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‘Free to create hype but insulting leaders is unacceptable’: CM Sawant hits back after AAP leader Satyendra Jain calls Goa politicians ‘third class’

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‘Free to create hype but insulting leaders is unacceptable’: CM Sawant hits back after AAP leader Satyendra Jain calls Goa politicians ‘third class’

A war of words has broken out between Aam Aadmi Party leaders and Goa CM Pramod Sawant. Tearing into Delhi power minister for insulting Goa politicians, Sawant Tweeted that AAP is free to create hype for their political benefits but to come to Goa and insult our leaders is unacceptable. The remarks came after comments from Satyendra Jain.

The Goa CM added that “AAP has always indulged in cheap politics through constant protests & theatrics. But to say Goans are thrid (sic) class politicians, is an insult to great sons-of-the-soil like Bhausaheb Bandodkar, Jack Sequeira, Manohar Bhai Parrikar, Rajendra Arlekar or Shripad Bhau Naik.”

Pramod Sawant’s tweet came after Delhi power minister Satyendra Jain accused the BJP of unethical politics and exclaimed “Goa is first class, but people who I spoke to said that the politicians are third class”.

Satyendra Jain had made the remark during a debate with his Goan counterpart in Panaji on July 26 (Monday). Goa Power Minister Nilesh Cabral had commented that the Aam Aadmi Party is trying to hoodwink people with the promise of free power. In response, Delhi Power Minister Satyendra Jain went on to call all Goan politicians ‘third class’.

This comment outraged the BJP government in Goa.

Coming out in defence of the remark made by his minister, Arvind Kejriwal, Tuesday, accused Goa CM Pramod Sawant of insulting the memory of “political greats” by equating them with current politicians.

Sawant retaliated to Kejriwal’s Tweet and called him out for his selectivity and biases.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s theatrics is no secret. As part of their new stratagem, one AAP leader in Goa was recently seen distributing rations to families who don’t look like in the need of any help. Adv. Pratima Betsy Coutinho, the vice President of AAP in Goa, has been roaming around in the state distributing rations to people, to both who need them and who don’t need them. In a video that had gone viral on social media, Pratima was seen giving a bag full of items to a seemingly wealthy family living in a big bungalow in Navelim Constituency.

Despite being severely criticised for the handling of Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the Kejriwal-led government had last year launched a campaign “Goans against Corona” to prevent the citizens from getting infected by the Chinese virus even as coronavirus cases continue to soar in Delhi.

Basavaraj Bommai to be new Chief Minister of Karnataka after Yediyurappa steps down

OpIndia Staff
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Basavaraj Bommai to be new Chief Minister of Karnataka after Yediyurappa steps down

Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai will be elected as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka after stalwart BS Yediyurappa stepped down from the post. Ending a spell of intense speculation, media reports say that Bommai will become Karnataka’s next Chief Minister.

He had met Union Ministers Kishan Reddy and Dharmendra Pradhan earlier in the evening.

Observer for the state Dharmendra Pradhan has confirmed the appointment.

Bommai is from the Sadara Lingayat community. His father SR Bommai had also been the CM of Karnataka.

Bommai was one of the frontrunners for the post after Yediyurappa stepped down as the Chief Minister of the state. He will reportedly take oath on Wednesday. He was the Home Minister during the Yeddyurappa government.

Virat Kohli fans to drop IIT and go to Lovely Professional University? Netizens go wild as the cricketer bats for LPU

OpIndia Staff
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Virat Kohli fans to drop IIT and go to Lovely Professional University? Netizens go wild as the cricketer bats for LPU

Earlier today, social media websites were rife with screenshots of a tweet allegedly posted by Indian cricketer Virat Kohli in which he was seen lavishing praises on Lovely Professional University(LPU) for sending a big number of Olympians.

The screenshot of what appeared like a tweet posted by Kohli read: “What a record, 10 per cent of Indian Olympians are from Lovely Professional University. I hope LPU will send students to the Indian Cricket Team also. Jai Hind @LPUUniversity”.

Screenshot that went viral on social media websites

Initially, it was a bit difficult to discern whether the screenshot was genuine or an internet meme created to take a dig at the prolific cricketer and the Lovely Professional University. The fact that there was no timestamp in the tweet featured in the screenshot and nor did the tweet appear on the cricketer’s official Twitter account only added to suspicions that the post might be photoshopped.

