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In a mansion in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif that was recently profiled on YouTube, all the windows and doors are bulletproof a testament to the former residents security fears in a country where tens of thousands of people were killed each year in a war that took almost two decades to end.

In other videos, properties are shown having private jails, helipads, gardens with exotic plants, gyms, sauna and steam rooms, pools and other amenities that defy the description of Afghanistan as one of the worlds poorest countries, where most of the population cannot afford food.

Now vacant, these mini palaces belong to former warlords, government officials and lawmakers who fled the country before or immediately after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

Despite their long-standing animosity toward the owners of these mansions, de facto Taliban authorities have not confiscated them so far, calling them private properties. Most are even protected against ransack and plunder, practices often seen during the many regime changes Afghanistan has experienced over the past few decades.

While the former Afghan elites are scattered around the world, most of them have regularly spoken against the Taliban, and some have even sought foreign assistance to wage another war against the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The United States, which fought the Taliban for two decades, has said it does not support armed opposition against the Taliban, but has also repeatedly demanded the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Symbols of corruption

Videos of the mansions posted on YouTube and other social platforms receive large viewership and generate passionate comments about corruption and abuse in the upper ranks of the former Afghan government.

These places were built with corruption. These mansions were built by the money [stolen] from the poor, YouTube blogger Hamayon Afghan, who has produced videos from different parts of Afghanistan before and after the Talibans return to power, told VOA from Kabul.

For about 20 years, the United States and European donors invested heavily in building a democratic government, the rule of law and public accountability in Afghanistan, but the efforts largely failed because of endemic corruption.

Investigations by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) identified corruption at virtually every level of the Afghan state from salaries paid by international donors for Afghan soldiers and police who do not really exist to theft of U.S.-military-provided fuel on a massive scale.

Of the $146.68 billion the United States appropriated for the reconstruction of Afghanistan between 2002 and 2022, SIGAR reviewed the spending of $63 billion and discovered that a staggering $19 billion, 30%, was lost to waste, fraud and abuse, a spokesperson told VOA.

Other independent organizations have made similar assessments.

Corruption was central to the failure of the international effort to establish peace and security in Afghanistan, Ilham Mohamed, a regional adviser at corruption watchdog Transparency International, told VOA.

It undermined the legitimacy and capability of the Afghan government, hollowed out the Afghan military, and channeled resources to and strengthened popular support for the Taliban, Mohamed said.

Accountability

Speaking to a VOA television host, Atta Mohammad Noor, a former governor of Balkh province whose lavish lifestyle has been reported in the media, accused the Taliban of using several of his properties for various military and administrative purposes.

Only my residence has been vacated, Noor told the host via video link from the United Arab Emirates, adding that he would not return to Afghanistan to claim his properties.

The Taliban claim they have offered a blanket amnesty to all their former enemies, but the U.N. said some former Afghan military personnel have been killed, detained or tortured by Taliban gunmen over the past 18 months.

Taliban authorities have also indicated they would not prosecute former Afghan officials on charges of past corruption and abuse unless there are individual complainants seeking reparation and justice.

There is no anti-corruption entity in the Talibans interim administration, and it is unclear how the group investigates and handles corruption within its own ranks.

In the comments posted under the videos showing the houses of the former officials, many called for some sort of accountability.

Eight out of 10 Afghans we speak to demand accountability from previous officials and leaders, YouTuber Afghan said.

It is unclear if the former elites can sell their real estate in Afghanistan and take the funds abroad.

For some owners, potential risks from the Taliban outweigh the financial attraction of their properties.

I call on the Taliban to identify all my properties and either sell them or destroy them by bombs and mines. They do not have the value of the wing of a fly or a mosquito for me, Noor said.

When the VOA host asked him about his collection of expensive watches, Noor smiled and said, I have taken them with me.

