Taliban cut off Afghan voters fingers

24 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost

Two cases of voters having fingers amputated have been reported in Afghanistan following last weeks elections. Prior to voting, Taliban forces in the region had threatened to remove any fingers stained with the ink used to provide proof of having cast a ballot. Investigations are currently ongoing regarding a third case. The news comes amidst reports that security forces obstructed, assaulted, and detained Afghan and foreign journalists enforcing an official gag order on news of violent incidents during the presidential election. Read more here

Taliban threatens Afghan voters

17 Aug 2009 | Index Index, minipost

The Taliban in Afghanistan has threatened to cut off voters’ fingers and attack polling stations in its bid to force Afghans to boycott the presidential elections. One of the so-called “night letters”, pinned up around villages in southern Afghanistan threatened that the Taliban would cut off the noses and ears of those who vote on Thursday. Fingers stained with ink, the sign of having cast a vote, will also be hacked off, the warning said. Read more here

UK film crew attacked in Pakistan flees country

15 May 2009 | Index Index, minipost

Manchester film maker, David Whitney, has fled Pakistan after being attacked. Whitney had been shooting a film about Taliban rule in Afghanistan when his team was shot at just outside Quetta, near the Afghan border. The crew escaped without serious injury, but left the country immediately.
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