Middle East Experience

Gunmen flanked an Islamic scholar as he delivered a fiery speech Friday to a packed Kabul mosque at the most important prayers of the week -- the first since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan five days ago.The preacher rallied the faithful at the Abdul Rahman Mosque with a history lesson on how Afghans had beaten the British empire, the Soviet Union and now the United States on the battlefield.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Afghans have once again shown collective pride,” he said, adding “Afghans by nature are a brave nation”.Sermons at Friday prayers are usually coordinated by the government to deliver thinly veiled or overt political messages on national unity and other topics.Following the Taliban's return to power last weekend, Friday's prayers were closely scrutinized for any message the hardline Islamist movement was trying to impart.The Taliban have been trying to project a softer image compared to the reputation they earned during their first incarnation that ended in 2001.Then, shops, schools, government offices and even traffic came to a halt for Friday prayers -- and anyone tardy as the muezzin called the faithful risked a lashing across the back of the legs.The gunmen flanking the scholar at Abdul Rahman mosque Friday cut imposing figures as the congregation knelt on the floor -- some men fidgeting with rosary beads.Several other attendees filmed the proceedings with their mobile phones.At mosques across the capital the overarching theme appeared to be an appeal for Afghans to give the new regime a chance: instead of fleeing the country, help rebuild it, was the message.Hundreds attended the Hazarat Mostafa mosque in the western suburbs of Kabul where the local Imam made no mention of the Taliban and focused mostly on traditional Koranic verses.He did, however, touch briefly on the tragic scenes at the airport -- where thousands are desperately trying to enter in the hope of getting an evacuation flight out.“Those with weak faith are running after or hanging from American planes. They should stay and build their country,” the Imam said.The United States has flown in thousands of troops to Kabul's airport in a desperate effort to evacuate Afghans who worked for US interests during the 20-year occupation that was due to end by August 31.One attendee at Hazarat Mostafa mosque noted many present were starting to grow beards -- which the Taliban insisted all men did two decades ago.“There were some Taliban among the crowd, but they were quiet and peaceful,” he said.The Taliban insist they will continue to rule according to Islamic principles, but just how strictly they are interpreted remains to be seen.“Let us see what happens,” said shopkeeper Wahid at a smaller mosque elsewhere in the city.Read more:Taliban seizes US war chest given to Afghan govt: Humvees, helicopters, drones, guns‘My life is in danger’: Afghan female presenter says Taliban refused to let her workAfghan female politicians stand their ground against Taliban, refusing to flee
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Sombre mood across Afghanistan as Taliban are back at Friday prayers