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Videos of Empty Mansions in Afghanistan Prompt Calls for ... - Voice of America - VOA News

The World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for urgent funding for its operations in the country, where families are battling crisis after crisis, including growing hunger, since the Taliban takeover of 2021.

Catastrophic hunger could become widespread across Afghanistan, and unless humanitarian support is sustained, hundreds of thousands more people will need assistance to survive, the agency said in an alert.

Due to funding constraints, at least four million people will receive just half of what they need to get by in March. Ss food stocks have run out before the next harvest is due in May, this is traditionally the most difficult time of the year for rural families, WFP said.

The cuts come at a time when already vulnerable Afghans are just emerging from yet another freezing winter. Sub-zero temperatures combined with economic distress has pushed millions into despair, the agency added.

WFP urgently needs $ 93 million to assist 13 million people in April and $800 million for the next six months. Although donors gave record amounts in 2022, since November last year WFP had been warning that funds would run out just as the lean season is reaching its peak in March and April.

The country is at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century, with half of all families living in crisis-coping mode to survive. For millions in Afghanistan, WFPs food assistance is now the last lifeline.

Since August 2022, nine out of 10 Afghan families cannot afford enough food the highest in the world. Nearly 20 million Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from, and six million of them are one step away from famine.

Levels of moderate acute malnutrition are the highest ever recorded in the country. Two thirds of the population more than 28 million people need humanitarian assistance in 2023, almost triple than in 2021.

In response, WFP massively scaled up its assistance across Afghanistan in 2022, thanks to generous funding. The agency supported 23 million people, distributing more than 1 million metric tons of food and $326 million in cash or vouchers to help families survive.

Afghanistan: WFP facts & figures

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Funding drought forces UN food agency to cut rations in Afghanistan - UN News

The government of Japan is working with UNOPS to deliver ambulances and life-saving medical supplies to the people of Afghanistan.

Decades of conflict, natural disasters, and economic shocks in Afghanistan have critically affected peoples ability to access quality health services. People living in low-income households are particularly hard hit when it comes to access to medications already in scarce supply and double the price compared to 2022. Further, the number of available ambulances is insufficient to cover the urgent needs of people living in remote areas, increasing their vulnerabilities.

Through a $1.9 million project funded by the government of Japan, UNOPS will procure ambulances, medicine, and medical supplies and deliver them to hospitals across the country.

"Japan is pleased to launch a new project with UNOPS to address challenges faced by women and other populations suffering in the country. The project shows Japan's commitment to ensuring human security and the protection of women and other vulnerable populations in Afghanistan."

Mr. Takashi Okada - Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan

The project is set to improve access to emergency care services for some 34,000 people. The project will cover activities for a year.

"Given the critical need for life-saving medical supplies in the country we're happy to work together with the government of Japan, our long-standing partner, to serve the people of Afghanistan," said Nicholas George, Country Director of UNOPS in Afghanistan.

Continued here:
Emergency healthcare assistance for the people of Afghanistan ... - ReliefWeb

Almost 20 months have passed since President Bidens botched "withdrawal" from Afghanistan.Its long past time that we hold our government officials accountable for their failures especially the failures that cost American lives and the lives of our allies.

I was part of the team that conducted the first successful overland rescue mission of Americans from Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Against all odds,our team savedfour American citizens a woman named Mariam and her three children even with the Biden administration working against our efforts.

While the government could have helped support the rescue and safety of Americans, they instead chose to thwart numerous rescue attempts. But our team would not be deterred from completing our mission.The U.S. government was animpediment, not an ally, but that didnt stop them fromtryingto take credit after the fact.

Taliban fighters guard the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Mariams family had been told again and again to go to the Kabul airport, or to other rendezvous points that would have left them at the mercy of the Taliban, because the Biden administration allowed our enemies to provide the ring of "security" around the airport, and American evacuees had to face dangerous Taliban checkpoints along the way to supposedly safe evacuation points.

