KABUL // It is a busy working day yet Afghanistan’s capital is almost at a standstill. Nine days ago frustrated Afghans took to the streets, after a lorry stuffed with explosives blew up in the diplomatic district of Kabul.
More than 150 people were killed and 650 injured — the highest number of casualties in any attack since the fall of the Taliban.
For the citizens of Kabul, it was a tipping point. Hundreds took to the streets in protest — and they stayed there, setting up tented camps at major traffic junctions in six areas of the capital.
Their grievances are about the lack of security which puts their lives in jeopardy every day. They are demanding the resignations of president Ashraf Ghani and chief executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the two heads of state of the National Unity Government (NUG) of Afghanistan.
But what they want even more is the removal of the heads of security.
“We are facing increasing threats to our security by the day; we are dying in large numbers. So whatever the security organs of the government are doing is clearly not working,” said Haroon Motaref, whom the protesters have chosen as their representative to the government.
The first response of Kabul police a week ago was to shoot live rounds at the demonstration, killing at least six civilians. If they intended that to be the end of it, they were mistaken.
“By shooting at us the government was treating us like enemies. Don’t we have enough enemies already?” said Qumas, 28, one of the protesters at what is now referred to as the “central camp”, in the Sharenaw area of central Kabul. “The Taliban kill us every day; ISIL have also started to kill us and now our own government is shooting at us.”
The attacks have not stopped. A triple suicide bombing killed 18 people at the funeral of a protester on June 3. A magnetic bomb targeted a police vehicle in western Kabul on Thursday. The city is on edge, with many streets blocked to the public. Shops and businesses are quiet as people are moving around less.
Saturday was declared a national day of mourning. Afghan flags flew at half mast in honour of the victims of all the recent bomb attacks.
The protest camps have been organised by a mix of civil society organisations, activists, students and ordinary concerned civilians. The tents are equipped with chairs, carpets and lighting — all of which the protesters were paying for themselves, Mr Motaref said. Protesters occupy the tents in shifts, with about 25-30 people present at a time, although the number rises to several hundred in the evenings.
The escalating protests, which are backed by Jamiat-e-Islami, the political opposition in Afghanistan, have plunged the government into crisis. Dr Abdullah has consulted with several national leaders, including former president Hamdi Karzai, and parliamentarians, and appears sympathetic to the protesters, partly because of his own connections to the opposition.
Nonetheless, the government says some of their demands are out of the question.
“There is no space for discussion of resignations of the president and the chief executive. Despite all oppositions, they were elected and represent the will of the Afghans,” said Javid Faisal, deputy spokesman for the chief executive.
However, he conceded that reforms in the security sector were needed, but they could only come about after a detailed investigation of the bombings as well as of the incident involving the killing of demonstrators.
“We can’t simply blame one person for the attacks. We need to identify where we failed before we take action,” he said.
The protests have also been opposed by Jamiat-e-Islami’s rival political group Hizb-e-Islami, led by the former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whose forces killed thousands of people in attacks on the capital during the civil war in the early 1990s.
Mr Hekmatyar on Saturday warned those occupying the tents in Kabul to end the “chaos” or else “citizens” would take action.
The protesters, however, refuse to budge and insist on bringing all their demands to the discussion table.
“The situation in Kabul is worse than ever before and government doesn’t feel accountable for the deaths of our civilian lives,” said Dr Simi Yusuefi, 34, who works at the Jhamoriyat Hospital and joined the protest after witnessing the carnage from the lorry bombing on May 31. “The emergency ward at our hospital was filled with dead and injured Afghans,” she said. “I couldn’t stand to see the extent of the pain and misery being inflicted on our people.”
Dr Yusuefi said she and other doctors at the hospital come to the central camp for a few hours every day to show support and solidarity.
Asked if she feared another attack or the forced removal of the protesters, she said, “I’m not afraid of the government forces. I am here to put pressure on the government to replace the incompetent security officials who have failed to protect us over and again.”
Other protesters nodded in agreement. “We are not safe even in our homes anymore, so then it is better to die in the streets fighting for our rights,” said Qumas.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The specs
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Naga
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SHAITTAN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
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
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Results
Stage 4
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma 04:16:13
2. Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
General Classification:
1. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46:15
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:35
4. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.