Latest news with #Rahimi
Kuwait Times
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Nearly two centuries on, quiet settles on Afghanistan's British Cemetery
Aynullah Rahimi's family has for decades tended the old cemetery in Kabul reserved for non-Afghans, but since the country's latest war ended and foreigners left in droves, he says few now enter the oasis of quiet in the capital. Dating back to the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century, the small plot of land in the city center has interred and memorialized foreign fighters, explorers and devotees of Afghanistan who have died in the country over some 180 years. In the two decades of war between Western forces and the Taleban that ended in 2021 with the latter's victory, there were a handful of burials and memorials attended by ambassadors and dignitaries at the British Cemetery. But these days, Rahimi quietly tends to the garden of roses and apricot trees, the calls of caged partridges louder than the rumbling traffic beyond the high stone wall that secludes the cemetery. 'Before the Taleban came to power, many foreigners used to come here to visit every week,' he told AFP. 'No one visits here much now, only sometimes a few tourists,' he said. The paint on the walls -- hung with commemorative plaques for the dead of NATO countries who fought the Taleban, as well as journalists who covered the conflict -- has chipped and weathered since the Taleban takeover in 2021, when Western embassies emptied. Where Kabul was once teeming with Western soldiers, diplomats, journalists and humanitarians, their presence has thinned dramatically. Adventurers from around the world are increasingly travelling to the country, despite lingering security risks and Taleban-imposed restrictions primarily targeting Afghan women -- including a general ban on women entering Kabul's parks. For those who know what's behind the wall marked only by a small sign reading 'British Cemetery', they can pause in the shade in one of the few green spaces in the city fully open to foreign women. 'This is a historical place,' Rahimi said, noting he hasn't had interference by the Taleban authorities. Those whose countrymen are memorialized there are welcome, he added -- 'it's their graveyard'. This photograph taken on May 22, 2025 shows plaques bearing names of British officers and soldiers who died during the Anglo-Afghan Wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, mounted on a memorial wall at the British Cemetery in the Sherpur neighborhood of Kabul. This photograph taken on May 22, 2025 shows gravekeeper Aynullah Rahimi unlocking a door at the British Cemetery in the Sherpur neighborhood of Kabul. This photograph taken on May 22, 2025 shows gravekeeper Aynullah Rahimi reading a nameplate displayed at the British Cemetery in the Sherpur neighborhood of Kabul. The Ritchies The last time the cemetery was full of the living, Rahimi said, was the burial of the latest person to be interred there -- Winifred Zoe Ritchie, who died in 2019 at the age of 99. Ritchie's family brought her body from the United States to Afghanistan to be laid to rest next to her husband, Dwight, who was killed in a car crash in southern Afghanistan 40 years earlier. The Ritchies had worked and lived in Afghanistan, one of their sons later following in their footsteps -- cementing the family's ties to a country far from their homeland. The couple's daughter, Joanna Ginter, has memories of her family wandering through markets, flying kites and raising pigeons in Kabul years before the city was engulfed by the first of many conflicts that wracked the country for 40 years. Their mother's burial 'was the first time (we visited) since we were there for my dad's funeral', Ginter told AFP, having travelled back to Kabul with relatives. 'I was very happy to get to go there, even though it was for a funeral.' Her mother's grave marker stands out in light marble among the headstones, wobbly letters next to a long cross -- a rare sight in Afghanistan. Older gravestones of some of the more than 150 people buried there bear the scars of conflict, names pockmarked into near unrecognizability by weapon fire that breached the wall. Other than thieves who broke through a fence where the cemetery backs onto a hill dotted with Muslim graves -- 'our graveyard', Rahimi calls it -- the caretaker says he is left mostly alone to his watch. The 56-year-old grew up helping his uncle who raised him tend to the cemetery, taking over its care from his cousin who fled to Britain during the chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces as the Taleban marched into Kabul. He had in turn taken up the post from his father, who guarded the cemetery and dug some of its graves for around 30 years. 'They also told me to go to England with them, but I refused and said I would stay here, and I have been here ever since,' Rahimi said, certain one of his sons would follow in his footsteps.—AFP
