April 27, 2016, Associated Press: The brilliant blue stone lapis lazuli, prized for millennia, is almost uniquely found in Afghanistan, a key part of the extensive mineral wealth that is seen as the best hope for funding development of one of the world's poorest nations. Instead, lapis has become a source of income for the Taliban, smugglers and local warlords, emblematic of the central government’s struggle to gain control over the resources and rein in corruption.
April 19, 2016, Common Dreams: At least 28 people are dead and hundreds are wounded after a suicide bomb and gun assault on a government security building in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday morning. The Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility for what Reuters called “the most deadly single attack in the Afghan capital since 2011.”
April 17, 2016, Khaama Press: A horrific report has emerged from Iran regarding the brutal murder of a 6-year-old Afghan girl who was initially raped by a teenage Iranian. The brutal murder of the girl, Setayish Quraishi, has sparked anger both in Afghanistan and outside, with the local media reports in Iran saying the perpetrator was a 17-year-old Iranian national.
April 13, 2016, TOLOnews.com: An 18-year-old girl who was forced to marry a 60-year-old man at the age of 12 has said she wants a divorce. The Balkh teenager, from Zari district, said that six years ago her family forced her to marry the man. She said she no longer wants to live with him and instead wants a divorce. Samargul claims she is also a victim of domestic violence and has been beaten and tortured over the years.
April 11, 2016, Al Jazeera: Relatives and tribal elders in southeastern Afghanistan are demanding an investigation into the killing of 17 people by US drones this week, claiming that the air strikes hit civilians, not members of armed groups. US army officials said on Thursday that two air strikes in Paktika province, near the Pakistani border, had only targeted fighters, without any evidence of civilian casualties.
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