Taliban reign of terror: Harrowing accounts from the Afghan city of Kunduz

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Taliban reign of terror: Harrowing accounts from the Afghan city of Kunduz

The Taliban only held the northern Afghan city of Kunduz for three days.

But stories have emerged of a reign of terror by the extremists, with women particularly targeted.

Amnesty International has reported accounts of mass murder, gang rapes and house-to-house searches by Taliban death squads

Some 100,000 residents of Kunduz fled the city amid the fighting between Afghan security forces and insurgents, according to UN estimates, scattering to camps, hotels and relatives’ homes across the north and in Kabul.

Mother-of-two Sabeha Safi is one of those to have sought refuge in the capital, where she has used her medical training to treat other internally-displaced persons.

“When people woke up in the morning, the Taliban were everywhere, in every street. I am not sure about the future. I am not optimistic…Maybe it is just the way I feel. Maybe I really am demoralised. I don’t have a good feeling at all,” she said.

Journalists too fell prey to the extremists, with media outlets ransacked and reporters tracked down.

Parisa Aimaq, a well-known TV journalist locally, was among those who fled to Kabul.

“When the Taliban are in a province. it can’t be safe,” she said.

“The lives of women were in danger all the time – at any time they could be a victim of sexual abuse. There were women who became victims…so no matter what happens, the situation is very serious in Kunduz.”

Kunduz is strategic – on a trade route linking Afghanistan with the ex-Soviet republic of Tajikistan. Its porous border is also used for the smuggling of opium and heroin.

Amid the turmoil, President Obama’s decision to drop plans for a radical reduction in US forces has been welcomed by the government in Kabul which had feared being abandoned by its most powerful ally. The Taliban though says the ongoing US military presence won’t be enough to halt its advance.

Source: http://www.euronews.com/2015/10/17/taliban-reign-of-terror-harrowing-accounts-from-the-afghan-city-of-kunduz/

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-10-18

[Pimay1]

These taliban are worse than animals. I used to go to a small restaurant in Kabul to have tea. A sixteen year old boy who worked at the restaurant was hung from a lamp post simply because they didn't like the clothes he was wearing. Some of the atrocities they committed were so horrible it was hard to believe a human could do this but they did and evidently are still doing it.

[simon43]

A sixteen year old boy who worked at the restaurant was hung from a lamp post

Hung or hanged from the lamppost - there is an important difference. (Not nick-picking, I want to be sure that you meant 'hung')

[Scott]

I think you are nit-picking. Since a 16 year old boy in Kabul is not a painting, the poster most likely meant hanged. Also, since it is about the Taliban and Afghanistan, we can probably concluded he is referring to the death of someone by hanging.

[Pimay1]

A sixteen year old boy who worked at the restaurant was hung from a lamp post

Hung or hanged from the lamppost - there is an important difference. (Not nick-picking, I want to be sure that you meant 'hung')

Ok how's this? He was hanged by the neck until dead. My grammar is slippin today, ain't feelin too well on top of that.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Pimay1

[Chicog]

Get used to it, because they are getting straight back into power as soon as the US abandons this pointless war.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Chicog

[Mudcrab]

They shot a young girl in the head whose only crime was wanting to go to school.

She was awarded a Nobel prize.

They then opened fire in a classroom and slaughtered a 100 kids in response.

They aren't all Afghani...many are Pakistani nut jobs.

Makes it a little tricky....Pakistan has nuclear bombs too.

[ggt]

The Taliban though says the ongoing US military presence won’t be enough to halt its advance.

After many years of engaging the Taliban in Afghanistan...the smaller numbers of US troop will likely not be enough to stem the tide of the terrorists advance...

It appears that this too...will become another example of US failed foreign policy...and why many countries are losing faith in US dependability...

[connda]

Get used to it, because they are getting straight back into power as soon as the US abandons this pointless war.

If they do. There are a lot of untapped natural resources in that country, which of course, the multi-national corporations would like to control through the use of Team American World Police.

But Afghani history tells us that the US will eventually end up like everyone else who attempted to invade. Then the Taliban will be king of the hill again. Ever think that that scenario may be just dandy with the average agrarian Afghani? What a shame, then heroin prices in the US will go back up again and the black ops boyz will need to find a new source of funding. So sad. I feel a tear welling up in my eye...

[Soutpeel]

Get used to it, because they are getting straight back into power as soon as the US abandons this pointless war.

If they do. There are a lot of untapped natural resources in that country, which of course, the multi-national corporations would like to control through the use of Team American World Police.

But Afghani history tells us that the US will eventually end up like everyone else who attempted to invade. Then the Taliban will be king of the hill again. Ever think that that scenario may be just dandy with the average agrarian Afghani? What a shame, then heroin prices in the US will go back up again and the black ops boyz will need to find a new source of funding. So sad. I feel a tear welling up in my eye...

Go and read up on Unocal and their dealings with Taliban leaders in Texas as regards pipe lines and a few other things....the story was broke by the BBC i think it was but some how never made the US news for some reason

[chuckd]

Get used to it, because they are getting straight back into power as soon as the US abandons this pointless war.

If they do. There are a lot of untapped natural resources in that country, which of course, the multi-national corporations would like to control through the use of Team American World Police.

