Azadi Briefing

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The United States has scrapped the post of special representative to Afghanistan.

Tom West, who held the position since October 2021, will not be replaced. The career diplomat has been given a new role in the State Department.

West was appointed just months after the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's seizure of power.

West was seen as central to U.S. efforts to prevent a famine in Afghanistan and stabilize the freefalling Afghan economy after 2021.

U.S. policy on Afghanistan will now be overseen by U.S. Charge d'Affaires for Afghanistan Karen Decker; Rina Amiri, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asia and Ambassador John Mark Pommersheim.

Why It's Important: There are concerns that the United States' decision to scrap the post of special Afghan envoy signals Washington's increasing disengagement from Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an October 1 statement that the "commitment to Afghanistan remains an enduring priority."

"Washington has not named a successor, but the U.S. continues to engage with Afghanistan," said Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.

Smith said Washington's disengagement from Afghanistan would undermine "international consensus in favor of peace."

In the 1990s, Afghanistan descended into a civil war with foreign powers arming rival groups.

What's Next: Afghanistan no longer appears to be a U.S. foreign policy priority.

Washington is likely to continue to contribute to efforts to ease the devastating humanitarian crisis gripping the country as well as preventing Afghanistan from again becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups.

What To Keep An Eye On

In a new report, the Afghanistan Analyst Network (AAN) think tank has revealed the significant problems facing the over 700,000 Afghan refugees and migrants deported from neighboring Pakistan in recent years.

The report, based on interviews with returnees, said many are struggling to find shelter, work, and schooling.

The report said many were deported "with little or no time to prepare, mostly unable to bring assets with them and not having a home or job to come back to."

Why It's Important: The deportation of Afghans from Pakistan and neighboring Iran has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the world's largest.

The Taliban's cash-strapped government has been unable or unwilling to support the returnees. Meanwhile, donor countries have slashed their humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in recent years.

That's all from me for now.

Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban has imposed new restrictions on Afghan broadcasters, banning live broadcasts of political shows and on-air criticism of its policies.

Afghan broadcasters must now prerecord their shows, obtain prior approval of their guest lists, and remove criticism of the Taliban’s laws.

Media outlets and individual media workers will face consequences for failing to adhere to the new rules.

Afghan and international media watchdogs have condemned the new restrictions.

The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on September 24 called on the Taliban to immediately reverse its “draconian media restrictions and stop dragging Afghanistan back to the Stone Age.”

“[It is yet] another attempt to further weaken and suppress free media in the country,” the Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC) said in a September 23 statement.

Why It's Important: The new rules are the latest setback to Afghanistan’s once vibrant media scene.

Since the Taliban seized power, it has waged a brutal crackdown on dissent, including beating, detaining, and jailing dozens of journalists.

The hard-line Islamist group has forcibly shut down independent media outlets and prohibited virtually any critical reporting about its unrecognized government.

“These new restrictions signal the end of fundamental media freedoms in Afghanistan,” where the Taliban is attempting to transform the press into a “propaganda tool,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi.

AFJC said the Taliban wants media organizations to “remove weak points, sensitive topics, and criticisms” of its government and leaders.

According to the organization, the Taliban has issued at least 21 directives to the media in recent years that have “significantly” limited press freedom in the country.

What's Next: Despite local and international criticism, the Taliban is unlikely to halt its war against the free press.

The extremist group is likely to keep targeting journalists and others who are critical of its brutal rule.

What To Keep An Eye On

Some Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have proposed new legislation that would halt all aid to Afghanistan until the Taliban frees three American citizens.

Fox News on September 25 published a draft of The No Funding Without Freedom Act, which if passed would require the State Department to regularly update Congress about U.S. citizens detained in Afghanistan regularly.

The United States has provided over $2.5 billion to Afghanistan in humanitarian assistance through the United Nations and other NGOs since American military forces withdrew from the country in 2021.

The Taliban has held three American citizens since 2022. They are aid worker Ryan Corbett, tourist George Glezmann, and Mahmood Shah Habibi, who led the Afghan Aviation Authority under the previous Afghan government.

Why It's Important: The suspension of American aid to Afghanistan would be a significant blow to more than 23 million Afghans currently in need of humanitarian assistance.

While the Taliban benefits from U.S. aid dollars pouring into the country, the most vulnerable Afghans will be hit the hardest as they reel from the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

That's all from me for now.

Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.