But to everyone’s surprise, the post was authentic and was shared by Virat Kohli himself on his Instagram account. In his post on Instagram, Kohli said, “India needs 10 more LPUs. Best of luck to the 11 LPU students who are representing India at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Truly a great achievement!” Along with the message, Kohli shared three pictures, one of them being the screenshot that went viral and the other two being about the Lovely Professional University and the 11 athletes from the LPU that were part of India’s Olympics contingent.

Source: Instagram

Since Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli commands a huge following on various social media platforms and is amongst the most followed athletes on Instagram, the screenshot of his Instagram post instantly went viral, with his ardent followers flooding the internet with the screenshots of his laudatory post on the Lovely Professional University.

Netizens mock Kohli after he praised Lovely Professional University in an Instagram post

The reaction to Kohli’s post encompassed a range of emotions, with many mocking the cricketer for paid promotion of the university while others wondering the amount he may have possibly charged for promoting them. Still, others said they thought the post to be a meme, uploaded by a meme page and not by the captain of the Indian cricket team.

One of the users on Twitter said Kohli fans are so inspired by the University’s record that they have given up their IIT aspirations and are now lining up to get admissions at the LPU.

Another Twitter user mocked Kohli, saying if he had been an LPU graduate then India would have won in the finals.

Commenting on Kohli’s LPU post on Instagram, a Twitter user said the cricketer’s 99 per cent tweets and Instagram posts are paid. The user said Kohli earns so much from Cricket and it is still not enough for him that he is choosing to indulge in paid promotions.

A similar gamut of emotions was also elicited on Virat Kohli’s Instagram post where he praised the LPU for sending 11 athletes to India’s Olympics contingent.

An Instagram user replied to Kohli’s post saying he thought it was uploaded by a meme page. Another user asked how much did Kohli charge for advertising Lovely Professional University. Many users posted in disbelief if it was really Kohli who uploaded the promotional post on LPU.

Source: Instagram

On Kohli’s post praising LPU for sending Olympians, one of the Instagram users sarcastically commented: “That’s why we are not winning any medals.”. Another Instagram user said the Olympians chose Lovely Professional University so that they won’t have to study. Another social media user replied: “5 cr in the pocket”, apparently the amount that Virat Kohli supposedly charges per post for promotions on Instagram.

Source: Instagram

While 11 of the total Olympians representing India are indeed from Lovely Professional University, but Kohli’s overly unctuous post left people wondering if was part of a paid promotion that celebrities usually undertake to augment their incomes.

Ghouta chemical attack: New study reveals involvement of Syrian rebels and not Assad, Obama wanted to bomb Syria in retaliation

OpIndia Staff
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Ghouta chemical attack: New study reveals involvement of Syrian rebels and not Assad, Obama wanted to bomb Syria in retaliation

On August 21, 2013, rockets loaded with an extremely toxic chemical called Sarin struck the Ghouta suburb in the Damascus city of Syria. Sarin, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction, resulted in the death of at least 281 to 1729 civilians. The rocket strike was considered the worst chemical attack since the Iraq-Iran war and infamously dubbed the ‘Ghouta Chemical attack’.

An open-source study published by Rootclaim has revealed that the attack was orchestrated by the Syrian rebels and not the Bashar al-Assad-led Syrian government as previously believed. Journalist Aaron Maté reported about the explosive research in an article in Grayzone on Monday (July 26). When the deadly chemical attack took place in 2013 and led to several casualties, the US government and its allies blamed the Syrian government. The Obama administration had even planned to bomb Syria in retaliation but the plans were averted, following an agreement with Russia.

The new study found the impact locations of the attacks, based on the trajectories of the 7 rockets that were launched into Ghouta. It then traced the rockets back to a small area controlled by the Syrian rebels, located at a 2 km distance from the site of impact. The range was calculated by experts for the sarin-laden rockets used in the attack. The new revelation is compounded by previously discovered video footage that showed Liwa Al Islam rebels firing volcano rockets from a small field within their territory.

Syrian govt held terriorties were beyond the range of rockets used in chemical attack

The study on the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack was authored by Michael Kobs and Adam Larson. It built on the previous revelations that punctured US claims about the Syrian government’s involvement in the attack. The study was further supplemented by the research work done by MIT Professor Ted Postol and former UN Weapons Inspector Richard Lloyd. The duo concluded that the range of the sarin rockets was beyond the territory held by the Syrian government. As such, it was impossible for the government to execute the Ghouta chemical attack.