Int'l Business Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Nearly Two Centuries On, Quiet Settles On Afghanistan's British Cemetery
Aynullah Rahimi's family has for decades tended the old cemetery in Kabul reserved for non-Afghans, but since the country's latest war ended and foreigners left in droves, he says few now enter the oasis of quiet in the capital. Dating back to the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century, the small plot of land in the city centre has interred and memorialised foreign fighters, explorers and devotees of Afghanistan who have died in the country over some 180 years. In the two decades of war between Western forces and the Taliban that ended in 2021 with the latter's victory, there were a handful of burials and memorials attended by ambassadors and dignitaries at the British Cemetery. But these days, Rahimi quietly tends to the garden of roses and apricot trees, the calls of caged partridges louder than the rumbling traffic beyond the high stone wall that secludes the cemetery. "Before the Taliban came to power, many foreigners used to come here to visit every week," he told AFP. "No one visits here much now, only sometimes a few tourists," he said. The paint on the walls -- hung with commemorative plaques for the dead of NATO countries who fought the Taliban, as well as journalists who covered the conflict -- has chipped and weathered since the Taliban takeover in 2021, when Western embassies emptied. Where Kabul was once teeming with Western soldiers, diplomats, journalists and humanitarians, their presence has thinned dramatically. Adventurers from around the world are increasingly travelling to the country, despite lingering security risks and Taliban-imposed restrictions primarily targeting Afghan women -- including a general ban on women entering Kabul's parks. For those who know what's behind the wall marked only by a small sign reading "British Cemetery", they can pause in the shade in one of the few green spaces in the city fully open to foreign women. "This is a historical place," Rahimi said, noting he hasn't had interference by the Taliban authorities. Those whose countrymen are memorialised there are welcome, he added -- "it's their graveyard". The last time the cemetery was full of the living, Rahimi said, was the burial of the latest person to be interred there -- Winifred Zoe Ritchie, who died in 2019 at the age of 99. Ritchie's family brought her body from the United States to Afghanistan to be laid to rest next to her husband, Dwight, who was killed in a car crash in southern Afghanistan 40 years earlier. The Ritchies had worked and lived in Afghanistan, one of their sons later following in their footsteps -- cementing the family's ties to a country far from their homeland. The couple's daughter, Joanna Ginter, has memories of her family wandering through markets, flying kites and raising pigeons in Kabul years before the city was engulfed by the first of many conflicts that wracked the country for 40 years. Their mother's burial "was the first time (we visited) since we were there for my dad's funeral", Ginter told AFP, having travelled back to Kabul with relatives. "I was very happy to get to go there, even though it was for a funeral." Her mother's grave marker stands out in light marble among the headstones, wobbly letters next to a long cross -- a rare sight in Afghanistan. Older gravestones of some of the more than 150 people buried there bear the scars of conflict, names pockmarked into near unrecognisability by weapon fire that breached the wall. Other than thieves who broke through a fence where the cemetery backs onto a hill dotted with Muslim graves -- "our graveyard", Rahimi calls it -- the caretaker says he is left mostly alone to his watch. The 56-year-old grew up helping his uncle who raised him tend to the cemetery, taking over its care from his cousin who fled to Britain during the chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces as the Taliban marched into Kabul. He had in turn taken up the post from his father, who guarded the cemetery and dug some of its graves for around 30 years. "They also told me to go to England with them, but I refused and said I would stay here, and I have been here ever since," Rahimi said, certain one of his sons would follow in his footsteps. The grave of Winifred Zoe Ritchie (L) lies next to that of her husband Dwight, who died in a car crash in Afghanistan some 40 years earlier AFP Aynullah Rahimi's family has tended to the graves of foreigners in Kabul for decades AFP Plagues bearing names of soldiers who died during the Afghan War are displayed on a memorial wall at the British Cemetery in Kabul AFP