The Taliban face a frontal challenge in cementing control of Afghanistan: Money.Despite their dominant military blitz over the past week, the Taliban lack access to billions of dollars from their central bank and the International Monetary Fund that would keep the country running during a turbulent shakeup. Those funds are largely controlled by the US and international institutions, a possible leverage point as tense evacuations proceed from the airport in the capital of Kabul. Tens of thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of the United States’ Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw its troops from the country.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But the Taliban also do not currently have institutional structures to receive the money — a sign of the challenges it might confront as it tries to govern an economy that has urbanized and tripled in size since they were last in power two decades ago. The shortfall could lead to an economic crisis that would only fuel a deeper humanitarian one for the roughly 36 million Afghans expected to stay in the country.“If they don’t have jobs, they don’t get fed,” said Anthony Cordesman, who advised the US government on Afghan strategy and works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The Taliban has to find an answer.”The stranded funds are one of the few potential sources of pressure that the US government has over the Taliban. But Cordesman added, “To have a pressure point, you have to be willing to negotiate in ways the Taliban can accept.”As of now, the Taliban government cannot access almost all of the Afghanistan central bank's $9 billion in reserves, most of which is held by the New York Federal Reserve. Afghanistan was also slated to access about $450 million on Aug. 23 from the International Monetary Fund, which has effectively blocked the release because of a “lack of clarity” regarding the recognition of a new Afghan government.While the money would make it easier for the Taliban to govern, government officials have indicated that it's unclear who would be the points of contact within Afghanistan on financial issues. President Joe Biden conceded that he doesn't know whether the Taliban want to be part of the broader global economy — which means it might be comfortable going without any funds.“I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government,” Biden told ABC News Wednesday. “I’m not sure they do.”Even if the Taliban could get money from the IMF, Douglas Rediker, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the process “would take, I think, months at the earliest, if at all.” But he also anticipates that the United States would find a way to block the release of any money through the IMF system.“The US still retains a lot of political heft in the global, political and economic systems to twist some arms,” Rediker said. “The Taliban are not going to be popular.”When the Taliban last ran Afghanistan two decades ago, the average Afghan survived on less than a dollar a day. Per capita gross domestic product has increased nearly three-fold during the war, according to the World Bank. Afghanistan gained mobile phones, Coca-Cola and Airbnb listings — all of which need access to global economic institutions. The war effort also left the country highly dependent on trade with imports of $8 billion annually, almost 10 times more than what was being exported.The extent of the problem could be seen at the shuttered Afghan money exchange market. Currency trading stopped Sunday when the Taliban took control of Kabul. Without the ability to exchange or the backing of dollars flowing into the country, the value of the Afghan currency could collapse, inflation could accelerate and the mix of violence and chaos could be prolonged.Aminullah Amin, a currency changer, said Friday there are concerns about looters and the structure of the new government. That sense of insecurity felt by Afghans would flow through the economy like a virus.“We have not decided to reopen the markets yet.” said Amin, who witnessed the looting of a district police headquarters in northern Kabul after the seizure of the capital by the Taliban.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Thursday reaffirmed that the group wants good relations with other countries and will not allow Afghanistan to be a base for attacks. But he said the Taliban would not tolerate any threat to “our principles and our independence.”Laurel Miller, director of the Asia program at the Crisis Group, an international think tank, said Afghanistan remains “a very poor country suffering a complex set of humanitarian issues and challenges.”The Taliban still have access to revenue streams that sustained the insurgency, but that won’t be enough for a centralized government that can assert fuller control on the country. The movement has to balance its image globally with maintaining support among their own rank-and-file, the ultraconservative Muslim fighters who brought them to power.“There are reasons to think that when push comes to shove the internal dimensions of this are going to be prioritized over the external dimensions,” Miller said.The Taliban could have more success with other nations eager to project influence in the region. China wants stability in Afghanistan and also maintains close relations with neighboring Pakistan, which itself has long worked to shape events there. A 2010 US government report estimated that Afghanistan contained about $1 trillion worth of metals and minerals, including lithium and rare earths that are valuable in an increasingly computerized world.“I think a real question mark in the financial picture is what is China going to do,” Miller said.Read more:Sombre mood across Afghanistan as Taliban are back at Friday prayersTaliban seizes US war chest given to Afghan govt: Humvees, helicopters, drones, guns‘My life is in danger’: Afghan female presenter says Taliban refused to let her work
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, but a major challenge remains: Cash

It's not possible for a two-state resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict while the government is led by Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid told Channel 11.
Source: Jerusalem Post
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Damascus and Beirut accuse Jerusalem of carrying out airstrike from Lebanese airspace.
Source: Jerusalem Post
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A study found that hematite might be at the center of the way to make solar energy possible across large areas and through long-term sunless periods.
Source: Jerusalem Post
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Lebanon records 1,019 COVID-19 cases, five deaths in last 24 hours..
Source: Albawaba
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The first electronic prosthetic hand for a patient with the right hand amputated was recently carried out in the Gaza Strip with Qatari funding and support.
Source: Al Monitor
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Afghanistan's economy is hanging by a thread; Iran makes the best of the Taliban; the "resistance" finds inspiration; five must reads on Afghanistan.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Will the Taliban welcome al-Qaeda back to Afghanistan?

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said recent Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah violated Lebanon's sovereignty.
Source: Al Monitor
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Iranian expert Haidar Sirjan and nine other Iran-backed Houthi militants including two colonels have been killed following an airstrike by the Arab Coalition forces on Houthi militia sites in Marib, according to Yemen’s minister of information Moammar al-Eryani.“This confirms the size and level of Iranian involvement and its destabilizing role in security and stability of Yemen,” al-Eryani added.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Al-Eryani added that Iran has sent hundreds of experts from the Revolutionary Guards to lead on military operations in the field, and it has smuggled various types of weapons, including ballistic missiles and drones, confirming that the nature of the battle as an extension of the Iranian expansionist project in the region.“Iranian expert Haidar Sirjan used to work in the field of training and rehabilitation, specializing in infantry and mountain infantry, and he is an expert in preparing tactical combat plans and worked as an expert on the fronts of the West Coast until June when was sent to the Marib fronts replacing Lebanese Hezbollah’s Mustafa al-Gharawi who was also killed,” the minister added. Al-Eryani has called on the international community, the United Nations and the permanent members of the Security Council to issue firm stances regarding Iran’s blatant interference in Yemeni affairs, its role in escalating military operations and undermining efforts to calm and establish peace, and its responsibility for the continued bloodshed, and the exacerbation of the humanitarian suffering of Yemenis.Read more:World Bank’s IFC gives $75 mln debt financing to Yemeni food groupSenior Pentagon official says Iran-backed Mercer Street attack came from Yemen
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Arabic Coalition airstrike kills Iranian expert: Yemen’s Information Minister