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A30 world news
Diabierna 9 Juli 2021

Taliban seize key Afghan border crossing with Iran

province. The official, who is and NATO pullout stepped the U.S.-allied warlords who
in Herat, spoke on condition up over the past few months. helped defeat the Taliban in
of anonymity because he was On Tuesday, the U.S. Cen- 2001. In Badakhshan prov-
not authorized to release the tral Command said 90% ince, many districts fell with-
information to reporters. of the withdrawal of U.S. out a fight. The consulates of
troops and equipment from Turkey and Russia have re-
Afghan soldiers in the bor- Afghanistan is complete. The portedly closed in Mazar-e-
der area of Islam Qala — a U.S. says the last troops will Sharif, the capital of northern
major transit route between be gone by August. Balkh province, and Afghani-
Afghanistan and Iran — fled stan’s fourth-largest city.
from their positions, crossing On Sunday, the Taliban
into Iran for refuge, Iranian seized control of several dis- The Taliban now control
media reported. The cross- tricts from fleeing Afghan roughly a third of all 421 dis-
ing is around 120 kilometers forces, several hundred of tricts and district centers in
(75 miles) west of the city of whom fled across the border Afghanistan. Their victories
Herat, the provincial capital. into Tajikistan. are also putting pressure on
provincial cities and taking
(AP) — The Taliban on President Joe Biden said the Taliban spokesman Zabihul- Since mid-April, when Biden away government control of
Thursday seized another U.S. military mission in Af- lah Mujahid tweeted to con- announced the end to Af- key transportation routes.
key Afghan border cross- ghanistan will conclude on firm the taking of Islam Qala ghanistan’s “forever war,”
ing, this time with Iran, Aug. 31. and said that Taliban fight- the Taliban have made strides Islam Qala made headlines in
according to an Afghan ers entered the Islam Qala throughout the country. On February, when a massive fire
official and Iranian me- The Taliban wins have caused town itself, and were greeted Thursday, Biden said he erupted following an explo-
dia. The seizure is part of some countries to close their warmly by the local residents. didn’t trust the Taliban but sion of a fuel tanker. At least
a Taliban surge as Ameri- consulates in the region, Mujahid also posted a video trusted the capacity of the Af- 20 people were injured and
can troops complete their while Tajikistan has called purporting to show Taliban ghan military to defend the hundreds of trucks lined up
pullout from Afghanistan. up reservists to reinforce that riding on the back of trucks government. He also urged at the crossing carrying natu-
country’s southern border in Islam Qala and shooting the Afghan government to ral gas and fuel were engulfed
It was the third border cross- with Afghanistan. off into the air in celebration reach a peace deal with the in the blaze. It took firefight-
ing the insurgents have taken as a crowd of men cheered Taliban. ers from both countries three
in the past week, after previ- An Afghan official said the on. days to put out. There was
ously seizing crossings with Taliban on Thursday took But their most significant no suggestion of Taliban in-
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. control the Islam Qala cross- Afghanistan has seen a Tal- gains have been in the north, volvement in the explosion.
The development came as ing point in western Herat iban surge as the American a traditional stronghold of

Hungary activists vow to resist LGBT law, symbol of EU rift

(AP) — Activists in Hungary national human rights standards. parliamentarians urged the Europe-
erected a 10-meter-high (30-foot- an Commission to take swift action Along with Poland, Hungary’s clos-
high) rainbow-colored heart op- One provision in the law bans orga- against Hungary unless it changes est EU ally, Orban has repeatedly
posite the country’s neo-Gothic nizations from holding educational tack. challenged the bloc over issues like
parliament on Thursday, vowing programs on sexual orientation in migration, corruption and the rule
to wage a civil disobedience cam- schools unless they are approved by Speaking earlier in the day in Bel- of law. Last year, the two countries
paign against a new law that they the government. But Dudits said grade, Orban dismissed the EU criti- held up passage of the EU’s budget
say discriminates against LGBT Hatter Society will continue to pro- cisms, characterizing the controversy and COVID-19 economic recovery
people and that has raised ques- vide teachers with training and edu- as a “debate about who decides how package over provisions that would
tions about what values the Euro- cational materials, and offer their ser- we will raise our children.” allow the withholding of payments
pean Union stands for. vices to anyone regardless of age. to countries that fail to uphold demo-
The debate over the law reflects a cratic standards.
The law, which came into effect Dudits added that the law “stigmatiz- larger one within the 27-member
Thursday, prohibits the display of es LGBTQ people and actually puts EU, where a handful of countries David Vig, director of Amnesty In-
content depicting homosexuality or LGBTQ youth more ... in danger of are led by populist leaders who have ternational Hungary which co-host-
sex reassignment to minors — but bullying and harassment in schools pressed ahead with laws and policies ed Thursday’s demonstration, called
critics say its goal is to marginalize and in their families as well.” that many in the bloc feel are anti- the recent legislation “fundamental-
and stigmatize the LGBT community democratic or violate its founding ist,” and echoed the European Parlia-
as the country marches steadily to the Many European leaders have de- values. On the one hand, critics of ment’s call for action against Hun-
right under Prime Minister Viktor manded the law’s repeal, saying it those polices want the EU to take ac- gary’s government, including the
Orban. The law has drawn intense violates the bloc’s values. tion to protect their vision of the bloc possible freezing billions of dollars in
opposition in Hungary and from the as a progressive institution; on the funding to the nation.
EU and has become a significant bat- European Commission President other, such action raises uncomfort-
tleground in the fight over what the Ursula von der Leyen told the Eu- able questions about how much pow- But he said that must be done in way
bloc represents. ropean Parliament in Strasbourg on er Brussels should have over member that “does not affect the human rights
Wednesday that the law was “a dis- states’ own parliaments. of everyday Hungarians.”
Orban and some other right-wing grace.”
leaders of member states have been Orban’s government — which next
at the forefront of that fight, chal- In a resolution adopted Thursday, year faces elections expected to be
lenging the EU’s traditional “liberal EU lawmakers condemned “in the the most competitive since his party
consensus” by refusing to accept mi- strongest possible terms” the new returned to power in 2010 — is one
grants, cracking down on media plu- legislation in Hungary and said it of the faces of this rift. A champion
rality and limiting the independence constitutes a clear breach of funda- of what he calls “illiberal democracy”
of their judiciaries. mental rights. and a conservative religious world-
view, Orban has depicted his rejection
At the Thursday demonstration, They said the law is not a one-off of immigration as a fight to preserve
rights groups said the Hungarian law case, but “rather constitutes another Christian civilization, and has taken
denies thousands of LGBT young intentional and premeditated ex- increasing control over Hungary’s
people crucial information and sup- ample of the gradual dismantling of higher education system in an effort
port, and violates national and inter- fundamental rights in Hungary.” The to instill conservative values.