Afghanistan

The daughter of a former Afghan politician hiding from the Taliban has accused the UK Government of having “double standards” over the plight of refugees.

Shabnam Nishat has been fighting to get her mum safely to Britain since the UK withdrew its troops from Afghanistan last August.

As the last troops left Kabul, Taliban forces sealed off the airport to most Afghans still waiting to leave.

Ms Nishat’s mum, who cannot be named for safety reasons, worked for United Nations in Kabul. She has been in hiding since the Taliban threatened her over the phone, saying: “If we find you – we will kill you”.

Ms Nishat believes “the Government does not care” for her mum of other Afghans trying to flee the country because of the colour of their skin.

Shabnam, who has lived in Leamington Spa for the last 15 years said: “We are not white or European, but we need help.

“My mother calls me at night saying she can’t sleep because she fears someone is coming to kill her.

“Life in Afghanistan is particularly horrible for women like my mother.

“When the Ukraine war started – [the UK Government] forgot all about my country and my family. People are all the same. We must help everyone.”

She contacted Shadow Universities Minister Matt Western, her local MP for help, before UK troops left Kabul last year.

Mr Western appealed to Home Secretary Priti Patel to bring more Afghans to safety.

He said: “I urge you and your colleagues to capitalise on the British publics obvious openness to accepting those fleeing war zones to intensify efforts to create a route for relatives to join their families in the UK.”

Meanwhile, around 132,900 applications have been made for visas by Ukrainians fleeing the war, and 102,300 visas have been issued, as of Wednesday.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme launched about six weeks ago, allowing Brits to offer accommodation to those fleeing the war-torn nation.

The Ministry of Defence says only 9,000 people have been relocated since the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy launched.

In total, more than 18,000 Afghans had been evacuated to the UK by early March – but many thousands have been forced to live in temporary hotel accommodation and await visas.

All female television presenters in Afghanistan have been ordered by the Taliban to cover their faces while on air – as at least one host hit out at the move, saying it was “erasing” women.

The “final and non-negotiable” order came from the virtue and vice ministry as well as the information and culture ministry, according to a tweet by the TOLOnews channel, which is the country’s biggest media outlet.

The instruction was sent to the Moby Group, which owns TOLOnews and a number of other TV and radio networks, and the message said it was also being applied to other Afghan media.

Several female anchors and presenters posted their photos on social media showing them with their faces covered with face masks while presenting programmes.

A prominent TOLO host, Yalda Ali, posted a video of herself putting on a face mask with the caption: “A woman being erased, on orders from the virtue and vice ministry.”

Implementation of the order was mixed on the Shamshad TV station, with one woman anchor appearing with a face mask on Thursday, while another later in the day showed her face without a mask.

An unnamed Afghan local media official confirmed his station had received the order and was told it was not up for debate.

The Taliban had initially seemed to be more understanding of female rights with no dress code for women after they reclaimed power last August.

But in recent weeks, the rulers have become more strict, confirming the worst fears of rights activists.

The Taliban ordered women in public to be covered in clothing from head-to-toe, leaving just their eyes visible and to only leave the house when necessary, in a decree earlier this month.

It said male relatives would be published for women violating the dress code.

A decree was also issued to ban girls from attending school after the sixth grade, a U-turn on earlier promises to allow education for girls of all ages.

The Taliban had previously ruled from 1996-2001 where they brought in tough restrictions on women, requiring them to wear the all-covering burka with a mesh screen to cover the eyes.

Women were also banned from education and public life.

Read more: Taliban orders all Afghan women to wear the all-covering burka in public Explosion at Kabul mosque kills at least 10 people on last Friday of Ramadan

Prince Harry is approaching the 10-year anniversary of his life-changing second tour of Afghanistan in which he fired on the Taliban .

The Duke of Sussex left Britain for the front line in Helmand Province in September 2012, days before his 28th birthday.

Harry had been to the warzone before as part of Britain’s ground forces. But that tour was cut short when his presence was leaked by an international media outlet in defiance of a news blackout agreed to by the British press to boost his security.

When his presence became widely known, Harry was withdrawn just 10 weeks into his first deployment, in 2007.

However, the duke was determined not to repeat the disappointment the second time around in 2012. He not only completed his second tour but also experienced at least one moment powerful enough he compared it to his experiences with Princess Diana and Meghan Markle .

Harry told the Armchair Expert podcast in May 2021: “Helplessness, that is my biggest Achilles heel. There were three major times that I felt completely helpless, one when I was a kid in the back of a car with my mum being chased by paparazzi, two was in Afghanistan in an Apache helicopter, and then the third one was with my wife.”

Ten years on, Prince Harry has been stripped of honorary military titles given to him by the royal family, including the highly coveted role of Captain General of the Royal Marines.

However, he retains his medals, his rank and his experiences, which have in the intervening years allowed him to build a relationship with the forces community both in Britain and America .

Harry’s first tour saw him involved in a major operation to disrupt the Taliban’s communications and part of his role was to coordinate strikes from the ground, the BBC reported.

However, when he came back five years later, he had completed training as a co-pilot gunner on an Apache attack helicopter, operating in the skies above Helmand to offer covering fire for troops on the ground.

British newspaper The Sun reported that he killed a Taliban commander from the air in December 2012.

Harry was asked about the suggestion during an interview at the end of his tour. While he did not confirm that specific story, he acknowledged he had fired on the enemy.

The prince told the BBC : “If there’s people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we’ll take them out of the game, I suppose. Take a life to save a life. The squadron’s been out here. Everyone’s fired a certain amount.”

The prince also fired on Taliban forces who had ambushed American soldiers, giving the troops the opportunity to airlift to safety.

Among them was Christopher “Tripp” Zanetis, from Indiana, whose parents told The Sun of the royal’s role in the rescue.

John Zanetis, 73, his father, said: “Prince Harry came in with his protection squadron and blew the enemy to pieces.”

Sarah Zanetis, 63, his mother, said: “They provided enough cover for Tripp to get his men loaded on the helicopter. I believe there were Taliban members killed.”

It is possible the world may get to know a lot more about the prince’s time in Afghanistan later in 2022 when his memoirs are due for publication.

A press release, sent to Newsweek in July 2021, read: “Covering his lifetime in the public eye from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous, and uplifting human story.”

Harry’s past comments on his military service suggest there may be a powerful story to tell.

He told the Declassified podcast in November 2020: “I wear the Poppy to recognize all those who have served; the soldiers I knew, as well as those I didn’t. The soldiers who were by my side in Afghanistan, those who had their lives changed forever, and those that didn’t come home.”

He added: “Being able to wear my uniform, being able to stand up in service of one’s country, these are amongst the greatest honors there are in life.

“To me, the uniform is a symbol of something much bigger, it’s symbolic of our commitment to protecting our country, as well as protecting our values.

“These values are put in action through service, and service is what happens in the quiet and in the chaos. It’s what happens in the darkness, it’s what happens when people aren’t looking. It’s what happens on and off the battlefield.”