On October 8, 2021, local time, in Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, the death toll from an explosion attack on a mosque rose to 46, and another 143 people were injured. At the time of the explosion, people were gathering inside the mosque for Friday's religious ceremony. The extremist group Islamic State said it was responsible for the mosque bombings. (People's Vision/Photo)
"Gasoline, food, all prices are going up. It's up more than 50%. ”
Oman, who lives in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is the father of four children. For two months, he has been worried about rising prices. Fortunately, thanks to the savings saved while working as a technician in a USAID project, the family can still survive.
As a landlocked country, Afghanistan is already entering the winter, but "hunger" has forced some people to sell clothes and electrical appliances to subsidize their families. "Kids need food." Aman said.
On October 10, 2021, high-level delegations from both the United States and the Afghan Taliban held talks in Qatar. In addition to topics such as security, counterterrorism, and women's rights, the issue of "direct U.S. humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people" has also been discussed.
A few days later, European Commission President von der Leyen also announced that he would provide a total aid package worth about 1 billion euros, doing everything in his power to avoid "a major humanitarian crisis and socio-economic collapse in Afghanistan".
Professor Li Shaoxian, dean of the China Arab Studies Institute at Ningxia University, told Southern Weekend that the current humanitarian assistance of the international community to Afghanistan is necessary and very urgent. It is also imperative to lift sanctions and freeze.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the shadow of a terrorist attack</h1>
On October 8, local time, in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, a suicide bomber "detonated a bomb vest" in the crowd, killing and injuring more than 100 people.
Pictures and videos of the scene showed debris from the explosion covering the floor, the mosque's ceiling burned black and the stairs at the entrance covered in blood. At the time of the explosion, a large number of Shia Muslims were praying in the mosque, and the scene was very crowded.
Due to the serious casualties, the hospital blood bank was in emergency. In a video report circulating on social media platforms, Jahanzib Salarzai, director of Afghanistan's Hayat Donation Association, called on local residents, especially members of the association, to donate blood to hospitals.
After the incident, Taliban spokesman Mujahid said the Shiite mosque was targeted. The islamic State of Khorasan, a branch of the extremist group Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Earlier, on September 6, local time, the Taliban issued a statement saying that it had captured all areas of Panjshir province. A Taliban spokesman said at a news conference that "the Afghan civil war is officially over."
The war may be over, but the terrorist attacks have not gone away.
On the eve of the withdrawal of US troops, there were successive explosions at the airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. At least 185 people were killed in the attack, including U.S. soldiers.
An explosion at the entrance to a mosque in Kabul on October 3, at least five people were killed, following a memorial service for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
On 6 October, a religious school in Khost province was attacked by grenades, killing at least seven people. Two days later, the "Kunduz bombing" with hundreds of casualties occurred.
The Khorasan branch of the Islamic State (ISKP) is a terrorist organization in Afghanistan. The ISKP and the Taliban are both Sunni Islamists, but the former considers the Taliban to be too "moderate" and that there have been frequent bloody clashes between the two sides in recent years. The conflict between the two "mortal enemies" was particularly intense after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
On August 20, BBC reporter Mina Al-Lami quoted the Islamic State's official weekly newspaper, Al-Naba, as saying that the Islamic State regarded the new Taliban as a "false Muslim" who had been recruited by the United States and would sabotage the "jihad" from within, and mentioned that the Islamic State was preparing to start a new phase of "jihad".
Professor Li Shaoxian analyzed to the Southern Weekend reporter that since the era of US occupation, the Afghan Taliban has been an important force in the fight against the "Islamic State". In recent years, Atta has also suppressed and cracked down on ISKPs at home. It can be said that in the current power struggle in Afghanistan, the "Islamic State" and the Taliban are in a competitive relationship, "they compete with each other for territory and influence."
Still, in the face of the ISKP's provocations, the Taliban did not look flustered. According to Afghanistan's TOLO News, Taliban spokesman Mujahid said on Oct. 8 that the Taliban "do not see ISIS as a threat" and that "the group will soon be suppressed."
