Afghanistan

Interview

Two years after Taliban return: these women keep on believing in freedom

5 August 2023 -

Two years ago, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Women, minorities and human rights defenders are paying the price, but the militancy of many Afghans has not been broken. MO* talked to two leading women activists, Sima Samar and Razia Arefi: ‘Knowledge cannot be taken away.’

© Sociaal.Net / Lisa Develtere (foto top left), rights reserved (other). Collage: MO*

Report

You need a good assist to score a goal

22 September 2021 -

How does a young, unaccompanied migrant find his way in a new country? Education. Work. Language. The standard answers to the question are not incorrect, but certainly not always sufficient. Why isn’t more attention paid to sports?

Interview

‘Afghans anxiously await formation of new government’

20 August 2021 -

The situation in Afghanistan is uncertain and volatile, but is it as bad as Western media and politicians say? Danish Karohel, director of a news agency and a leading journalistic voice in Afghanistan, answers our questions. He and his journalists vow to fight for the right to do their job.

Editorial

‘Afghans are pawns and players at the same time’

18 August 2021 -

Why was the West in Afghanistan, and why did it decide, after 20 years, that a Taliban takeover wouldn't merit even a timely evacuation? And what is the role and responsibility of Afghans in the 40 year-war? Since Kabul fell, everybody knows why and what. But few understand.

Report

‘Not everyone has the strength to carry their heavy backpack’

11 May 2021 -

The Afghan community in Antwerp (and in Belgium) is predominantly young, male and single. And hurt by a violent past. Should we be worried about the boys? Will the girls find opportunities? Portrait of a new generation of Antwerp citizens.

Report

Afghans in Antwerp: ‘The journey begins once we reach our destination’

2 March 2021 -

The 40-year war in Afghanistan is pushing more Afghans to become refugees. Their numbers are also increasing in Belgium. In the port city of Antwerp, Afghans have already become the fifth largest nationality group. Gie Goris talked to the Afghans of Antwerp.

Analysis

Returning Afghans might be politically rewarding, it is also life threatening

9 February 2018 -

Nine European countries forcibly return Afghans, and Pakistan is even threatening to force 1.5 million Afghans back to their country of origin. These politically motivated manoeuvres can be lethal -for the Afghans.

Analysis

One image obscures more than a thousand words

9 March 2017 -

We have all seen these images popping up in our social media feeds: Afghanistan in the 1970’s versus Afghanistan in the 2010’s. The first image shows girls in Kabul, who could just as well have lived in Paris or Berkeley in that period, with their long hair, short skirts, smiling faces and confident regards. The more recent image, then, ...

News

The battle for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir

17 November 2011 -

On 7 October 2001 the US and Great Britain engaged in a blitzkrieg against a small and very poorly equipped Afghan army. Ten years later, this attack turned into the longest war the United States has ever fought. It has become an international operation of epic dimensions. Why does the situation seem so desperate? In Opstandland (Rebel Land) Gie Go ...

News

Afghan senior journalist Danish Karokhel: ‘A life of war is my motivation to fight for peace’

17 December 2009 -

On Christmas Eve 1979 Soviet tanks entered Afghanistan. The war and violence that began then, is still with the Afghans, thirty years and many regime changes later. Afghan top journalist and chief editor Danish Karokhel, explains how he experienced those past thirty years.