Despite his hardline conservatism, Cheney became isolated from Republican leadership over his condemnation of President Donald Trump, whom he labeled the republic's greatest threat. His career concluded when he supported Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024, demonstrating how the Republican Party's populist shift had rejected his traditional conservatism. Heart disease affected Cheney throughout his adult life, yet he survived multiple cardiac episodes and lived years after his 2012 heart transplant, which he called "the gift of life itself," CNN reported.

On September 11, 2001, Cheney occupied the White House while Bush traveled. Witnessing the second aircraft strike New York's World Trade Center transformed him into someone committed to avenging al-Qaida's assault and imposing American authority across the Middle East. "At that moment, you knew this was a deliberate act. This was a terrorist act," he told CNN's John King in 2002. Operating from a fortified shelter beneath the White House, Cheney managed the traumatized nation's response, issuing the directive authorizing military forces to destroy additional hijacked jets approaching the White House or Capitol. The September 11 attacks triggered American intervention in Afghanistan to remove the Taliban, though al-Qaida commander Osama bin Laden escaped. Cheney then advocated expanding military action to Iraq and dictator Saddam Hussein, whose forces he had helped expel from Kuwait during the first Gulf conflict as President George H.W. Bush's defense chief.

The vice president's aggressive declarations regarding Iraq's purported weapons of mass destruction, supposed al-Qaida connections, and intention to arm terrorists significantly established justification for the 2003 invasion. Post-conflict investigations demonstrated Cheney and fellow officials overstated or mischaracterized defective intelligence concerning capabilities Iraq ultimately lacked. Among his most discredited assertions, that lead hijacker Mohamed Atta encountered Iraqi intelligence in Prague, never received confirmation. Yet Cheney maintained in 2005 that officials operated on "the best available intelligence," and argued any claim the data was "distorted, hyped, or fabricated" remained "utterly false."

The conflicts additionally guided America down troubling avenues including "enhanced interrogations" of terrorism suspects that opponents condemned as torture, though Cheney maintained methods such as waterboarding remained appropriate. He championed detaining suspects without trials at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a measure critics characterized as offending fundamental American principles, according to CNN.

Cheney departed office despised by Democrats with a 31% approval rating, as measured by the Pew Research Center. Throughout his remaining years, he voiced no remorse, convinced he had performed necessary actions responding to an assault that claimed nearly 2,800 lives and initiated almost 20 years of overseas conflicts. "I would do it again in a minute," Cheney stated when confronted by a 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee investigation that determined enhanced interrogation techniques as savage and ineffectual. Regarding Iraq, he informed said in 2015: "It was the right thing to do then. I believed it then and I believe it now," according to CNN.

During his final years, Cheney surfaced as an intense Trump opponent, despite backing him in 2016. Trump's refusal to acknowledge his 2020 electoral loss and the January 6 uprising prompted Cheney to protest publicly. His daughter, then-Representative Liz Cheney, sacrificed her Republican career to challenge Trump following his effort to reverse the election outcome. During a 2022 video for his daughter's unsuccessful primary fight, Dick Cheney stared into the camera beneath a cowboy hat and stated: "In our nation's 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump," adding "He is a coward. A real man wouldn't lie to his supporters. He lost his election, and he lost big. I know it. He knows it, and deep down, I think most Republicans know." Richard Bruce Cheney was born January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and met his future wife Lynne Vincent in Casper, Wyoming. After struggling at Yale and receiving two drunk driving arrests, he received an ultimatum from Lynne, who had "made it clear she wasn't interested in marrying a lineman for the county," he told The New Yorker. "I buckled down and applied myself. Decided it was time to make something of myself," according to CNN.

Cheney commenced his Washington career as a Nixon aide, then became Donald Rumsfeld's deputy White House chief of staff under President Gerald Ford before succeeding him in 1975. He won Wyoming's House seat in 1978, serving six terms and advancing to minority whip with an extremely conservative record. President George H. W. Bush selected him as defense secretary in 1989, calling him a "trusted friend, advisor," and he managed the 1989 Panama invasion and 1991 Operation Desert Storm. During Bill Clinton's presidency, Cheney joined Halliburton as CEO. When the younger Bush sought office, Cheney led the running mate search and ultimately joined the ticket himself. "During the process, I came to the conclusion that the selector was the best person to be selected," Bush stated in the 2020 CNN documentary "President in Waiting."