In an interview ahead of high-level talks between the Taliban government and the United States on Oct. 9, Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in an interview that he would not work with Washington to contain the Islamic State, which is increasingly active in Afghanistan, ruling out the possibility of working with the United States to contain extremist groups in the country. Shaheen said: "We can deal with the Islamic State independently. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > "tough times."</h1>
Entering Afghanistan in October, the minimum temperature at night can reach 5 degrees, and the long winter is coming.
Dua, 25, has just graduated from university and is now the owner of a clothing store in Kabul, afghanistan. The store sells traditional, colorful, intricate Afghan clothing, primarily for female customers.
For traditional clothing suitable for weddings and banquets, winter is the off-season for sales. Because of the sudden change in the situation, sales are worse than ever.
At about 9 p.m. on October 11, only Dewar was left in the store. Because business was deserted, the other employees had already returned home early.
"My business is poor." Talking to Southern Weekend reporters about his business, Dewar wryly wrote on the other end of the phone, "People don't have the money to buy new clothes." Now, we have a limited number of customers every day, sometimes not even one customer in the whole day. ”
In addition to offline business, Dewar's store has also opened an English website, and has set up a small station on cross-border e-commerce networks and social media to attract international customers. However, due to the suspension of international flights at the airport, clothes could not be sent abroad for some time in the past. "Compare it to 2020. In the past, our store sold at least 2-3 garments a day, but now it is almost 0. ”
"Lack of money" is a major problem facing the Afghan people at present.
On August 17, the United States froze nearly $9.5 billion in assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and stopped sending cash to the country. In addition, the International Monetary Fund also said that after the Taliban occupy Afghanistan, it will prevent Afghanistan from receiving about $450 million in aid funds, which is also seen as under pressure from the United States.
On August 28, the Taliban announced withdrawal limits: only $200 or 20,000 afghanis per person per week. The money supply is so limited that not everyone has the good luck of "getting the money.".
According to the Afghan "TOLO News" reported on October 7, in front of the major banks in Kabul, a large number of government employees from the local provinces pouring into the capital are queuing, and the banks in their local areas have not yet resumed business. But even when they came to Kabul, they were unable to withdraw their wages.
On the other hand, the price of daily necessities continues to rise.
The person in charge of a Chinese trade city in Kabul said on the 11th that a bag of flour weighing the same brand and the same 50 kilograms in the local area, "before the Taliban came to power, it was 1750 Afghan afghanis, and now it is 2400 Afghan afghanis", each bag rose by 650 Afghan afghanis, an increase of about 37%.
From "unemployed" to the present, the kabul citizen Oman has relied on savings for his family's expenses, and he is also worried about rising prices and "sitting on the mountain".
A few days ago, he received an email that the "former boss" now has a partnership with the World Food Programme, which means that he also has hope of returning to work.
On the side of the road, in the park, and in the square, some people spontaneously opened up "new markets", stacked all kinds of daily necessities together, sold at low prices, and subsidized households.
Aman photographed the flea market near his home, Simmons and cabinets standing in the wagon body waiting for buyers, futons stacked thickly, pots and pans laid on the floor, fans standing next to them, work chairs and sofas on the street, and cameras swept over washing machines, bicycles, and even a shelf bed.
Oman told Southern Weekend that something worth $500 usually costs $10 to $20 in a flea market, so some poor people will take the opportunity to "pick up leaks."
The reopening of airports, the streets are flooded, and the daily patrols of the Taliban have improved security, but uncertainty still seeps into life from every aspect.
"It's a very tough time. People will not believe that in 2021 our country will suffer such unprecedented suffering. Dewar said.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > "aid is imminent."</h1>
"Afghanistan is a country that has no hematopoietic capacity on its own."