GOLD STAR MOMS ENRAGED AFTER WOUNDED MARINE'S SHOCKING TESTIMONY ON KABUL SUICIDE BOMBING

The final time that Mariam and her family were told by Task Force Afghanistan (a State Department-assembled task force) to go to the main gate at Kabul International Airport, a Taliban fighter put a pistol to Mariams head in front of her children and told her to leave and not return.

This is just one story we were able to share. Dozens of Americans were made a promise to never be left behind, but arbitrary dates and political optics, not the safety of Americans, were the priority.I could have had 24 more Americans on my plane,but our government chose to prevent our landing and safe air evacuation, even when we had the necessary landing approvals and aircraft designation. The runway was open, time allocated (one hour on tarmac) and the entire team was ready.

Fortunately, we were at least able to save Mariam and her children. We did this becauseAmericans dont leave anyone behind. We as Americans are not defined by the actions of our government, but by our social contract to our Constitution and the people of our great nation.

Private teams of veterans like ours faced government red tapeat every instance.Instead of assistance from our own government, we did this alone.Tragically, while the government was busy shuttlingunvetted Afghans into our country, they were standing in the way of our efforts to save American citizens and vetted Afghan allies.

Now, it is incumbent upon Congress to hold those responsible accountable for the American lives lost and those who supported us that perished.Thats exactly what the House Foreign Affairs Committeeis doing.

ISIS GROUP IN AFGHANISTAN COULD CONDUCT EXTERNAL ATTACK AGAINST US IN 6 MONTHS, US COMMANDER SAYS

In a recent hearing, we heard the testimonies of other men who helped with the withdrawal efforts. Not only were their mental and physical wounds on display for the nation, but the committee learned about the obstacles they faced during these missions.

Looking ahead, the committee would like to find out what role the administration played in these obstacles, why these decisions were made, and who exactly was responsible for the massive failures of this withdrawal.

America is a shining city on a hill, andpreserving our ideals, American exceptionalism, and founding principles should be apolitical.For me, those who were left behind, and the13 new Gold Star families, our governments handling of the withdrawal was a catastrophic reality and a failure to America.

U.S. soldiers walk to board a helicopter in the airbase in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, on June 25, 2005. (AP)

As the only member of Congress who was blessed to be part of an amazing team of Americans that carried out operations that successfully saved the lives of Americans like Mariam and her three children, this is personal for me. This is a reflection for all of us who went overseas only to have the administration turn their backs on us. This was a failure by the suits, not the boots, and our brave men and women in uniform should hold their heads high.

To date,there has been zero accountability for the disastrous decisions leading up to and during the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thats about to change.

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The game of political football played by successive administrations throughout the War on Terror has led to military and diplomatic failures. The U.S. government has undermined its credibility with the American people, as well as with our allies that we made promises to. Our government has evaded accountability, refused to be transparent to the citizens of our country, and failed to uphold its constitutional duties.

The American people deserve better!

While Democrats seek to downplay the tragic consequences of our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, I lived the actual experience on the ground. This action made us look weak on the world stage, and has led to increased aggression by our adversaries because we have lost credibility as a global leader. As we know, weakness invites aggression.

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I agree with the famous observation by Robert Gates, who served as Defense secretary in the Obama-Biden administration: "Joe Biden has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades."

Never has he been more wrong than in his handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The American people deserve answers about what went wrong, and my colleagues and I in Congress are going to make sure we get those answers.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY CORY MILLS

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Biden's Afghanistan debacle: Someone needs to be held accountable for this botched withdrawal - Fox News

Images are unavailable offline.

Taliban fighters stand guard outside the hospital after a bomb blast in Mazar-e Sharif, the capital city of Balkh province, in northern Afghanistan, on March 9. A bomb killed a Taliban-appointed provincial governor and two others in Mazar-e-Sharif , a Taliban police spokesman said.

Abdul Saboor Sirat/The Associated Press

Ruchi Kumar is an Indian journalist based in Mumbai who covers south Asia.

