For Afghan Refugees, a Choice Between Community and Opportunity The New York Times

Table Of Content

• US House passes revised bill to ban TikTok or force sale
• For Afghan Refugees, a Choice Between Community and Opportunity
• MORE: Veterans' searing testimony drives GOP-led House panel hearing on Afghanistan exit
• Kabul House Restaurant
• ABC News
• MORE: Single suicide bomber killed US troops and Afghans in ISIS-K attack at Kabul airport, Pentagon finds

Even longtime residents of Little Kabul are leaving for cheaper areas. Taxis are plentiful and to hire the whole car should cost around AFN30-50 depending on destination and bargaining skills. Some drivers have learned basic English, but such drivers may try to charge a slightly higher price and are most likely to be found loitering near Westerner-friendly locations (airport, major hotels).

US House passes revised bill to ban TikTok or force sale

While U.S. officials became aware the leader was likely killed soon after the Taliban attack, it took weeks until they were certain enough to begin informing the families of service members who were killed in the suicide bombing. "We have become aware in recent weeks that the ISIS-K terrorist most responsible for that horrific attack of August 26, 2021, has now been killed in a Taliban operation," the senior official said on Tuesday. If you are nervous about your safety walking around areas such as Wazar Akbar Khan and Taimani (to a restaurant, etc.), it is fine day or night. Central Kabul at night is walkable but be sure you know where you are going, and how to get back to your guesthouse.

For Afghan Refugees, a Choice Between Community and Opportunity

However, credit cards are unlikely to work or be accepted anywhere in the city, except a couple of the top-end hotels. Central Kabul is relatively compact, so walking is a good option in the spring and fall. Summers bring intolerable heat and dust, whilst winters bring snow and mud. Pavements are few, and you need to keep your wits about you when crossing roads. The city of Kabul is divided into 18 sectors, with each sector consisting of a handful of adjacent neighborhoods.

MORE: Veterans' searing testimony drives GOP-led House panel hearing on Afghanistan exit

"We did not conduct this operation jointly with the Taliban. We are not partnering with the Taliban. But we do think the outcome is a significant one," the official said, adding that the U.S. did not learn of the killing from the Taliban. Our take on traditional Afghan cuisine that caters to our diverse and loyal community. We strive to maintain a high standard and quality of cuisine and service to ensure our customers have a pleasurable and memorable dining experience.

If that happens, TikTok is expected to challenge the bill in court. Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who lost two limbs in the attack, said he believes his sniper team had the suicide bomber in its sights before the explosion but was not allowed to take the shot. In a statement later Tuesday, White House spokesman John Kirby confirmed the operation, describing it as "a series of high-profile leadership losses ISIS-K has suffered this year." But the U.S. military's top general for the Middle East gave a dire warning in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee last month.

The thousands of foreigners in the city since the fall of the Taliban has gradually turned Kabul into something of a foodie haven. Restaurants can crudely be split into "places for locals" and "places for expats", with the latter having higher security, higher prices, but not necessarily higher quality. Restaurants that are UN-approved are particularly expensive. If you are looking for a place with a good mix of Afghans and expat diners the (dry) Lebanese, Turkish and Iranian restaurants are the ones to head towards.

Kabul's climate is greatly influenced by its location in a valley at 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Summers (Jun-Sep) are hot and dry, averaging from the high 20s to the mid-30s °C (80-95 °F) with next to no precipitation. Autumn (Oct-Nov) is temperate and sees very little precipitation. Winters (Dec-Mar) are cold and the time of year which sees the most precipitation (mostly snow, but also ice, freezing rain, and sleet on warmer days).

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A US-led military force invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, bombing strategic installations throughout the city to rout out the governing Taliban, who quickly fled the city. The city was named the capital of the Afghan Transitional Authority and subsequently the capital of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The city saw many suicide bombings between 2002–2007, but they become rare after 2008. In late 2008, control of the city's security was passed from the NATO ISAF force to Afghan National Police and the Afghan National Army. After 2001, billions of dollars in aid and foreign investment were used to improve the city. Most of the major roads were paved and improved, government buildings were extensively renovated, new hotels and shopping malls opened, the zoo and many museums reopened, and utilities were extensively reconstructed.

Already, there are signs of a backlash against refugees in some of the states where economic statistics suggest they are needed most. Housing in the Bay Area city is out of reach, with one-bedroom apartments going for more than $2,500 a month. Jobs can be tougher to get than in many other parts of the country.

Spring (late Mar-early June) is temperate with rain tapering off by early May. Kabul House offers a taste of appetizing Afghan dishes that have existed in the history of Afghanistan for thousands of years. We emphasize in high quality Afghan food, as if prepared from the fingers of any Afghan mother. Our extensive full course menu includes lamb, seafood, beef and chicken dishes as well as vegetarian specialties that include pumpkin, eggplant, spinach and other fresh vegetable options.

For a few years, Kabul has been going through a period of reconstruction and development, with some modern style tower blocks and a handful of glitzy shopping malls appearing. Many roads, particularly the main feeder routes, have been reconstructed and upgraded. However, in outlying areas roads and other infrastructure remain in poor condition. The senior administration official said that ISIS-K still aspires to extend the reach of its violent operations but so far has not grown strong enough to pose a major threat outside of Afghanistan. Kabul’s diplomatic quarter lies within a secure “green zone” that is being more than doubled in area to include all embassies, as well as the NATO and U.S. military headquarters.

Taliban claim they weren't aware al Qaeda chief was living in Kabul - CNN

Taliban claim they weren't aware al Qaeda chief was living in Kabul.

Posted: Thu, 04 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Given the volatile security situation always be aware of any demonstrations, gathering crowds, etc., which could spiral out of control quickly. Keep a low profile, wearing simple clothes and (for women) covering your hair with a scarf or shawl. It is also wise to vary your routes frequently to reduce the threat of kidnapping.

A new blue zone, with traffic restrictions, will encompass much of the rest of the city center and the airport. Downtown landmarks such as the presidential palace are largely inaccessible to ordinary Afghans. Decades of conflict and changing methods of warfare have molded Kabul. Neighborhoods are no longer only pummeled from the outside by rockets. Instead the war has become increasingly “vehicular borne,” Leslie says, be it with armored NATO vehicles muscling through downtown or cars with suicide bombers whose explosives seem to get bigger as foreigners retreat farther behind blast walls. U.S. and other foreign investment kept the city from becoming an infrastructural disaster.

In 1747, Kabul came under control of the Durrani (or Afghan) Empire. In 1776, Kabul would become the empire's capital, although the empire soon fell into tribal civil war. In 1839, the region was claimed by the British and Kabul was established as the location of British government and the British Indian Forces. They were very unpopular amongst local tribes who revolted in 1841. The British returned in 1878 and 1879, but both times thousands of them were killed and they were forced to retreat.