workforce with men,” she said, adding that UN Women is determined to continue in every way possible to deliver vital services and support, so no woman or girl will be left out or left behind, Xinhua news agency reported.

Afghanistan is in a humanitarian crisis with 28.3 million people, two-thirds of the population, needing humanitarian assistance to survive. Nearly a quarter of households in Afghanistan are female-headed, she noted.
The removal of skilled women aid workers decreases access by women and girls to critical life-saving services, and increases their risks when they have to seek assistance from men instead, said Bahous.
The de-facto authorities’ denial of women’s and girls’ rights to education and to engagement in society and the economy of Afghanistan is a self-inflicted wound on the country. This damage to future recovery and resilience deepens with every woman and girl whose horizons have been forcibly shrunk to her home’s four walls, she added.
UN Women joins UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling on the Taliban to immediately revoke this latest decision and reverse all measures that restrict women’s and girls’ rights to work, education and freedom of movement, she said.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said on Wednesday that the world body is instructing all its Afghan national staff — men and women — not to report to the office for now. In addition, UN national female staff in Afghanistan will not see their posts to be backfilled by men.

Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Secretary-General’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said the Afghan UN national staff — Afghan men and women — are in solidarity.
“We will not have a situation where we are going to work with all-men teams. So our national staff will report to the office together,” he told a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York through a video link.
Alakbarov said the United Nations is working to create the normal conditions so that the Afghan UN national staff could return to work. He said everybody will be paid even when they have to stay home.
The United Nations has about 3,900 staff in Afghanistan, nearly 3,300 of them are nationals. Of those, there are about 400 women nationals and 200 women internationals.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 6, 2023
Afghan security forces discover IS weaponry in Jawzjan northern province

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Kabul: The Afghan security forces have discovered a weapon cache and mine-making center of Daesh, or Islamic State (IS), in Shiberghan, the capital of Afghanistan’s northern Jawzjan province, the provincial police chief said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, the security forces raided a house in Sakhi Abad village of Shiberghan on Saturday and discovered a variety of arms and ammunition, including a suicide vest, hand grenades and objects used in making mines and explosive devices, Shah Mohammad Ahmadi said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The official didn’t say whether anyone had been arrested.
However, the police chief claimed that the IS-affiliated militants were planning to launch subversive activities but their plot had been foiled.
In similar operations, the Afghan security forces discovered and seized arms and ammunition, including 17 AK-47 assault rifles, in the eastern Kunar province.
The Afghan forces have intensified their crackdown on the rival IS outfit and in the latest operations have killed four IS-affiliated militants on the outskirts of Kabul over the past week.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 26, 2023
Two young Afghan girls cycle their way up to world portals; may represent their country in Olympics

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On a scorching afternoon in Italy last year, two women cyclists could be seen toiling their way uphill along a steep mountain road in the Dolomite mountain range. As the heat increased, their struggle became harder but they pushed on. It was a 10 kilometre long climb but the two women seemed tireless. After 17 winding bends, the cyclists finally reached the top of the mountains and then paused to take a break. Below them lay a scenic green valley dotted with tiny houses and villages.
In Italy where cycling is a very popular sport and there are many passionate followers, the sight of two women pedaling their way up a difficult route would not be a surprising sight. But in this case, what was amazing was that these two young women were not Italians. They were from Afghanistan. Their names were Yulduz and Fariba Hashimi who were forced to abandon their hometown and settle in Italy when the Taliban authorities forbade them to continue with their beloved sport of cycling.
The story of the two sisters is fascinating. They were born in the province of Faryab in northern Afghanistan. The region forms the border with Turkmenistan and its economy is dependent upon agriculture and animal husbandry. The women of the region produce a variety of carpets known as Kilims which are sold all over Asia. But in the midst of such a rural ambience, were born two sisters whose talent lay in cycling. Unfortunately, the roads in the area are in bad condition and nobody in their right mind would ever try cycle on such roads.
But when the adventurous duo saw a neighbour’s cycle, they wanted to ride it. Aged only 14 and 17 at the time, they borrowed the cycle and learnt to ride it. They then went to a nearby town where a cycling competition was being conducted and entered their names. After one sister finished her event, she gave the cycle to the other sister who took part in her race. Amazingly, despite being beginners, one sister came first and the other came second in their respective races. From that day they were hooked.
They took part in more competitions but they had to keep it a secret from their parents who did not approve of their sporting activities. However, their parents soon found out because their photos had appeared in the local media. “They were upset at first. They asked me to stop cycling. But I didn’t give up,” said younger sister Fariba. Eventually the parents gave in.
But there was opposition from other quarters too. They were abused and threatened by people who did not want girls to take part in sports. “All I wanted to do was win races. But people threw stones at us and tried to run into us with their cars,” said Yulduz. But the duo did not give up. Soon they were called up for the national team. Everything was going well till the Taliban came to power in 2021.
They were officially instructed to stop cycling. If they continued with sport, they would face harsh penalties. It was then that the sisters realised that they would have to go away from Afghanistan if they wanted to continue their careers. Somehow, they contacted an Italian woman named Alessandra Cappellotto who was a cycling instructor.
The Italian woman decided to help them. She knocked on many doors beginning with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and United Nations officials. After a lot of effort, Alessandra managed to bring the two sisters and three other girls (also cyclists) from Afghanistan to Italy. Needless to say, for the teenage girls, leaving their home was a traumatic experience. They had to say goodbye to their families, not knowing when they would see them again. Even now they become deeply emotional when they think of their parents. But the sisters have each other to share their innermost feelings.

Alessandra brought the girls to a town in the Veneto region of northern Italy, close to where she lives. She helped the group settle in their new country, organised a house for them to live in, arranged part-time jobs, and taught them the Italian language. Alessandra also provided them with brand-new cycles and a professional coach. “She was like a mother to us,” said Fariba.
Their successes continued in Italy. They have won races against European rivals and Fariba has even been inducted into a professional cycling team. Now their hopes are to represent Afghanistan in the Olympic Games. However, it all depends upon the decision of the Afghan government. Whether the government will allow women cyclists to take part in the Games or not, is the big question. But the President of the Afghanistan Cycling Federation, Fazli Ahmed Fazli is optimistic. “These women are amazing riders and I’m sure that soon they will win in big races for Afghanistan,” he said.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023