Afghan Islamic Press
Encyclopedia
Afghan Islamic Press is an Afghan news agency based in Peshawar, Pakistan. It was established 1982, during the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan, by Muhammad Yaqub Sharafat. Sharafat was the nephew of Maulavi Yunis Khales, one of the leaders of the anti-Soviet mujahideen
guerrilla movement. The agency described its work as a contribution to the anti-Soviet jihad
.
After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 1996, some critics accused AIP of spreading propaganda on behalf of the movement. U.S. critics made such charges in particular during the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
in which U.S. air forces bombed Taliban targets, allowing the movement's Afghan enemies to overthrow it. During this phase of Afghanistan's war, the agency reported heavily on civilian casualties caused by the U.S. air attacks, and was cited by international media and by anti-war writers such as University of New Hampshire economics professor Marc Herold.
AIP denies accusations of propaganda and says it has preserved its independence by refusing funding from governments, political groups or non-government organizations. It says it requires three independent sources for its stories.
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
guerrilla movement. The agency described its work as a contribution to the anti-Soviet jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
.
After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 1996, some critics accused AIP of spreading propaganda on behalf of the movement. U.S. critics made such charges in particular during the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in which U.S. air forces bombed Taliban targets, allowing the movement's Afghan enemies to overthrow it. During this phase of Afghanistan's war, the agency reported heavily on civilian casualties caused by the U.S. air attacks, and was cited by international media and by anti-war writers such as University of New Hampshire economics professor Marc Herold.
AIP denies accusations of propaganda and says it has preserved its independence by refusing funding from governments, political groups or non-government organizations. It says it requires three independent sources for its stories.