Cheney's health issues began with a 1978 heart attack at 37, followed by three more in 1984, 1988, and November 2000. He stated he'd be the "the first to step down" if unable to fulfill his duties. After a fifth heart attack in 2010, he obtained a heart pump before his 2012 transplant. Following office, Cheney wrote two memoirs and became a vocal Obama critic. Years later, he condemned his own party's reaction to the Capitol assault, returning to the Capitol with Liz Cheney on January 6, 2021's one-year commemoration. "I am deeply disappointed at the failure of many members of my party to recognize the grave nature of the January 6 attacks and the ongoing threat to our nation," he stated. Democrats welcomed the former Republican vice president, with Nancy Pelosi embracing him in a scene that illustrated how Trump's transformation of American politics made former adversaries discover shared purpose defending democracy. "It's not leadership that resembles any of the folks I knew when I was here for 10 years," Cheney stated at the Capitol in 2022. He endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024 due to the "duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution," cautioning Trump "can never be trusted with power again," though Trump secured the presidency months later, CNN reported.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side was much more focused, even statesmanlike, and the gap between them was evident. It is hard to imagine Trump persuading Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or even Jordan to sign onto Netanyahu's version.

Video: Trump and Netanyahu on Sept. 30, 2025 / Credit: Reuters

And yet, behind this American-Israeli scene hides another stage, Doha, Qatar. A place that already knows how to close deals that appear impossible on paper.

It is very possible that this chapter in the Middle Eastern saga was already quietly closed in the corridors of a department in a hospital in Doha, where perhaps the foreign leadership of Hamas has been hospitalized since the failed assassination attempt. When also considering the strange anecdote about Netanyahu's apology, there are those who see this as no more than a complementary move to a grand bargain finalized in Qatar.

It is hard not to recall another Trumpist agreement that was also signed in Doha – only with a different kind of enemy, "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan." The agreement with the Taliban, February 2020, looked then like a historic breakthrough. Mutual commitments, withdrawal of American forces on an almost military timeline, commitments by the Taliban to sever ties with al-Qaida and to open dialogue with the Kabul government – there was grand language of peace there.

It took less than a month for that bubble to burst. The Taliban returned to attacking the Afghan army, al-Qaida ties were not severed, and the talks with the central government sputtered until they disappeared. The agreement turned from golden yellow to a resounding farce.

Trump got from the Taliban a technical ceasefire against the Americans, and in return later handed the country to the Taliban.

Here comes the obvious question, is "Doha 2.0," with Hamas this time on stage, looking different? Or is it again grains of sand that will scatter in the desert wind?

Optimism with a trap

For Israel, on the face of it, this is a peak of achievements. An American administration that adopts most of the Israeli version and promises full backing is not taken for granted in an era of hostile international public opinion and diplomatic pressures from all sides. Israel succeeded in bringing the optimal combination, a diplomatic-security plan that touches the heart of Israel's declared war goals, while receiving a rubber stamp from the White House. The question of whether this will really translate on the ground is much less clear.

Hamas holds the cards tightly in its hands, the hostages. To demand blanket release in 72 hours, without the organization remaining with any bargaining chip, is almost a fantasy. Even if Trump and Bibi think there is a document that obligates this, the people of Gaza will always find a way to evade, "The hostage is held by a rogue clan"; "We need time to locate the hostages"; or a modern version of "The computer fell out of our bag." The procrastination will be a built-in part of the strategy.

The issue of disarming Hamas is perhaps the central landmine in the future agreement. Israel can insist, the US can commit, Trump can promise in a hoarse voice, but for Hamas this is a matter of survival. The last weeks revealed a new reality in Gaza, the dense population is moving south despite the organization's threats, its authority is slipping, and above all – the greatest fear is not Iron Dome or the paratrooper brigade, but the local clans: Those strong families, who, when the regime loses grip, will try to settle personal scores and perhaps also take over Hamas' bloated cash box. Here lies the real threat from the perspective of the leadership in Gaza. Israel is a clear and stable enemy, but chaos is an existential danger.

Days of upheavals are ahead of us. It is possible that the first conditions for releasing some of the hostages will be set already this week. It is possible that the effect will be delayed, that the familiar Palestinian evasion campaign will continue. It is not impossible that we will discover that even before the cameras flashed at the White House, the most important chapter was already written in Doha. And if history teaches anything, even a deal signed in glittering ceremonies can dissipate in the sounds of explosions coming from hospitals, mosques, and neighborhoods in southern Gaza.