US, UK had prior information about the involvement of Syrian rebels

Another report, published by Seymour Hersh in the London Review of Books, revealed the US intelligence agencies had evidence that unearthed the role of Syrian rebels in the chemical attack. According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, al-Nusra in Syria had an advanced sarin production cell. It had highlighted the possibility of the acquisition of the chemical from Turkey by the rebels so as to trigger US military intervention.

To add to it, British military laboratory Porton Down discovered that the type of sarin used in the Ghouta attack did not match the ones available in the government’s chemical arsenal. Despite this, the Obama administration wanted to target the chemical weapon arsenal of the Syrian government.

Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar: Multiple cases of Grooming Jihad surface across the country

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar: Multiple cases of Grooming Jihad surface across the country

Multiple cases of Grooming Jihad has surfaced recently. In a case from Uttar Pradesh, Dilsher posed as Dinesh trapped a 13-year-old Hindu minor girl and kidnapped her on Friday. He took her to Aligarh in his car where he had plans to forcefully convert the girl to Islam. 

The Hindu Jagran Manch staged a protest forcing the police to get into action. Both Dilsher and the minor girl were found in Aligarh when the girl revealed that she was taken there forcefully. 

As per reports, Dilsher is said to be the brother of a local politician that supposedly encouraged him to take this step.

Muslim boy posed as girl to send friend request on Facebook

In a separate incident, Siraj Ali sent a friend request in the name of one Laxmi to a Hindu girl to get the request accepted. Seeing the name of a girl, the victim accepted the friend request and began talking. 

When the two got friendly, Ali revealed that he wasn’t Laxmi but Laxmikant. He began frequenting Kanpur to meet the girl. Once when the girl’s brother saw the two together, she fled with Ali.

Ali then took her to Mumbai promising safe haven but upon reaching she got to know that he was not some Laxmikant but Siraj Ali. As per reports, Ali then forcefully converted the victim to Islam, performed Nikah and kept her in Mumbai so that she does not flee.

The girl was traced to Mumbai through her call records. A case has been registered against Ali while the girl has been returned to her family.

Alam Khan posed as Hindu to establish physical relationship on the pretext of marriage

In a case of Grooming Jihad from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, Alam Khan posed as Alam Singh to establish a physical relationship with a Hindu girl on the pretext of marriage. Khan kept not just his identity but his residence and background hidden too from the victim. 

As per a News18 report, he used to take the girl to various locations for his work. Khan’s identity was exposed in Kanpur when the girl found out about his fake identity due to his religious practices. 

The police has registered a case against Khan and issued a lookout notice for him.

Manovar Hussain traps a girl to push her into prostitution

In another incident, a 21-year-old girl was trapped by one Hussain in Assam.

Hussain on the pretext of love married the girl hailing from a village in Assam to Bihar’s Bahdurganj to force her into prostitution. The victim contacted her family as soon as she got a chance after which she was rescued by a search team constituted by the police. 

As per Sanjay Kumar, a police official, this is the second such case and the accused is being interrogated to bust the nexus of prostitution.

We reported earlier how four Muslim men from Bagwalipokhar in Uttarakhand’s Almora were arrested by the police after they were accused of grooming jihad by the locals. 

As per reports, the Muslim men are accused of luring the Hindu girl with the aim of abducting her. The police subsequently took the accused to the police station where the girl’s father had lodged a complaint. Aged between 19 to 27, the four accused are residents of Haridwar and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. According to the police, one among the four arrested befriended the girl on social media a few months ago.

The four have been booked for “abduction and molestation” and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Uttar Pradesh: ATS busts international human trafficking racket involving Rohingyas, Noor Muhammad and his accomplices arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: ATS busts international human trafficking racket involving Rohingyas, Noor Muhammad and his accomplices arrested

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a 3-member gang that was actively operating a human trafficking racket involving Bangladeshis and Rohingyas by sneaking them into the country. The three were getting funded to settle Bangladeshis and Rohingyas illegally in the country only to sell them later.

As per reports, the gang of Noor Muhammad, Rehmat Ullah and Shabiullah trafficked especially women and children to settle them in cities like Ghaziabad, Noida, Delhi.