France 24
18-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Nearly two centuries on, quiet settles on Afghanistan's British Cemetery
Dating back to the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century, the small plot of land in the city centre has interred and memorialised foreign fighters, explorers and devotees of Afghanistan who have died in the country over some 180 years. In the two decades of war between Western forces and the Taliban that ended in 2021 with the latter's victory, there were a handful of burials and memorials attended by ambassadors and dignitaries at the British Cemetery. But these days, Rahimi quietly tends to the garden of roses and apricot trees, the calls of caged partridges louder than the rumbling traffic beyond the high stone wall that secludes the cemetery. "Before the Taliban came to power, many foreigners used to come here to visit every week," he told AFP. "No one visits here much now, only sometimes a few tourists," he said. The paint on the walls -- hung with commemorative plaques for the dead of NATO countries who fought the Taliban, as well as journalists who covered the conflict -- has chipped and weathered since the Taliban takeover in 2021, when Western embassies emptied. Where Kabul was once teeming with Western soldiers, diplomats, journalists and humanitarians, their presence has thinned dramatically. Adventurers from around the world are increasingly travelling to the country, despite lingering security risks and Taliban-imposed restrictions primarily targeting Afghan women -- including a general ban on women entering Kabul's parks. For those who know what's behind the wall marked only by a small sign reading "British Cemetery", they can pause in the shade in one of the few green spaces in the city fully open to foreign women. "This is a historical place," Rahimi said, noting he hasn't had interference by the Taliban authorities. Those whose countrymen are memorialised there are welcome, he added -- "it's their graveyard". The Ritchies The last time the cemetery was full of the living, Rahimi said, was the burial of the latest person to be interred there -- Winifred Zoe Ritchie, who died in 2019 at the age of 99. Ritchie's family brought her body from the United States to Afghanistan to be laid to rest next to her husband, Dwight, who was killed in a car crash in southern Afghanistan 40 years earlier. The Ritchies had worked and lived in Afghanistan, one of their sons later following in their footsteps -- cementing the family's ties to a country far from their homeland. The couple's daughter, Joanna Ginter, has memories of her family wandering through markets, flying kites and raising pigeons in Kabul years before the city was engulfed by the first of many conflicts that wracked the country for 40 years. Their mother's burial "was the first time (we visited) since we were there for my dad's funeral", Ginter told AFP, having travelled back to Kabul with relatives. "I was very happy to get to go there, even though it was for a funeral." Her mother's grave marker stands out in light marble among the headstones, wobbly letters next to a long cross -- a rare sight in Afghanistan. Older gravestones of some of the more than 150 people buried there bear the scars of conflict, names pockmarked into near unrecognisability by weapon fire that breached the wall. Other than thieves who broke through a fence where the cemetery backs onto a hill dotted with Muslim graves -- "our graveyard", Rahimi calls it -- the caretaker says he is left mostly alone to his watch. The 56-year-old grew up helping his uncle who raised him tend to the cemetery, taking over its care from his cousin who fled to Britain during the chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces as the Taliban marched into Kabul. He had in turn taken up the post from his father, who guarded the cemetery and dug some of its graves for around 30 years. "They also told me to go to England with them, but I refused and said I would stay here, and I have been here ever since," Rahimi said, certain one of his sons would follow in his footsteps.