Hamas will not rush to give up all its bargaining cards within 72 hours.

We all hope that the agreement will take shape and materialize and the hostages will return home. However, the common denominator between the two "Doha agreements," that of the Taliban and this one brewing against Hamas, is the temptation to embrace an illusion, that a publicized text and detailed wording are enough to change a complex political and social reality. In reality, deep dynamics are stronger and more consistent than any document. Trump perhaps looked tired in front of the cameras, but the real fatigue is that of the whole world in the face of the repetitiveness of this tragic comedy.

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The diplomatic milestone occurred during Thursday's meeting between Muttaqi and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov in Kabul, where Zhirnov officially transmitted his government's recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Muttaqi characterized the development as marking "a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect, and constructive engagement," emphasizing that this precedent would serve as an "example" for other nations to follow.

Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have actively pursued international legitimacy and foreign investment opportunities, even as human rights violations continue to escalate throughout the country. The regime has faced widespread international condemnation from Western governments and humanitarian organizations, particularly regarding its implementation of Sharia law that severely restricts women's and girls' basic freedoms.

During the four years since the Taliban's return, women have been completely excluded from secondary and tertiary education systems, prohibited from leaving their residences without male accompaniment, and forced to comply with increasingly stringent dress requirements. Recent "virtue and vice" legislation has reached new extremes by forbidding women from speaking in public spaces.

International observers, including the United Nations, have characterized these policies as constituting "gender apartheid," while documenting instances of public corporal punishment and violent persecution of former government personnel. The UN Security Council responded in 2021 by implementing comprehensive sanctions against Afghanistan, including the freezing of approximately 9 billion dollars (30 billion shekels) in national assets.

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The proposed deal, under discussion since at least July, involves the potential release of Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, whom US officials allege was a senior al-Qaeda aide, in exchange for Americans George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett, and Mahmoud Habibi, who were seized in Afghanistan in 2022.

On November 14, US officials presented this initial offer to the Taliban. The Taliban responded with a counterproposal the same day, requesting Rahim and two additional prisoners in exchange for Glezmann and Corbett, while denying they have custody of Habibi.

Roger Carstens, the administration's leading hostage negotiator, recently traveled to Doha, Qatar, for discussions with Taliban representatives regarding the Americans' release.

Muhammad Rahim al Afghani has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2008. The Defense Department has characterized him as a close associate of Osama bin Laden and one of his most trusted facilitators. Rahim has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining he worked as a linguist in Afghanistan.

"That's not a close facilitator," said James Connell, Rahim's lawyer. Connell said that the charges against Rahim are "largely exaggerated. In the 17 years since, no evidence has been forthcoming."

The release of Rahim, considered a high-profile prisoner by the US government, along with potentially other Afghan detainees, could face political opposition.

The families of the detained Americans have grown increasingly frustrated with the pace of progress. In a December 15 email to senior US officials, Aleksandra Glezmann, wife of George Glezmann, reported her husband's deepening despair about his situation. "Trips to Washington are just a waste of life because his government doesn't care anyway, and that he will likely rot in jail and never come home alive," she wrote in the email, which was sent to Sullivan and Carstens.

Anna Corbett, Ryan Corbett's wife, expressed similar frustrations. "I want to take seriously the president's pledge that returning wrongfully detained Americans is a top priority, but he is running out of time to show these are more than empty words for families like mine that are not famous or well connected," she said in a statement. "After all, I haven't even been able to get a meeting with him despite 16 trips to DC to fight for Ryan's release, so it's hard to continue to have faith that he will use his power to bring my husband home."

The State Department has officially designated Glezmann and Corbett as wrongfully detained. Glezmann, a Delta Air Lines mechanic, was captured while touring Afghanistan in December 2022. Corbett, a consultant, was taken by the Taliban in summer 2022 while traveling with a German colleague approximately 300 miles northwest of Kabul.

Habibi disappeared in 2022 following the US operation that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul. The FBI believes Afghan military or security forces took him into custody. "My family is confident that Mahmoud is alive and remains in the joint custody of the Taliban and the Haqqani network," Ahmad Habibi, Mahmoud's brother, told The Wall Street Journal. "We have a lot of evidence. If the Taliban wants Rahim, releasing my brother is their best shot at getting him."