The same was mentioned in a press release issued by the police department which stated that the UP ATS had been getting information for some time that an international gang was illegally settling citizens of Bangladesh and Myanmar. 

Upon investigation, it was found that the gang led by Muhammad lured Rohingyas and Bangladeshi women into marriage, and men and children to work in factories to illegally get them to India. 

Addressing a press conference, Uttar Pradesh DG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar informed, “During ATS’s surveillance, Noor Muhammad aka Noor Islam, the leader of the gang was caught taking some Rohingyas and Bangladeshis to Delhi via Bhramaputra Express. An ATS team deboarded five people at Ghaziabad station and interrogated them. It was revealed that (Islam) got them (illegal immigrants) on the pretext of marriage and job. He also received huge funding for the same.”

“Muhammad also revealed that his other accomplices were waiting to receive them at the Delhi station. We have taken him into custody. Two girls aged 16-years and 18-years have also been rescued. Both are from Myanmar,” added the police official.

One other man who was being trafficked was rescued by the police. The three accused are illegal migrants themselves. Noor Islam hails from Bangladesh and is currently residing in Tripura and Rehmat Ullah is from Myanmar who has been staying in Jammu & Kashmir’s refugee camp for Rohingyas. The third accused- Shabiullah is also from Myanmar. 

The three have been booked under IPC sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 370 and 120B. 

The cases of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh staying with Indian identity cards are on a rise. They have been accused of running a racket and settling more such migrants in the country. 

Tractor Rahul Gandhi drove to Parliament was sneaked into the area in a container, secretly offloaded at Congress MP’s office

OpIndia Staff
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Tractor Rahul Gandhi drove to Parliament was sneaked into the area in a container, secretly offloaded at Congress MP’s office

Terming it as a major breach of security, the Delhi Police has lodged an inquiry to find out how Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi managed to get a tractor near the parliament on July 26 (Monday). The Wayanad MP had driven a tractor to the Parliament to oppose the central government’s three farm laws and show solidarity with the ‘farmers’ protesting against the same. Gandhi, however, could not take the tractor inside the premises as only vehicles with valid passes are allowed entry.

According to a preliminary investigation, Delhi police confirmed that a container was used to bring the tractor which Rahul Gandhi was riding to New Delhi district since Congress workers knew that there was a police alert in New Delhi district and police pickets have been set in place at various locations in and around the House.

Tractor was secretly offloaded and kept at Congress RS MP KTS Tulsi’s office close to Parliament

The police also revealed how the Congress leader’s tricked the police when they stopped the container at one place. A letter from a Congress MP saying that the container contains Parliament’s material was furnished by the driver when the traffic police stopped the container to enquire. Seeing the letter the container was allowed to pass, said the police.

The Delhi police furthered that the tractor was secretly offloaded at the office of Congress Rajya Sabha MP KTS Tulsi at Moti Lal Nehru Marg, about one and a half kilometres away from the Parliament. The tractor was modified inside the building and hoardings were also put up.

It is pertinent to note here that tractors have been barred from entering central Delhi, especially Lutyens’ zone, since September last year when a tractor was set on fire at the India Gate by some Punjab Youth Congress workers to mark their protest against the three farm laws, said a police officer who asked not to be named. Despite knowing this, the Congress members sneaked the tractor into the Parliament zone, said the police.

Rahul Gandhi violated section 144 of CrPC

Police said the tractor was being brought via Motilal Nehru Marg-Sunehri Bagh roundabout. After that the police stopped the tractor on Motilal Nehru Marg, it was brought to Rafi Marg and was taken from Rail Bhawan roundabout to Parliament House via Red Cross Road.

Confirming that the rally, led by Rahul Gandhi, violated section 144 of CrPC as there is an ongoing session of the Parliament, the police said that the department and other agencies were not aware of the tractor rally. No permission was taken from the local police station either, added Delhi police.

According to reports, the tractor which the Congress leader drove to the Parliament, in a clear breach of security, was mounted with a banner demanding that the three “anti-farmer black laws” be repealed.

Many Congress leaders including Randeep Surjewala, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Deepinder Singh Hooda had accompanied Rahul Gandhi. Delhi police detained Surjewala, Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas and few other members of the party and impounded the vehicle before it could reach the Parliament. Gandhi was not detained, and he went to attend the Monsoon session of the Parliament.