Professor Li Shaoxian said that in the 20 years occupied by the US military and NATO troops, Afghanistan has relied heavily on the international community. After the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Afghanistan was subject to economic sanctions and many international aid was suspended. At present, Afghanistan is about to enter winter, and some places have already entered winter. If the international community does not lend another helping hand, a humanitarian catastrophe is bound to occur in Afghanistan.
On 22 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement on the visit of The Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Dr. Ahmed Mandari, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, saying bluntly that "Afghanistan's health system is on the verge of collapse".
The statement noted that the decline in donor support has led to thousands of health facilities that lack funding for medical supplies and are unable to pay health workers' salaries, and are on the verge of closure, with "health service providers forced to make the difficult choice of rescue and abandonment".
According to recent U.N. data, nearly half of Afghanistan's population, some 18 million people, need assistance to survive; regional conflicts and insecurity displace more than 3.5 million people; and nearly 700,000 people left their homes in 2021 alone.
In a report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on 6 October, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP Afghanistan Representative and Regional Director, shouted: "As drought and the economic crisis drive up food and fuel prices, we are witnessing record levels of poverty, and feeding families across Afghanistan ahead of the cold winter is something we must do now!" ”
According to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 8, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that after receiving an urgent request for assistance from the Afghan side, the Chinese side decided to urgently provide food, wintering materials, vaccines and medicines worth 200 million yuan to the Afghan side.
On the evening of September 29, a shipment of materials, including blankets and down jackets, arrived at Kabul International Airport, which was the first batch of emergency humanitarian assistance from the Chinese government to Afghanistan.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference the next day that china will continue to step up preparations for grain and other materials, and believes that it will soon arrive in Afghanistan.
Clothing store owner Dewar also saw the news from news reports. In an oct. 11 interview, he specifically said, "Thank you for China's help." In his view, with aid, the government apparatus can work, people can live, and people can start businesses.
Aid is being delivered to the Afghan population. On October 3, local time, Taliban spokesman Mujahid said on Twitter that in Panjshir province, they are providing food and other assistance to displaced poor families. The distribution of aid is also under way in other provinces of the country.
Notably, in the EU's announcement of an aid package, European Commission President von der Leyen also said that humanitarian aid alone would not be enough to avoid famine and major humanitarian crises. To this end, on the basis of humanitarian assistance, the EU will also provide targeted assistance in the area of basic services.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > "classroom separated by gray curtains."</h1>
On October 12, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged countries around the world to reach out and provide financial support to Afghanistan, while also calling on the Taliban to honour their commitments to women and girls and to protect their human rights.
According to Reuters reported on September 6, some universities in Afghanistan resumed teaching. A photo of a report shows an opaque gray curtain separating two spaces in a classroom at Avicenna University in Kabul, with male and female students sitting on either side. Among them, 6 female students were wearing robes and scarves around their heads.
On September 19, Kabul's interim mayor, Hamdullah Namony, announced that the Taliban had ordered many female city employees to stay at home and that only "women who cannot be replaced by men" were allowed to work. This includes skilled workers in the design and engineering departments and waitresses in women's public toilets, as well as staff who conduct physiological examinations of women at passport offices. For women who can be replaced by men, there is no clear notice of when and whether they can return to work.
Trainee female lawyer Arezoo Sarwari has been idle at her home in Kabul for two months. On October 12, she told Southern Weekend on social media, "I just stay at home and can't go to work." ”
Zakia Menhas is a student at a medical school in Kabul, and her sisters are teachers at a local girls' high school. Today, none of them are allowed to return to school. "We are experiencing more depressing and anxious isolation than we were at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak." Zazia said.
However, some respondents mentioned that these regulations seem to have "flexibility" space.