In 2022, the Biden administration successfully negotiated the release of American Mark Frerichs, a civil engineer held by the Taliban for more than two years, in exchange for Haji Bashir Noorzai, an Afghan serving a life sentence in US federal prison for drug trafficking. That same year, the Taliban also released two additional Americans, including filmmaker Ivor Shearer, without any prisoner exchange.

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On October 7, 2001, American special forces and fighter jets begun the invasion of Afghanistan. Within weeks, the Taliban regime in the country collapsed, and the US took control. Many al-Qaeda operatives were eliminated, while the remnants of the Taliban leadership fled to the mountains or to neighboring Pakistan. The invasion followed the September 11 attacks and marked the first phase in President Bush's war on terror.

What can Israel learn from that war for our own "October 7 war"?

When the Americans entered Afghanistan, there were very few, if any, in the State Department or the Department of Defense who had an in-depth understanding of Afghanistan's complex politics, its various tribes, or their ties to those in Pakistan. The US entered Afghanistan with the intent to establish a functioning democracy but lacked a deep familiarity with the local culture. It's akin to someone setting out to navigate without a map.

Soon enough, the Americans not only got caught up in local politics, they also became entangled in them. Rival villages informed on each other, accusing their enemies of collaborating with the Taliban, which led to numerous American raids causing casualties. The Americans demanded professional appointments, even when these lacked tribal backing from experienced but corrupt leaders. Tribal connections that spanned the Afghanistan-Pakistan border allowed the Taliban to regroup in Afghanistan and shift from defense to offense.

Israel must be aware of the local politics it navigates but also be cautious not to get drawn into them. Familiarity with the tribal and clan structure in the areas where the IDF operates is crucial for identifying who exactly supports the enemy and who could be a potential ally. Hostile elements should be isolated, and friendly forces should be harnessed and strengthened.

On the other hand, let's not make a mistake: the objective of the war is to defeat the enemy. Familiarity with local politics could drag the IDF and the State of Israel into dealing with local feuds, reconstruction, and state-building, potentially confusing the war's goal of defeating the enemy with nation-building. And that is the next danger on the list.

The goal: deliver defeat

This is war, not a humanitarian operation. The US entered Afghanistan, and later Iraq, with the intention of rebuilding the country. The Americans equated this project with victory in war, believing that only by reconstructing Iraq and Afghanistan as flourishing democracies could they ensure that these nations wouldn't become terrorist havens again. Washington thus invested hundreds of billions in various humanitarian projects, including building schools, hospitals, dams, and more.

The problem was that none of these projects served the immediate goal of defeating the Taliban. At times, they even hindered efforts to achieve that goal.

For example, the Americans recognized corruption as a severe obstacle to developing a proper democracy in Afghanistan and a source of frustration among the population. They pressured Afghanistan's president to remove corrupt governors in favor of appointing technocrats, which weakened tribal support for him. Instead of identifying friendly tribes and bribing them, even at the cost of corruption, the Americans saw themselves as building a functional state in Afghanistan, which only weakened their local allies.

Israel will likely need to cooperate with local elites in Gaza and Lebanon to eliminate Hamas and dismantle Hezbollah. Sometimes, bribery and turning a blind eye are necessary to secure cooperation and achieve the political stability needed to eradicate resistance. Reconstruction can come later.

Cut off the head of the snake

Look for the source. It took the US a long time to digest the fact that Pakistan, a supposed ally in the war on terror, was also supporting the Taliban. The Americans focused for a long time on Afghanistan, while the Taliban regrouped in Pakistan's tribal areas. When they launched their offensive against the Americans, Washington put tremendous pressure on Pakistan to act against the terrorists on its soil. But even then, the action was restrained. The American military effort in Afghanistan was like someone trying to put out the flames in their house while ignoring the fire raging outside.

Israel must always act with an eye on the source: Iran. In Gaza and Lebanon, Iran is the main supplier of weapons, money, and knowledge. As long as Iran is not neutralized, as long as it continues to support Hezbollah and Hamas, Israel will remain stuck in a war of attrition while Tehran manipulates from behind the scenes. Iran is our Pakistan. Let's learn from the Americans' October 7.

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The Taliban has begun employing female spies to enforce harsh new restrictions on women's behavior in Afghanistan, according to reporting by The Telegraph. These informants are tasked with monitoring social media and patrolling public spaces to catch women violating the regime's strict rules.

