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An Afghan whose brother was killed by the Taliban has said he watched in horror as the militants stormed through his home country and captured the capital.
Ibrahim Mohammad Saeed’s brother Fazil was shot dead by the Taliban in 2012 in the family's home town of Khost.
Fazil became a target because he worked as a driver for the UN Office for Project Services, which organised and oversaw impartial elections across Afghanistan.
The south-eastern city of Khost had been a hotbed of insurgency, even a decade after the US invasion in 2001.
Mr Saeed's mother, one of his brothers and his youngest sister fled to Peshawar in Pakistan.
Two of his sisters live with their husbands in Afghanistan, while his father lives with him in the UAE.
They killed my brother for working with the United Nations as a driver. He was sitting with my uncle in his shop and they came and shot him. They are ruthless
Ibrahim Mohammad Saeed
Mr Saeed, who has worked as a salesman in Abu Dhabi since 2008, said the insurgents were monsters and that "everyone is scared and worried".
“They killed my brother for working with the United Nations as a driver. He was sitting with my uncle in his shop and they came and shot him. They are ruthless," he said.
Mr Saeed worked as an English teacher in Khost between 2006 and 2008.
The Taliban were toppled in 2001, but the group retained an influence in Khost and he was told he should not teach children foreign languages.
A school in his district was shot at by Taliban fighters and he eventually accepted the pleas of his father to flee the country for the safety of the Emirates.
But long after Mr Saeed left Afghanistan, he received messages from fighters in the country.
He was even sent threats after sharing a video on social media that showed Pope Francis during his visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019 – an important moment for interfaith relations and tolerance.
“I haven’t been to my country in years because they have threatened me to kill me," Mr Saeed said.
"I was receiving calls from them because I shared a video of Pope Francis’ speech. They were angry because they think I was promoting another religion, but the message was more about tolerance and being accepting of others.”
When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, they imposed restrictions on women leaving their homes, banned music and dancing, ordered men to grow beards and denied girls access to education.
The insurgents have seized power once more after a nationwide offensive, but have said citizens “should not worry” and that girls would be able to go to school this time.
But Afghans and human rights groups are not convinced.
“They are not trustworthy. We can already see them painting over posters with faces, telling women to stay at home. No one is safe around them,” Mr Saeed said.
“Our country has made a lot of progress in the past two decades and now we would start going in the opposite direction because of the Taliban.”
Latest as Taliban take Kabul - in pictures
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million