Heard in Afghanistan: More Afghans Being Arrested In Pakistan

Taliban Executes Young Afghan Couple
April 14 -- Two Afghan teenagers accused of having premarital sex were executed by the Taliban in the country's western Nimroz Province. The district's security chief, Hashem Nurzai, told Radio Azadi that government security forces have been unable to prevent the Taliban from gaining control of his area and other districts in Nimroz. He said the Taliban followed the couple before carrying out the execution.

Afghan Government: EU Concerns on Media Freedom "Baseless"
April 17 -- In an interview with Radio Azadi, Afghanistan's Minister of Information and Culture refuted claims from some EU countries that the Afghan government has threatened journalists [read more on media freedom in Afghanistan].

Afghan President Signs Decree to Protect Wildlife
April 16 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a decree banning the hunting of several kinds of wild animals. He also outlawed the use of hand grenades and electronic devices for fishing. Government officials told Radio Azadi that the rules may take time to be applied, but will eventually be implemented. Animal rights and environmental organizations welcomed Karzai's step as an important way to improve the ecological situation in the country [more].

More Afghans Being Arrested In Pakistan
April 14 -- Pakistan has arrested some 800 Afghans in its eastern Punjab Province after Pakistan's Taliban leader, Baytullah Mehsoud, took responsbility for a suicide attack against a military school in Lahore. A spokesperson for Pakistan's Awami party told Radio Azadi that "what the government is doing to the ethnic Pashtuns and Afghans deserves condemnation." Since the 1980s, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have been living in Pakistan.

Afghanistan Connecting to Cyberspace
April 10 -- Afghanistan's Minister of Telecommunications told Radio Azadi that a new fiber optic network will be ready in the near future. Amirzai Sangin said the project will dramatically boost the ability of Afghans to connect to the Internet.