"They are needed to handle other women," said an official from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MPVPV), the state agency in charge of implementing Islamic law. The ministry has hired women to monitor Instagram pages and report instances where women post pictures with uncovered faces. "You know how Instagram works ... they can hide their pages so no one can see them, but we have women who are our eyes."

Some women are coerced into this role, while others are paid for their work, which also includes accompanying male Taliban members on street patrols. "Some women were arrested and released only on the condition that they inform the ministry of any illegal activity they observe from the women they follow," the official explained.

"Just as education for girls is banned, questioning it is also banned" —Taliban Minister of Education.

Afghanistan is ruled by sharia law under Taliban!
pic.twitter.com/Z5VxD45HoL

— Azat (@AzatAlsalim) September 1, 2024

 One such informant, identified as Golnesa, spends her days monitoring and reporting on her fellow Afghan women. The 36-year-old patrols the city looking for those who do not adhere to the rules of chastity and visits locations to find women violating the dress code.

"I go to busy supermarkets and women's clothing shops," Golnesa told The Telegraph. When she spots a woman with an uncovered face, visible ankles, or laughing with shopkeepers, she contacts male officers who arrive with rifles. "It's their job to handle the situation with these women, and many of them are taken to police stations," she said. Golnesa defends her role, stating, "I don't support women who protest in the streets and claim to represent all women. They don't represent me or many other Muslim women who are tired of seeing indecency."

Afghanistan's breakdancer Manijeh Talash, who hopes to return to her homeland and live in freedom, tearfully urged Afghan girls not to surrender to Taliban tyranny. Her brave #FreeAfghanWomen message on her cape cost her the Olympics. pic.twitter.com/aF06ZkQmx3

— Habib Khan (@HabibKhanT) September 2, 2024

 However, Dr. Zahra Haqparast, a former protester now based in Germany, condemns the practice. "We always knew that the Taliban would eventually use women against other women," she told The Telegraph. "There were girls who infiltrated our WhatsApp groups posing as activists, and they assisted the Taliban in arresting many of the protesters."

Dr. Haqparast, who lost her job as a dentist when the Taliban returned to power, was herself arrested due to information provided by a female informant. She criticizes women who work for the Taliban, saying, "We protested and sacrificed everything for our fellow women. Yet, some women do everything they can to harm others of the same gender. I can only tell them, shame on you."

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Afghan women are uploading videos of themselves singing in defiance of new restrictions imposed by the Taliban that order them to be silent in public, reports The Telegraph. Women from both inside Afghanistan and abroad have joined the movement.

The online protest campaign challenges the Taliban's recently announced vice and virtue laws. On Wednesday, the Taliban issued restrictions requiring women to conceal their faces, bodies, and voices outside the home. Women are prohibited from singing or reciting the Koran in public, and their clothing must not be thin, tight, or short. They have also been ordered not to speak loudly inside their homes in case their voices are heard outside.

Afghan women are boldly countering Taliban's New Draconian law by singing out louder than ever !#MyVoiceIsNotForbiden #UntiedAgainstGenderApartheid pic.twitter.com/50g6qvXkHx

— Nilofar Ayoubi (@NilofarAyoubi) August 27, 2024

 In one video, a woman in Afghanistan sings with her face and body fully covered. "You placed the stamp of silence on my mouth until further notice," she says. "You will [not] provide me with bread and food until further notice. You've imprisoned me inside the house for the crime of being a woman."

The lyrics appear to reference restrictions the Taliban imposed on the basic rights and freedoms of women and girls shortly after seizing back control of the country three years ago. Among the rules was a ban on school attendance and higher education, which they said would last "until further notice."

Free Afghan Women

A woman from inside Afghanistan shared a video, she singing her voice in poetry:

"You have silenced my voice until further notice. You have imprisoned me in my home for the crime of being a woman."#WomenRights #Afghanistan #Freedom #UN pic.twitter.com/1BuXg3x46R

— Jahanzeb Wesa (@JahanzebWesa) August 27, 2024

 Another clip features a woman who left Afghanistan for Germany after the Taliban's return to power. She sings about the role of women in shaping history: "If I don't exist, who are you? Where are the true men among you? Without Ameneh and Rudabeh, where would Mohammad, Rostam, and Sohrab be?" The song references the mothers of the Prophet of Islam and famous male figures from Persian literature.