Although the Taliban have promulgated sharia-based dress codes, travel and other regulations, it can be seen on the streets of Kabul that the implementation is not the same. A Chinese businessman in Afghanistan said, "There are some women who do not cover their faces, and there are more men without beards." The beardless policemen are still on duty and at work. ”
Clothing store owner Dewar also mentioned to southern weekend reporters that the company's female employees, including tailors, clerks, etc. are also returning to work normally during this time. Dua just graduated from college in 2020. During his four years of college life, he attended classes and studied with female classmates. Regarding the curtains that are now propped up in the university classroom, he said slightly helplessly: "I don't want to comment on this." ”
Hosna Jalil is a prominent Afghan female politician. In December 2018, she became Deputy Minister of the Interior of Afghanistan, the first female senior government official in Afghan history.
Hosner told Southern Weekend that 28 percent of former Afghan government officials were women, and more than 5,000 women worked in the security sector. They have achieved significant results in different sectors, especially in the sports and media industries, after afghanistan already had a large number of professional female media staff.
In an interview, Hosner expressed concern: "The progress of the past 20 years is only to ensure that women are treated as 'people', and what we want – 'equality between men and women', is still a luxury." ”
On October 3, 2021, local time, in Kabul, Afghanistan, members of the Taliban served as police officers to maintain order in the streets. A Kabul police spokesman said the Taliban's newly formed police force already numbered about 4,000 people in the capital and insisted the city was much safer than before. (People's Vision/Photo)
"The demands on a society should be appropriate to its degree of development." In the view of Professor Li Shaoxian of Ningxia University, compared with 20 years ago, the secularization and tolerance of the Taliban have been much higher. The international community should guide and promote the development of the Taliban in a pragmatic direction, rather than blindly adopting a negative attitude of blockade, sanctions and confrontation.
Li Shaoxian questioned, "In the words of the famous American political scientist Joseph Nye, Afghanistan is a pre-modern country forcibly pulled into modern society by the international community. If it is demanded from the eyes of modern society or postmodern Europeans, is it possible? ”
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > "looking forward to a peaceful Afghanistan."</h1>
Before the Taliban entered Kabul, his eldest brother, a software engineer in the United States, suggested that Dewar leave, but he refused. "This is my motherland." "Like my little shop, if I leave, who will take care of it," Dua said? ”
Compared to his passion for business, Dewar showed no particular preference for politics.
As for the former government, in his words, "it has been corrupt to the extreme". According to him, dealing with the former government was inseparable from money, "they will make excuses, such as the system is not working, the material is problematic, only if you give them money, they will work for you." 」 There are many things like that we suffer from."
Of the new government, Dua said, "We don't care whose government it is, we only care about the work that's being done." I just look forward to a peaceful afghanistan. ”
Since the Taliban came to power, changes have been quietly taking place on the streets of Kabul, the Afghan capital. The white flag representing the Taliban replaced the former Afghan government's "tricolor flag," and the façade of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul's Massood Square was painted with the Taliban's logo and text. There are also fewer security checkpoints on the roads, and vehicles are moving faster.
"Overall, people are more satisfied than disappointed." A Chinese businessman in Afghanistan said that as investors, they want Afghan society to be stable, safe and secure, and they want to be more involved in Afghanistan's post-war reconstruction.
Professor Li Shaoxian believes that Afghanistan is a deep disaster, and now is the time when the country has seen a glimmer of independence and peaceful development for the first time since the war lasted for more than 40 years. "If the international community does not provide assistance to Afghanistan, what will happen to Afghanistan? Will it fall into chaos again, will it once again become a source of terrorism? ”
At present, there are various terrorist or religious extremist organizations in Afghanistan, such as Al-Qaida, ETIM, Bata and so on. The international community has also been demanding that the Taliban honour their commitment not to allow terrorism to breed in Afghanistan or to become a threat to any third party.
Li Shaoxian believes that compared with the "Islamic State", the international community should pay more attention to the relationship between these organizations and the Taliban. "The international community must 'listen to what they say and watch their deeds'. And watching it should be the next priority. ”
(Dua, Oman is a pseudonym)
Southern Weekend reporter Mao Shujie Southern Weekend intern Sun Yue