PM Modi hit out at Congress party for disrupting Parliament

The Congress party has been continuously disrupting the Parliament sessions since the monsoon session has begun. Slamming the Congress for its despicable behaviour, PM Modi, Tuesday, reportedly asked BJP MPs to “expose the party before the public and the media” for not allowing the monsoon session of parliament to run smoothly.

Sources said, “The Prime Minister told the party MPs that the Congress party is deliberately disturbing the parliament. They are neither interested in debate nor are allowing the parliament to function smoothly.”

The prime minister’s comments came when he was addressing the parliamentary party meet today on the opposition’s attempts to stall work during the ongoing monsoon session.

Shilpa Shetty cries, shouts at Raj Kundra as dramatic scenes unfolded when he was brought to his bungalow: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Shilpa Shetty cries, shouts at Raj Kundra as dramatic scenes unfolded when he was brought to his bungalow: Report

On Friday (July 23), actress Shilpa Shetty lambasted her husband for his alleged role in creating and publishing pornographic films on the mobile app HotShot.

As per a report published in NDTV, Raj Kundra was brought to his plush Juhu bungalow on Friday by the Mumbai police during a search operation. It was his first ‘homecoming’ after being arrested by cops on July 19. Citing police sources, NDTV reported that his wife Shilpa Shetty was aghast at his actions. “We have everything, what was the need to do all this,” the actress asked Raj Kundra.

Shilpa Shetty broke down into tears after seeing her husband. According to NDTV, she said that her family reputation was ruined, and was forced to give up on brand endorsements and projects. She also lamented about the financial losses caused by her husband’s involvement in the pornography scandal. The Mumbai police officials had questioned the actress at her home during the search operation. So far, the cops have not been able to establish whether the actress was aware of Kundra’s porn films operations.

According to police, a case was registered with the Crime Branch in February 2021 about the creation of pornographic films and publishing the same through apps. A case against Kundra was registered on July 19, 2021, as he appeared to be the key conspirator. The racket came to light earlier in February this year when a woman approached Mumbai Police and accused Kundra of luring young men and women on the pretext of offering roles in web series and allegedly forcing them to make porn films instead.

‘Just erotica, not porn’: Actress Shilpa Shetty defended husband Raj Kundra 

Following his arrest on charges of producing pornographic films, actress Shilpa Shetty came out in defence of her husband, reported Mid-Day. While quoting a police official, it stated, “Shilpa Shetty said that the movies available on Hotshot are not pornography but erotica. She also said that nowadays, similar content is available on the various OTT platforms, and in fact, some are more obscene than what is available on Hotshot”. According to Mid-Day, she had denied her involvement in the production of the contentious videos.

During the remand hearing on July 23, advocate Abad Ponda representing Raj Kundra argued that the video content did not fall under the category of pornography. He said, “The videos don’t show the ‘actual act of coitus’ or ‘actual act of intercourse, hence they can’t be considered pornographic. OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon have similar content. Shows like Sex life and Four Shots have similar content. I don’t understand why Mumbai police are going after Kundra but not after Netflix and Amazon. In India, we don’t follow the ‘Hicklin test of obscenity — the model followed by the UK. We follow the ‘Canadian concept of obscenity.”

Uyghur separatist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement now active in Afghanistan: UNSC Report

Jinit Jain
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Uyghur separatist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement now active in Afghanistan: UNSC Report

Amidst the ongoing UN troop withdrawal and the Talibani offensive to regain control of the country, several hundred members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement(ETIM), an Uyghur separatist group that has long sought independence for the Chinese province of Xinjiang, remain active in several districts of Afghanistan, a recently released UNSC report said.

The group is primarily aligned with Al Qaeda and remains active in Badakhshan, Faryab, Kabul and Nuristan Province of Afghanistan, as per the report prepared by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. The group is also closely associated with Jamaat Ansarullah and Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.

The leaders of the ETIM—Abdul Haq and Hajji Furqan—and the group’s headquarters were currently located in Hustak ravine, Jurm district in Badakhshan Province, the report said. It further added that Abdul Haq often shuttles between Helmand and Badakhshan provinces. The Uyghur separatist group had also recently released a propaganda video, demonstrating their combat readiness.