Volker Turk, the United Nations human rights chief, called on the Taliban to immediately repeal the "egregious" laws, which he said were attempting to turn women into shadows. Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the UN's Afghanistan mission, described the restrictions as providing a "distressing vision" for Afghanistan's future.

In response to global outrage against the laws, Taliban minister for vice and virtue, Khaled Hanafi, claimed on Tuesday that the international community lacked the authority to comment on Afghanistan. He emphasized that the Taliban would engage with other nations only within the framework of "Islamic laws."

Dr. Zahra Haqparast, a Germany-based women's activist who started a campaign against the new laws, said they were "the final bullet to the forehead of Afghan women." She added, "I started the campaign, and soon many more protesting girls joined. The Taliban should face sanctions. The world must not negotiate with them."

Haqparast, who lost her job as a dentist in Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, said, "Our voices are so loud, they're making them deaf. I want to sing a female revolutionary song so that my voice will deafen the ears of the terrorists. I want women to unite and raise their voices for their rights."

Women inside Afghanistan said the online protest was part of efforts to claim their right to be heard and to preserve their cultural identity amid the escalating restrictions on their freedoms. A former university lecturer in western Herat said, "The Taliban cannot silence our voices; we are half of this society, and they cannot even imagine how powerful we are."

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Afghanistan's Taliban government has officially codified a comprehensive set of morality rules this week, the Justice Ministry announced. The regulations, which range from requiring women to cover their faces to prohibiting car drivers from playing music, are based on a decree issued by the Taliban's supreme spiritual leader in 2022.

Justice Ministry spokesperson Barakatullah Rasoli confirmed that the 35-article morality law was officially enacted and published on Wednesday after being ratified by Supreme Spiritual Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. The rules, promoted as being in line with Islamic sharia law, will be enforced by the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue.

"According to this law, the Ministry is obligated to promote good and forbid evil in accordance with Islamic Sharia," the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

The new regulations mandate that women wear attire fully covering their bodies and faces, while men are prohibited from shaving their beards. Other rules include bans on skipping prayer and religious fasts. Penalties for violations range from verbal warnings to detention for up to three days in public jails.

The Morality Ministry has already been enforcing similar requirements and reports detaining thousands of people for violations. It remains unclear whether the publication of these rules will lead to stricter enforcement.

This move has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and many foreign governments, claiming this is a further restriction on women's rights and freedom of expression since the Taliban resumed control of Afghanistan in 2021.

"Day by day, they are trying to erase women from society," said Halema, a 37-year-old housewife in Kabul. "The silence of the international community regarding the actions of the Taliban is encouraging them to create new laws and restrictions every day."

Western capitals, led by Washington, have stated that formal recognition of the Taliban government is largely contingent on reversing course on women's rights and reopening high schools to girls. The Taliban, however, maintain that they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs.

The newly codified laws also instruct drivers not to transport women without a male guardian and require media to abide by sharia law, banning the publication of images containing living beings.

Heather Barr, Associate Director of Human Rights Watch's Women's Rights Division, commented on the situation: "A lot of these rules were in place already but less formally, and now they are being formalized. I think this is a sign of what we've been seeing over the last three years which is a steady and gradual escalation of the crackdown."

The morality ministry reported detaining over 13,000 people in the past year for alleged offenses, with approximately half of the detentions lasting 24 hours. The ministry did not provide a breakdown of the alleged offenses or the gender of the detainees.

Since taking control in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, the Taliban suspended Afghanistan's previous constitution and declared they would rule the country according to sharia law. The Justice Ministry stated that this week's morality laws represent the seventh set of codified laws, with others relating to property, financial services, and the prevention of begging.

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The Taliban has fired hundreds of men from Afghanistan's security forces due to their inability to grow beards, according to a report by The Telegraph. The notorious ministry for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice revealed this information along with other updates in its annual report.

During a press conference in Kabul, Mohibullah Mokhlis, the ministry's director of planning and legislation, stated that "281 beardless officers were identified, confirmed, and dismissed" from the country's security services over the past 12 months. He added, "The hairstyles of 450 military mujahideen were corrected to comply with Sharia law. And some who repeated the [hairstyle] violation were sent to military courts."

The Taliban has prohibited barbers in several provinces from shaving or trimming beards, claiming that the edict aligns with Sharia law. According to Islamic law, which is strictly upheld by the Taliban, it is mandatory for Muslim men to have a beard that is at least the "length of a fist."