Sydney Morning Herald
17-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dramatic CCTV shows gunmen open fire in Sydney restaurant
Pointing to a bullet hole on the counter top, Rahimi said he hadn't realised shots had been fired so close to where he and his staff were working. 'I didn't even see this bullet coming,' he told Nine News. During the shooting, Rahimi ran to the aid of his staff member, who was shot twice in the torso, applying pressure to her wounds while they waited for ambulances to arrive. Rahimi said the 47-year-old mother has worked at the store for a couple of years, adding she was 'very hard-working, very honest, very nice lady'. 'My staff is my first priority now, so I just hope she's doing all right, and we will support her [with] anything we can,' he said. 'She doesn't deserve it, to get shot.' A major manhunt continued on Tuesday for the shooters, with investigators probing three suspicious car blazes on Monday night as part of their inquiries. A black Audi Q7, believed to be the gunmen's getaway vehicle, was found alight on Wigram Street in Harris Park just before 6pm. Police believe the second vehicle found ablaze about 3.20am, a white ute in Greystanes, was used in another planned attack on Azari on June 13 in Rozelle. 'We believe [the incident] was another attempted attack on the 26-year-old male from the shooting yesterday,' Detective Superintendent Jason Box, the commander of Taskforce Falcon, said at a press conference. 'On this occasion, witnesses sighted a white ute with several occupants and their faces covered, and one occupant was believed to be holding a firearm. The 26-year-old male and his associates fled the scene.' The 25-year-old associate who was shot on Monday, and remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition, was also present during the June 13 planned attack. When police attended the Rozelle scene a short time later, Azari provided 'limited information' about the attempt on his life. Loading 'He was made aware of threats against his life. He acknowledged those threats against his life, to an extent, he was reasonably dismissive of what we had to say, and he's obviously continued his movements in the public area with not a great deal of concern,' Box said. Police are still investigating whether a third vehicle that was set ablaze overnight, a red Commodore found outside a home in Merrylands, is connected to the attempts on Azari's life. Police allege Azari has climbed the ranks of the Alameddine network to become one of its most senior members not to have fled overseas or be serving a lengthy prison sentence. Investigators from Taskforce Falcon, established to crack down on escalating gangland violence, are probing whether Monday's shooters are the same men who opened fire on Azari last month on Woodville Road in Granville, killing Alameddine associate Dawood Zakaria, 32, and injuring Parramatta lawyer Sylvan Singh, 25. Zakaria died in hospital several days later. A day after the assassination attempt, police warned Azari was at the 'epicentre' of an ongoing feud between the Alameddine clan and rival organised crime networks, and that he could be targeted as part of a 'tit-for-tat' gangland war if granted bail on firearms offences laid after the Granville shooting. 'There will be further bloodshed on the streets – the streets will not be safe,' police prosecutor Kai Jiang told Parramatta Local Court, in the failed attempt to keep Azari in custody. Acting Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell on Monday said police held concerns a 'war' within the Alameddine network had imploded and spilled onto Sydney's streets. Loading Multiple police sources not authorised to speak publicly say internal conflict between subgroups of the Alameddine crime network is to blame for the spate of shootings. With no clear leader in the wake of kingpin Rafat Alameddine leaving Australia, tensions have risen between the Fijian-dominated KVT – a group who were previously used by the Alameddines as enforcers – and the so-called Afghani crew, as well as gang members aligned with other senior members of the crime group. The ongoing conflict and recent shootings have sparked fears of attacks in the underworld, with several Alameddine members and associates taking measures to make themselves less predictable. NSW Premier Chris Minns labelled the shooting labelled 'shockingly brazen'.
Ya Biladi
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
Friendly match : Ayoub El Kaabi secures victory for Morocco against Benin
With a revamped lineup, Morocco edged past Benin 1–0 in a friendly match on Monday evening at the Fès Sports Complex. As announced beforehand, Walid Regragui used the occasion to test new strategies and explore fresh options. Zakaria El Ouahdi started on the right flank, stepping in for Achraf Hakimi, the PSG star and newly crowned European champion. In goal, Munir Kajoui, fresh off a CAF Confederation Cup victory with RS Berkane, was given the start. In midfield, Oussama Saharoui was tasked with supporting El Kaabi and Rahimi up front. From the outset, the Atlas Lions applied heavy pressure against a Beninese side that sat deep in defense. Saibari and Rahimi set the tone early in the first half. Morocco pushed hard for openings, constantly threatening the opposition's box, but Benin stayed compact, looking for counterattacks that were mostly snuffed out in midfield. In the 33rd minute, El Kaabi missed a left-footed shot after a defensive miscommunication on the Beninese side. Just seconds before halftime, El Kaabi redeemed himself with one of the most spectacular goals of his career — a bicycle kick finish off a perfect cross from Masina, whom Regragui later called «the pleasant surprise» of the night. Morocco went into the break with a deserved 1–0 lead. The second half followed a similar pattern: Moroccan dominance in attack against a disciplined Beninese defense. Regragui made a few changes, bringing on Targhalline and Zouhzouh to inject energy into the midfield. Bilal El Khannouss and Marouane also came off the bench.