In their bid to establish an Uyghur state in Xinjiang, China, the group facilitates the movement of fighters from Afghanistan to China, the report said. It noted that the ETIM active in Afghanistan is more focused on actions targeting China, while the group operating in the Syrian Arab Republic had a more global outlook.

Taliban assures China after it raises concerns about Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for ETIM

Earlier this month, China has expressed its concern regarding Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for the fighters of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement amidst the turmoil precipitated by the US troop pullout and the offensive launched by the Taliban. Reportedly, China is also concerned that Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, may become a hub for the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The northwest Xinjian region, which is home to Uyghur Muslims, shares about an 8-km-long border with Afghanistan.

In order to assuage the concerns of the Chinese, the Taliban reassured them, saying that it saw China as a “friend” to Afghanistan and hoped that China invests in the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

During an interview, Taliban spokesperson Shaheen had said that the Taliban has assured China that it would not host Uyghur militants from the Xinjiang province, some of whom had previously entered Afghanistan to escape from Chinese persecution. The Taliban would also prevent al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group from operating there, he said.

“Taliban views China as a friendly country and we welcome it for reconstruction and developing Afghanistan”, said Suhail Shaheen, adding that “If (the Chinese) have investments, of course, we will ensure their safety”.

Afghanistan: Taliban releases video of Kandahari comedian being slapped prior to his execution

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: Taliban releases video of Kandahari comedian being slapped prior to his execution

A video of popular comedian Nazar Mohammad aka Khasha being kidnapped and slapped by the Taliban before being executed has gone viral on social media.

The video has been shared by Tajuden Soroush, a senior correspondent with Iran International. A Taliban terrorist wielding a gun can be seen slapping Khasha multiple times. “This video shows the moment, Kandahari comedian, Khasha was arrested by the Taliban, Slapping him inside the car and then killed him,” reads Soroush’s Tweet.

The entertainer who belonged to the Kandahar province was dragged from his home last week and killed by the Taliban. As per reports, the terrorists were going door-to-door searching for government workers in the province.

They nabbed Khasha on Thursday, tied him on a tree and slit his throat. The comedian who had served as local police was found lying on the ground with his throat slit.

Shocking visuals of Khasha tied to a tree before being killed. Image Source: The Sun

As usual, the Taliban refused to take responsibility for the murder, but Khasha’s family accused the terrorists. 

Taliban slaughter 100s of civilians

After a successful ambush as the US troops retreated, the Taliban have slaughtered hundreds of Afghani civilians, especially the ones who either worked for the government or the US military.

As per the locals, at least 100 people have been killed in the past two weeks with another 300 missing from the province. Officials estimate more than 150,000 civilians have been displaced in southern Kandahar which is said to be the birthplace of the Taliban in the 1990s.

Zainab, a mother of three from Kandahar said, “The fighting has affected tens of thousands of people. Some managed to flee but many are still trapped in the fighting. We lived in the city centre but fled to Kabul.”

“I cannot contact friends and relatives. I don’t know if they are alive or dead,” she added. 

Afghani translators on Taliban’s hit-list

We reported earlier how an Afghani translator, Sohail Pardis was beheaded by the Taliban just before Eid. He had been receiving death threats from the terrorists. “They were telling him you are a spy for the Americans, you are the eyes of the Americans and you are infidel, and we will kill you and your family,” informed Pardis’s friend and co-worker Abdulhaq Ayoubi to CNN.

After the US pulled itself out of the war zone, the Afghans say they have been left in a death trap. Another translator Ayazuddin Hilal in an interview with ABC News narrated how they have been receiving death threats from the Taliban. “Your brothers have left. Now we will kill you,” said Hilal quoting the threat he received from the terrorists. 

As many as 18,000 Afghani interpreters have applied for the USA’s Special Immigrant Visa but many are being denied due to a long and faulty process.

At least 300 Afghan interpreters have been killed since 2016 by the Taliban, as per reports.

Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui killed by Taliban, body mutilated

Earlier this month, Reuters photo journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed by the Taliban. However, Taliban had claimed they were not aware he was an Indian journalist. Reports suggested that Taliban killed him because he was Indian and even mutilated his body after killing him. In fact, they even refused to return his body. However, after his death, Danish’s body of work, especially the pictures of funeral pyres during the second wave of coronavirus and Rohingya crisis, was publicised and hailed by all, Taliban expressed sorrow on killing him. 

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