The Taliban dismissed more than 280 members of its security force for their failure to grow beards. pic.twitter.com/jpIY1nlsEF

— 91 thoughts (@Marc4_ke) August 22, 2024

 One former Taliban security officer, who was recently dismissed, complained, "I cannot grow a beard, and they constantly called and harassed me. Around three months ago, the commander told me that I could no longer stay in the unit because of my beard." He added, "I joined them for financial reasons, but throughout my year with them, I faced lots of harassment over my inability to grow a beard. They would say I wasn't a true Muslim."

The officer also mentioned that about 10 other people were dismissed on the same day, including middle-aged men with significant experience, solely due to their inability to grow beards.

In addition to the beard-related dismissals, the Taliban regime disclosed that 21,328 musical instruments had been destroyed in the past year. Jalil Ahmad, a former guitar teacher in Herat, recounted how morality forces had stormed his home earlier this year and beaten him for owning several musical instruments.

Ahmad described the incident: "They knocked on the door, and I saw them through the window. I told my family not to open it, but one of them climbed over the gate and jumped into the yard. He unlocked the door, and five more officers stormed into the house." The 31-year-old was then taken to a police station, where he said he had been severely beaten.

Officials reported on Tuesday that more than 13,000 Afghans had been detained for "immoral acts" over the past year, with half of those having been released after 24 hours.

The morality ministry, which has faced criticism from human rights organizations and the United Nations for its restrictions on women and limitations on freedom of expression, also announced that a new plan was being developed to ensure compliance with Islamic dress rules. This plan will be overseen by Supreme Leader of Afghanistan Hibatullah Akhundzada.

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In a disturbing development, The Guardian has obtained video evidence showing the gang rape and torture of a female Afghan human rights activist in a Taliban-run prison. This revelation comes amid mounting reports of sexual violence against women and girls detained in Afghanistan.

The activist, who has since fled the country, claims the footage was later sent to her as a threat to silence her criticism of the Taliban regime. According to her account, shared with The Guardian and Rukhshana Media, she was arrested for participating in a public protest against the Taliban.

In the video, the woman is reportedly forced to undress and is then raped multiple times by two armed men. One of the assailants is heard saying, "You've been f*cked by Americans all these years and now it's our turn." The activist believes the attack was deliberately recorded to shame and silence her, and was threatened, "If you continue saying anything bad against the Islamic Emirate, we will publish your video."

This video evidence emerges as part of a broader pattern of alleged abuses. Last week, The Guardian published accounts of teenage girls and young women who reported being sexually assaulted and beaten after being detained under Afghanistan's strict hijab laws. In one particularly harrowing case, a woman's body was allegedly found in a canal weeks after her detention, with sources indicating she had been sexually abused before her death.

The United Nations special rapporteur on Afghanistan has recently reported suspicions of women facing sexual violence in detention. Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed what human rights groups are calling a "gender apartheid" on Afghanistan's 14 million women and girls, severely restricting their rights and freedoms.

Zarifa Yaqubi, 30, told The Guardian she was imprisoned for 41 days in November 2022 after attempting to organize a women's movement. "They gave electric shocks and hit parts of my body with cables so that I would not be able to show in front of the camera tomorrow," she said, adding that she was tortured into admitting to taking money from foreigners to protest against the Taliban.

Another activist, Parwana Nejarabi, 23, reported being beaten and given electric shocks after being detained for protesting for women's rights in early 2022. She claimed to have spent a month in solitary confinement and was shown a letter ordering her to be stoned to death.

Despite the risks, women inside Afghanistan continue to stage public protests and criticize the Taliban regime. Rukhshana Media has recorded at least 221 acts of protest by women and girls over the past two years.

Taliban spokesperson Zabhullah Mujahid denied the allegations of widespread sexual assaults on women in prison. Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, commented on the situation: "The Taliban are aware of how much stigma is involved around the issue of sexual violence in Afghanistan and how incredibly difficult – and usually impossible – it is for victims of sexual violence to come forward and tell their stories, even sometimes to their own families, because there is a risk of shame and potentially 'honor' violence."

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, expressed alarm at the reports: "I am alarmed by reports of torture and ill-treatment in Afghanistan, including allegations of sexual violence in detention, especially of women. We are continuing to look into these reports and to establish the facts."

The revelations come as Taliban officials participated in a special UN meeting on Afghanistan in Doha to discuss the country's future. Notably, no Afghan women were present at the meeting, and women's rights were not included on the agenda.

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