In April, 2020, after years of inter-governmental efforts, Ejaz Amin Ahangar a dreaded leader of the Islamic State regional affiliates in south Asia was captured in Kandahar province by the Afghan National Directorate of Security. Mr. Ahangar, an Indian national, had been wanted for his role in terrorist activities in Kashmir and Afghanistan, including for the brutal 2020 attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul that led to the deaths of 25 worshippers, an act claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), a regional arm of the Islamic State.

Just over a year later, Mr. Ahangar was free again, thanks to an unexpected jail break orchestrated by the Taliban a decision that the Taliban now surely regret.

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As the Talibans fighters took over province after province on their march to Kabul in 2021, they took over government prisons, releasing not only captive members of their own ranks, but also convicted criminals, insurgent allies, and other militants such as Mr. Ahangar.

But neither he nor any of the thousands of IS militants released by the Taliban were the groups allies. Since the ISKP first took root in Afghanistan in 2015, it has fought the now-collapsed foreign-backed Afghan government and the now-ruling Taliban alike. The ISKP has recruited aspiring insurgents from the south Asian subcontinent who had flocked to Afghanistan, where joining the Islamic States cause was more accessible.

However, the group largely remained on the fringe of militant activities before 2021, owing to the collective efforts of international and Afghan security officials who managed to keep the insurgency in check, if not entirely eradicated. In April, 2017, the U.S. military even dropped a Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) on Nangarhar provinces Achin district, which had become a hotbed of ISKP activity. Toward the end of 2020, more than 2,000 ISKP foreign fighters were in Afghan prisons, with another 3,000 to 4,000 estimated to be operating within Afghanistan.

All of this changed dramatically after the Talibans unceremonious seizure of power, which created a vacuum within the countrys security infrastructures and has allowed foreign militancy to thrive again in Afghanistan.

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Within days of their 2021 release, ISKP militants launched several attacks, including the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. soldiers during the chaotic evacuation efforts in August, 2021. In the year-and-a-half since, ISKP has conducted dozens of attacks that have largely targeted religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, but the group has also taken aim at the Taliban, which it sees as less fundamentalist and allied with the west. Earlier this month, an ISKP suicide bomber killed Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the governor of Balkh province and a key leader of the Taliban movement. The Islamic State has effectively become to the Taliban what they once were to the previous foreign-backed government: a threat to national and regional stability, at the cost of Afghan lives.

For their part, the Taliban have been fighting to control the ISKP insurgencies and have had some success. Mr. Ahangar, along with the ISKPs intelligence and operations chief Qari Fateh, were killed in an operation conducted in February in Kabul. However, despite the few victories, the Taliban are faced with the same problems as any government trying to suppress terrorist activities.

But unlike most other governments, they are isolated in their counterterrorism efforts, owing to their own history of human rights violations and their support of terror groups, which has inspired no confidence in their abilities. The U.S.s latest Country Report on Terrorism, which was released last month, noted that the Talibans ability to prevent al-Qaeda and ISKP operations remained unclear. The lack of faith was further proven out by a U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul last July.

The Taliban is unlikely to attract any allies in its fight against ISKP while it continues to serve as a patron for other insurgent and criminal groups. On their own, they lack the capacities to rein in the growing insurgencies of groups with vast resources and large stocks of foreign fighters.

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But this is a problem for the West, too. Analysts watching Afghanistan have warned that the Talibans failure could turn Afghanistan into fertile ground for terrorist groups looking for rent-free, lawless real estate from where they can target other countries. As the U.S. terrorism report noted: Instability and potential terrorist activities emanating from Afghanistan became a serious concern for the countrys neighbors, as they worried about spillover effects from the conflict and instability.

The conflict in Afghanistan has moved into a new phase, and the Taliban appear to be in over their heads. In this case, that is not a good thing.

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Opinion: The Taliban, Afghanistan's governing terrorists, face a ... - The Globe and Mail