But Afghani history tells us that the US will eventually end up like everyone else who attempted to invade. Then the Taliban will be king of the hill again. Ever think that that scenario may be just dandy with the average agrarian Afghani? What a shame, then heroin prices in the US will go back up again and the black ops boyz will need to find a new source of funding. So sad. I feel a tear welling up in my eye...

Go and read up on Unocal and their dealings with Taliban leaders in Texas as regards pipe lines and a few other things....the story was broke by the BBC i think it was but some how never made the US news for some reason

Maybe it's not a big deal because it happened in December 1997.

[Soutpeel]

Get used to it, because they are getting straight back into power as soon as the US abandons this pointless war.

If they do. There are a lot of untapped natural resources in that country, which of course, the multi-national corporations would like to control through the use of Team American World Police.

But Afghani history tells us that the US will eventually end up like everyone else who attempted to invade. Then the Taliban will be king of the hill again. Ever think that that scenario may be just dandy with the average agrarian Afghani? What a shame, then heroin prices in the US will go back up again and the black ops boyz will need to find a new source of funding. So sad. I feel a tear welling up in my eye...

Go and read up on Unocal and their dealings with Taliban leaders in Texas as regards pipe lines and a few other things....the story was broke by the BBC i think it was but some how never made the US news for some reason

Maybe it's not a big deal because it happened in December 1997.

And they still havent managed to get the pipelines built

[simple1]

They shot a young girl in the head whose only crime was wanting to go to school.

She was awarded a Nobel prize.

They then opened fire in a classroom and slaughtered a 100 kids in response.

They aren't all Afghani...many are Pakistani nut jobs.

Makes it a little tricky....Pakistan has nuclear bombs too.

Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are two separate, but ideologically similar groups.

The children slaughtered at the school of children for military personnel was not connected to Malala, but a terrible act of revenge by the Pakistani Taliban for the successes of the Pakistani military killing 1,600 Islamist fighters during an offensive in North Waziristan.

[Pimay1]

Get used to it, because they are getting straight back into power as soon as the US abandons this pointless war.

If they do. There are a lot of untapped natural resources in that country, which of course, the multi-national corporations would like to control through the use of Team American World Police.

But Afghani history tells us that the US will eventually end up like everyone else who attempted to invade. Then the Taliban will be king of the hill again. Ever think that that scenario may be just dandy with the average agrarian Afghani? What a shame, then heroin prices in the US will go back up again and the black ops boyz will need to find a new source of funding. So sad. I feel a tear welling up in my eye...

I agree with your statement about Afghan history but I can assure you the average agrarian Afghani will not be just dandy being ruled by the Taliban. Case in point, their raiding of a wedding party in rural Afghanistan, killing the husband, robbing all attendants and raping the bride.

[MiKT]

A sixteen year old boy who worked at the restaurant was hung from a lamp post

Hung or hanged from the lamppost - there is an important difference. (Not nick-picking, I want to be sure that you meant 'hung')

I think that is ......ing disgusting that you can trivalise such a thing as a small boy being hung from a lampost. In in this context it is very clear there is no difference in the terms hung and hanged except in past or future tenses, so what are you doing except showing your ignorance and lack of human feelings.

[chuckd]

Go and read up on Unocal and their dealings with Taliban leaders in Texas as regards pipe lines and a few other things....the story was broke by the BBC i think it was but some how never made the US news for some reason

Maybe it's not a big deal because it happened in December 1997.

And they still havent managed to get the pipelines built

Who? The US or the Argentinians?

Companies in both countries were talking to the Taliban at the time. Nothing ever came of it.

[Soutpeel]

Go and read up on Unocal and their dealings with Taliban leaders in Texas as regards pipe lines and a few other things....the story was broke by the BBC i think it was but some how never made the US news for some reason

Maybe it's not a big deal because it happened in December 1997.

And they still havent managed to get the pipelines built

Who? The US or the Argentinians?

Companies in both countries were talking to the Taliban at the time. Nothing ever came of it.

Follow the chain of thread dear boy...Unocal was an...???.... company....

nowhere in any of the previous post where the Argies even mentioned...but then dont recall the Argies proclaiming them terrorists on one hand and the other hand was trying to do a back door deal with said terrorists

Nice try at the deflection none the less

[chuckd]

And they still havent managed to get the pipelines built

Who? The US or the Argentinians?

Companies in both countries were talking to the Taliban at the time. Nothing ever came of it.

Follow the chain of thread dear boy...Unocal was an...???.... company....

nowhere in any of the previous post where the Argies even mentioned...but then dont recall the Argies proclaiming them terrorists on one hand and the other hand was trying to do a back door deal with said terrorists

Nice try at the deflection none the less

Tell me what forum rule prohibits new information from being inserted in a thread.

In an earlier post you made the following remark to me:

"Go and read up on Unocal and their dealings with Taliban leaders in Texas as regards pipe lines and a few other things....the story was broke by the BBC i think it was but some how never made the US news for some reason "

​I did exactly as you suggested and went directly to the horse's mouth, BBC.

The BBC article on the Unocal meeting had this quote as a part of the article.

"Last month, the Argentinian firm, Bridas, announced that it was close to signing a two-billion dollar deal to build the pipeline, which would carry gas 1,300 kilometres from Turkmenistan to Pakistan, across Afghanistan."

Entire article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/west_asia/37021.stm

I inserted it and it is now part of this thread.